Planting pumpkins in open ground. Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground. Forming pumpkin in the open field

Pumpkin is an orange beauty that will adorn any garden. This healthy and tasty vegetable native to Mexico has been widely cultivated in Europe and Asia since the 16th century. Due to its unpretentious nature, the pumpkin has taken root well in our territory. The pulp of the plant, in addition to a number of substances necessary for a person, contains a rare vitamin T. Due to the large amount of carotene, pumpkin helps to maintain and strengthen vision.

Pumpkin is tasty and low-calorie, everyone loves it. Doctors recommend including pumpkin in the diet of those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the intestines, liver, obesity and anemia. Pumpkin seed oil is a non-allergenic anti-inflammatory and revitalizing agent.

Many gardeners strive to grow pumpkin. Planting pumpkin seeds outdoors is a traditional cultivation method that, with proper care, allows you to get a rich harvest.

Before sowing pumpkin seeds outdoors, make sure the timing and timing are right. Pumpkin is a thermophilic plant, the seeds of which may not sprout in cold after winter or excessively humid and damp ground. Also, it is worth taking into account the possibility of frost return after the first warming.

After the end of the frost, as soon as the air temperature rises to + 18 ° C, the time comes when you can plant a pumpkin. Seeds are planted in the ground when it warms up to 12-13 ° C at a depth of 7-8 centimeters. The optimum temperature for pumpkin development is + 25 ° С. The plant stops growing if the air temperature drops to + 14 ° C.

To get a good harvest, it is necessary to start sowing pumpkin in May. Favorable days for planting seeds in open ground are different for each region: they depend on the climatic conditions of the area. In the northern part of Russia, the first days of June are favorable for sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground.

Residents of the southern regions can plant seeds outdoors in mid-May. Some gardeners in the southern part start planting seeds from May 10. For those who live in the middle lane, the most favorable days for sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground come at the end of May, from about the 25th.

According to folk traditions, Yuri's day is considered the best day for planting pumpkins, from the very morning. If circumstances do not allow you to plant seeds on this particular day, do not be upset. A pumpkin planted in moist, warm soil enriched with fertilizers, regardless of the day of planting, will give an excellent harvest.

Choosing a place on the site

The correct selection of a site for a pumpkin is an important condition for obtaining a rich harvest. It is advisable to place the bed in a warm area warmed up by the sun's rays. The pumpkin also tolerates shading well. For the plant, the most preferred sandy loam or sandy soil, which is good because it warms up quickly.

Perennial grasses, corn, or winter wheat are good precursors for pumpkin in the garden. You can plant it after carrots, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, onions, peas, beans, peanuts, lentils, green manure. After cucumbers, zucchini, squash, watermelons and melons, it is advisable to plant a pumpkin only after 5 years.

Soil preparation

Fertile soil rich in nutrients is the key to a good pumpkin harvest.

Preparing the soil for planting should be done in the fall:

Remove weeds and plant debris from the area.
Shallowly loosen the ground with a hoe.
After 2-3 weeks, dig up the soil, collecting the roots of the weeds.

In the spring, a day before planting or on the same day, the earth must be dug up again. After that, the site is leveled with a rake.

Starting to develop actively, the pumpkin builds up the aerial part, so the plant needs a lot of nutrients. When digging up the ground, you should definitely apply fertilizers to it. The best option is rotted compost, humus, or manure. They are introduced at the rate of 5-10 kilograms per 1 square meter to a depth of 15-20 centimeters in light soils and 10-15 centimeters in heavy soils.

It is not always possible to apply such an amount of manure. Then it can be put into the holes at the rate of 1-2 kilograms per plant. In addition to manure, it is worth adding 20 grams of superphosphate and 10 grams of potassium sulfate to each well.

Some gardeners add a handful of humus, a glass of ash and 50 grams of superphosphate to each hole. You can use mineral and organic fertilizers (for one plant - 1 tablespoon). All introduced components must be thoroughly mixed with the ground before planting the seeds.

Some gardeners grow pumpkins on compost heaps. This method allows you not only to get a high yield, but also to improve the compost heap.

It is beneficial to plant pumpkin on compost for several reasons:

The green mass of the pumpkin prevents weeds from growing on the compost.
Pumpkin planted in compost accelerates the decomposition of coarse plant residues (sunflower stalks, cabbage stalks).
Leavings covered with greenery improve the appearance of the compost heap.
The pumpkin protects the compost from drying out.

Seed selection

There are more than three dozen pumpkin varieties. Almond, Mozoleevskaya 49, Golosemennaya, Freckling are hard-bodied large-fruited varieties that ripen early and are stored for a long time. Large-fruited varieties Smile, Winter sweet, Kroshka, Winter dining are good for winter storage. Early ripening portioned pumpkins are distinguished by their sweet taste: Butter crumpet, Amazon, Winter sweet, orange bush.

Many pumpkin varieties can be grown from seeds in the garden. For seed growing, it is not recommended to choose only nutmeg varieties, since the seeds may simply not sprout. Pumpkin seeds can be stored for 1 to 4 years.

When choosing a seed, you need to pay attention to its freshness, checking in advance for germination. This is easy to do: just take a few seeds and germinate them on wet gauze. By looking at how many seeds from all have sprouted, you can determine the approximate percentage of their germination. This will help in the future easier to find out how many seeds to put in the holes.

For a good pumpkin harvest, you need to choose only full-weight seeds. To select the best, you need to prepare a 3-5% salt solution and dip the seeds into it. The ones that have surfaced are unsuitable for planting, and the rest can be planted. These seeds must be collected, washed and dried.

Preparing seeds for planting

For growing pumpkin in the open field, it is important not only to choose the right seeds, but also to prepare them for further sowing. It takes a little time, but has a positive effect on the harvest.

For friendly shoots, before planting pumpkin, it is recommended to warm up the seeds for 2 hours at a temperature of about 60 ° C. To prevent fungal diseases, after that they are kept in a one percent solution of potassium permanganate for 12 hours.

To ensure the sprout easy penetration through the hard skin of the seed, use a solution, for the preparation of which 2 tablespoons of wood ash are diluted in 1 liter of boiling water with stirring. Gauze folded in several layers is abundantly moistened with an ash solution and the seeds are wrapped in it for 12 hours.

Treated seeds can be sown directly into the ground, or you can germinate first at home and then plant. For those who choose the second method, it is better to prepare a box of sawdust for this procedure in advance.

You can do it this way: place sawdust on the bottom of any convenient deep container, then pour boiling water over them several times and cover them in 2-3 layers with gauze. Having laid out the seeds there, cover them with several layers of gauze and a layer of sawdust, and tighten the box with foil. In a home greenhouse arranged in this way, the seeds will germinate in 2-3 days and will be ready for planting.

You can do without these procedures, but the ripening period of the pumpkin in this case is significantly increased. A pumpkin whose seeds have not undergone pre-sowing treatment, in areas with a cool, short summer, may not have time to ripen until frost.

Technology of planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Of all the melons and gourds, pumpkin is the most resistant to cold weather, but it also loves heat. Better to plant it in late spring when there is no frost. In cold soil, seeds planted too early can simply rot. To feed one plant, an area of 1-4 square meters is required. It may be slightly less for early maturing varieties and more for late maturing.

A melon seeder is used to plant pumpkin seeds in large areas. In a typical vegetable garden, seeds most often have to be planted by hand. Before planting the pumpkin, rows are marked on the site and holes are made in them with a diameter of 30 centimeters.

If, after a snowless winter, the land on the site is dry, about 2 liters of water with a temperature of 50 ° C must be poured into each hole. Seeds can only be planted when the water is absorbed.

It is very important to keep the distance between plants when planting. For long-growing varieties, 1.5-2 meters are left between the holes, 1.4-2 meters between the rows. Bush pumpkin varieties can be planted in the nesting method according to the scheme 80x80 centimeters or 1.2x1.2 meters.

In light soils, seeds are sown to a depth of 5-8 centimeters, in heavy ones - by 4-5 centimeters. It is recommended to put 2-5 seeds in one hole: in large-fruited varieties it is possible less, in nutmeg - more. The seeds are placed with the beak down at a distance of 3-4 centimeters from each other.

Having sprinkled the seeds with fertile soil, the site is mulched with humus or peat crumbs. Experienced gardeners install a homemade greenhouse made of film with slots over the planted seeds to accelerate growth.

Plant care field planting

Pumpkin sprouts should hatch a week after planting in the ground. Further care of the plants includes loosening the soil, regular watering, feeding, and fighting diseases and pests.

Watering

The large leaves of the pumpkin contribute to the rapid evaporation of moisture, so the plant requires regular watering, and only with warm water. As the pumpkin grows, the amount of water for irrigation must be increased.

It is recommended to slightly reduce the amount of watering during the flowering period: the fruits will be tied better. The pumpkin patch is re-hydrated when the fruits begin to gain weight. Before harvesting, about 10 liters of water should be used to water one plant. When the pumpkins reach their full size, you can stop watering the plants.

Loosening and thinning

The soil around the plants must be loosened and cleaned of weeds after rain or watering. With the emergence of seedlings, the first loosening is carried out to a depth of 6-8 centimeters. It is better to loosen the row spacing before watering to a depth of 12-18 centimeters to ensure rapid penetration of water to the roots of plants. During loosening, it is recommended to slightly huddle the plants, increasing their resistance.

After the seedlings have two true leaves, it is necessary to thin them out, leaving in one hole two sprouts of nutmeg or hard-bore pumpkin and one at a time - large-fruited.

When 3-4 leaves are formed in seedlings, the second thinning is carried out. In order not to damage the root system of the remaining seedlings, it is not necessary to pull out the extra seedlings. It is enough just to cut off an unnecessary seedling at the level of the ground surface.

Top dressing

Pumpkin forms a large amount of vegetative mass (leaves, stems) and fruits, so it needs frequent feeding, preferably with liquid fertilizers.

3 weeks after sowing the seeds in the ground, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding with manure or chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4. Such organic feeding should be repeated 3-4 times a month. It is good to feed the pumpkin by dissolving a glass of wood ash in 10 liters of water.

When applying the first top dressing at a distance of 10-12 centimeters around the plants, it is necessary to make grooves 6-8 centimeters deep and pour the solution into them. For further fertilizing, grooves with a depth of 10-12 centimeters are placed 40 centimeters from the plants.

After fertilization, the grooves are covered with earth. If cloudy weather lasts for a long time, it is recommended to spray the pumpkin with a solution of 10 grams of urea in 10 liters of water.

Pollination

If there are not enough pollinating insects on the land plot during the pollination of plants, you will have to do it yourself. To do this, you need to learn to distinguish between female and male flowers. The males have an elongated stem, and the females are located on the stem, they have an ovary under the petals.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, it is necessary to pick the male flower, cut off the petals and touch the pistils on the female flowers with an anther. If the male flowers have not yet blossomed, the male flowers of a closely related plant such as a squash can be used to pollinate the pumpkin. The pumpkin harvest will be good, but it will no longer be possible to use the seeds for sowing.

In order to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground successfully and your garden by the end of the season was dotted with large orange fruits, you need to know the basic principles of caring for this melon crop. This popular and widespread plant cannot be called moody, but mistakes during sowing can significantly affect its yield.

How to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground?

The pumpkin appeared in the Old World thanks to enthusiasts and sailors who dreamed of growing wonderful fruits of exotic plants they liked in their home garden. For this reason, the popular herbaceous culture differs from the European flora growing in temperate climates in a more thermophilic disposition. To obtain good yields, the rules for planting pumpkin seeds have been developed, which allow avoiding mistakes associated with freezing of crops, the death of sprouts from pests, drought and diseases.

Several types of pumpkin have been bred - nutmeg, large-fruited and hard-barked. The nutmeg variety has an excellent taste and is used in the preparation of culinary dishes. She loves warmth very much and in cold regions is grown mainly by seedlings. The large-fruited variety in the open field is very productive, famous for its tasty seeds, its fruits are stored for a long time after harvesting. Hard-barked pumpkins have a table purpose, they are prized for their quick ripening and tasty pulp.

Yielding varieties of butternut squash:

Golden pear;
Arabat;
New;
Vitamin;
Pearl;
Gilea;
Butternut.

Promising varieties of hard-bore pumpkin:

Gymnosperm;
Bulgarian;
Gribovskaya bush;
Spaghetti;
Almond;
Danka Polka;
Countryside.

Large-fruited pumpkin for open field:

Titanium;
Russian woman;
One hundred pound;
Marble;
Smile;
Centner;
Chit;
Atlant.

The planned planting of pumpkin seeds in open ground will not give a good result if the garden bed with this crop is located in places where cucumbers or squash with squash were grown last season. The reason lies in common diseases and pests that infect the earth and, even after high-quality digging, do not die in winter. Without a good crop rotation, with the arrival of heat, they greedily pounce on fruit plants, significantly reducing the yield.

Best outdoor pumpkin precursors:

If you do not observe the timing of planting pumpkin seeds in open ground, then in our climate weak shoots can easily suffer even from a weak spring frost. It should be accurately calculated when the threat of late frosts disappears in your region. We start working on the beds with the arrival of stable heat, depending on the region, we sow pumpkin plants from May to mid-June. A fruitful crop grows well at 25 ° C, when the temperature drops to 14 ° C and below, the development of green mass in melons stops.

Purchased seeds do not always have an acceptable germination rate. Often, unscrupulous traders sell expired material in packaging with a beautiful photo that does not correspond to the declared varietal characteristics. The best option is to plant pumpkins with your own seeds in open ground, which allows you to save a lot of money in a large garden. You need to know the rules for their collection and storage methods so that the spring work in the garden is successful and gives an acceptable result.

Harvesting pumpkin seeds:

In order to have fewer problems in the open field under unfavorable conditions and to increase germination, it is advisable to independently germinate pumpkin seeds before planting. After this procedure, they sprout together, strong shoots die less from pests. The germination process takes place in several stages:

Planting pumpkins in open ground with seeds in spring

More often, gardeners use the wide-row sowing method. The depth of planting pumpkin seeds in the open field depends on the composition of the soil and moisture. In light soil, it is up to 8 cm, in heavy soil - no more than 5-6 cm. The scheme and rules for planting pumpkins depend on the average size of the whips: corn, shade-tolerant varieties with long stems are suitable for this purpose in the open field. It adjoins well with beans, peas or beans. Try to separate beds with different types of melons. For example, zucchini, or squash are able to pollinate with pumpkins, losing their taste.

appeared in Russia in the 16th century and is widely used to this day. For our huge country, this is a universal crop due to the fact that it can be grown in almost all regions. Pumpkin has found wide application on the table of a common man in the street. William Pokhlebkin gave her a special place of honor in his "Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts".

Pumpkin is a kind of storehouse of nutrients and vitamins. And everything is valuable in it:

healthy and tasty seeds, the oil of which is low-allergenic and is an anti-inflammatory and regenerating agent;
pleasant pulp, which contains a number of important vitamins, including the rare vitamin T (which normalizes metabolism).

Lovers of this culture will certainly be interested in more.

At the word "pumpkin", many of us immediately imagine a rather large rounded fruit of a bright yellow or orange color.

But in fact, the range of pumpkins is extremely diverse in shape, color, and taste. There are many inedible, ornamental varieties.

Not everyone knows that well-known and - it turns out, are also pumpkins. However, this article will focus on the edibles we are used to, the most common: common pumpkin (hard bark), butternut pumpkin and large-fruited pumpkin.

Planting a pumpkin

When planting a pumpkin, it is important to understand that this is a southern one, which has a long main root and many branched small roots, located closer to the ground than the main root, somewhere 40-50 cm, therefore a fertile top layer is important to her.

The pumpkin can branch, it can grow as a bush, in a word, it is necessary to provide it with space. That is, it is recommended to plant plants no closer than 50 cm from each other.

The pumpkin needs to be planted, in the south of Russia whole melons are allocated for it, in places where the sun is all day. In the middle latitudes, you need to choose the sunniest and southerly side. +25 ° С is the optimal temperature for pumpkin growth, at +14 ° С the growth stops.

A pumpkin can be planted on any, but only a fertile one can give you a large pumpkin.

In the fall, organic and minerals are brought in for digging. It is advisable to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers to the soil. In acidic soil, as well as for most horticultural crops, it is necessary to apply or. You can also apply, and immediately into the hole just before planting. Fresh suits this crop very well. Moreover, in areas with a cool climate, pumpkin is sown on compost heaps, adding sand and a little turf. They are well warmed by the sun and are rich in nutrients.

In the presence of light fertile land, pumpkin seeds are planted straight into the ground without creating beds. If the soil is heavy and there is a lot of moisture in it, then it is better to do and sow seeds in them. Garden beds are also made for butternut squash to provide the warmest, most warm soil possible.

Pumpkins can be planted directly into the ground, or you can use the seedling method. An exception is butternut pumpkin, so that this species can ripen in mid-latitudes, it is planted only with seedlings.

Pumpkin predecessors can be: , .
Unsuitable for the role of predecessors, related cultures:, squash, zucchini.

Planting pumpkins in the ground

Seeds before planting can warm up first within 9 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C and soak in a solution of ash and water for up to 12 hours (add 2 tablespoons of ash to 1 liter of hot boiled water). This is necessary so that the pumpkin embryo breathes and can easily break through the skin. Before planting, my grandmother warmed them up in the oven, then wrapped the seeds in cheesecloth, folded in several layers, and soaked them in an ash solution, after swelling she prepared the seeds for planting.

You can also immediately plant seeds in the ground without heating or soaking them, this affects the timing of germination.

In prepared, well-fertilized soil, mark out the rows.
After making holes about 30 cm in size, spill them.
Plant about 3 seeds in the hole (try to deepen them by about 5-6 centimeters, and not all together, but in different corners of the hole).
Leave a distance between the rows not less than 2 m, between the plants themselves - about 1 m. Many gardeners plant pumpkins in a checkerboard pattern so that the plants do not interfere with each other.
Plants should be planted only on a warm ridge, and before the emergence of shoots, you can cover it with a film.
When a crust forms on the surface, it is imperative.
When the plants sprout, leave in the hole no more than two. The rest are pinched so as not to injure the root system of other seedlings.

Planting pumpkin seedlings

Most often, nutmeg pumpkin is sown in seedlings.

In the end of April seeds are sown into the prepared fertile soil mixture. It is advisable to immediately sow them in a container of about 0.5 liters. You can feed it with mineral fertilizers several times, pour it with warm water.
Not earlier than in 30 days after planting the seeds, around the end of May, the seedlings are planted in or under a film, also with a distance of about 1 m between the plants.
If there is a threat of freezing at night, be sure to cover film.
In order to have time to get a good harvest in our latitudes, pumpkin whips must be formed. It is advisable to leave the nutmeg pumpkin on one plant 2 ovaries, the rest are pinched 40-50 cm above the fetus itself. You will learn how to do this from the video:

Pumpkin care

The main care is, and, especially during the growth of the fetus. However, do not water until the ovary is smaller than the fist, otherwise mainly leaves grow, and the fruit is gaining few useful substances. You should also stop watering when the pumpkin is ripe, so that it lies down and picks up sugars in the pulp.

Fertilizing pumpkins can and should be done, but don't overdo it.

The first feeding - before flowering, with organic (mullein infusion) and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
The second can be carried out during flowering, using wood ash per 10 liters of water.

Harvesting

1. Butternut squash it is better to harvest in September, keeping the stalk. When properly harvested in dry, sunny weather, the pumpkin can lie for about a year. A very popular method of ripening pumpkin is when the fruits are warm, covered with something (like green tomatoes), they should be in a bright room, but so that direct sunlight is excluded.

2. Hard and large-fruited pumpkin also harvested in the fall, when the stalk begins to dry out and the bark hardens. It often happens that varieties of large-fruited pumpkin do not have time to ripen, this happens already during storage. After harvesting the pumpkin, you need to keep another one warm for a week, so that excess moisture evaporates, the pulp stores more sugars.

The publications and

Types and varieties of pumpkin

As mentioned above, we will talk about the three main types of pumpkin for our latitudes: common pumpkin (hard-bore), butternut pumpkin and large-fruited pumpkin.

Common pumpkin

Refers to annual herbaceous plants. The fruit is most often round, large, smooth, usually yellow in color, but these indicators can vary depending on the variety. Ripens in September. Seeds about 3-4 cm, white or yellowish, with a dense skin. It can be stored all winter until spring.

TO table varieties of this type, the following can be attributed:

Spaghetti pumpkin. An early ripening variety, it will take about 2 months from germination to full maturity. After boiling, the pulp of this pumpkin breaks down into long fibers, thanks to which the variety got its name. They can be eaten cold in a salad or hot like spaghetti.

Spaghetti pumpkin. Photo from the site nakhodka-betta.ru

"Shrub orange". Pumpkins of this variety have a bright orange color, the weight of the fruit is about 5 kg. The pulp is sweet and soft. The variety has good keeping quality.

Pumpkin "Bush orange"

"Gribovskaya bush 189". A very popular early maturing variety. It grows in the form of a bush, on which there are usually about 2 pumpkins, 6-7 kg in size. The shape of a pumpkin is in the form of a drop, at the base of the peduncle there is a barely noticeable ribbing. When the pumpkin has reached full maturity, its color is bright orange with green blotches. The pulp is thick, very juicy and sweet, bright orange in color.

"Gribovskaya bush 189". Photo: Makeeva Nina, img-fotki.yandex.ru

Pumpkin "Altai 47". Refers to varieties of universal purpose, early maturing, from germination to ripening for about two months. Fruits are orange-yellow in color with light yellow or yellow-brown stripes. The skin is hard. Fruit weight from 2 to 5 kg. The pulp itself does not have a sweet, pronounced taste, it is quite fibrous and medium in size. Laying, transportation, low temperature tolerance and yield are good.

"Altayskaya 47". Photo from the site dacnye-hitrosti.ru

You can always visit our market, where products from different online stores are presented.

Pumpkin Vitamin 13 rbl
Russian Vegetable Garden

Pumpkin Golden dome gray. Russian taste! 17 rbl
Russian Vegetable Garden

Pumpkin Marseillaise large-fruited 22 rbl
Russian Vegetable Garden

Pumpkin Golden Pear 15 rbl
Russian Vegetable Garden

Butternut squash

Butternut squash is one of the most delicious, but extremely thermophilic. It is planted with seedlings, has the properties of both hard-bark and large-fruited pumpkin. The shape of the pumpkins is different, the color of the fruits is yellow or brownish-pink. Their mass can also be different. Longitudinal light spots on the peel. The orange or bright orange pulp of this species has its own special taste and smell; its consistency is dense, but tender. The seeds are small, gray-white in color with a dark rim around the edges. The root system is strong, the root is about 2 meters, maybe more. Has a subspecies - turban pumpkin (the shape of the fruit of this subspecies is in the form of a turban).

Pumpkin variety "Muscat". Late maturing, long-leaved. Fruits from 4 to 6.5 kg in weight, with sweet, dense, juicy orange pulp.

Vita pumpkin variety. Photo from americanfoodroots.com

Pumpkin nutmeg Pearl. Late-ripening variety with dark green fruits. Fruit weight is about 7 kg. The pulp is deep orange in color, very juicy.

Muscat pumpkin "Pearl". Photo from the site chasogorod.narod.ru

Nutmeg pumpkin "Vitamin"... The variety is late ripening, from germination to full ripening you will have to wait at least 130 days. Dark green pumpkins with yellow stripes. The fruits themselves are small, about 7 kg. The pulp is bright orange in color. Suitable for dining and feeding purposes.

Nutmeg pumpkin "Vitamin". Photo from sadogorodsad.ru

Large pumpkin

When compared with previous species, the fruits of this species are the largest. The color of the fruits of large-fruited pumpkins is white, gray or pink. A spherical fruit is located on a cylindrical stalk. The peel of the species is soft, the pulp is fibrous and loose. This species has been used as fodder on farms for many years. Large seeds of white or cream color with a barely noticeable rim.

"Gribovskaya winter". The variety is late-ripening, the shape of the pumpkin is spherical or slightly flattened, the skin is gray, the pulp is dense and juicy, orange or pale yellow in color. In winter, it can be stored for about 7 months. A very productive variety even in non-chernozem areas.

Giant pumpkin of the "Gribovskaya Zimnyaya" variety. Photo from samenural.ru

"Volzhskaya gray". Mid-season variety, suitable for cultivation in the central black earth. The pumpkins are flattened, the peel is smooth, light gray, weight is about 10 kg or more. The pulp is quite dense, wide, egg-yellow in color with an orange, mealy texture, has a pleasant sweet taste. The advantages of the variety are its keeping quality and productivity.

Pumpkin "Volzhskaya gray". Photo from the site cadowod.ru

Pumpkin is beautiful and healthy, many delicious main dishes and desserts are prepared from it - this is a wonderful reason to plant it on your site. This fantastic vegetable came to us from the tropics, it loves the sun and nutritious soil, but it feels quite comfortable in our summer cottages.

Many delicious pumpkin varieties can be grown by sowing seeds in open ground at the end of May, but not nutmeg - they simply will not sprout, they are better grown in seedlings. Seeds need to be taken only fresh, it is advisable to check them for germination in order to know what to expect after sowing in the ground. Seeds that have surfaced when soaked with salt water are rejected, and those that have sunk to the bottom are prepared for sowing.

Before sowing, pumpkin seeds need to be warmed up for 2-3 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees. After that, you need to disinfect them with a pink solution of potassium permanganate. In order for the sprout to break through the hard skin of the seed, they are soaked for 12 hours with an aqueous infusion of ash or at least just water, which is changed every 4 hours. Those summer residents who are not afraid to use chemistry usually soak the seeds with a fertilizer solution or a stimulant (crezacin, epin, potassium humate) to accelerate germination. This not only accelerates growth, but also protects future seedlings from diseases and adverse environmental influences.

After soaking, the seeds are immediately planted in the ground or placed for germination. Seeds germinate well and quickly on sawdust. Sawdust is placed on the bottom of the box, spilled with hot water several times, seeds are placed on top of several layers of wet gauze, they are covered with several more layers of gauze on top and covered with sawdust. From above the box is closed with a film - it turns out such a greenhouse, after 2-3 days the seeds will germinate, and they will need to be immediately planted in the ground.

Planting and leaving

It is advisable to prepare the soil before sowing. For 1 square meter of a pumpkin plot, 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket of sawdust, a glass of nitrophoska and a liter can of wood ash are brought in. The site is thoroughly dug to a depth of at least 40 cm and spilled with hot water. Sowing dates are determined by the vegetable growers themselves, it depends on the weather and the characteristics of the variety. The seeds of a large-fruited and hard-bore pumpkin that have hatched are planted in the soil when it has already warmed up to 10 degrees at a depth of 10-12 cm. In the Moscow region, this usually happens at the end of May.

In a light permeable soil, the seed is laid 8-10 cm, and if the ground is solid, then 4-5 cm with its beak or sprout down. If the planting is shallow, the sprouts can sprout without dropping the seed coat, then birds can peck them. To prevent this from happening, you can close the crops or simply check more often and remove the casing manually. A bush pumpkin is planted at a distance of 80 cm from each other, and it is better to plant a climbing one at an interval of 1 m.

3-5 seeds are placed in each hole at a distance of several centimeters. After sowing, the soil is mulched, many advise to cover it with a film or non-woven cloth from the spring cold. When sprouts appear, 2 of the strongest are left, and the rest are pinched off. The pumpkin has a very developed root system, small sprouts are already intertwined with roots so as not to damage them (at the slightest damage to the root, the pumpkin will not grow), the extra ones are not pulled out, but they are pinched off.

After planting seedlings in open ground or germinating from seeds, side shoots are quickly formed in the pumpkin, they must be removed, leaving two more side shoots in addition to the main whip. The number of ovaries must also be limited, leaving 3-4 on each branch: after counting 5 leaves after the last ovary, the lash must be pinned, then the plant will not waste energy, but will send them to ripen the fruits.

So that the wind does not turn the lashes, they are sprinkled with wet soil, in which case additional roots may form, which will further strengthen the plant. The wide leaves of the pumpkin evaporate a lot of moisture, so watering is simply necessary, and only with warm water. After planting in open ground, each plant is watered with 1 liter of water, and the older it is, the more water it needs, so at the end of summer each plant should receive at least 10 liters. When the fruits have reached their maximum value, watering is stopped.

If there are few bees or bumblebees on the site during the flowering of the pumpkin, the plant will have to be manually pollinated. Male flowers do not sit on the stem, but grow on a long stem, unlike female flowers, while female flowers have a thickening (ovary) under the petals - so they are easy to recognize. In the morning (from 9 to 11 o'clock) you need to pick the male flower, carefully tear off the petals from it, touch the pistils of the female flowers with your anther.

It so happens that female flowers bloom earlier than male flowers, then you can pollinate with male flowers of another related plant - zucchini or squash will do. The fruits will ripen perfectly, but it will no longer be possible to use the seeds for planting, so if you want to sell or plant seeds, then you need to pollinate only with the flowers of the same plant.

Pumpkin Planting Video

From the video you will learn how to easily and effectively plant a pumpkin.

How to protect yourself from pests

After planting a pumpkin in open ground, you need to think about protecting it from pests. To prevent the bear from gnawing the roots, several granules of a special preparation called Medvedox are placed in each hole during planting.

In wet rainy weather, slugs may appear, which are able to kill the pumpkin. Melon aphids, spider mites, sprout flies and clickers - the pumpkin has many enemies. To avoid danger, you need to loosen, do not overmoisten the soil, do not leave weeds pulled out, because many are attracted by plant debris. It is not for nothing that gardeners often inspect their plants, at the first appearance of pests, you need to spray the plant with an infusion of onion husks, ash, and soapy water.

Sprout fly larvae can only damage planted seedlings if they are attracted by the smell of fresh manure. The nutcracker (wireworm) can be left over from previous crops of perennial grasses. Good soil cultivation and thoughtful crop rotation will allow you to secure planting.

There are many chemicals that save from pests, it is not difficult to find them, but you need to remember that ripening fruits can absorb harmful substances too. It will not be superfluous to plant onions, dill and marigolds nearby.

Top dressing

The pumpkin is planted in fertilized soil, and then fed with liquid organic-mineral fertilizers. If the soil is rich in fertilizers, it is enough 2-3 times during the entire growth period to water with liquid diluted poultry droppings or mullein with 1 spoon of complete mineral fertilizer.

Planting a pumpkin in depleted soil means condemning yourself to weekly plant fertilization throughout the season. Only at the end of summer, when the fruits are already large, can potassium be added as a mineral supplement.

Video "Planting seedlings in open ground"

To properly plant seedlings in open ground, we recommend watching the following video lesson. An experienced gardener will tell you about all the nuances and features of the process.

In the middle of spring, when the windowsills are already filled with numerous boxes with seedlings of tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers, summer residents remember pumpkin - an extraordinary vegetable in terms of size, benefits, and shelf life. It would be necessary to sow a little, but there is absolutely no room left. Then, with the arrival of warm weather, we will try to plant this crop with seeds directly into the ground and, subject to a few simple rules, we will definitely get a rich harvest.

Pumpkin is a thermophilic plant, and planting in unheated soil will lead to the fact that the seeds will sprout for a long time and uncommonly. The pumpkin is planted in open ground when the soil has warmed up enough and the return frosts have passed. Specific dates depend on the region: in the northern regions, sowing is possible in early June, and in the southern regions - at the end of April or early May. In central Russia, pumpkin is traditionally planted in the ground after the May holidays.

According to ancient folk signs, the best time for planting was determined by the flowering of viburnum and peonies.

Selection of seeds for planting

Pumpkin seeds for planting are purchased in a store or harvested independently. For the second option, the ripe and sweetest is chosen and seeds are selected from it. They are freed from the pulp, washed, the floating ones are removed and the largest specimens without flaws are selected. The seeds are dried and stored until spring in a cool dry place. Pumpkin seeds remain viable for up to 4 years, with the highest percentage of germination observed in 2-3 year old seeds.

If you don't have your own seeds, you should familiarize yourself with the variety of varieties before buying:

Hard bark gourd famous for its early ripening, small fruit size and very tasty seeds. Shrub varieties do not take up much space and are convenient for growing in small areas. Hard-bore pumpkins are distinguished by a ribbed stalk, rough stem and pentagonal leaves. On cream seeds, grooves along the edges are pronounced. The varieties Altai, Aport, Golosemennaya, Smile, Kustovaya orange, Almond are popular among summer residents.
Large-fruited varieties are large and high in sugar. They are characterized by rounded stalks and stems without grooves. The color of the seeds ranges from dull white to light coffee. Large-fruited varieties tolerate low temperatures better than others and can be stored without problems in room conditions for up to a year. For cultivation, pumpkin varieties Arina, Big Moon, Zorka, Rossiyanka, Gribovskaya winter, Children's gourmet, Healing, Sweetie, Parisian gold, Hundred-pound, Volzhskaya gray are preferred.
Muscat varieties are distinguished by their delicious taste and long shelf life, but they are more demanding on heat and are recommended for cultivation in the southern regions. In the middle lane, they are widely cultivated by seedlings. Butternut pumpkins have a nice bonus - you can pick them unripe, they will ripen perfectly in the apartment. Gardeners appreciate the varieties Pineapple, Vitamin, Pearl, Sugar Mace.
Decorative pumpkins are generally unfit for consumption and are grown for beauty. Fruits of decorative varieties, as a rule, are medium-sized and differ in an unusual shape and color, are used for the manufacture of original crafts and souvenir utensils. Pumpkins of the varieties Chalmovidnaya, Warty, Zvezdchataya will attract the attention of summer residents who love delights and general attention.

For planting pumpkins in open ground with seeds, varieties of hard-bore and large-fruited species are most suitable. They ripen quickly and react more calmly to demi-season temperature fluctuations.

Seed preparation

Proper seed preparation consists not only in a thoughtful choice of varieties, but also in competent treatment against diseases and to stimulate germination.

First of all, the planting material must be disinfected. For this, pumpkin seeds are placed in a solution of saturated pink potassium permanganate for several hours. After the procedure, the seeds must be washed under running water.

Potassium permanganate can be replaced with ash infusion, provided that the seeds were taken from a healthy plant. Ash is considered an excellent natural antiseptic and, at the same time, a storage of many essential trace elements.

For hardening for a day, they are placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator.

After disinfection, pumpkin seeds are soaked in a biostimulant solution, changing water every day. Usually they hatch within 3-5 days. Seeds sprouted in this way have great vitality and grow quickly after planting in the open field.

How to properly plant seeds in open ground

The best place on the pumpkin planting site is a well-warmed and well-lit southern or eastern slope. The culture prefers slightly alkaline fertile loose soils without stagnant water, rich in organic matter.

The site for planting pumpkins is prepared in the fall. It is dug up and freed from weeds. Planting pits are located at a distance of 1.5 m from each other.

The well is filled with the following mixture:

half a bucket of mature compost or manure;
superphosphate and potassium fertilizer, 1 tablespoon each;
half-liter can of wood ash.

If the soil is heavy clay, before planting pumpkin seeds, additional coarse river sand or rotted sawdust is added.

Lime or dolomite flour is added to the soil with high acidity according to the instructions on the package. The addition of dolomite flour additionally enriches the soil with calcium and magnesium.

Prepared seeds are planted in holes of 3 pieces, spreading them at a distance of 5–6 cm from each other at a depth of 1.5–2 cm. The holes are preliminarily shed with warm water. Pumpkin seeds are covered with soil and slightly compacted.

Shoots appear a few days after planting. When a pair of true leaves appear, they are thinned out, leaving one of the strongest plants and carefully cutting off the rest with scissors.

It is better not to pull out excess seedlings, so as not to injure the root system of the remaining sprout.

How to grow a good harvest of pumpkin

Before the onset of stable heat, the pumpkin plantings are covered with any non-woven material. Above the hole, two arcs are placed crosswise and an agricultural canvas is pulled over them. In calm sunny weather, holes are left in the shelter for ventilation. At a daytime temperature of 20-22 C, the shelter is removed, leaving it only for cold nights.

During the entire growing season, the pumpkin needs regular watering with warm water. During intensive pouring of fruits, the amount of water is increased to 1 bucket in each well. After watering, the planting of pumpkins is mulched with sawdust, cut grass or leaf litter.

Once every two weeks, the pumpkin is fertilized with a complex mineral fertilizer. Until mid-summer, nitrogen should prevail in it; in the second half of summer, its amount is reduced to a minimum. A slight lack of nitrogen in July - August stimulates the change of the vegetative path of development to the generative one.

At the end of June, the main stem of the pumpkin is pinched to stimulate the formation of lateral shoots, on which mainly female flowers are tied.

In cool, damp summers, ovary formation can be stimulated. To do this, planting pumpkins is sprayed with a solution of boric acid in a proportion of 1 gram per 1 liter of water. In the morning, artificial pollination of flowers is carried out. To do this, they pick a male flower and shake it over the female ones. It is useful to plant honey plants next to the pumpkin patch.

In mid-August, the pumpkin loops are pinched and the smallest and weakest ovaries are removed so that the rest of the fruits have time to ripen before the onset of frost. Planks are placed under the pouring fruits to avoid rotting on contact with the ground and damage by slugs.

On warm September days, the pumpkin is harvested by cutting off the stalk at a distance of 6–8 cm from the place of attachment. For 1-2 days, the pumpkins are allowed to lie in the sun. During this time, they lose excess moisture and are better stored in the future. Pumpkins intended for long-term storage should have a stalk and a waxy coating on the surface.

Diseases and pests

In dry hot weather, pumpkin plantings can be affected by spider mites. To get rid of the pest, the bushes are sprayed with Fitoverm solution. This preparation is also suitable for the destruction of aphids.

In wet weather, plants can get sick with powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease in which white spots appear on the leaf blade. They increase in size, covering the entire sheet. As a result, pumpkin leaves become brittle and dry out, and the number of ovaries on the bush decreases. Over time, diseased bushes die, abundantly dispersing the spores of the fungus.

To fight the infection, the damaged leaves are cut off and burned, the plants are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or any other fungicide according to the instructions. In subsequent years, it is not recommended to plant pumpkin crops in this place.