How to Grow Winter Melon: Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Key Techniques
Besides being used as a vegetable, winter melon can also be candied into various sweets; its rind and seeds are used medicinally and have anti-inflammatory, diuretic and swelling-reducing effects. How to grow winter melon to achieve high yields?
1. Site selection and land preparation
Winter melon is usually grown on loose, fertile land with good drainage and irrigation. Dig ditches to channel water for irrigation, and remember to spread a layer of farmyard manure as a base fertilizer.
2. Sowing and raising seedlings
Winter melon can be sown directly or transplanted. For direct sowing, sow 3 to 5 seeds per hole in the soil at intervals of 30 to 50 cm, then cover the seeds with a thin layer of fine soil. For transplanting, the seedlings must first be raised, then planted at intervals of 5-10 cm after the seeds germinate.
3. Fertilizing
1. Base fertilizer: apply about 2000 kg of organic fertilizer and 50 kg of superphosphate per mu.
2. Seedling fertilizer: when the seedlings have grown 5-6 true leaves, apply 10-15 kg of compound fertilizer and 8-10 kg of urea per mu. This promotes vine extension and increases the plant's nutrient reserves. After the first female flower opens, control fertilizer and water to prevent excessive vegetative growth, which helps retain flowers and set fruit.
3. Fruit-sizing fertilizer: when the fruit grows to 3-4 kg, strengthen fertilizer and water management, applying 15-20 kg of compound fertilizer, 10-12 kg of urea and 8-10 kg of potassium chloride per mu. Apply once every half month, for 4-5 consecutive applications.
4. Timely harvesting
When the leaves on the vine turn slightly yellow and old, it means the winter melon has matured and can be harvested completely. Do not wait too long, because by then your melons may already be overripe or spoiled.
Winter melon is mainly distributed in other tropical and subtropical regions of Asia, and is cultivated in various parts of China. Wild winter melon is found in southern Yunnan, China. It is also distributed in eastern Australia and Madagascar.