Melon varieties for growing outdoors in Siberia

Altai

Altaiskaya has a medium-sized stem with a few runners. The main stem can reach 2 meters in length. This is an early variety. The fruits ripen approximately 2–2.5 months after sowing.

The fruits of this variety have the following description:

• oval shape;
• the structure is weakly segmented and elastic;
• The peel is light orange or lemon-colored. There is no pattern;
• The flesh is white, sometimes slightly orange. It is not thick;

A single berry weighs between 0.8 and 2 kg. The Altai variety has a sweet flavor and a strong aroma. With proper care, a bush can yield up to 15 kg.

Dessert

This is a mid-season variety. The growing season lasts 72–94 days. The plant is characterized by a medium-sized vine. The melons are oval in shape and have a segmented surface structure. Green and blue stripes are visible deep within the segments. The rind surface has a coarse mesh. The skin is yellow. The flesh is grainy and juicy. It has a honey-like flavor and a pleasant aroma. A ripe berry weighs 1–2 kg.

Dessert variety has a strong immune system and is rarely affected by diseases. Yields per hectare can reach up to 31 tons.

Golden

Zolotistaya is a mid-early variety. The growing season lasts 72–87 days. The plant forms stems with a few vines. These stems bear green, kidney-shaped leaves with entire margins.

Ripe melons are round and flexible. The first berries have a netted texture. The rind is orange or yellow and patternless. The flesh is white and has a soft, firm, and not thin texture. The fruits weigh approximately 2 kg. Up to 25 tons of fruit can be harvested from one hectare.

The advantages of Zolotistaya include a stable yield, as well as high transportability of berries.

Cinderella

This is an early-ripening variety. The plant produces its first crop 2–2.5 months after planting. Elongated shoots form on the stem. The leaves are medium-sized and slightly dissected.

Cinderella melons are oval-shaped. They are characterized by elasticity and a yellowish rind. The rind surface has no pattern, but a continuous mesh pattern is present. The flesh is light creamy in color and juicy and sweet. It contains up to 9.5% total sugar and 11.5% dry matter. The seeds are narrowly oval and ivory-colored. The fruits weigh between 1 and 2.5 kg. One bush produces up to 10-15 melons.

Cappuccino

It is also an early-ripening variety. The first berries appear approximately 2–2.5 months after sowing the seeds. Therefore, Cappuccino can be easily planted outdoors, even in Siberia. It can also be grown from seedlings. Seeds for seedlings are sown in early April. The seedlings are sown in the ground in mid-May.

Ripe melons are round. Their texture is elastic. The rind has a clearly visible mesh. The rind itself is thin and bright yellow. The flesh is light cream, almost white, and very juicy. The pulp contains approximately 17% sugar.

A ripe melon weighs approximately 0.8–1.5 kg. Despite their small size, these melons have an excellent sweet flavor and a pleasant aroma.

Cappuccino is characterized by high yields. With proper care, a single plant can yield up to 15 kg of fruit.

Honey Tale

The Honey Fairytale melon is a mid-early variety. It takes 75–85 days for the harvest to mature. The plant is characterized by a medium-tall vine.

Ripe melons are round. Their surface is smooth and has a netted texture. The skin is deep yellow, although it can also be light yellow. The flesh can be white or creamy. It tastes delicate, sweet, and juicy. It contains a high percentage of sugars.

One ripe berry weighs approximately 2–4 kg. The fruits of this variety can be eaten fresh or used to make candied fruits and sweets. The Medovaya Skazka variety is highly resistant to pests, and its fruits are well-suited for transportation. Seeds can be planted both in open ground and for seedlings.

A Sybarite's Dream

Another name for this variety is "Summer Dream." This variety is distinguished by its early maturity, making it considered an ultra-early variety. It takes 50–55 days for the harvest to form. This characteristic is shared by almost all early-ripening varieties. The bush is medium-sized. The stem structure is soft and slender.

The Sybarite's Dream produces oval fruits with a relatively flexible structure and interrupted green stripes. The skin itself is yellow and thin. The flesh is white. It tastes crisp and juicy, and has a delicate aroma.

The melons are small, weighing from 0.3 kg. This variety is characterized by high yields. With proper care, up to 20 kg of fruit can be harvested per square meter per season. It's worth noting that fruiting continues until frost. Sybarite's Dream is distinguished by good pest resistance.

Siberian honey

This mid-early variety is called Siberian Honey F1. It grows as a medium-sized, vine-like melon. The fruits are spherical in shape. The skin is elastic and patternless, yellow in color. The inside flesh is creamy. The fruit has a sweet, juicy flavor and a pleasant aroma.

The Siberian Honey melon variety can withstand frost. It is grown using seedlings.

Sympathy

Considered a mid-early variety, the fruits ripen in 100–108 days. The plant has long vines. Sympathy produces oval fruits that are patternless and elastic. The skin is covered with a thick, uniform mesh on top. It is yellow in color. The flesh is creamy and thick. The berries are tender, crisp, and juicy. They are distinguished by their sugar content. The seeds are characteristically narrow oval.

Melons weigh approximately 1.2–2 kg. The variety's yield is average. Up to 0.7 kg can be harvested per square meter.

The best melon varieties for Siberia were described above. All of these melon varieties require simple cultivation techniques and produce a decent yield. Each gardener must decide for themselves which variety to choose.

Video: How to Grow a Sweet Melon

This video will show you how to grow your own sweet melon.