Altai melon is a high-yielding variety with early ripening. At first it was created specifically for growing plants in Siberia. Thanks to its unique properties, melon has spread throughout the Russian Federation.
melon variety "Altai"
Among the variety of varieties, the Altai melon occupies a leading position
the main advantage of the Altai variety is that it can grow in regions with cool climates
Characteristic features of Altai melon
The variety bears its first fruits 70 days after germination. The crop is low, the central stem reaches a length of 2 m. The leaves are large, green, and the flowers are large. The yield is excellent - about 25 tons of fruit can be obtained from 1 hectare.
Melons are oval, one weighs about 1-2 kg. The peel is not thick, the pattern is with a white mesh. The pulp is dense, white. The taste of melon is sweet with a strong aroma. The fruits are used universally. They can be dried, prepared compotes, jams and other preserves. Altai melon tolerates transportation well due to its thick skin. The harvest can be stored for a long time.
If the melon fruit is slightly spoiled, the shelf life is reduced by 2-3 times.
Reviews about the variety
Reviews on forums about this variety can be found contradictory. Some summer residents admire the possibility of obtaining fruits in far from ideal natural conditions and the high productivity of the plant.
Others write that melon is less sweet compared to other varieties and has an original flavor reminiscent of pumpkin.
Whether you choose this variety for planting or not is up to you; most likely it will suit gardeners living in areas with a cool climate.
Let's watch another interesting video about the product of crossing Minnesota and Altai melons:
Useful properties and calorie content
Melons have a positive effect on the human body; the harm from the fruit is minimal. Melon contains a large amount of vitamins, of which A, B, C and E. It improves tone and helps with anemia. Melon has a beneficial effect on the body when there is a lack of many elements in the blood, has a diuretic effect, strengthens the functioning of the cardiac system, increases human energy, and increases hemoglobin.
The fruits can be eaten by people on diets. Calorie content in 100 g of melon is about 35 kcal.
The subtleties of planting melons in open ground
This wonderful crop can be grown in open ground in your garden. The area is prepared in advance for planting seedlings.
Scheme for planting melons in open ground:
- Dig up and loosen the soil, spread the hay in several layers.
- Plant the sprouts, be sure to cover them with film.
- After June 20, remove the covering material and water the seedlings well.
- Fertilizer application is permissible only after removing the film. In this regard, simple ash has proven itself to be excellent.
- Cover the beds with film at night.
- At the end of summer you can harvest crops grown in open soil.
- Do not forget that this variety of melon grows well in warm soil; protect the area from the winds. If the soil is clayey, then improve it with river sand. Take it at the rate of 0.5 buckets per 1 sq. m.
Read more about growing melons in open ground here.
Central Asian melon varieties
Central Asian varieties include local varieties that have long been cultivated in the region, including Uzbek (for example, Torpeda), Turkmen and Tajik. These are the largest plants with entire large leaves. Southern varieties are tasty, but they ripen only in their climatic area. Central Asian varieties are distinguished by the speed of ripening; the description can be presented as follows:
- Early ripening (varieties - Khandalyak Orange, Khandalyak Yellow, Khandalyak Kokcha, Kolagurk, Zami, Kok-Cola Posh) - after emergence, the fruits ripen in 60 days. Prone to disease. Due to the low content of pectin substances, the fruits are unsuitable for long-term storage or transportation. Fruit weight is up to 2 kg, spherical or flattened. The bark is thin and soft, segmented with a pattern, yellow or green in color. The thick pulp is juicy, slightly sweet, loose and white, with a small seed nest.
- Bukharki (varieties - Chogare (Bukharka), Assate, Tashlaki, Bos-valdy) are mid-early varieties. Poorly stored and transported. The oval fruits are large, slightly segmented. The yellow crust has a faint radial pattern.
- Summer (varieties - Bargi, Vaharman, Ameri, Ak-kaun, Kokcha, Shakar-palak, Arbakesha, Ich-kyzyl, Kyzyl-uruk) - mid-season varieties, the most sugary. The fruits are average. The bark is slightly segmented or smooth, yellow, greenish or cream in color. The taste of the pulp is with notes of pear, vanilla, pineapple, juicy, very sweet, crispy. The color of the pulp is white or light orange. The fruits are stored for up to 3 months and tolerate transportation well.
- Autumn-winter – fruit ripening time is 130-140 days. Heat-resistant varieties grow at air temperatures up to 43C and soil temperatures up to 60C. Rich in pectin, harvesting occurs when technical ripeness is achieved. Fruits ripen during storage (storage conditions – humidity 80-90%, temperature – 0-30C). The fruits are large, elongated, with dense, smooth or wrinkled bark. Color – brownish, dark green. The flesh is white, sweet and thick.
Popular Central Asian varieties grow and bear fruit well only in their own regions. In cold areas, their growing season is lengthened, so that melons do not have time to ripen even when grown using seedlings.
Growing melon in a greenhouse
Based on the lunar calendar, it can be argued that at the end of May, containers with seedlings should be taken out into the greenhouse. Gardeners recommend planting sprouts in the soil after 14 days. The seedlings are deepened by 4-5 cm. The distance between plants should be maintained at least 1 m.
Altai melon is a climbing crop, so that the sprouts do not get sick from the cold and winds, the seedlings are covered with film until they are fully rooted.
If the leaves begin to fade, it means that the melon does not have enough water. Just keep in mind that the Altai variety does not like moisture on the root system. Fertilizers are applied during growth and at the time of fruit ripening once every 10 days. The greenhouse needs to be ventilated and done on warm days.
Asia Minor varieties of melon
The plants are graceful, with small kidney-shaped leaves. There are two groups of varieties:
- Summer cabassa (varieties - Honey Dew, Zhukovsky's cabassa, Spotted cabassa) - mid-season varieties. The fruits are spherical with a mammillary process. The peel is soft, yellow-green, smooth or wrinkled, without a mesh. The pulp is sweet, melting.
- Winter cabassa (varieties - Valencia, Canary, Assan Bay, Temporano Rohet, Honey Dew, Golden Beauty) - late-ripening varieties, intended for ripening in storage. The fruits are large or medium, of various shapes. The crust is wrinkled, light or dark green. The pulp of ripened fruits is juicy and sweet. Stored at humidity 80-90% and temperature up to 30C.
Southern varieties are unsuitable for planting in northern regions. The plants will either die or the crop will not be able to ripen.
Features of cultivation and care
Caring for melons is very similar to caring for cucumbers. The main task is to provide regular and complete care for the sprouts, fertilize from time to time, loosen the soil and provide air access to the root system.
Seedling method
Before planting, melon seeds are soaked for a couple of minutes in a saline solution (2%). The pots are filled with a special substrate; to create it, take an equal amount of turf soil and peat. After planting the seedlings, the containers are covered with film or special transparent glass.
Pots with seedlings are left in a warm room, the temperature Celsius should not exceed +18 degrees. The room should be well lit; you can use a window sill that faces the east side. Water regularly with non-cold water using a spray bottle.
Sprouts will begin to appear on the 5th day after planting. After another couple of days, all the melon seeds will germinate. The sprouts do not tolerate picking, so 1-2 seeds are planted in one small container.
If the seedlings have grown weak and lifeless, then the plants should be fed with fertilizers containing nitrogen. After the third leaf has formed on the seedling, the seedlings can be replanted.
Seedless method
Melon seeds can be planted directly in open soil, provided that you live in a temperate climate. Sowing is carried out as soon as the threat of spring frosts disappears, this happens in May. Seeds are also treated in saline solution. Scheme for planting seeds: 0.5 x 0.7 m. Avoid thickening, it will negatively affect the sprouts.
Crops should be covered with any material; the best option is plastic film; it is removed only when sprouts begin to appear. It is necessary to pinch over the 4th leaf of the plant.
Seedlings require care, they must be watered, the soil must be loosened and weeds must be destroyed.
Soil preparation
Melon does not grow in the shade, so when planting it, choose a sunny, draft-free area. In the autumn season, the soil is dug up and organic matter and minerals are added. Before planting, a certain amount of fertilizer should be added to the ground. You need to use manure at a rate of 4 kg per 1 sq. m.
The Altai variety brings a rich harvest on loose soil, so river sand should be added to heavy soil. For 1 sq. m is enough 0.5 buckets.
Landing
Even an inexperienced gardener can plant Altai melon, but you still need to adhere to certain rules.
Basic rules for planting melons:
- The planting pattern in the greenhouse is 0.6-0.7 m, in the garden bed 1-1.4 m. Furrow depth is 50 mm. Before planting directly in the hole, pour water and place a handful of humus in the places where the seed or seedlings will be located.
- Carefully remove the sprout from the container and place it in the furrow so that the soil ball in which the seedling grew is slightly above the surface of the ground.
- After planting, water the sprout and shade it from the sun with a special screen. If you grow the plant in regions with sharp temperature changes, then at night the plantings should be covered with plastic film.
The Altai variety needs pollination, so before direct planting, a beehive or fan is brought into the greenhouse. If there are not enough plants, then pollination is done artificially using a cotton swab or brush.
Seedling care
The main place is occupied by the temperature regime, seedlings should grow at +22 degrees Celsius, they cannot be lowered below +15 degrees. The plant loves warmth, but there is no need to overdo it; do not forget that the variety was created specifically for the Siberian region.
Air humidity should be about 60%. A higher indicator will lead to rotting of the plant’s stem, and a lower one will prevent the melon from developing properly.
It is necessary to monitor watering; the young plant is very sensitive to the level of soil moisture, and if inconvenienced, it begins to hurt and rot. Watering is carried out if the ground is really dry by 50 mm. The water must be filtered or settled.
Direct flow of water is prohibited; you should use a spray bottle; this garden device will help to evenly distribute moisture over the surface of the earth.
Daylight hours should last approximately 14 hours. Place containers with seedlings on the south side, turn on the light for a couple of hours in the morning and evening. Proper care will help the gardener get not only a tasty, but also a rich harvest in a short period of time.
Harvest and storage
The fruits can be collected 70 days after planting the seedlings in open soil. Ripeness is determined by yellowing of the skin.
The size of the melon does not matter - even the largest fruit may still be unripe.
For an early ripening melon, the diameter of the fruit must be at least 0.1 m. The crop is cut with the stalk; it is better to carry out this activity early in the morning before hot hours, or in the evening.
The picked fruits are placed on the beds in one layer and dried in the sun for about 2 weeks. Every 5 days the melon is turned over, this way they will be preserved better. The harvest is laid out in boxes or lined with straw and the melons are laid in one layer.
An overview of the ripened Altai melon variety is presented in the video below:
Nuances of landing on the site
Melon seedlings in pots
Choosing the right raw materials is the key to a good harvest. Before planting melon seedlings, it is necessary to moisten it in a slightly salted salt solution (2%). In the meantime, prepare pots for seedlings.
To do this, take pots with a diameter of 7 centimeters and fill them with the following mixture:
- part of the peat;
- 2 parts humus;
- part of the turf soil.
Next, add a melon seed to this mixture. Then cover the pot with cling film and leave it in a warm place to prevent the seedlings from drying out.
Please note: it is better to leave the film on the pot until the sprouts appear.
The temperature in the room with seedlings should be 18 degrees Celsius - these are optimal conditions for sprouting. Watering the stems with warm water is allowed. If the sprouts are weak, you can water them with a solution of nitrogen fertilizers.
In addition, melon seedlings need good lighting. When your sprouts have 3 leaves, you can plant the seedlings in the ground.
This is important: melon seeds are planted in mid-April.
In May, preparatory work is carried out on the site. The soil in the greenhouse for melons is divided into squares, and holes 20 centimeters deep are dug in the designated squares. Cover the area under the melon with humus and soil.
A trench is dug in the center of the bed, 30 centimeters deep. The trench is filled with leaves or sawdust. Don't forget to water the garden bed. To ensure that the ground warms up well, it is covered with black film.
You may also be interested in an article about Astrakhan watermelon. Our next article talks about early and early ripening varieties of watermelons.
Diseases and pests
Altai melon gets sick often; its main enemies are powdery growth, copperhead and fusarium. The presence of these diseases can be recognized by the appearance of spots of various shades on the leaves; the plant begins to dry out and wither.
To prevent the Altai melon from dying from pest attacks, gardeners use the method of alternate planting of crops, and also try to prevent the occurrence of diseases by taking preventive measures.
The most important prevention includes pre-sowing soaking of seeds in a saline or manganese solution. As for insects, you should be wary of spider mites, aphids and tobacco thrips. To combat them, modern substances are used: Maxi, Fitover and Kemofox.
Growing conditions
To successfully grow melon, you need to create favorable conditions for it.
- The ideal temperature for melon is between 20-25°C. At temperatures above 30°C and below 15°C, growth stops.
- Melon grows well in loose, fertile soils. Heavy clay soils require loosening by adding sand and peat.
- The soil reaction should be neutral or slightly acidic, a pH level of 6.0-6.8 is optimal.
- Among the predecessors and neighbors should not be: pumpkin;
- cucumbers;
- potato;
- parsley.
- onion;
Reviews from gardeners about Altai melon
★★★★★
Ivan, 25 years old, programmer, Barnaul. I like the Altai melon variety; it has taken root well in our area.
It is almost undemanding in terms of care, although I had to work on creating seedlings, but it was worth it. The harvest was good and I was even able to sell some of it. Next year I will definitely plant this melon, especially since its ripening period is excellent. ★★★★★
Oksana, 65 years old, teacher, Yeniseisk. The variety, to put it mildly, is “not for everybody”; the taste is not too sweet, it gives off a delicacy.
I tried this variety with a friend of mine at the dacha, she highly praised it. But in fact, it’s not that wonderful; I won’t plant it at home. I will choose from other varieties of melons. Hide
Add your review
You can buy Altai melon seeds at any gardening store or market. The crop is distinguished by its early ripening period and ease of care; every gardener, even a beginner, can grow it on his or her own plot.
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European melon varieties
European varieties are early ripening and ultra early ripening hybrids, mainly obtained using the Cantaloupe variety. These varieties of melon are suitable for central Russia and even its northern regions. Among them are:
- ultra-early - ripening period less than 60 days;
- early ripening – ripening in 60-70 days, sugar content is 8-15%;
- mid-ripening - ripening period - 70-100 days, high sugar content, large fruits, well stored;
- winter - ripen over 100 days, sugar content - up to 16%, large fruits (up to 30 kg), well stored in cool rooms.
Various varieties produce fruits of various shapes - spherical or elongated. The crust can be smooth, ribbed or mesh. The pulp is crispy, greenish, white or yellow. In relatively cool climates, the fruit size is often small. The best varieties of melon have been bred for cool regions, capable of producing crops in short summer conditions.
Varieties suitable for the Moscow region
What are the best varieties of melons for the Moscow region - reviews indicate such as Kolkhoznitsa, Pineapple, Early Sweet, Scythian Gold, Iroquois. The peculiarities of the climate near Moscow allow the cultivation of fairly heat-loving varieties of melon, provided that the seedling method is used and grown in nutritious and insulated soil. Melon is grown in greenhouses or in illuminated, sunny areas.
The choice of melon varieties for the Moscow region should be adapted to the region; it is permissible to cultivate species that ripen in different periods, but cultivation is carried out using the seedling method.
Ultra-early and early varieties are chosen for the greenhouse. The ideal ripening period is 60-80 days. When using your own seed, it is worth considering that melon seeds for the Moscow region, which have been lying around for only a year, will not yield a harvest: they need aging for at least 3 years.
Here are the best varieties of melons for the Moscow region, which give good harvests:
Assol F1 is a mid-season variety, resistant to diseases. Round, segmented fruits weighing up to a kilogram, with aromatic, juicy pulp. Productivity – up to 7 kg/m2.- Kolkhoznitsa is a mid-season variety. Spherical, rich yellow fruits weighing up to a kilogram with white, juicy, sweet pulp, are well stored.
- Zolotistaya is a mid-early variety that is resistant to diseases. Oval fruits, weighing up to 2 kg, with juicy, aromatic pulp.
- Scythian gold is an early ripening variety that is not affected by powdery mildew. Fruits up to 1.5 kg, oval, yellow, sweet.
- Pineapple is a mid-season variety. The fruits are oval, golden-orange with a net, weight – up to 3 kg. Well stored and transported.
- Early sweet is a mid-early variety resistant to diseases. The fruits are yellow, round, with juicy, aromatic pulp and weigh up to 3 kg.
- Tamanskaya is an early-ripening, productive variety that is resistant to powdery mildew. The fruits are oval, smooth, with a small mesh, weight up to 1.3 kg. Well stored and transported.
- Charlotte is a mid-early variety with oval fruits weighing up to 2 kg. The pulp is juicy, sweet, aromatic, deep orange.
- Iroquois is a mid-early variety that can withstand unfavorable climate conditions. Segmented fruits with a coarse mesh, weighing up to 2 kg, with orange pulp.
Mid-early melon varieties for the Moscow region are suitable for open ground in the same way as for greenhouses. It is also possible to grow further north – closer to St. Petersburg. True, melon varieties for the Leningrad region should be selected exclusively for early ripening ones, so that they have time to ripen before August, when average daily temperature changes become critical for plants. Recommended varieties are Hermius, Luna, Altai, Scythian Zoloto, Lada, Cinderella F1, etc.
