What is Bakhcha?

All modern people know what a watermelon is andmelon. These fruits are popular and loved even in the northern regions. But not everyone knows that they differ from other plants in that they need special growing conditions. Watermelon, melon and another pumpkin are related to melons and grow on a special field called bakcha. This word is known in Russia since the XVI century. It came to Russian from Central Asia, where these cultures were grown from time immemorial.

What is a melon

This is the field on which melons grow: watermelons, melons and pumpkins. In Turkic it meant a garden or a vegetable garden in the steppe. Indeed, the yielding melon can only be in the steppe arid regions, where there is a lot of sun and high temperatures. Melon plants like sandy or loamy soils, do not ripen next to other plants and do not tolerate shadows. Therefore, the melon plant is a huge field, sown only with watermelons or melons. Most of these fields are in Central Asia, the Caucasus, southern Ukraine and the Volga region. Melon growing is less developed in the Black Earth region, Siberia and the Far East.

Features of melons and gourds

1. They are the most thermophilic of all cultivated plants. Seeds of pumpkin or melon begin to germinate at 14-15 degrees of heat, and watermelon - at 17 degrees. They can not withstand even short-term frosts. Cultures grow best at 30-35 degrees. If at night the temperature drops below 12 degrees, the plants of the melons may die.

2. These cultures prefer well-lit places in the sun. That is why the best way to grow them is melon. This does not mean that watermelons can not grow in the garden, but they will become sweet and tasty only in a sunny, weed-free place.

3. The soil they prefer is loose, best sandy. Only a pumpkin is less choosy to them and can grow anywhere.

4. Melon plants are highly drought-resistant. They all have a powerful stem root system and a lot of small roots, which suck out the slightest moisture from the soil. But this does not mean that they do not need watering. In the arid regions, the Baqchi were irrigated with the help of a canal system, thanks to the location in the river valleys and depressions of the floodplain.

5. All the plants of melons need a lot of space. They have a stalking, strongly branching stem. It is recommended that it be sprinkled with earth on the site of the side shoots, so more roots are formed. These cultures do not tolerate neighborhood with other plants, which is why they need melon for their cultivation. This has been known for a long time, but in recent years, gardeners are trying to grow watermelons and melons in the northern regions.

Melon crops in the country

Russian breeders are successfully working onthe creation of varieties of watermelons, able to grow even in Siberia and the Far East. But melon, which is also called the "melon queen", needs a lot of sun. Only one variety was bred - "Kolkhoznitsa", which can be grown in the middle belt, but it is inferior to the southern one in taste and aroma. And if you choose the right type of watermelon and spend a lot of time caring for it, then you can grow this fruit and not on the melon. What are the requirements for cultivation of melons?

1. Choose the right soil. It should be light, loose, not clogged and rich in organic substances.

2. Seeds before sowing need to warm up well at a temperature of 30 degrees 1-2 days.

3. Seeds are planted in well-moistened soil to a great depth: from 4 to 8 centimeters. It is best to grow them in seedlings in the middle zone.

4. For each bush there should be a lot of space, free from other plants.

5. Ripe fruit should be harvested on time.

If these rules are observed, you can have your own melon at the cottage giving good yields.

The value of melons

Even those who do not know what is growing on melon,have heard about the benefits of these plants. Their pulp contains a large amount of sugars and organic substances. Fruits have a refreshing pleasant taste and high nutritional value. They are used in medicine for the treatment and prevention of many diseases. Especially useful pumpkin, the content of carotene, it takes first place.