When is the best time to plant watermelons?
Watermelons are grown over a fairly wide range in China and also bring good economic returns. However, because of the watermelon's own growth characteristics, planting times differ from region to region. Growing watermelons also places great emphasis on timing, so when generally is the watermelon planting time? Let's take a look below.
1. The best sowing time for watermelons
To be honest, watermelons can now be grown in three seasons in many regions, namely spring, summer and autumn. Generally speaking, in most places the best planting time for watermelons is around mid-March each year. Watermelons planted at this time usually reach the market around June, so they can be called relatively early-maturing watermelons, which means they can be sold at a slightly higher price, and since it happens to be summer, their sales volume is naturally fairly large as well. At the same time, for watermelons sown in March, their fruit-fattening period coincides with the rainy season, when their water demand is relatively high, which also reduces a certain amount of labor.
2. Open-field cultivation time
For watermelons grown in the open field, if in the Huang-Huai-Hai region, planting generally takes place only from late May to early June. The time they reach the market is right in summer, when demand for watermelons is already high; sometimes sowing is even delayed until early July, and the watermelons planted then reach the market exactly during the national statutory holidays, so they also have a certain market. Watermelon cultivation has a fairly large impact on Hainan, where there are generally two patterns: autumn planting with winter harvest, and winter planting with spring harvest.
3. Watermelon cultivation time under protected cultivation
For growing watermelons under protection we need to pay very close attention. Although many protected facilities now grow them, generally speaking protected cultivation can use methods such as greenhouses, plastic film and windbreaks, which is also a new type of growing model and is very popular in most parts of China. Generally, open-field cultivation can be carried out when the temperature reaches around 20°C; if the temperature has not reached that level, heat-preserving cultivation can be done by other means. In spring, planting is generally in early March; in autumn, sowing is generally in mid-August; in winter, planting can be done in early January.
4. Main production areas of watermelons in China
Watermelon production areas are widely distributed across China. Places such as Guangxi, Hubei, Hunan, Liaoning, Hainan and Inner Mongolia are all major watermelon production areas in China. Guangxi mainly produces seedless watermelons; Hunan and Hubei mainly produce Black Beauty, Dongting No. 1 and Xin Hong Bao; Hainan produces a wide variety of watermelon cultivars, including Black Beauty, seedless watermelon, Xin Hong Bao, Qilin melon and Te Xiao Feng; while Liaoning and Inner Mongolia mainly produce patterned melons.
The above is an introduction to watermelon planting times. I have briefly analyzed watermelon planting times from the aspects of the best planting time, open-field planting and protected cultivation, hoping it can help everyone. At the same time, I also briefly introduced the main production areas of watermelons and their watermelon cultivars. The above is for reference only. If you have other views, you are welcome to leave a comment to add to it.