Melon - extremely sweet and juicy - today is one of the most popular crops, grown by farmers. Thanks to its excellent taste, it has gained popularity around the world - and in the West, and in the east. There are many varieties of this plant, each of which has its own characteristics and unique characteristics, and sometimes farmers just don't know, which one to choose for planting on your site. In this article we will describe the latter, medium-ripe and early varieties of melon, suitable for growing in open ground.
Early
Many farmers prefer to grow early varieties, to be able to enjoy the wonderful taste of this fruit until mid-summer. Therefore, consider in more detail the best varieties of early sweet melon, which can be grown in open ground.
Let's start with the Early variety 133, which is precocious (as evidenced by even its name) and after 70 days from then, when the stairs began to appear, you will be able to become the owner of a fairly large ripe fruit (mass 1,5-2 kg). Their shape is a bit oblong, the skin is painted yellow, and under it hides, juicy, fragrant white flesh. Celebrate the pleasant sweet taste of fruit. The plants themselves tolerate drought well, and the sun's rays do them no harm, so that the crop can be harvested at the same time from the whole area they bear fruit at the same time. It should also be noted, what's there, where the summer is quite cool, it is better to grow this plant in a greenhouse.
Another precocious melon - Early sweet. If the seedling is placed in the ground in early April and create appropriate conditions for it, then by the second half of summer you will be able to harvest round bright yellow fruits. A distinctive feature of this variety of melon is the high content of various sugars in the flesh. As a result, it acquires a very mild sweet taste, which in combination with the extraordinary juiciness of the fruit makes it popular among consumers.
The weight of the fruit is average - 2-3 kg, the skin is very smooth to the touch, no bumps or cracks. This variety of melon is suitable for growing in open ground in almost all regions, although sometimes additional measures are required in the form of film cover.
French breeders have tried to glory, bringing a new variety of melon - Charente. It looks like a small grayish ball, on which the greenish longitudinal stripes are located. The flesh of the fruit is painted in a beautiful brown-orange color, has a pleasant aroma and delicate taste. Charente is low in calories, so you can enjoy orange slices without fear of extra pounds.
Another variety, brought from France, - Mazin. The melons themselves have an elliptical shape and brown color. Mazin has several features, which provide him with good feedback from farmers and consumers: the fruits themselves are quite compact (weighing up to 3 kg), can be stored for several weeks from the time of harvest, not spoiling at all, in addition, well tolerate transportation.
Cinderella is a suitable plant for our territory. The fruits ripen during 75 days after, as melon seeds were planted in the ground. So, after a short amount of time you will be able to gather a good harvest of small neat fruits, mass to 1 kg Cinderella is very resistant to various diseases, often striking this culture. Her skin is smooth, yellow and fairly reticulate, and inside - the flesh of a pleasant cream hue. Cinderella tastes sweet, because the percentage of sugars is quite high.
The next variety, which we will consider is called the Marquis. It has quite large fruits (1,5-2 kg) with a beautiful golden hue, covered with a large mesh. It is soft inside, very juicy and tender flesh, the taste of which has a faint pineapple hue. The Marquis sings after graduation 70 days from the appearance of the first shoots, and the harvest can be up to 8 kg. However, for that, to grow the Marquis, you need to consider many nuances, otherwise you will not get the expected effect.
The variety of watermelons Dream of a sybarite looks unusual, brought from distant Japan: has a green-striped color, the fruits are not large (total 300-400 G), and the harvest is small - from one plot you can collect up to 20 pieces of these kids. But it ripens much earlier, than other varieties - the harvest can be obtained through 50 days after germination (in a warm climate zone). Its flesh is snow-white, has a honey tint. This variety of melon is suitable for open ground, but only if on your site the dream of a sybarite will receive enough heat and light. In cold climates it is almost impossible to grow.
Within two months, a large melon called Myron reaches maturity. It is emphasized, that this is a record time for fruit ripening by weight 3-5 kg Their shape is elongated, resembles an ellipse, dark yellow skin, the grid is pronounced. The pulp is painted white, on a consistence dense enough. Myron's percentage of sugar is quite high - whole 13 %, therefore, the taste of this variety is quite sweet.
AND, finally, Duborovka is a universal variety, characterized by early maturation. Melon has a rounded shape (sometimes even slightly elongated), her skin is painted orange and partially covered with mesh. Occasionally there may be dark orange spots on the fruit, especially during ripening. The flesh of Dubrovka is painted in a beautiful snow-white color, has a dense consistency and delicate sweet taste.
Medium ripe
These include varieties of melons, ripening by the end of summer. Unlike its predecessors, they have a denser flesh, and tastes much sweeter. so, let us approach the description.
Let's start with a variety called Collective Farmer 753, which is required 90 days to reach maturity. It has spherical, not too large fruits (1-1,5 kg), to the touch - smooth, without cracks, with a pronounced grid. Inside it is white, extremely juicy, has a dense consistency. It tastes quite sweet. in addition, has a very strong pleasant aroma. Under favorable conditions and good care can be collected before 20-22 kg of harvest of this beauty. However, it is worth noting the low resistance of the Collective Farm to disease, like powdery mildew or anthrax, which can significantly impair the quality and quantity of the crop.
The Ethiopian variety has an interesting shape, which ripens just for 80 days. These plants are small, the fruits themselves are round (can be a little elongated), and under good conditions and care can reach a mass of 7 kg. Peel with a golden hue, rough to the touch and divided into segments (lobes). Ethiopian flesh is painted white, very juicy and dense. It tastes very sweet, if desired, you can make an excellent melon liqueur from it. Ethiopian yields are good - harvested before 20 kg of ten square meters.
Lada is a variety, which you need close 85 days for ripening. Fruits in Lada are large, spherical shape, can reach mass in 4 kg. The flesh is a beautiful white color with a yellowish tinge, very juicy and sweet. It is thanks to its sweetness that Lada has become so popular with farmers, because its pulp can be used to make excellent sweets or even candied fruits. Therefore, if you decide to choose this variety for cultivation, you can always treat yourself to wonderful sweets, prepared from this melon.
Let's also say a few words about "musk melon", one of the varieties of which is the Eugene variety. His shape is round, slightly flattened. The skin is yellowish-green, divided by greenish stripes into segments. The flesh has a strong aroma and is very sweet, though, painted green, which may suggest a lack of melon ripeness. Ripens Ozhzhen for 83 days, and its yield is up to 12 kg of ten square meters.
Almost - a variety of melon, which after graduation 78 days will delight you with cute neat oval fruits. The skin has a golden hue and is covered with a thin mesh. The fruits themselves are not too large - the weight of one can vary from 1 to 3 kg, but these melons taste very sweet. The flesh is very beautiful in color - golden with a pink tinge, very juicy and has a pleasant aroma. It is because of the extremely sweet taste that this variety has become very popular, so if you want to please yourself with juicy and sweet melon - feel free to choose Amal.
Late
The late varieties include those, in which the vegetation period lasts the longest and the maturation period is quite long. However, such melons can be stored in winter, to enjoy the sweet and delicate taste in the cold.
We will be the first to describe the late variety of melon Pineapple. He needs a long period (95 days), for maturation. Pineapple fruits are not too large (to 3 kg), neat oval shape. The skin has a beautiful golden hue, and the grid, covering the melon, opukla. The flesh of this variety is very oily and extremely juicy, has a persistent aroma. Speaking of taste, there is some resemblance to pineapple, as the name implies. Stored for two weeks, without losing its flavor. There is also a high resistance to various diseases, which makes it much easier for the farmer to take care of this crop.
For 90 days reach the Golden Melon. Its fruits are rounded, slightly elongated shape, the skin is smooth to the touch, beautiful bright orange color. Each melon is small - only one kilogram. The flesh of the Golden is very juicy, oily to the touch, with a persistent aroma. It has a wonderful sweet taste, which can be enjoyed for another three weeks from the time of harvest - that's how much you can store this melon.
Torpedo - grade, who needs whole 133 days, to please its owner with an excellent harvest. The melons themselves are oblong, elongated and slightly rounded. The skin is painted yellow, small cracks are felt on the entire surface to the touch, which is covered with mesh. The flesh itself is snow-white, very gentle, juicy and sweet. The aroma becomes stronger some time after harvest. Torpedo yields are good, and melons are big (their weight ranges from 4 to 8 kg). exept this, high resistance to drought is noted, so even in dry summers will be able to collect an excellent harvest.
Gulyaba melon was brought from Central Asia, which can be stored in a cool place until spring. It ripens after 133 days after the first seedlings and has a good yield - up to 14 kg of ten square meters. It has an ovoid shape and a significant mass (to 7 kg). The surface is divided into segments and covered with a solid fine mesh, painted in dirty yellow. The flesh is snow white, on a consistence - very dense, even slightly viscous. Gulyaba's taste is extremely sweet and intensifies some time after storage. This variety is for those, who wants to enjoy the delicate taste of melon in the winter cold.
98 days since the appearance of the first seedlings - that's how much you need winter varieties, to bring its owner a wonderful harvest. Fruits in the winter are not very large (to 3 kg), oval shape, skin - yellow-green, quite smooth to the touch. in addition, it is covered with a mesh with large holes. The flesh of the ripe melon is painted in a light green protective color, quite dense and juicy. The taste is pleasant, sweet, acquires new qualities some time after harvest.
Yields in winter are extremely high - even without watering can be harvested before 14 kg of ten square meters (as it has good drought resistance), and if you take good care of the plant and water it, it will increase to 38 kg! There is good resistance to cracking of the fruit during ripening. exept this, they can be stored in a cool place for three months, and they will not lose their excellent taste. Wintering also has a high resistance to various diseases.
Video "Growing melons in the open ground"
In this video you will learn about it, how to grow melons in the open ground.