A wonderful harvest is being gathered from a melon field and vineyard near Vitebsk

The northernmost region of Belarus has harvested its first crop of melons and watermelons, and is now expanding its vineyards.

A person without a homeland is like the sky without the sun. Demiko Nadirashvili has long considered himself a very wealthy man – he has as many as two homelands, two daughters, and three grandchildren. Until the age of 18, he was raised in Georgia, where his grandfather had a large vineyard. Demiko Shotaevich recalls that on the blessed land, the vine grew practically on stones and yielded an amazing harvest of juicy, sun-ripened berries.

“Besides the vineyard, my grandfather also had an apple orchard,” says Demiko Nadirashvili. “I clearly remember Russian soldiers buying apples from him and sending gifts home in parcels. Now, in Belarus, no one is surprised by tasty, well-preserved red-cheeked apples that last all winter. So, perhaps this land is capable of much more than we traditionally ask of it?”

It was the desire to explore the unknown, to study the possibilities of the local climate in more detail in practice, and simply the habit of conquering yet unconquered heights that prompted the enthusiast with Georgian roots to attempt to "shift" climatic zones. The well-known head of the agricultural production cooperative "Olgovskoye" in the region and the country, who has worked in the Vitebsk region for 40 years after graduating from the Vitebsk Veterinary Institute (including 20 years as a leader), confidently embarked on an experimental path. His interests, as it turned out, were closely intertwined with the interests of Viktor Kukharev, a full member of the International Association of Northern Viticulturists and Winemakers, who has a dacha in the Vitebsk region. By that time, dozens of local residents had already been "infected" by the passionate master of viticulture, and people traveled hundreds of kilometers for cuttings. In short, the Olgovskoye land and the local mentality were long ready to fill the inherently southern berry with the necessary amount of warmth and sun through the caring hands and warm hearts of the farm's workers…

Experiment means experiment. Along with greenhouses, grape cuttings were planted a year and a half ago in an open area. Surprisingly, even without shelter, the seedlings overwintered successfully and are now gaining strength to yield a substantial harvest of berries next season. In the greenhouse, however, are stronger "teenagers" with a robust root system, which are already surprising with large, multi-kilogram bunches. Here are "Orchid," "Dream," "Tenderness," and other varieties, over which Viktor Kukharev "worked his magic" so well, creating such an amazing aroma and taste that you might look around and wonder if you are really in Belarus. The berries are amber, cherry, green, burgundy, purple... I always thought that grapes tasted the same: a little more or a little less sweet. But here, it's like real "Chanel perfume": you can't confuse one variety with another. The differences are colossal, but the similarity is one: unforgettably delicious! I was especially impressed by "White Pearl" with its bright muscat note. I could eat and eat...

— In total, we are testing 40 varieties (300 bushes) of grapes, specially zoned for the Vitebsk region. They differ in both taste characteristics and ripening periods, — shares the cultivation technology, the head of the greenhouse Viktor Filippkov. — It's interesting that by growing grapes in the northern region of the country and using different varieties, one can provide oneself with berries of own production from July to September.

— Look how "Talisman" has grown, — says agronomist Dmitry Grutsa, joining the conversation and pointing to the heavy, large bunches of berries shimmering with juice. — This is a purely female variety. And next to it, we specifically planted the male "Kishmish." In the spring, I personally carried out cross-pollination using a glove. If these varieties grew separately, both would turn into "Kishmish." This is a truly amazing science – viticulture…

Indeed, it is amazing. The same "Talisman," it turns out, can produce berries weighing up to 22 grams! That's why the seemingly fragile vine branches bend so much…

— We will expand the vineyards, — asserts Demiko Nadirashvili. — This season we will harvest about a ton of grapes, but this is just the beginning. What will we do with it? We will provide ecologically clean and tasty products to our residents, and we will share cuttings with everyone who wishes. We are not planning to implement any grandiose economic projects in this direction. Grapes are a hobby culture, for the soul. The main thing is that its popularity is growing in the Vitebsk land, it is used to decorate estates, make delicious homemade wine, and serve as an exotic treat for guests. Hobbies are always good, a person should know how to rest productively…

Today, SPC "Olgovskoye" is the main supplier of vegetables, potatoes, greens, melons, and other products to the tables of townspeople. Carrots, beets, cabbage, onions, garlic, pumpkin, zucchini, parsley, dill, coriander, basil, mint, fruit tree saplings, thuja, flowers, strawberries, raspberries, and much, much more are grown here. It is easier to list what is not cultivated on the farm's lands.

This year the list has been replenished: real watermelons and melons ripened in the open ground here.

— As part of a special assignment, we tested Turkish watermelon and melon seeds. The melon turned out to be slightly capricious, but the watermelons pleased us — their sweet, juicy, granular pulp is in no way inferior to southern competitors, — shares his impressions Viktor Korsak, head of the Vitebsk Vegetable Variety Testing Section, which belongs to the State Inspectorate for Variety Testing and Protection of Plant Varieties. — Our section is based here, at SPC "Olgovskoye", and therefore we work with "exotic" crops together with the farm's specialists. The Turkish watermelon surprised us — it yielded about 150 quite solid-weight berries per hundred square meters, with a yield of about 700 centners per hectare.

Well, stereotypes are broken by skill. And also by the responsible attitude to work of every person employed in the agricultural enterprise. Traditionally, "Olgovskoye" receives the highest grain yields in the region. This year, as the chief agronomist of the farm Denis Beresnev said, for example, triticale yielded 66 centners per hectare, and the overall grain yield was 49 centners per hectare. The "Olgovskoye" breadfield, despite its vegetable specialization, is quite large – 2.2 thousand hectares. And they get 700-750 centners of vegetables per hectare here. A real crop production factory. An excellent Belarusian factory with Georgian charm.

Elena Begunova, Respublika