Growing melons in a greenhouse: is it possible?

The greenhouse is a wonderful invention of mankind, helping to grow various plants in areas that are unsuitable for their natural growth in the open ground. And after all so it would be desirable to indulge itself and the relatives fresh greens, aromatic spicy grasses, juicy fruits with a gentle flesh. How can this be done, for example, in the far north? There are two ways out - to bring from afar and hope that delicate vegetables will normally bear long-distance transportation, or grow on the spot, erecting modern greenhouses. The second option, in more detailed consideration, may be more interesting, because with its help you can organize the cultivation of a huge number of garden crops, including the cultivation of melons in the greenhouse.

Naturally, growing a melon in a greenhouse should begin with the proper erection of it, because the expediency of the whole event depends first of all on this. Since a melon is a plant sun and heat-loving, then it needs to allocate a corresponding room - solar or well-lit, as well as well-warmed. The melon root system is quite branched, at the same time it can reach 1 m deep, therefore, when organizing melon growing in a greenhouse, it is necessary to take this into account. In addition, the melon can produce stems up to 4 m in length, so it needs large areas. The way out of the situation can be the creation of vertical trellises up to 2 m high, allowing the melon to grow higher, not wider, as well as pinching the top of the main stem after 4 knots. In this case, you need to closely monitor the location of the appearance of future fruits and additionally tie them, so that the stems under the weight of ripening melons do not stop. This can be done with twine or net.

Plant melon seeds in the soil, depending on the type of soil to a depth of 2 to 4 cm, but most often for greenhouse cultivation pre-prepared seedlings in pots. Usually planted 25-day or 30-day seedlings. Because of the branching of the stems, the holes are made at a fairly large distance, taking into account the characteristics of the variety. Since there are a lot of melon varieties , at the same time you can try to grow a few to experimentally determine which ones are better suited for greenhouse conditions.

Melon likes well-drained loose soil, so before planting in the ground, you can add peat, straw or sawdust. She also loves high humidity, but not waterlogging, especially during the flowering period, so you should water the areas with melons often. Melon has male and female flowers, but due to the lack of bees in the greenhouse pollination of flowers will have to be done manually, preferably in the morning hours.

Melons respond well to fertilizer application. Addition of melon - not top dressing of cucumbers in the greenhouse. It should be conducted more often, approximately every two weeks. For the best harvest, from the autumn, it is worthwhile to make not only a full set of mineral fertilizers, but also organic (overgrown manure or humus). In general, fertilizing fertilizing melons is almost the same as top dressing of cucumbers in a greenhouse - superphosphates, sulfuric acid potassium, ammonium nitrate. And they feed not only plants planted in the ground, but also seedlings in pots.

Depending on the variety, the maturation period for melons varies considerably. Common to all varieties of signs of maturation can be considered a change in the color of the fruit, the appearance of melon flavor, as well as ease of separation from the stem. Usually, melons are used fresh, although some variants of its processing for storage, for example, as a jam or in dried and dried form, are also possible.

Growing a melon in a greenhouse is a painstaking and rather laborious process, but the result obtained in the form of juicy, fragrant and fleshy fruits is certainly worth it.