Pumpkin - heat-loving culture.
It shows excellent growth rates only in the southern regions, since it suspends its development already at temperatures below +15 C.
But in temperate climates, if you follow the rules of care, at the end of the season you can harvest a bountiful harvest of vegetables.
And they are kept until spring. Choose a suitable variety, prepare the plot and you can start planting.
Varieties of pumpkin
Pumpkin - an annual plant. Depending on the variety, the fruits may have a different shape, size and color.
For the convenience of farmers and breeders, all varieties of crops are divided by type:
• Dining pumpkin. The most common form, which is perfectly rooted in temperate climates. Fruits are used for culinary purposes and for livestock feed. Their pulp is moderately juicy, with fibers. Popular varieties are Kustovaya Orange, Gribovskaya Kustovaya 189, Altai Pumpkin 47, Spaghetti.
• Butternut Pumpkin. Varieties of this type are considered the most delicious. In the middle latitudes to grow them is not easy, because the plant loves the abundance of sunlight and high temperature. The pumpkin ripens much later - no less than 140 days pass before the fruit fully ripens. Popular varieties - Pearl, Muscat, Vitamin.
• Large pumpkin. Fruits are larger than other species. Often the culture is grown only for feeding purposes, but many varieties are suitable for cooking. A distinctive feature of large pumpkin is good keeping quality (up to 7 months). Popular varieties - Gribovskaya winter, Volga gray.
When choosing a variety, be sure to take into account its winter hardiness, since not each of them can withstand severe cooling. In addition, it is very important that the fruits have time to ripen before the onset of autumn frosts, and they can begin in the north in September.
Varieties for cold resistance:
• Crumb, Amazon, Volga gray - for growing in the south.
• Adagio, Healing, Altai - for growing in the north.
• Gribovskaya Spray, Smile, Freckle, Russian Woman - for growing in temperate climates.
As for the taste of pumpkin, then it all depends on personal preferences. Many varieties are mostly universal - they are used to make cereals, juices, salads. But there are special, designed for children's and diet menus - Amazon, Almond, Children's Delicacy, Dawn.
Growing a pumpkin. Soil preparation for planting
When choosing a site for planting pumpkins, make sure that the site is well lit by the sun and is not blown by strong winds. Vegetable will develop poorly in the marsh area. If the soil in the area is acidified, add ash or lime when digging. Also consider crop rotation:
• Good pumpkin forerunners — all siderats, onions, beans, cabbage.
• Bad pumpkin precursors - potatoes, sunflower, zucchini and squash, cucumbers, melons.
Pumpkin is not demanding on the composition of the soil. The only conditions that must be met before planting - digging and fertilizer land. Rummage the soil to a depth of 27-35 cm immediately after harvesting the previous crops - so it will not lose moisture during the winter. Already in spring, before planting, once again dig up the beds with the addition of fertilizers - manure can be used in a mixture with mineral dressings.
The depth of the holes is 6-7 cm. In order for the root system of each pumpkin to have enough space for normal development, keep the distance between the holes at least 90 cm. Many farmers plant the pumpkin in a staggered manner - this way the plants will not interfere with each other. If there are light fertile soils in the garden, it is not necessary to make beds for planting pumpkins - the seeds go down right into the holes. In the presence of heavy soil, it is better to prepare high beds in advance - this way you can protect the plant from excessive stagnation of moisture in the area.
Growing a pumpkin. Seed preparation for planting
Buy seeds only in proven stores or in specialized nurseries. Poor quality planting material (withered, long stored) will cause the seedlings to appear late and the pumpkin does not have time to ripen by the start of frost. Examine the information on the package - make sure that the variety is suitable for cultivation in your area.
To accelerate the germination of seeds, it is better to pre-soak them. 1-2 days keep planting material in a moistened cloth, occasionally moistening it. Many gardeners use another technology of preparation - first the seeds are heated (for example, in the oven) at 40 ° C for 9 hours, and then wrapped in gauze soaked in ash solution for 12 hours.
Germinated Pumpkin Seed
It is advisable to check in advance whether you bought quality seeds. A few of them try to germinate. If the seeds do not hatch, buy another material.
Planting pumpkin
The planting time for pumpkins is individual and depends on the temperature outside. Landing work should be started only after the ground has warmed up to at least 12-13 ° C. In the southern regions, germinated seeds are planted immediately in the ground somewhere in the middle of May:
• Pour 1-2 liters of warm water (50 ° C) into prepared wells.
• After the water is absorbed into the ground, you can deepen the seeds.
• Sprinkle over the pits. Planting is best covered with foil to create a greenhouse effect for plants. After a couple of weeks, the shelter can be removed.
Grown pumpkin seedlings
In temperate and northern climates, it is better to prepare the seedlings in advance, otherwise - the pumpkin will not have time to ripen. But the pumpkin will be an exception - in any climatic conditions it is planted only in seedlings! Start training in April so that the seedlings can gain strength by the beginning of the season.
Technology training pumpkin seedlings:
• Take a container with a volume of at least 0.5 liters with nutrient soil.
• Pit 5–7 cm deep. Dip the seeds in them and sprinkle with earth.
• Water the seedlings regularly and feed the seedlings several times with mineral fertilizers.
• Planting seedlings on a permanent place is carried out no earlier than one month after the first shoots. The scheme is the same as in the case of planting seeds. The only difference is in the depth of the hole - up to 30 cm.
Transplanted pumpkin seedlings
There is another way to grow pumpkins, in which the root system of the plant will be located in the greenhouse, and the fruit - on the open ground. To do this, in the southern part of the greenhouse (closer to the wall), make holes, fill them with fertilizers and lower the seeds in them. When the seedlings grow to 50-60 cm in length, lift the film (you can make cuts) and direct the lash to the area. In this case, since the root system of the vegetable will be reliably protected from frost, planting can be carried out a week earlier than usual.
Scourge pumpkins greatly expand. And to save space, you can use the original method of planting culture - in barrels. To do this you will need old metal barrels. Ideal - tank without bottom. If there are none, drill a few holes in the walls and bottom to remove excess moisture. Barrel is better to paint in a dark color. Set it in a sunny place and you can start preparing the nutrient substrate. Works begin in the fall or spring of the current season. Soil mixture is stacked in a barrel on the principle of a warm bed. The first layer is the ground mixed with weeds and a small amount of paper, branches and stems. The second layer is the earth mixed with compost, grass and foliage. While pumpkin seedlings are being prepared, the nutrient substrate can be poured with an EM preparation so that microorganisms more quickly produce nutrients for the plants. Planting seedlings in the barrels spend in May and June, when the stems are formed by 2-3 full leaf.
Growing a pumpkin in a barrel
Growing a pumpkin. Rules care pumpkin
If you follow the rules of pumpkin care, at the end of the season you will collect a bountiful harvest of tasty healthy fruits. Denote the main points in the agrotechnology of vegetables:
• Watering. Pumpkin endures drought withstand, but try to regularly moisten the soil, because for intensive growth it needs a lot of moisture. For irrigation, use water with a temperature not lower than 20 ˚С, as a cold liquid will destroy the plant! Before the procedure, it is better to break through the soil to a depth of 10-12 cm. Caution - do not damage the root system.
• Top dressing. Fertilize the pumpkin several times a season so that by the autumn the vegetable has managed to absorb the nutrients. The first dressing can be done when the plant is in the phase of 4-6 full leaflets - use a dry nitrophoska (10 g per 1 bush). The same substance, but in a liquid form, you can fertilize the pumpkin at the very beginning of the formation of whips. Pumpkin responds well to fertilizer ash, manure or mullein.
• Formation. If you want to get a good harvest of ripe fruit, the plants need to be formed. When there are no excess ovaries on the lashes, the nutrients are enough to ripen full fruits. When forming a plant in one stem, remove all excess shoots and ovaries immediately after their formation. On the lash itself, leave no more than 2-3 ovaries. Pinch the stem after 3-4 leaves following the last ovary. Formation in 2 stems is carried out in the following way - 2 fruits are left on the main stem, and only one on the side stem. The tops also pinch.
Rules for the formation of lashes
• Lash powder. If the lashes are tangled among themselves, a sufficient amount of nutrients will not be supplied to the fruit. Therefore, as soon as they reach a length of 1 m, flatten them and gently spread them on the ground, in a few places a little sprinkled with soil. In the place where the stems are covered with earth, further roots will appear - this will additionally feed a powerful plant.
When to harvest?
Harvest time depends on climatic conditions. In the south, the fruits ripen by September. But in a temperate climate, they can be removed from the beds only in October.
Signs of maturity pumpkin:
• drying of the stalk,
• hard crust,
• saturated color peel.
Harvesting is carried out only in dry weather!
If before the onset of frost, the fruits did not have time to ripen, they still need to be removed from the site - you will have to grow in artificial conditions. For this 2-3 weeks, hold the pumpkin on a flat surface in a warm dry room (you can cover with a blanket).
Growing a pumpkin. Pumpkin Diseases and Pests
Improper pumpkin cultivation often causes disease and the spread of insect pests. If you do not form plants or overfill the beds, this will lead to thickened plantings, which will become a favorable environment for the development of harmful microorganisms and the propagation of bugs.
Denote the dangerous disease pumpkin:
• Bacteriosis. Manifested in the form of small sores on the cotyledons of the plant and spots on the leaves. If time does not take action, the foliage may suffer greatly, which will lead to the death of the entire bush. The disease is actively spreading with severe temperature changes and high humidity. It is better to remove the affected fruit from the beds. As a preventive measure, treat the plantings with 1% Bordeaux liquid or 0.4% copper chloroxide.
Manifestations of bacteriosis on pumpkin leaves
• White rot. The fungus infects the stems, leaves and fruits - over time, parts of the plant rot and die. The disease manifests itself in the form of white bloom, which darkens over time. Actively distributed in high humidity. Remove and burn the affected parts of the plant, and cut the cut areas with crushed coal or 0.5% solution of copper sulphate.
White rot
• Root rot. The disease can lead to complete loss of landings. The roots and lashes become brown in color, slow down their growth and gradually die off. Severely affected specimens can not be saved. For prevention, handle planting solution previkur.
Pumpkin Root Rot
Among insect pests, the pumpkin is often attacked by a spider mite and melon aphid. To combat them, use special preparations. Clearly follow the instructions on the package, as the fruits then go for food. In order to prevent them, regularly loosen the ground and remove weeds from the beds, inspect the leaves for the presence of insect larvae.
