The south of Kazakhstan — Turkistan, Zhambyl and Kyzylorda regions — is famous for its watermelons and melons. Hot summers and plenty of sun produce sweet fruit, but yield and income depend on water, crop rotation and sales arranged in advance.
Growing conditions
- Melons and gourds love warmth and sun and tolerate frost and cold soil poorly.
- The best soils are light, warm up quickly and do not waterlog.
- Sow when the soil at a depth of 10 cm has warmed to about 14–16 °C. Early sowing into cold ground often has to be redone.
Irrigation
Drip irrigation saves water and fertiliser and reduces the risk of leaf diseases. Watering is especially important while the vines are growing and the fruit is setting. It is reduced before ripening: excess water lowers the sugar content and causes the fruit to crack.
Crop rotation
Melons and gourds must not be grown on the same field in consecutive years: diseases (especially fusarium wilt) and pests build up. A break of several years is usually recommended. Good preceding crops are perennial grasses and winter cereals.
Varieties
Choose varieties and hybrids by ripening time and buyer requirements: early ones for the early market at a high price, late and long-keeping melons for storage and long-distance transport. Find out what wholesalers in your district buy.
Harvest and sales
- Signs of a ripe watermelon: a dried tendril near the stalk, a yellow “ground” spot, a dull sound when tapped. For melons: aroma and, in netted varieties, the net on the rind.
- Arrange sales before harvest: melons and gourds do not store well, and prices fall at the peak of the season.
- Shipping consignments requires phytosanitary and other documents — check the requirements of the buyer and the inspection authority.
List your farm in the catalogue under “Melons and gourds” and offer your harvest in the Classifieds.
