How to plant a pumpkin in the open ground. Growing pumpkins. How and when to plant a pumpkin? Pumpkin Care. Planting pumpkin seedlings in open ground

Good day to all readers!

Today is an article about pumpkin - growing and caring for it in the open ground.

Everyone is familiar with pumpkin. Who can not know about the queen of vegetable gardens? There are a lot of useful substances in the pumpkin, and I’ll briefly talk about them, but today a detailed discussion will be about growing the pumpkin and caring for it in the open ground.

The fruits of this vegetable accumulate a lot of vitamins and minerals, useful to both children and adults. Its fruits contain salts of potassium, iron, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium fluoride, calcium, sodium, copper, vitamins from the first to the last letter, carotenes, dietary fiber and pectins. Juice is prescribed for the treatment of prostatitis, cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, stone excretion. The pulp of these fruits speeds up the metabolism. Pumpkin fruits are widely used in cooking. From it prepare the first dishes, side dishes, jellies, candied fruits. Jam, stewed fruit, baked and pickled. Here is such a versatile and healthy vegetable, and now back to the main topic

How to grow pumpkin and ensure proper care

Pumpkin is quite unpretentious culture. It can be grown in almost all climatic zones, the main thing is to choose the right variety. In the southern zone of Russia, where there are many sunny days and a long warm period, any variety can be grown.

Varieties for the Urals and Siberia

For the Urals and Siberia, you need to choose either early-ripening varieties or those that ripen during storage.
For cultivation in our harsh lands suitable varieties such as:

Pearl

The crop ripens in 100 - 110 days, the fruit weighs 5-7 kg, the pulp has a nutmeg aroma, is stored for a long time, has a great taste, the plant tolerates adverse weather conditions, and yields up to 15 kg / m2.

Bush Gold

Fruits ripen in 90 - 105 days, the weight of one fruit is 2.8-3.7 kg. It grows in a compact bush, the pulp is juicy, very tasty, productivity - up to 15 kg / sq.m

Bush orange

From germination to harvesting 92-104 days. The weight of one pumpkin is 4-7 kg. The pulp is sweet, juicy, tasty. There is more carotene than in carrots, yield 13.4 kg / m2.

Medical

The birthplace of the Kuban variety. The short period before harvesting allows you to grow this variety in the Urals, Western Siberia and Eastern Siberia. The variety gives a good harvest despite the July cold snap with prolonged rains.

You will find many varieties of pumpkins in the article ““.

Growing pumpkins on a warm bed

Traditionally, in the conditions of a short and not always warm summer, pumpkin is grown on warm beds or in compost heaps.
It is not difficult to make a warm bed, but it will require physical effort. In the autumn, they dig a trench in the place reserved for the bed. The width is not more than a meter, length as necessary. In depth, it should be at least 40 cm. First, branches and brushwood are folded into it. Then a layer of leaves, healthy tops, cut grass. Next, semi-rotted manure.

The final layer is nutrient soil. It should be 20-30 cm. In the spring, about a month before sowing, the prepared bed is shed with plenty of hot water. The process of burning manure will begin, the bed will heat up. After a month, the soil will cool to the desired temperature. It will be possible to start sowing.

Seed preparation

The seeds of all pumpkin begin to prepare for sowing in advance. So that there are more female flowers on the lashes, the seeds are heated. It is enough for 2 months to hold the seeds in a paper bag near the battery.

Small, but heavy seeds are selected for sowing. The insipid are discarded in a salt solution of 1 tsp. salt in a glass of water. Seeds that have surfaced can be thrown away, the remaining ones are washed and dried. Selected seeds germinate.
2-3 days before sowing, the sections are disinfected - they are kept in water (45-50 ° C) for 2-3 hours. Then they are germinated. The resulting spine is a signal that the seeds are ready for sowing.

Landing under the film

It is possible to increase the cold resistance of seedlings by hardening. Sprouted seeds are left in moist material for 3-5 days in the lower part of the refrigerator.
By the time the weather is right, there may not be enough moisture in the soil. This pushes the emergence of seedlings to a later time and slows their growth. Before sowing seeds, 1.5-2 liters of hot water are poured into each well. Seeds are put in warm soil and covered with soil. Sown beds are covered with foil.

When the shoots appear, a film is cut above them, the plants come out and grow. The temperature of the soil under the film becomes 4 - 5 ° C higher.
If you use the method of mixed crops, then the likelihood of seedlings will increase. Seeds are sown to different depths, while dry seeds are sown at the same time as germinated seeds, which will sprout later. If the sprouted seeds sprout and nothing happened to them, then the sprouts that later emerge pinch. It is not recommended to pull out seedlings - the remaining sprouts can be damaged.

With the onset of sustainable heat, you can build a support on which to start pumpkin lashes, as in the photo, for example.

Growing pumpkins through seedlings

Harvest long-stored varieties or an early harvest will work if you grow a pumpkin through seedlings.
For this, a greenhouse or a well-lit, southern window sill in an apartment is suitable. To obtain seedlings, the seeds are also warmed, disinfected and germinated. Treated seeds are sown 20 days before the seedlings are planted in the ground. It is better to grow seedlings in peat pots, with a volume of at least 0.4 l. In order for the soil in such pots to dry more slowly, the pots must be placed in a deep container, and all gaps should be filled with a moisture-absorbing substrate - sand or peat.

The earthen mixture is suitable for this light, from well decomposed peat, humus, sod land and rotted manure in a ratio of 5: 3: 1: 1. Until the seeds have sprouted, the temperature must be maintained at 18-25 ° C during the day and 15-18 ° C at night. When seedlings appear, the temperature is reduced by 5-6 days to 15-18 ° C during the day and 12-13 ° C at night. This will not allow seedlings to stretch. Then the temperature is raised to the previous level.

It is important to ensure that the soil in the landing tanks does not dry out. Watering should be moderate but regular. Excess moisture causes the plants to stretch.
When the seedlings turn 7 days old, the first top dressing is performed. To do this, prepare a solution of nitrophoska (15 g per 10 l).

Proper seedlings have a short and sturdy stem, small internodes and two to three dark green leaves.

With the establishment of heat, the seedlings are transferred to a permanent place. Prepared wells, pre-watered with warm water. By lowering the seedlings in the garden, it is necessary to destroy the walls of peat pots.

Itself in a greenhouse - a head on the street

Such a method of planting seedlings is also possible. Pumpkin seedlings are planted in the southern part of the greenhouse. When the stem grows more than 50 cm - whip, lifting the film, sent to an open area. The roots of the plant remain in the greenhouse, and the stem is warming with might and main in the sun. The crop matures with this planting earlier for 8-10 days.

Plant formation

A worthy crop of pumpkin can be harvested only from properly formed plants. Pumpkin bushes form in one or two shoots.
When the bush is formed into one shoot, all lateral processes and unnecessary ovaries are removed. No more than three ovaries should remain on the stem. Leaving 3-4 sheets above the last ovary left, the growth point is removed.
Formed in two shoots - leave the main stem and one lateral. 2 fruits are left on the main stem, one on the side. Left shoots after ovary, leaving 3-4 leaves, cut off.

We remove extra shoots

Pumpkin Care

It is very important to sprinkle the stems with earth. When they grow more than a meter in length, they are sent in the right direction and sprinkled with earth in several places. Roots grow on these places, which provide the plant with additional nutrition.

Watering a pumpkin should be infrequent, but soaking the soil 1 meter deep. It “draws” a large amount of moisture from the soil, evaporating it through the leaves. Intensive pumpkin watering is required before flowering and when filling the fruit.

Irregularity of watering leads to the fact that the hard bark of a pumpkin is cracked.

To ensure that moisture flow to the roots more evenly, you can dig a plastic bottle with a volume of at least 3 liters next to the planted pumpkin. Drill holes in the lid, turn the neck down and dig it next to the plant. In the bottom, you also need to pierce a hole. Water from the bottle will for a long time evenly supply the plant with moisture.

Pumpkin Pinching Video

Diseases and Pests

Pumpkin is quite resistant to external factors. But also on it there are diseases and pests overcome. Of diseases, rot and bacteriosis are the most dangerous. Of the pests on the pumpkin planting, the aphid and spider mite aphids are more common.

Rot more often occur when watering with cold water, a large difference in day and night temperatures. For prophylaxis, foliar top dressing is carried out with microfertilizers, watered only with heated water. For treatment using Bordeaux mixture.

To combat spider mite use an infusion of onion peel (200 grams of husk is poured with boiling water, and after 3-4 hours it is diluted to 10 liters and used). For better adhesion, you can add laundry soap to the solution.

From aphids get rid of the infusion of 50g of soap, 200g of wood ash in 10 liters of water.

Mistakes when growing pumpkins,

which reduce the quantity and quality of the crop.

Error No. 1 . The use of large seeds for sowing.
When sowing any pumpkin culture, you should never use the largest seeds. Plants grown from them will give a powerful tops, and a weak crop. You need to choose the hardest.

Error No. 2 . Inadequate food area.
A pumpkin needs a large area. The thing is the root system, which she has very developed. Bushes should be planted no closer than 3 meters from each other.

Error No. 3 . At what depth should the seeds be sown.
In northern areas, where there is little heat and a lot of moisture, the seeds are sown shallowly. In the south they sow deeper.

Error No. 4 . Grow pumpkin in the garden.
Planting a pumpkin with fruit trees is not the best solution. Pumpkin trees will not hinder - it is enough lighting. But frequent watering, so necessary pumpkin, harmful to trees.

Error No. 5 . Pumpkin on a compost heap.
A common practice is to grow pumpkin on a dunghill or compost heap. With a lack of heat in our Urals, this is a very common method. It is only necessary to take into account that with such a planting, the grown fruits will not be sweet, the flesh will be loose and they will not be stored for a long time.

Harvesting

The ripeness of a pumpkin is easily determined by the solid, dry stalk, the crust pattern characteristic of this variety.
When harvesting, the fruits are cut together with the stem. This extends the shelf life of the crop. Then, for 7-10 days, the pumpkins are dried, preferably in the sun. At this time, excess moisture is removed and the outer layer is strengthened.
You can save 1-2 months pumpkin of any variety. For longer storage, choose a large-fruited pumpkin, in which the outer crust is dense, and in the pulp there are a lot of dry substances.

To preserve this vegetable until the next harvest, the fruits are stacked on a dry litter, laying out at a distance from each other. Optimum storage conditions + 6-8 ° C, humidity not higher than 75%, ventilated cellar. Under these conditions, winter pumpkins can be stored until the next harvest. In the warmth of a city apartment, mature pumpkins lie for no more than six months.

Pumpkin Growing Video

I wish you to grow a sweet, large pumpkin for your joy.

Dessert and fodder pumpkins require well-moistened nutrient soil. Planting both types of vegetables and caring for them in the open ground are carried out identically. This gourd is planted with seeds in open ground in the last decade of May. From one grain you can get from 1 to 3 large pumpkins. In the southern regions, you can get two harvests of this useful vegetable, if you sow in late April - early May, pollinate manually and harvest ripened fruits in time.

From one grain you can get from 1 to 3 large pumpkins

Pumpkin grows best on the south side of the plot in well-lit areas. Its lashes and leaves perfectly tolerate direct sunlight. If you plant a pumpkin in open ground in a completely shaded area, it will not bear fruit. The development of this gourd will be slow. Despite the fact that the flowers are pollinated by hand, the ovary decays on them and falls off without developing, because the processes of photosynthesis in plant cells are severely disturbed.

You can choose a place that is shaded in the summer by a growing tree, but in spring the sun should fall on the landing site. Then, after the emergence of seedlings, the plant will have time to gain strength in order to release the lash, which will begin to grow in the direction where there is constant sunlight. There, the pumpkin will bear fruit well.

Before planting seeds, you need to prepare a place for this. In areas where summers are short and humid, pumpkins can be placed on compost heaps or on rotted manure that rises above the ground. Layers of organics will provide nutrition, warm the thermophilic roots of the plant. In such conditions, the vegetable will be able to develop well and have time to give a full crop.

Growing pumpkins in open ground in southern areas requires a special place. This gourd loves moisture. Having found a place for it in a lowland where water stands for a long time in spring, they remove the fertile layer with a bayonet spade and remove it to the side. Then they dig a hole of 0.5x1.5 m, in which they will arrange a nest.

To fill it you will need 2 buckets of manure and 1 bucket of humus. Pumpkin has a branched root system that goes deep into 50 cm. Such a pillow allows it to receive moisture and nutrition during a short drought. From above, everyone is covered with soil from the pit, a handful of ash and river sand are added. All components are mixed together.

Creating a pillow from nutrient soil is necessary for proper nutrition during the vegetative development and laying of the crop. If there is no manure, it can be replaced with dry grass, which a week before planting is put in a prepared pit and watered with hot water. Within 7 days, waste from the kitchen can be drained into it to start the combustion process. Before planting a pumpkin, this grass is covered with a bucket of nutrient soil, adding 1 tbsp. l urea or complex fertilizer. You can add wood ash. If it is dry and hot, half a bucket of water is poured into the finished nest to moisten the lower layers of the nutrient mixture.

If you need to plant a large plot, the process of preparing it for growing pumpkins can be simplified. The earth is covered with an even layer of mullein under digging. Before plowing, a complex fertilizer is applied according to the manufacturer's recommendations.

Gallery: pumpkin (25 photos)

All about growing pumpkins (video)

How is landing

You can plant a pumpkin in open ground using seeds in a dry form. Then the grain itself is saturated with moisture and will rise when the temperature allows. Manure or dry grass in the nest forms heat well.

When to plant a pumpkin in open ground, you can find out, focusing on the temperature regime, which is observed annually in a particular area. Planting of seeds is carried out after the threat of frost passes. The plant is very thermophilic. It ceases to grow at a temperature of + 14ºС, and at 0ºС its roots completely die off.

The older the seeds, the more female flowers there will be on the plant, which is reflected in the crop. Seeds remain valid for up to 5 years if their storage meets all requirements.

If the timing of planting seeds in the ground has been violated, then the seeds can be wet so that they soon sprout. First, they are heated in the oven at a temperature of no more than 40 ° C during the night. Then soaked in a solution of wood ash for 12 hours. To prepare it, take 1 liter of hot water and dissolve in it 2 tbsp. l powder. Such events improve germination and increase the number of female flowers in lashes. The seeds soaked in an alkaline solution should swell and sprout faster.

You need to grow pumpkins at a distance of 50 cm from each other. Then caring for a pumpkin in an open space will be much more convenient. Overgrown lashes will be freely located and develop correctly.

Plant a pumpkin in open ground with seeds 5 cm deep in 4 corners of the hole. If the placement takes place in several rows, then the distance between 2 lines of plants should not be less than 1 m.

On a large plot, you can plant the seeds in a tape way, after 15 cm per seed, to then remove the extra sprouts in a checkerboard pattern.

How to plant a crop (video)

Bed Care

Growing a pumpkin and caring for it does not require much effort, but a vegetable crop needs attention until the land in the planted crop area disappears under its lashes. After the pumpkin seeds have been planted, at least a week must pass before the first sprouts hatch.

With good nutrition and sufficient soil moisture, they develop very quickly. To accelerate growth, the culture needs to be weeded once and break a crust that interferes with air circulation. This greatly accelerates the vegetative growth of shoots.

If too dry, seedlings should be watered. Pumpkin requires a lot of moisture. To ensure that there is enough water for its development, during rain, all the collected fluid can be used for irrigation. The more moisture poured out on a bed in rainy weather, the better it will grow in a dry and hot period of time.

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, it is better to grow them in seedlings. Seeds should be taken only fresh, it is advisable to test them for germination, in order to know what to expect after sowing in the ground. Discard seeds that have surfaced when soaked with salt water, sank to the bottom, prepare for sowing.

Pumpkin seeds before sowing 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 sprouts to be able to break through the hard skin of the seed, they are soaked for 12 hours with water 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 the adverse effects of the environment.

After soaking, the seeds are immediately planted in the ground or placed on germination. Seeds on sawdust sprout well and quickly. Sawdust is placed at the bottom of the box, spilled several times with hot water, seeds are placed on top of several layers of wet gauze, covered with several more layers of gauze on top and covered with sawdust. The box is covered with a film on top - this is a greenhouse, after 2-3 days the seeds will sprout, and they will need to be immediately planted in the ground.

Landing and care

Before sowing, it is advisable to prepare the soil. 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket of sawdust, a glass of nitrophoska and a liter jar of wood ash are added to 1 square meter of the pumpkin plot. The site is digged well to a depth of not less than 40 cm and spilled with hot water. Vegetable growers determine the timing of sowing, it depends on the weather and the characteristics of the variety. Hatching seeds of large-fruited and hard-barked pumpkins 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 light permeable soil, the seed is laid 8-10 cm, and if the ground is hard, then 4-5 cm with the beak or sprout down. If the landing 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 just check more often and remove the shell manually. Bush pumpkin is planted at a distance of 80 cm from each other, and it is better to plant a climbing pumpkin with an interval of 1 m.

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

After planting seedlings in the open ground or sprouting from seeds at the pumpkin, lateral shoots quickly form, they need to be removed, leaving in addition to the main lash two more lateral ones. The number of ovaries also needs to be limited, leaving 3-4 on each branch: after counting 5 leaves after the last ovary, the lash must be clipped, then the plant will not waste strength, but will direct them to ripen the fruits.

So that the wind does not turn the lashes, they are sprinkled with moist soil, in this 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 should receive at least 10 liters. When the fruits have reached their maximum value, watering is stopped.

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

It happens that female flowers bloom earlier than male flowers, then you can pollinate with male flowers of another related plant - zucchini or squash are suitable. The fruits ripen perfectly, but it will be impossible to use 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.

How to protect yourself from pests

After planting pumpkins in open ground, you need to think about protecting it from pests. So that the bear does not gnaw the roots, several granules of a special preparation called Medvedox are put in each hole during planting.

In wet, rainy weather, slugs may appear that can kill the pumpkin. Melon aphids, spider mites, sprout flies and nutcrackers - pumpkins have many enemies. To avoid danger, you need to loosen, do not overmoisten the soil, do not leave torn weeds, because many are attracted by plant debris. No wonder gardeners often inspect their plants, at the first appearance of pests, you need to spray the plant with infusion of onion husks, ash, soapy water.

Larvae of sprouting flies can only damage planted seedlings if they are attracted to the smell of fresh manure. The nutcracker (wireworm) may remain from previous crops of perennial herbs. To secure planting will allow good tillage and thoughtful crop rotation.

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

Top dressing

They plant the pumpkin in fertilized soil, and then feed it with liquid organic-mineral fertilizers. If the soil is rich in fertilizers, it is enough to pour 2-3 times for the entire growth period with liquid diluted bird droppings or mullein with 1 tablespoon of full mineral fertilizer.

Planting a pumpkin in depleted soil means that you doom yourself to weekly fertilizer plants throughout the season. Only at the end of summer, when the fruits are already large, can potassium be added as a mineral top dressing.

One of the most popular garden crops is considered a pumpkin. It is unpretentious and has a wide range of cultivation. Pumpkin is extremely popular in cooking, as well as traditional medicine and even cosmetology. How to grow this plant when planting seeds in open ground, our article will tell you.

How and when to plant

Pumpkin cultivation most often occurs by this method. Seeds (also properly treated) are added to the previously prepared soil. After this, it is necessary to ensure proper care of the plant, as well as to harvest in time. All this is described in detail below.

Soil preparation before planting

Planting seeds

Before planting in open ground, it is advisable to properly prepare the planting material. For this, various methods are used, as a rule, each gardener prefers his own. Someone freezes the seeds for this, and someone punctures to accelerate growth. Our article offers a more gentle method that is effective and time-tested.

How to prepare the seeds before planting:

It is very important to make sure that the seeds are not old. For this, the manufacturer must indicate the shelf life and suitability. With the independent preparation of planting material, it also makes sense to determine the possible period of use. It should be remembered that the maximum germination will give seeds no older than two to three years.

Proper fit

Many gardeners successfully grow pumpkin without following the described algorithm, but the best method will give the best result. When it is used, the method of planting at various depths and pinching unnecessary sprouts. More details about the main secrets of this method are described below.

Important points for planting a pumpkin:

In the video - how to plant a pumpkin in open ground with seeds:

Pumpkin is often planted to darken beds from sunlight. This will help to maintain planting, but it should be borne in mind that this plant requires a lot of nutrients for its growth and such a neighborhood can harm cucumbers and other crops. Often, a method is also used in which pumpkin shoots obscure the compost pit in the area. This is a simple and effective method, which has an indisputable plus - the ability to give the plant all the necessary substances without additional fertilizing.

As a rule, in a compost pit you can harvest the maximum yield without unnecessary effort.

How to care

Further care pumpkin usually does not present any special difficulties. The plant must be regularly watered, weed out and soil loosened near the roots. Like any other culture, there are secrets here, which will be discussed later.

Secrets of a good harvest:

If you focus on folk signs, planting pumpkins must be carried out during the flowering of viburnum and peonies. The average air temperature during the day should reach 20 degrees.
It is advisable to choose a landing site on the south side, protected from drafts and waterlogging of the soil. If this cannot be avoided, it makes sense to build high beds.
The best predecessors for pumpkins are potatoes, peppers, onions, beets. If other crops of the pumpkin family grew on this site, the risk of infection with characteristic diseases is high. In part, this situation can be corrected by planting siderata plants after harvesting.
In the first time after planting, it is advisable to protect the seedlings from birds and frost. To do this, you can cover the seedlings with a half of a plastic bottle. After the sprouts are sufficiently strong, the shelter can be removed.
The organization of "warm" beds when growing pumpkins is extremely justified. To do this, a sufficiently thick layer of compost or humus must be installed on the bottom of the hole. Sprinkle the hole on top of the ground, and already on the soil layer to plant seeds. With the natural process of decomposition, such compost gives a lot of heat, which will stimulate the growth of pumpkins.
Harvesting is carried out with technical ripeness of the fruit.. Pumpkin must be cut with the stalk, leaving 5 - 6 centimeters - so the crop will last longer.

On the video - growing pumpkins in the open ground:

Pumpkin has a pleasant taste and contains many useful substances. The plant is not whimsical, but extremely sensitive to fertilizing and loosening. To find out the basic secrets of growing this crop, our article will provide the necessary information on this subject.

Buy pumpkin seeds and grow this healthy, tasty and beautiful fruit today is possible not only in the southern regions, but also in temperate latitudes. Many varieties are zoned and can be cultivated in different climatic zones according to years of proven technology.

There are about 30 varieties of pumpkins. None of them was used to produce numerous hybrids that differ in shoot length, shape, size and color of the fruit, the structure and taste of the pulp, and the timing of vegetation and storage.

On Russian sites, varieties of hard-bark, or ordinary, pumpkin are cultivated more often than others.

Representatives of this group are very diverse. Among them are climbing and bush forms, medium and early ripe varieties, fruits of various degrees of keeping quality and application.

The best hard-growing hybrids for growing in the temperate zone are:

Variety "Plyushka" with medium-sized (1.5 kg) fruits of orange tones, divided by white stripes into segments, and sugary juicy pulp.
"Gribovskaya Bush" is a hybrid with medium-sized fruits of light orange color, outlined in black and green stripes.
"Mozolevskaya 49" - a variety with short climbing branches and yellow, in green scalloped stripes, ovoid fruits with a delicious flesh.

Muscat varieties are characterized by medium-sized (6 kg) rounded flattened fruits of various shades of green, yellow and orange, covered with a thin, easy-to-peel skin. Most nutmeg varieties are characterized by low cold tolerance and a long (up to 130 days) growing season.

The best muscat hybrids are:

“Marble Pumpkin” - a variety with greenish-gray fruits, covered with specks, composing a marble pattern, and filled with dense pulp, rich in sugars.
Variety "Golden Pear" with medium-sized (1.5 - 2 kg) pear-shaped fruits of orange shades with pulp of a pleasant nutty shade.
Candied pumpkin is distinguished by a dark green color of the fruit. When ripe, they change their color to light brown, and the flesh acquires a reddish hue.

Gymnosperm pumpkin is considered one of the most popular varieties of nutmeg, known for its large tasty white seeds.
Large-fruited varieties, and there are about a hundred of them, stand out by record-high sizes of fruits with a thick layer of sweet pulp and resistance to low temperatures.

Popular hybrids of this group are:

Variety "Lantern" with round smooth slightly ribbed fruits of orange-pink tones and delicate juicy pulp. The fruits are transported and stored for a long time.
“Russian Porridge” is a bush variety, forming on one plant 3 to 4 round-shaped fruits, filled with medium-density pulp of high palatability.

Some varieties are zoned for cultivation in open ground in certain areas of the Russian Federation. For example, the best hybrids recommended for cultivation in the central part of Russia are considered to be “Baby”, “Sweet Cake”, “Melon”, “Zorka”, “Almond” and “Russian Woman”.

What to look for when choosing seeds

Pumpkin seeds are purchased in stores or harvested on their own.

When choosing seeds, it is important:

Determine the grade. It is made on the basis of an analysis of the climatic conditions of the area, the timing of the growing season of hybrids and plans for the use of fruits.
Select the highest quality seeds. They should be large, dense, of regular shape and uniform color and not have damage on the surface.

Selected seeds are checked for germination.

There are several ways to do this:

A small amount of seeds is placed for 15 to 20 minutes. in a small container of water. The specimens remaining after this time on the surface of the water are empty and will not rise.
A few seeds are wrapped in moist porous material (gauze, cotton pad, cloth) and put in a warm place for 2 to 3 days. By the number of sprouted seeds, a conclusion is made about their germination.

When buying seed, it is worth asking about its shelf life. Pumpkin seeds retain their germination for 8 to 9 months.

Growing seedlings at home

In temperate latitudes, pumpkin is obtained from seedlings, which are grown indoors.

Pumpkin seeds for seedlings are subjected to treatment designed to accelerate their germination:

for 2 hours place them in hot (45 ° C) water;
germinate in a warm (22 - 25 ° C) place, wrapped in moist porous material.

Having prepared the seeds, they begin to sow. To carry it out, containers and substrate will be required.

As containers, boxes or containers are used, on the bottom of which a 3-4 cm layer of sawdust is poured. An alternative is the use of peat cups with a diameter of at least 6 cm. This will avoid the transplant, which pumpkin seedlings carry quite hard.
The containers are filled with a substrate - purchased universal vegetable soil, recommended for growing cucumbers or a self-prepared mixture of peat, rotted sawdust and humus, taken in a ratio of 2: 1: 1.
For each kilogram of the mixture add 1 teaspoon of nitrophoska.
Before sowing, the soil is moistened.

Seeds are planted to a depth of 4-5 cm and covered with an airtight transparent material. Capacities with crops are placed in a bright place with daytime temperatures from 18 to 25 ° C, at night 15 - 18 ° C.

Seedlings are looked after:

regularly and moderately watered, preventing waterlogging and drying out of the soil;
7-10 days after the appearance of the sprouts, the seedlings are fed with a solution of nitrophoska (15 g per 10 liters of water) or a mullein infused for 3-4 hours (1 part per 10 liters of water), diluted in 5 parts of water.

Young plants 15 to 20 cm tall with 2 to 3 true leaves are planted on beds.

How to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground

Planting pumpkin seeds can be carried out immediately in the open ground. This is true for regions with a warm climate. Understanding how to plant a pumpkin in open ground seeds, you should familiarize yourself with some rules.

Landing time frame

More reliable criteria for selecting the sowing time are temperature conditions. Planting a pumpkin in open ground is possible only after the threat of frost disappears completely, when the average daily air temperature exceeds 20 ° C and the soil warms up sufficiently (at least 10 - 13 ° C).

In the southern regions, this happens around the middle of May, in the middle lane - by the end of this month.

Soil and seed preparation

Before sowing, pumpkin seeds are sorted, checked for germination and soaked.

Some vegetable growers practice seed hardening, which is important for growing heat-loving varieties. For this purpose, after swelling and “pecking,” the seed for 2 to 3 days is placed on the lower shelves of the refrigerator.

With the place of sowing pumpkins are determined in the fall. It is desirable that this is a quickly heated and protected from the wind section, on which perennial grasses or cereals had previously grown.
In the autumn, the soil in the selected area is dug up (up to 40 cm) and fertilized, introducing a manure bucket or nutrient mixture made from 200 g of nitrophoska and 500 g of wood ash mixed with 4 kg of sawdust and 15 kg of humus for each square meter.
In the spring, the soil is once again dug, harrowed and beds 60 to 70 cm wide are formed.

How to plant a pumpkin

Sowing begins with the marking of beds and the formation of holes with a depth of 40 - 45 cm. For climbing forms, the holes are made in 1.5 - 2 m, and the seeds of bush forms are planted in a nesting manner at a distance of 0.8 to 1.2 m.

If for some reason fertilizers were not applied in the fall, this is done before sowing, pouring ½ buckets of manure into the hole, over which 5 cm of soil is distributed.

Several seeds are placed in each well:

when sowing large-fruited varieties - from 2 to 5 pieces;
nutmeg - from 5 to 8.

Seeds are placed at a distance of 3-4 cm, “beaks” down.

The depth of their incorporation depends on the type of soil:

for the lungs - 5 - 8 cm;
heavy - 4 - 5 cm.

A plot with crops is mulched with peat or humus. Some gardeners cover the crops with a film, after making small cuts in it for air intake. This speeds up the emergence of seedlings.

Aftercare

With proper sowing and the use of quality seeds, the first pumpkin sprouts will appear in a week. They need care, which consists of watering, cultivating and feeding. With prolonged cloudy weather, additional measures are taken to prevent pests and diseases, as well as artificial pollination.

Watering. Pumpkins are often and plentifully (10 liters under 1 plant) watered using water heated in the sun. The amount of moisture is increased as the leaves grow, promoting moisture evaporation, until flowering begins. This measure promotes better fruit setting.
Loosening. After emergence, regular soil loosening is practiced. Directly under the plant - to a depth of 6 - 8 cm, in row-spacings - 12 - 18 cm. After loosening, to give the plants more stability, the plants are slightly spud.
Thinning. Pumpkin seedlings thin out twice. The first time is after the growth of the 2nd true leaf, leaving 2 plants each in the cultivation of nutmeg and durum honeycombs in one well, and in large-fruited varieties - one each. The next thinning is carried out after the appearance of the next pair of leaves. "Extra" plants are cut at soil level.
Top dressing. To replenish the supply of nutrients spent on the formation of large leaves and fruits, pumpkin is regularly fed using organic fertilizers: infusions from manure or chicken manure (1: 4) or wood ash (1 glass per bucket of water). The first top dressing is carried out approximately a month after sowing. The infusion is poured into the grooves with a depth of 6 - 8 cm, previously dug in a circle at a distance of 10 - 12 cm. Similar procedures are repeated weekly, gradually deepening the grooves to 10 - 12 cm and placing them at a distance of 40 cm from the plant. After top dressing, the grooves are covered with earth.
Prevention of pests and diseases. During periods of prolonged coolness and frequent rains, the pumpkin weakens and can become ill or be attacked by pests. To strengthen immunity in such periods, pumpkin is sprayed with a urea solution: 10 g in 10 liters of water.
Pollination. If pumpkin flowering occurred during the period of cloudy weather, then it is pollinated artificially. They tear off a male flower (it is easy to distinguish it from a female by an elongated leg), break off the petals and touch the anthers on the pistils of the female flowers.

A little knowledge, attention, labor - and the pumpkin will delight you with its beautiful and healthy fruits. It will reign not only on the garden bed, but also on the table, supplementing and enriching the diet with useful substances that help to survive the winter without loss of health.