Growing pumpkins outdoors. Site Requirements

About the beneficial qualities of pumpkin, as well as about its most common types and varieties, it is time to talk about the basic rules for its cultivation.

In order for the queen of our garden to grow up healthy and strong, pumpkin cultivation must be approached with all seriousness.

Although the pumpkin vegetable unpretentious plant, but many summer residents (especially beginners) make many mistakes when caring for their pets, because they don’t know how to grow a pumpkin correctly.

Seed preparation

The pumpkin plant has large seeds. But they may differ in size among associates.

Our first task is to calibrate the seeds (separate them into large and smaller ones). It is necessary to sow seeds that differ in size separately.

After all, we will get uniform, strong seedlings only when sowing seeds of the same color.

◊ Germination test. In order not to plant old seeds (and we will never see seedlings from them), check their freshness. Select 4-5 seeds of each variety, place in a moistened napkin and see if sprouts appear.

◊ Warming up. This procedure will increase the percentage of germination and increase the number of female flowers (this is especially necessary for pumpkins). Sprinkle pumpkin seeds in a 2 cm layer on a baking sheet and keep it in the oven for 3-4 hours (temperature range from + 50 ° C to + 55 ° C). The temperature should be gradually increased, and the seeds should be mixed several times.

◊ Disinfection. With its help, we will give the seeds even more strength and help good cultivation pumpkins. To do this, place pumpkin seeds in a solution of liquid fertilizers ("Potassium Humate" or "Sodium Humate") for a day.

◊ Hardening. After hardening, the seeds will increase their protective properties for future habitation in the beds. First, we soak them at + 20 ° C and keep them in water until they swell (the seeds can be placed in moistened sawdust or wet wipes). Then we move the swollen seeds to the refrigerator and keep there for 3-10 days (at 0 ° C). Be sure to keep pumpkins from sprouting.

Pumpkin vegetable can be planted seedling method(for the middle lane and more northern regions) and directly, immediately into the ground (for the southern regions).

Growing pumpkin seedlings

Landing dates: end of April-beginning of May. Pumpkin seeds grown without transplantation.

The most comfortable place for them is clay pots with a diameter of 14-15 cm (they are half covered with soil). The ideal temperature for the start of seedling growth: during the day + 25-30 ° C, at night + 18-20 ° C.

• If you place the pots on the southern windows, you can do without lighting.

Otherwise, the seeds must be additionally illuminated with fluorescent lamps.

Soon you will see the appearance of the first pumpkin sprouts. In the first days, the pumpkin stretches strongly in growth, forming a long stem.

The period of intensive seed growth slows down after 10-12 days. At this time, we need to ring the seedlings: pour moist soil into the pot and at the same time gently twist the pumpkin stalk with a corkscrew.

It is necessary that only cotyledon leaves show up from the soil.

• For the entire period of growing pumpkins in pots, they need to be fed twice with fertilizers. Make a mixture of potassium salt (15 g), superphosphate (20 g), ammonium nitrate(15 g) and mullein or slurry (0.8-1 l). Each plant needs 0.2-3 liters of nutrient solution.

Make sure that the young sprouts in the neighborhood do not touch their leaves (the pots need to be moved apart during the growth of the plant).

Pumpkin is ready for adult living conditions in the garden when 3-5 true leaves appear. This usually happens 25-30 days after sowing the seeds.

greenhouse conditions. Seedlings can also be grown in greenhouses. First, let's sprout some pumpkin seeds. We put them in a cotton bag, which we put in a shallow container with a small amount water and close it.

We will put this impromptu incubator in a warm place. After the pumpkin seeds hatch, we sow them in peat-humus pots in greenhouses (the seed depth is 2-3 cm).

• Set aside at least 15x15 cm for each plant. Pumpkin sprouts love freedom.

After sowing, the soil is watered and lightly compacted. When pumpkin cultivation takes place in a greenhouse, it needs high humidity air and temperature regime at + 18-25 ° С.

Going to the garden

In early June, our grown plant is ready for adult living conditions. We will prepare a place for her first.

It should be a well-lit, dry and warm area on the south side. For planting, neutral or light loamy soil, rich in organic matter, will be ideal.

• After harvesting the plants that grew there before, the earth must be carefully dug up to a depth of 30 cm and fed with manure (5-8 kg per sq.m.), compost and fertilizers (20 g of potash and 30 g of phosphorus).

If the soil is poor, in addition to fertilizers, add ash (2 cups) and superphosphate (50 g) to each well. All components must be thoroughly mixed with the soil.

The ideal distance between pumpkins should be at least 1.5 m, between rows 2 m. Before planting, each hole should be watered abundantly (10 liters of water for 8-10 pumpkin seedlings). Plants are immediately placed in the ground after sampling from the greenhouse.

We plant the seedlings so that a small depression forms around it.

Then we water each plant and mulch with peat or dry humus. In the first 5 days, the pumpkin needs additional protection.

Cover young seedlings with film, paper caps or glass frames. Or cover the plants wooden boxes, on top of which place the paper or mat. This is especially true at night.

Growing pumpkin seeds

Sowing with seeds directly must be done on May 10-15, but on condition that the soil warms up at a depth of planting seeds to + 13 ° C.

We plant seeds at a depth of 5-6 cm (for medium loamy soils), 8-10 cm (for lighter soils).

Many experienced gardeners sow pumpkin seeds thickened by placing them on different depth(this will allow the pumpkin to save its seedlings).

If flash frosts strike, seeds planted more deeply will survive. Well, in the case of stable, warm weather, late shoots are later removed.

• Pumpkin does not like the earth after potatoes, melons, watermelons, cucumbers, squash and sunflowers. But respects the soil after eggplants, beets, onions, cabbages, tomatoes and carrots. It is best to re-plant a pumpkin vegetable in the same place after 5-6 years. It will be successful planting a pumpkin near garden composter or walls of various buildings (dachas, sheds, greenhouses). It will easily take root on garbage heaps, if they are sprinkled with nutrient soil on top.

The preparation of the holes occurs in the same way as with the seedling method. In order to accelerate the cultivation of pumpkins, the planted seeds are covered with a film, sprinkling its edges with soil.

When the first shoots appear (after a week), the film is cut over the plants. If the weather is warm, it can be removed altogether.

When our pumpkin grows the first 1-2 true leaves, it must be thinned out. In large-fruited species, we leave one of the strongest plants, in nutmeg and hard-barked species, two each.

As soon as 4-5 true leaves appear, we pluck off more stunted sprouts. But don't dig them out! Otherwise, you can damage the root system of the remaining pumpkins.

royal care

	what does the pumpkin want	adviсe
top dressing	Once a week, alternating liquid mineral fertilizers with organic	Organic: add wood ash (30-50 g) to slurry (2 l). In the first month of growth, a bucket of fertilizer for 6-10 plants. Then, at the rate of 10 liters of fertilizer per pumpkin. Mineral: mix ammonium nitrate (20-30 g), potassium salt (20-30 g) and superphosphate (40-50 g) into water (10 liters).
watering	Moderate	Water with water heated to + 18-25 ° C. Pumpkin can easily withstand drought, so you should not water it very often (especially during the flowering period). You need to water it along the annular groove around the stem, trying not to touch the leaves.
temperature regime	Hot weather	For successful cultivation pumpkins need warmth. Ideal Conditions for good growth - it is + 30-33 ° C.

Pumpkin is a tropical plant and it grows leaves much faster than fruits. Therefore, as it grows, the leaves that cover the fruit must be removed. Pumpkin needs sun.

If the summer turned out to be cool, we need to push it a little to form delicious fruits. To do this, cut off the shoots (so that there are three of them left). We pinch the central stem (leave only 3-5 ovaries with a diameter of 15-17 cm).

• If you want to get larger pumpkins, then leave her 1-3 ovaries for development. By the way, the most delicious pumpkins are medium in size.

And if you are waiting for the harvest of giant pumpkins - know that they must be protected from soil dampness. This is very easy to do: put a few large stones on the ground and cover them with a slab or wide board on top. Gently roll the pumpkin fruit onto the deck. Only this must be done while the pumpkin is small, otherwise you can break the stem.

• Don't forget to weed and weed pumpkin beds. This is usually done after watering or rain. You need to loosen the beds until the vegetables close in the rows.

To strong wind did not inadvertently turn the lashes of plants over when growing pumpkins, they can be sprinkled with moistened soil or pinned with a horn. This will also help to form a more powerful root system, which affects the yield.

If you have a decorative pumpkin growing, its climbing stems need to be securely supported.

Pollination

A pumpkin vegetable is pollinated by insects, but when their activity decreases, the ovaries with developing fruits can rot (this happens especially often in late-ripening large-fruited varieties).

Also, in extreme heat, the pumpkin almost ceases to set fruits on its own. In such cases, the plant must be pollinated artificially.

• Male flowers. They have a central anther, male pumpkin flowers live only one day: they bloom in the morning, and fade by evening.
• Women's flowers. In the center they have an ovary (or pistil). If a female flowers do not pollinate, they will wither the next day.

Flowers are evenly distributed around the pumpkin on the central and lateral stems. Early in the morning, when female flowers begin to bloom, it is necessary to collect the male ones, remove the petals from them and press 2-3 anthers to the pistil of a blooming female flower several times in turn (or do this procedure with a soft brush).

If a male flowers are absent, the pumpkin can be pollinated by any other types of pumpkin crops (zucchini, squash, even cucumber). But in pumpkin plants pollinated in this way, their seeds are no longer useful for planting.

Looking forward to a rich harvest

When you notice that the stalk of the pumpkin begins to dry out, this is a signal that the pumpkin vegetable is asking for your bins and pumpkin cultivation has come to an end.

Also, a sign of maturity may indicate a change in the pattern on the bark of the fruit (for hard-skinned pumpkins). Try to press on the fruit - if it does not squeeze, the pumpkin is ripe.

From the garden to the bin

Ripe, adult pumpkins are cut along with their stem (leave its length at least 5-6 cm).

If you make the stalk smaller, the pumpkin fruit will not be able to last for a long time.

The entire crop is harvested at once, in one go, the day on which you will harvest must be dry. Remove the fruits carefully, try not to damage them.

How to store pumpkin. The pumpkin plant can also be stored in room conditions, but anyway optimum temperature for its best preservation - + 5-8 ° С.

The place where the pumpkin is waiting in the wings should be well ventilated. In the case of harvesting unripe fruits (if early frosts have come), they can ripen in about three weeks if the pumpkin is stored indoors.

That, perhaps, is all I wanted, dear readers, to tell you about some secrets of growing pumpkins - the queen of our garden. We just have to learn pumpkins, but that's in the next article.

See you soon, dear readers!

In culture, three types of pumpkin are known: large-fruited, nutmeg and hard-barked. In the main areas of melon growing, large-fruited and nutmeg pumpkins are more common, presenting increased requirements for heat. In the middle lane, hard-barked pumpkin and squash and squash related to the same species are more often grown.

The pumpkin stem reaches 6-10 m in length. root system highly developed, up to 2-3 m long, up to 10-12 m wide, so the pumpkin is hardy to lack of moisture in the soil. Flowering on the 50-60th day after sowing. The flowers are large, distributed evenly on the main and lateral lashes, both male and female, so pinching is not carried out. The flowers are pollinated by insects.

The fruit is a false berry, used at the stage of biological ripeness. The pulp is bright orange, thick, low-juicy, crumbly, very tender, sweet, sometimes with aroma.

Seeds are white, large, weight of 100 seeds is 20-50 g, 1 g contains 2-5 seeds. Seed germination period is 6-8 years. For 10 sq. m requires 2.5-4 g of seeds 12 seedlings. 4-6 adult plants).

Nutritional value of pumpkin

Pumpkin pulp contains 8-10% dry matter. The nutritional value of pumpkin is determined by the high content of sugars - up to 12%, vitamins B1, B2, B3, PP, E, A, C, fiber and minerals (potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, phosphorus, cobalt). According to the content of carotene, some varieties of pumpkin are superior to carrots.

The seeds are rich in proteins (34-54%), they contain fatty and essential oils, alkaloids, phytosterols, resinous substances, vitamins E and B, and cucurbitacin.

Some varieties contain a significant amount of carotene, are well stored and can be a source of replenishment of vitamins in the diet in winter.

Unwanted Items

Growing pumpkins on a high and excessive background of manure as a biofuel and nutrient substrate can lead to the accumulation of significant amounts of nitrates. The main reason for the accumulation of nitrates is an imbalance mineral nutrition, which inhibits the biosynthesis of complex organic nitrogen-containing compounds. Permissible norms nitrogen application under pumpkins. -90 g per 10 sq. m while adding 120 g of potassium and phosphorus per 10 sq. M

Growing pumpkin

Varieties zoned in the Central region

large-fruited pumpkin

Russian woman (VNIISSOK) - early ripe. The plant is medium climbing, with 3-4 lateral lashes. The length of the main lash is 2.5-3.0 m. The fruit is turban-shaped with a convex top, smooth, weighing 1.2-1.9 kg (up to 10 kg), orange. The bark is of medium thickness, fragile, very soft. The pulp is bright orange, thick, crumbly, very tender, sweet, low juicy, with a melon aroma. Dry matter content 8.7%, total sugar 4.5%. Seeds are whitish, smooth, with a peel. Weight of 1000 seeds 280-340 g. Seed yield 0.9%. Fruit yield 8.8-34.5 kg per 10 square meters. m. The variety is transportable, lying, moisture-loving, resistant to low temperatures. Susceptible to powdery mildew.

Smile (VNIISSOK) - early ripe. From germination to harvest 85 days. Bush-shaped plant, forms up to 6 short shoots. The main lash is short (up to 1 m). On one plant, up to 7 fruits weighing 0.7-1.0 kg are simultaneously formed. The fruit is spherical, slightly flattened, bright orange with slightly visible white stripes. The bark is of medium thickness, leathery, orange in cut. The flesh is bright orange, medium thickness, crispy, sweet, low juiciness, with a melon flavor. Dry matter content 13.7%, total sugar 7.8%, carotene 10.0 mg per 100 g of raw material. The taste is good and excellent. Seeds are white, with a peel. Weight of 1000 seeds 230-240 g. Seed yield 0.9%. The variety is transportable, forms a good harvest in years with insufficient heat supply, and is resistant to drought. yield marketable products 28-29.5 kg from 10 sq. m.

Healing (VNIIR N.I. VAVILOV, RUSSIAN SEEDS) - early ripe. From germination to harvest 94-108 days. The plant is climbing. The fruit is flat-round, segmented, weighing 2.4-2.9 kg (up to 7.9 kg), orange, without a pattern. The bark is thin. The pulp is orange, medium thickness, dense, rough, juicy. The taste is good. Seeds whitish, large. Seed yield 1.9%. Productivity of fruits is 22.8-44.2 kg from Yu sq. m. Drought-resistant. Cold resistant. Transportable. The fruits retain commercial qualities for 120-150 days after removal.

hardbark gourd

Danka Polka (AGRO BEST) - medium early. The plant is medium-sized. The fruit is round, smooth, orange-green with whitish spots. Bark of medium thickness, woody. The pulp is starchy, medium density, little juicy. The weight of the fetus is 1.9-3.6 kg. The taste is excellent. Seeds are whitish, with a peel. The yield of marketable fruits is 29.4-41.0 kg per 10 square meters. m.

Dachnaya (WEST SIBERIAN VEGETABLE EXPERIMENTAL STATION) - early ripe. The plant is short climbing, compact. The fruit is oval, smooth, yellow with orange intermittent scalloped stripes. Bark of medium thickness, woody. The pulp is orange, medium thickness, dense, tender, sweet, juicy, with vanilla aroma. The weight of the fetus is 2.6-4.4 kg. The taste is good. Dry matter content 8.0%, total sugar 6.0%. Seeds are yellowish, with a peel. Weight of 1000 seeds 110 g. Seed yield 1.9%. Productivity of marketable fruits in Central region 40.5-60.5 kg per 10 sq. m. taste qualities within 120 days after removal.

Pyza (AGRO BEST) - a type of spaghetti. Mid-early. Canteen. The plant is semi-climbing. The fruit is elliptical, slightly ribbed, dark yellow with yellow spots. Bark of medium thickness, woody. The pulp breaks up into fibers, medium thickness, medium density and juiciness. Fruit weight 1.0-2.8 kg. The taste is good. Seeds are whitish, with a peel. Productivity 20.6-38.0 kg per 10 square meters. m.

Spaghetti (ST. PETERSBURG REGIONAL PUBLIC ORGANIZATION "UNION OF SEED PRODUCERS "ASSOCIATION BIOTECHNIKA") - early ripe, from germination to the first harvest of fruits 62 days. The plant is climbing, with 1-4 lateral lashes. The main whip is long. The fruit is barrel-shaped, smooth, weighing 0.85 kg. Coloring in technical ripeness is whitish and light green, in biological - cream. Bark of medium thickness, woody. The pulp is beige, medium thickness, fibrous, tender, slightly sweet, low juicy, with vanilla aroma. Dry matter content 7.0%, total sugar 3.6-4.5%, carotene 2.2 mg per 100 g of raw material. The seeds are whitish. Weight of 1000 seeds 120-150 g. Yield 5.6 kg/sq. m. It tolerates air and short-term soil drought.

Juno (AGRO BEST) - early ripe. The plant is climbing. The fruit is round, slightly ribbed, orange with orange stripes. The bark is woody. The pulp is 2.5 cm thick. The weight of the fruit is 2.9-4.1 kg. The taste is good. Seeds are greenish-olive in color, medium size, without skin. The yield of marketable fruits is 294-446 c/ha.

Accommodation

The site should be well lit, protected from cold winds, preferably with a slight slope to the south, without waterlogging. Pumpkin grows best in floodplain areas and in areas with high sunlight intensity.

Soils should be loamy, with a high content of humus. Cold, heavy clay and infertile sandy, as well as saline soils are unsuitable.

The best predecessors are crops abundantly fertilized with manure (cabbage, root crops, onions), except for pumpkin, after cultivation of which at least 2-3 years must pass.

Preparing the soil for growing pumpkins

After harvesting, the soil is loosened (shelled), then dug up to a depth of 25-28 cm. In spring, the plot is loosened twice - the first time to a depth of 14-16 cm, the second time - before sowing to a depth of 6-8 cm.

To remove weeds, it is recommended to first loosen the soil after the previous crop to a depth of 5-8 cm, after 1-2 weeks to dig it to a depth of 28-30 cm with the simultaneous application of fertilizers - manure or humus (4-6 kg per 1 sq. m), 25 -30 g of superphosphate and 10-20 g of potassium salt per 1 sq. m.

Under the pumpkins autumn digging they make a significant amount of manure, but to prevent the accumulation of nitrates in fruits, it is better to replace manure with peat compost (6-8 kg per sq. M). acidic soils lime. So that there is no loss of nitrogen, lime is scattered on the surface of the soil after digging.

The yield increases significantly from the simultaneous application of phosphorus and potash fertilizers. Phosphate fertilizers promote the growth of the root system, accelerate the development of plants and the ripening of fruits; potash - increase the resistance of plants to diseases, change the ratio of male and female flowers, contributing to the formation of female flowers on lashes of lower orders.

Growing pumpkin seedlings

In the northern and central regions, pumpkins are best grown in seedlings. Seeds are sown a month before the intended planting in the ground. Before sowing, they are heated for 4 - 6 hours at a temperature of + 50 ... 60 ° C (but not higher). You can warm them up in the sun for several days. To stimulate germination, the seeds are soaked for 6-12 hours and left in a damp cloth for another 1-2 days for germination. Pre-sowing treatment seeds with solutions of trace elements (manganese, boron, copper) -2 g per 10 liters of water - reduces the disease with anthracnose. It is possible to recommend the use of biological growth stimulants to prevent the disease and the accumulation of nitrates - Agat-25K, Epin, Silk.

Sowing is carried out by one germinated (but not overgrown) seed in pots with a diameter of 10 cm. You can put two seeds in a pot, but in this case, after germination, the weaker ones should be immediately cut with scissors (do not uproot!). The pots are kept in a room at a temperature of +25...30°C until germination, and when shoots begin to appear, the temperature is reduced for two days to +20...22°C.

During the cultivation of seedlings, 1-2 top dressings are given with a solution of mineral fertilizers (10 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium sulfate are taken per 10 liters of water).

Pumpkin seedlings should have a shortened cotyledon knee and an age of no more than 25-30 days (2 true leaves). Pumpkins do not tolerate root damage very well, so seedlings must be in pots, peat pots or peat cubes. White spots - evidence of the disease powdery mildew, yellow - anthracnose.

Sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground

Sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground can be carried out in late May - early June, when the soil warms up to 8 ... 10 ° C and the threat of frost disappears. When grown under cover, pumpkins can be planted earlier in preheated soil. 0.5-1 kg of humus is placed in holes 10-12 cm deep, then the germinated seeds are watered and laid out. 2-3 seeds are placed in one hole, covered with a layer of garden soil 3-4 cm thick and mulched with peat 2-3 cm thick. a distance of 60-70 cm.

Planting pumpkin seedlings permanent place into open ground

It is necessary to ensure free access of bees to plants or regularly carry out artificial pollination (pluck male flower, tear off the corolla and insert it into the female flower, making sure that the pollen stains the mouth of the pistil).

If the pumpkin was grown in a greenhouse, then in June, after the threat of frost has disappeared, you can put pumpkin lashes out from under the film. Then the roots will be in warm soil, and most of the plant itself is near the greenhouse.

High humidity leads to plant diseases, so they should be watered carefully, if possible under the root. Thanks to its powerful root system on moisture-intensive fertile structural soils, pumpkin can produce without irrigation big harvest, but with a lack of moisture in the soil, the fruits are small. In the second half of July - August, during the formation of fruits, pumpkins need maximum water consumption. But on waterlogged soils, pumpkins suffer from fungal diseases. When watering, avoid getting water on the leaves, flowers and ovaries.

After rain and watering, the soil must be loosened to prevent the formation of a crust. The first time the soil is loosened to a depth of 16-18 cm, then 8-10 cm. In total, at least three loosenings with the removal of weeds at the beginning of crop growth, while the leaf surface is not large enough.

Pumpkins need a lot nutrients. The first feeding is carried out in the phase of 3-5 leaves with a solution containing 30 g of ammonium nitrate, 30-40 g of superphosphate and 15-20 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of solution. This amount is enough for 10 square meters. m, i.e. for 4-6 plants. The second dressing is carried out at the beginning of flowering at the rate of 3-5 g of ammonium nitrate, 5-8 g of superphosphate and 3-4 g of potassium sulfate per plant. Before and after fertilizing, plants should be watered so that they use fertilizer more efficiently.

The main stem and side lashes are carefully laid out and directed in the right direction, sprinkled with earth. Whip powder weakens the harmful effect of winds, contributing to the formation of additional roots.

To speed up the ripening of the fruit, pinch the side lashes, leaving the main one. After the formation of 2-3 fruits, leave 4-5 leaves above the last fruit and pinch the top of the whip. Scourges of pumpkins must be pinned to the ground to cause the formation of additional roots and protect them from turning them over by the wind.

Additional pollination of flowers is also used.

After the formation of 4-5 fruits on the plant with a diameter of 10-12 cm, all lateral lashes that have not set fruits are removed, and the tops are pinched on the fruiting stems, leaving 4-5 leaves above the upper fruit.

Harvesting pumpkins

The crop is harvested in one go before the first frost or after the first matinee, when the leaf apparatus dies. Pumpkins can be stored for a long time in a cool, dry place.

Pumpkin in the open field grows and bears fruit very well, regardless of the region of cultivation, but to grow high yield is possible only by planting the best varieties, as well as observing the sowing dates and correct agricultural technique.

The best varieties for open ground

Region of cultivation	Variety/hybrid name	Varietal features	Fruit
Siberia and Ural	"Smile"	It has high taste, dietary and nutritional qualities.	Globular fruits with a bright orange surface and white, hardly visible stripes
	"Freckle"	Cold resistant bush variety with characteristic marbled leaves	A multi-fruited plant with fast and uniform ripening of fruits with a sweetish crunchy pulp.
	"Rossiyanka"	High-yielding, early ripening and cold-resistant variety universal use	Round fruits with a smooth, orange color surface
Moscow region and middle lane	"Therapeutic"	Early maturing table variety long-term storage	Rounded flattened fruits with a slightly segmented light gray surface
	"Healing"	Early maturing, drought-resistant and cold-resistant variety	Fruits are flat-round, with an orange surface
	« Sweet pie»	High-yielding, unpretentious, early ripe variety	Round-shaped fruit with a smooth reddish-orange surface
	"Candied fruit"	Early maturing and highly productive variety	Flat-round fruit with yellowish-orange tasty flesh
	"Premiere"	Cold-resistant mid-season long climbing variety	Flattened fruits of dark green color with a coarse mesh pattern
	"Gribovskaya winter"	Transportable and easy-to-lay, disease-resistant variety	Slightly flattened, slightly segmented, light gray fruits
	"Gribovskaya bush-189"	An early variety suitable for storage and all types of processing.	Oval-cylindrical fruit with a bright orange surface and a black-green pattern
	"Country"	Compact bushy early ripe variety	Oval-shaped fruits with a smooth yellow surface
Northwest	"Bush orange"	Mid-season variety with good taste	Spherical or oval fruits with an orange surface
	"Troyanda"	high yielding variety early term aging	Round shaped fruits with an orange-yellow surface
	"Basic"	Early maturing, disease resistant variety	Orange-yellow coloring, rounded fruits with a smooth surface
	"Shrub golden"	Relatively compact bushy early ripe variety	Spherical golden-orange fruits with a smooth surface

Culture Features

It is not difficult to grow a pumpkin in home gardening, but in order to plant and further care behind the culture were right, you should know some botanical features of this herbaceous plant:

• the root system of the pumpkin is branched, of the rod type, so you should carefully consider the choice of a site for planting;
• the aerial part is creeping, represented by a five-sided, rough stem with prickly pubescence;
• average length the stem part can reach several meters in length, which should be taken into account when locating the landing holes;
• leaves of the next type, heart-shaped, located on long petioles with hard short pubescence;
• flowers are unisexual, large, solitary, have a characteristic orange or yellow color;
• female flowers distinguished by short pedicels.

Growing a crop in home gardening conditions allows you to get not only fleshy and tasty fruits of an oval or spherical shape, but also very useful creamy-white seeds that have a rim protruding along the edge and are characterized by a dense shell. Pumpkin can be planted with seedlings or seeds. The first method is more preferable, as it allows you to get an earlier and higher yield.

Pumpkin: planting seedlings in the ground (video)

seedling method

Most experienced vegetable growers prefer to cultivate pumpkin seedling way, which involves seeding seed material spring, around April-May. Arrange seedlings garden culture best on the southern windowsills, where the plants do not need additional lighting arrangement. It is best to grow in individual seedling containers, represented by peat pots of the optimal volume. It is absolutely impossible to dive pumpkin seedlings, since in this case damage to the root system of the plant and its subsequent death can be observed.

Ideal for growing is considered a temperature of 25-27º C. It is advisable to feed the grown seedlings with mineral fertilizers a couple of times. Considered quality seedling material having at least three true leaves. It is recommended to plant seedlings at the age of 25-30 days in a permanent place in open ground. About a week before planting, pumpkin seedlings should be hardened off, reducing the temperature during the day to 16-17º C, and at night to 13-14º C.

A good result is the cultivation of pumpkins on compost heaps. Planting holes should be prepared in advance, after which the soil in them should be supplemented with humus and poured abundantly with warm water. Pumpkin seedlings should be planted on open ground ridges after the threat has passed. return frosts. When planting too early, plants should be protected in the form of arches with a stretched cover made of film or non-woven agrofibre.

Direct sowing into the ground

It is desirable to plant pre-prepared directly on the ridges in mid-May. In more northern regions, sowing may be delayed for more late dates. On the territory of the southern regions, it is possible to sow seeds on the contrary, about a week or two earlier than the standard dates.

Seeds should be pre-prepared by taking measures to warm up and soak the seed material in a solution wood ash or growth promoters. Quite often, overdried or improperly prepared pumpkin seeds germinate for too long, which negatively affects yields. That is why experienced vegetable growers recommend germinating seed material on a damp cloth or in abundantly moistened sawdust.

Direct sowing technology involves high-quality seed preparation:

• verification of seed germination by selective test germination of several seeds on a damp cloth;
• dry heating of pumpkin seeds for four hours at temperatures in the range of 50-55 ° C, which improves germination several times;
• disinfection is designed to protect against damage by certain diseases and damage by major pests, therefore, seed treatment should be carried out in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Hardening measures are very important, which can increase the protective properties of the seed material. For this purpose, pumpkin seeds are soaked in water at 20 ° C, after which the swollen seeds should be left in the refrigerator for about a week. Standard scheme planting: 60 x 60 cm with a seed depth of 4-6 cm.

Features of the formation of culture

• when forming into one stem, all extra ovaries, as well as side shoots, are subject to removal. Each lash should have no more than three ovaries, over which only three or four leaves should be left;
• when forming into a pair of stems, a pair of fruits should be left on the main lash, and one fruit each on the side lashes, above which only three leaves should be located.

How to grow a pumpkin (video)

Regardless of the variety, experienced gardeners it is recommended to sprinkle lashes longer than a meter, which will prevent them from turning and twisting, and also contributes to the formation of additional roots that feed the plant. Compliance with such simple formative measures allows you to get maximum yield with a minimum footprint.

Even a novice gardener can grow pumpkins. Although this plant is very picky, some rules must be observed when planting, caring, cleaning, and storing. The stem of the pumpkin is creeping, branched, but there are also bush forms. The length of the main, and sometimes even side shoots can reach 10 meters. The root system is very powerful. Maximum dimensions on rainfed (non-irrigated lands) it reaches the time of flowering of plants, becomes more powerful with irrigation, increases until the fruit ripens. The thickness of the main root reaches 3 cm, the depth is 2 meters. Under the thick peel of this fruit is a juicy pulp, and in it are carotenoids. These useful substances pumpkin contains 5 times more than carrots. Useful properties of pumpkin allow us to maintain our body in a healthy state.

Pumpkin Harvest 2013

Of the known botanical pumpkin species (there are 21), only three are widely grown mainly: large-fruited (maxima), nutmeg (moschata), hard-barked (rero).

Large-fruited has fruits weighing 4-8 kg, although the largest reach 60 kg (hence the name of the species).

Muscat pumpkin is later compared to large-fruited and hard-barked. The fruits are large, less often small, elongated-cylindrical, oval or flattened, the color of the fruit is greenish, when fully ripe, pink-brown, with a dark orange or brown tint.

A characteristic feature of the hard-barked pumpkin is the woody bark of the fruit. Premature lignification of fruit bark complete completion their growth does not allow them to reach large sizes.

Biological characteristics of pumpkin

Pumpkin leaves are petiolate, large, kidney-shaped, round-pentagonal, heart-shaped, whole-cut or sharply dissected. The flowers are large, usually dioecious, yellow or orange in color. Solitary in leaf axils. At favorable conditions growth, development, flowering of both female and male flowers occurs simultaneously.

The period from germination to flowering of mid-ripening varieties is 45-55 days, late-ripening - 60-65 days.

Pollination, fruit set proceeds normally at a temperature of 20 ° C and a relative humidity of 60-70%.

Pumpkin Pearl

The edible part (fruit) is a false berry. The surface, shape, color of the fruit is as varied as that of watermelon and melon. Pumpkin fruits contain 5-27% dry matter, up to 10-12% sugar, 1-2% fiber, 0.3-1% pectin, 3.0-26 mg / 100 g, and in some varieties up to 38 mg / 100 g of carotene, a lot of minerals, vitamins.

Useful properties of pumpkin

Regular consumption of pumpkin contributes to the prevention of diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys, liver, atherosclerosis, anemia, oncology, diabetes, hypertension. Carotene contained in the pulp of the fruit improves metabolism, promoting the growth of the body, increasing the body's resistance to infections. The beta-carotene contained in the fruit has anticarcinogenic properties. The dose of consumption of beta-carotene for prophylactic purposes is 20 mg per day.

The biological significance of pectins is manifested in their ability to bind radioactive particles, heavy metals and remove them from the body. Fiber favorably affects the work of the intestines, removes cholesterol from the body.

Pumpkin seeds also have healing properties. The beneficial properties of which are the presence in pumpkin oil of such important acids as palmetic, stearic, oleic, linoleic. The content of tocopherols (vitamin E) in 100 g of oil is about 150 mg.

For atherosclerosis, diseases of the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, gout, it is recommended to drink 1/3 cup of fresh juice 2-3 times a day. A decoction of pumpkin stems is a good diuretic.

Features of growing pumpkin

This vegetable, being a native of the warm countries of Central and South America, demanding on heat, especially its nutmeg appearance.

Planting pumpkin seeds

Sowing in the Kuban is carried out at the beginning of the third decade of April, in the central and northern - in early May. Seeds are soaked before sowing for 18-20 hours in 0.05% solutions (0.5 g per 1 liter of water) of potassium permanganate or zinc sulfate, as well as plant growth regulators recommended for these purposes. Then washed with clean water, dried. Treated with Tiram (TMTD) at the rate of 4 g per 1 kg of seeds. For reference: Thiram is a contact fungicide with a protective action, does not penetrate inside the plant or seeds, suppresses spores of pathogenic fungi that cause root rot, fusarium, peronosporosis.

Pumpkin is sown with a distance between rows of 1.4 m, between plants in a row - 1.0-1.4 m. When mechanized sowing with a seeder, the seed sowing rate is 3.5-4.0 kg / ha, when sowing manually - 2, 0-2.5 kg/ha.

Seeds should be sown when the threat of frost is at a minimum. They begin to germinate when the soil temperature at a depth of 4-5 cm is about 13°C, shoots appear more actively at a temperature of 18-25°C. You can put two seeds in one hole, after germination, you need to leave the most strong plant. In order for the seeds to sprout sooner, you can germinate them in advance. To do this, place them in a damp cloth for 3 days. Before the first shoots appear (during cold nights), it is advisable to cover them with an empty plastic light bottle.

Pumpkin care and watering

This plant is tropical, so its leaves grow much faster than the fruits themselves. If it turned out to be a cold summer, then it is necessary to cut off all the shoots, leaving no more than three. Trying to grow large fruits you can lose some of the taste. Medium-sized fruits are considered the most juicy, sweet. From my own experience, large pumpkins are beautiful and to be proud of, but at best they are only good for making juices that have to be sweetened, or for feeding livestock.

At the moment when the stem reaches half a meter in size, you need to cut off the top of the pumpkin, this will help the development of side shoots. During the period of branching of plants, an important technique is 2-3 times sprinkling of internodes with moist soil. This favors the formation of a large number of adventitious roots, which increases the supply of nutrients necessary for the formation of the vegetative mass, the formation of fruits.

Gourd Marble

Pumpkin, like all melons, is very photophilous. Grows well in open sunny places. The most demanding for light during the germination period - 2-4 leaves. Shaded or thickened crops during this period reduce the yield by up to 50%. On the household plots pumpkin can be grown along fences, on compost heaps, but not shaded by trees.

Due to its very strong root system, it is considered a drought-resistant plant, however, it responds well to irrigation.

But watering pumpkins has its own characteristics. First, watering must be carried out under the root. Secondly, plants especially need a sufficient amount of moisture during the formation flower buds(phase 2-4 leaves), flowering, fruit set. Thirdly, water procedures should be reduced only with the appearance of flowers, as well as after the mass fruit set, since excess moisture adversely affects their quality and keeping quality.

Fertilizers for pumpkin

Of the gourds, pumpkin is more demanding on soil fertility, than others. It should be cultivated on sandy, loamy chernozems, as well as on enriched dark-colored sandy loams. Being a high-yielding crop, it removes many nutrients from the soil.

At the same time, it is more responsive than other gourds to organic fertilizers especially for manure. It must be applied from autumn for plowing at the rate of 6-8 kg per 1 m 2. When making it before sowing in the form of humus, the dose is reduced to 0.2-0.4 kg per well.

You can use seaweed, fish bones.

It responds very well to the application of herbaceous or woody plant ash.

With the advent of the ovaries and until the very harvest, it must be fertilized, twice a month. The plant loves water high level potassium.

Pumpkin harvesting and storage

For long-term storage of the crop, it is necessary to harvest before the onset of the first frost. The time when a plant is ready for harvest can be determined by its crust. It is enough just to press on the skin with a fingernail, if it does not push through, then the fruit is considered ripe.

Pumpkin Hazelnut

The fruits are harvested when the weather is dry and sunny. The tails do not break off to the base, but are left at least 5-10 cm long. If possible, pumpkin fruits can withstand 3-4 days in the sun. Transport carefully without damaging the bark. If no tails are left on the fruit, then most likely they will not be stored - they will rot. Rotting will begin just at the point of attachment of the stalk to the fetus.

Fruits are stored in a dry, warm (at a temperature of + 8-12 ° C) room. Pumpkins are not stored in the basement or cellar - they begin to mold and rot there.

Pumpkin seeds and pulp have many useful properties, and the plant itself is unpretentious and grows well on any soil. At first glance, it is not difficult to grow it with your own hands, but some features still exist. Especially for those who are interested in unusual pumpkin varieties and the peculiarities of their cultivation, we have prepared this article. Detailed descriptions varieties with photos and videos will help you decide on the choice of seeds.

Below you will find many useful information about the features of sowing and caring for pumpkins, as well as practical tips for storing vegetables in winter.

Growing pumpkins in open ground and caring for them

Pumpkin is one of the extremely useful, but at the same time unpretentious crops. It is thanks to the latter feature of the plant that it is often planted in areas that, due to the characteristics of the soil, are not suitable for the cultivation of other, more demanding plants.

Of course, when growing pumpkins in open ground, the plant will still need some care. To get a truly rich harvest, after the first shoots appear, the pumpkin bed must be loosened regularly to remove weeds and saturate the soil with moisture and air. It is also recommended to feed vegetables several times a season, but without adding additional fertilizers The vegetable grows quickly enough. Next, we will consider the main nuances of growing pumpkins in more detail, so that even beginner summer residents can cope with the cultivation of this vegetable.

Pumpkin varieties with photos and descriptions

There are many types of pumpkins, but hard-skinned ones are considered the most common (Figure 1):

1. Acorn, or acorn, got its name because of the characteristic fruits that resemble acorns in shape. The flesh is orange-yellow, the peel is dark green or orange.
2. Aport- round, mid-ripening with orange-yellow flesh, weighing up to 7 kg. Peel orange color.
3. Smile- matures in 85 days. The fruits are bright orange light stripes weighing up to one and a half kilograms.
4. Freckle- early maturing appearance. The pulp is yellow-orange, fruits up to 3 kg. The peel is light green with light spots. Well kept.

Figure 1. Hard bark varieties: 1 - Acorn, 2 - Aport, 3 - Smile, 4 - Freckle

There are also large-fruited and cold-resistant species (Figure 2):

1. Russian woman- early ripe, climbing with orange flesh. Fruit weight 3-4 kg. Differs in cold resistance.
2. ordinary- fruits reach a weight of up to 25 kg. The smaller the fruit, the tastier.
3. Gribovskaya winter- late ripening, with bright yellow or red flesh. Fruits weighing more than 3 kg, flattened, gray.
4. Merchant's wife- fruits are light orange, flattened, weighing more than 15 kg. This species is mid-season, it is stored for a long time.
5. Volga gray- round, light gray fruits, weighing up to 8 kg, with yellow or orange flesh. Mid-season, drought tolerant.

Figure 2. Large-fruited and cold-resistant varieties: 1 - Rossiyanka, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Gribovskaya winter, 4 - Merchant, 6 - Volzhskaya gray

When choosing a variety, you need to focus not only on the characteristics of the soil, but also on the climatic conditions in which the crop will be grown.

Muscat

These pumpkins have a great taste, they can even be eaten raw. In harsh climates, it can only be grown from seedlings.

Most Popular nutmeg varieties such(picture 3):

1. butternut- fruits weighing up to 1 kg with orange pulp, in the form of a pear. Contains a lot beneficial vitamins and minerals.
2. Bylinka- fruits with bright orange flesh and gray skin.
3. Vitamin- fruits are green, oval, weighing up to 6 kg with bright orange flesh. It contains a large amount of beta-carotene, it is very suitable for baby food and juicing.

Figure 3. Muscat varieties: 1 - Butternut, 2 - Bylinka, 3 - Vitamin

Varieties for the Moscow region

The variety is also selected depending on the climate of the region. This is the only way to get a good harvest.

For the Moscow region, these types are best suited(picture 4):

1. Therapeutic- flattened fruits, weighing 3-5 kg ​​with a thin peel. Harvested on the 90th day after the formation of the first shoots. The variety is early maturing and keeps well.
2. candied fruit- fruits weighing 5 kg, flat-round shape with yellow-orange pulp, which contains a lot of sugar and carotene.
3. Gribovskaya winter- a fruit with a gray color of a flattened shape, weighing 3-4 kg. The core is bright orange. This is late-ripening view, which is well stored until the new harvest. Grow through seedlings.

Figure 4. Varieties for the Moscow region: 1 - Medicinal, 2 - Candied fruit, 3 - Mushroom winter

Varieties for Siberia

When choosing a variety for the Urals and Siberia, it should be borne in mind that frosts there continue until mid-June. Therefore, the culture is resistant to cold and frost. The following species are considered suitable for a harsh climate (Figure 2):

1. Smile- grows in the form of a bush, gives a high yield. Fruits weighing 3 kg with a thick orange peel. Long shelf life at room temperature.
2. Freckle- fruits weighing no more than 3 kg with a hard crust, taste like a melon. This variety tolerates temperature changes and is most suitable for growing in Siberia.
3. Russian woman- dark orange in color, and tastes reminiscent of melon. Properly grown, it gives a high yield. Resistant to all diseases and pests, and suitable for planting in the Urals and Siberia.

Pumpkin seeds are gaining more and more popularity, as they have a number of healing and valuable taste qualities.

Here are a few varieties that produce tasty seeds and juicy pulp when grown.(picture 5):

1. Miranda- rounded flattened fruits of light green color, with yellow-orange pulp and olive-green seeds. Designed for direct consumption and processing. Sow in open ground at the end of April.
2. Sweet pie- fruits weighing 2-3 kg, rounded with orange-round skin. The variety is high-yielding and early ripe.
3. Premiere- fruits of an oblate shape with a dark green color and a coarse mesh. Weight 5-6 kg, flesh is bright orange. The species is mid-season, tolerates cold well and persists for a long time.
4. Spaghetti- in shape and color, the fruits resemble a melon. Unripe fruits are green in color.
5. Melon- yellow, rounded, large, slightly flattened, weighing 25-30 kg, with dark orange flesh. The variety is mid-season, productive. Recommended for baby and diet food, as well as for making juices.
6. golosemyanka- does not have a hard shell on the seeds. The yield is low, and the fruits are small, but at the same time the variety is valued precisely for unusual seeds. The gymnosperm pumpkin, like other species, loves warmth.

Figure 5. Varieties for seeds: 1 - Miranda, 2 - Sweet Pie, 3 - Premiere, 4 - Spaghetti, 5 - Melon, 6 - Golosemyanka

Seed preparation and planting

The area designated for cultivation is well fertilized. Make at least 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket sawdust, 1 liter jar of wood ash and 1 glass of nitroammophoska. The bed is made 70 centimeters wide, dug deep and watered with hot water (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Sowing seeds

To achieve rapid germination of seeds, they are dipped in a solution of liquid complex fertilizer for a day, after which they are covered with a damp cloth for 1-2 days, constantly wetting it with water.

For planting old seeds, they are checked for germination in a month. For this purpose, several seeds of each species are taken and soaked in a damp cloth until germination.

Sowing holes are made along the beds at a distance of 90 centimeters. Seeds are sown germinated, 2 seeds per hole, in warm, moist soil.

The author of the video will tell you how to properly land in open ground.

Features of pumpkin care

The best planting time is when the soil warms up well, at an air temperature of at least +13 degrees, since at lower rates the seeds rot.

Grow pumpkin in two ways. Seedlings grown at home using paper cups or in a greenhouse. Seedlings do not dive. Seeds that are sown in the ground no later than the end of May.

For the speedy germination of seeds, the bed is covered with a film, fixing along the edges. When shoots appear, the film is cut, a wire frame is installed and stretched for uniform ventilation.

Landing

Depending on the composition of the soil, the depth of planting seeds will be different. So that night frosts do not damage the seedlings, the seeds are sown quite densely and at different depths.

When sowing seeds in the ground, 1.5-2 liters are poured into each well warm water, place the seeds and cover with a nutrient mixture. After that, the holes are mulched with humus or peat chips.

The first shoots appear about a week after sowing. When one or two leaves appear, seedlings are thinned out, leaving only the strongest plants.

Watering

Culture is very fond of moisture, especially during the period mass flowering and fruit formation. Therefore, during the blooming of female flowers and the filling of fruits, when a long drought lasts and hot weather plants need to be watered abundantly warm water. For irrigation, water from wells and wells is not used, since cold water destroys plants (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Pumpkin care: watering, pinching shoots and top dressing

Also, do not forget to remove weeds and loosen the soil, especially before watering.

top dressing

To get a good harvest, you need to periodically feed. It is carried out in two stages:

• First. Fertilizers are applied when three to five leaves are formed. As a rule, dry nitroammophoska is used.
• Second. A solution of nitroammophoska is introduced when the first lashes appear.

For the purpose of obtaining good harvest, plants form into one or two stems.

When forming into one stem, side shoots and ovaries are removed after their formation. Two or three ovaries are left on the lash, after the last ovary 3-4 leaves are left and the top is pinched. After that, cut off all the flowers that appear.

When forming into two stems, two fruits are left on the main lash, and one on the side. Also leave 3-4 leaves and pinch the top.

In turn, do not forget about the powder of the lashes. When they become more than a meter, they are unraveled, folded in the required direction and sprinkled with earth.

From the video you will learn all necessary information about growing and caring for pumpkins.

Collection time and storage features of pumpkin

Ripe fruits are cut with a stalk, so they are long and well stored. You can store them at room temperature.

Main signs of a ripe pumpkin:

• Peduncle lignified (dried and very hard);
• Leaves are yellowed or dry.
• The color becomes more saturated and bright, depending on the variety.
• The shell becomes denser.

Fruits with mechanical damage or unripe are eaten or processed. Only mature fruits are suitable for long-term storage. They are dried and put to ripen in a dry room for 2 weeks.

They can also be stored on a balcony, loggia or in a barn, covering it at night. With the onset of permanent frosts, they are moved to a warm place (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Harvest and storage

The storage place for the first two weeks should be dry and warm. Then they are moved to a room with a humidity of 60-70% and a temperature of 3-8 degrees. In warmer rooms, the fruits may deteriorate.

Storing pumpkins at home in winter

For storage, fruits of maturing varieties are chosen. Stored in dry ventilation rooms with a humidity of 75-80%. Sun protection is a must. It is good to keep the pumpkin in the attic in hay, as well as on verandas, in garages, sheds, pantries. At the same time, they are placed on racks in one row, with the stalks up.

Periodically, the fruits are checked and spoiled are removed.