Planting pumpkin seeds outdoor. Pumpkin - planting, growing and proper care. Site lighting and groundwater availability

If you have a small plot of land, and you have not decided what to plant on it, be sure to include a pumpkin on the list. Caring for it is not difficult, but the harvest is rich. And about how to plant a pumpkin in the open ground, I will describe in detail in this article.

Growing pumpkins is a snap

How to plant a pumpkin: preparing the site

If you are interested in a rich harvest, then you need to choose the right place for planting. The ridge should be located in a warm place, on the sunny side. The soil can be any, but sand or sandy loam is preferable, such soil warms up better. It is best to plant after winter wheat, corn or perennial grasses. You can also pick up ridges after tomato, onions, potatoes, cabbage or carrots. It is not recommended to plant after cucumbers or squash. You can’t sit in the same place, you need to wait 5 years after the previous landing.

Preparing the soil for planting pumpkins

Land for landing to prepare in the fall, for this you need to perform the following work:

To clear the earth of the remains of plants.
Loosen shallow hoe.
After 2-3 weeks, the earth needs to be dug up, while collecting weedy roots.
In the spring, before planting, dig again, with the addition of nitrogen fertilizers, after which the ridge is leveled with a rake.
High ridges are made. The heavier the earth, the higher the ridge. The standard ridge should be 1-1.5 meters wide, 25 centimeters high. The width of the furrows between the ridges should be about half a meter.

Fertilizing before planting pumpkins in open ground

When digging the earth, they necessarily fertilize the soil. After planting, pumpkin begins to grow rapidly, for this you need a lot of nutrients. The best option for fertilizer is humus or manure. A bucket of manure or humus is added per square meter.

Pumpkin loves plentiful manure fertilizer

In heavy soils to a depth of 10-15 centimeters, on light soils - 15-20 centimeters. If you do not have the required amount of manure, then you can put only in the holes for seedlings - 1..2 kilograms per hole. In addition to manure, 20 grams of superphosphate and 10 grams of potassium sulfate are also added. Or use complex fertilizers, a tablespoon per plant.

Planting Pumpkin Seeds

For a large plot you need a seeder. For this, the gourds seeders SBN-3 and SBU-2-4 are used. At the first seeder, the seeds are planted in 2-3 rows, with an interval of 140 or 180 centimeters. For small gardens, they will not work, you have to plant seeds by hand.

Important: Planting with seeds is performed only in early pumpkin varieties, such as nutmeg and hard bark. The remaining varieties are planted only through seedlings.

How to plant a pumpkin

If you are interested in a good crop, you need to choose full-weight seeds. To select the best seeds, salted water is prepared, into which the seed is lowered, the pop-up seeds are rejected. The rest is collected, washed and dried.

Pumpkin seeds are stored for up to four years

Duration of storage of seeds reaches up to 4 years. For a better shoot and a healthy harvest, it is necessary to carry out preparatory measures:

Warming up. This process will give good shoots, done at 60 degrees, within 2-3 hours.
Quenching. The plant must tolerate temperature extremes, for this the seeds are kept at a temperature of +1 degree for two days.
Increase Disease Resistance. Diseases can damage shoots that have not yet matured, and so that this does not happen, the seeds are treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, potassium kumat or wood ash infused in water.
Seed germination. To do this, they are wrapped in wet gauze, in a couple of days the first sprouts will appear.

Of all gourds, pumpkin is the most resistant to cold, so it is planted in late spring, when the possibility of frost is already excluded. If you hurry up and plant early, the seeds in the cold earth will simply rot, so they will plant when the temperature of the soil reaches +13 degrees. For one plant you need 1-4 sq.m of soil for nutrition.

Please note: For early varieties, the area may be smaller - for later varieties more, so the distance between plants is very important.

For long-graded varieties, you need to leave a distance between holes of 1.5-2 meters, and between rows also up to 2 meters. Shrub varieties are planted in a square of 80 by 80 centimeters. On light soils, the planting depth should be 5-8 centimeters, on heavy soils 4-5 centimeters. From 2-5 seeds are placed in one hole, at a distance of three centimeters from each other.

Pumpkin needs to be planted at a distance from each other

Planting pumpkins through seedlings

This method is chosen for late-ripening varieties with a growing season of 120-140 days. To do this, the seeds are germinated in April or early May. The main thing is to calculate the planting dates so that the monthly seedlings are already planted in the ground.

Planting pumpkins for seedlings is made in peat pots or cassettes

To plant seedlings, peat pots with a diameter of 15 centimeters are purchased and filled with soil. You can buy the finished land or prepare it yourself. To do this, take 4 parts of humus and mix with one part of soddy soil. The prepared soil is fertilized, a bucket will require 4 grams of ammonium nitrate, 4 grams of potassium salt, 5 grams of superphosphate. The resulting mixture is moistened and mixed. Seeds are sown to a depth of two centimeters and covered with a film. The germination temperature should be + 18..25 degrees, after the appearance of the first shoots, the film is removed, and the temperature drops to + 15..20 degrees. For this, the room is simply ventilated more often, if this is not done, the seedlings will simply stretch. Watering is also not done often, so as not to get pampered seedlings.

Important: The first top dressing is performed a week after the appearance of the sprouts. The second is produced before planting, any complex fertilizer is suitable for this.

Planting seedlings in open ground is done in warm weather, if you freeze, you simply lose seedlings. Planting pattern is the same as when planting seeds. Holes are dug large to plant with a lump of earth. Wells are spilled with hot water before planting. Deepen the seedlings to the leaves, this will allow the formation of additional roots. After planting, seedlings should be watered.

Video: Planting pumpkin seedlings in the ground

Pumpkin is an orange beauty who will become an adornment of any garden. This healthy and tasty vegetable native to Mexico has been widely cultivated in Europe and Asia since the 16th century. Thanks to its unpretentious nature, the pumpkin also took root in our territory. In the pulp of the plant, in addition to a number of substances necessary for humans, it contains rare vitamin T. Thanks to a large amount of carotene, pumpkin helps to maintain and strengthen eyesight.

The pumpkin is tasty and low-calorie, everyone loves it. Doctors recommend including pumpkin in the diet for those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the intestines, liver, obesity and anemia. Pumpkin seed oil is an allergy-free anti-inflammatory and regenerative agent.

Many gardeners seek to grow pumpkin. Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground is a traditional method of cultivation, which, with proper care, allows you to get a rich harvest.

Before sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground, you need to make sure that the time and date are suitable. Pumpkin is a thermophilic plant whose seeds may not sprout in unheated after winter or excessively moist and moist ground. Also, it is worth taking into account the possibility of frost returning after the first warming.

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

To get a good harvest, pumpkin sowing is necessary in May. Each region has its own favorable days for planting seeds in open ground: 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 in open ground in mid-May. Some gardeners in the southern part begin planting seeds on May 10. For those who live in the middle lane, the most favorable days for sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground begin at the end of May, from about the 25th.

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

Site selection

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

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

Soil preparation

Fertile soil saturated with nutrients is the key to obtaining a good pumpkin crop.

Soil preparation for planting should be done in the fall:

To clear a site of weeds and the remains of plants.
Hoe shallow to plow the ground.
After 2-3 weeks, dig the soil, collecting weed roots.

In the spring, the day before planting or on the same day, the earth needs to be re-excavated. After that, the plot is leveled with a rake.

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

The ability to make this amount of manure is not always there. Then it can be put in 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 well. Mineral-organic fertilizers can be used (for one plant - 1 tablespoon). All introduced components must be thoroughly mixed with the ground before laying the seeds.

Some gardeners grow pumpkin on heaps of compost. This method allows 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 pumpkin prevents weeds from growing on compost.
Pumpkin planted in compost helps speed up the decomposition of coarse plant debris (sunflower stems, cabbage cobs).
Covered with greens, leftovers improve the appearance of the compost heap.
Pumpkin protects compost from drying out.

Seed selection

There are more than three dozen varieties of pumpkins. Almond, Mozoleevskaya 49, Gymnosperma, Freckle - hard-core large-fruited varieties that ripen early and are stored for a long time. For winter storage, large-fruited varieties Smile, Winter Sweet, Baby, Winter Dining Room are good. The early ripening portioned pumpkins are distinguished by their sweet taste: Butter cake, Amazon, Winter sweet, orange bush.

In the garden, you can grow many varieties of pumpkins from seeds. For seed cultivation, it is not recommended to select only nutmeg varieties, since the seeds may simply not sprout. Pumpkin seeds can be stored from 1 to 4 years.

When choosing seed, it is necessary to pay attention to its freshness, checking in advance for germination. This is not difficult to do: just take a few seeds and sprout them on wet gauze. After seeing how many seeds sprouted from all, you can determine the approximate percentage of their germination. This will help in the future to more easily find out how many seeds to put in the wells.

For a good pumpkin crop, you need to choose only full-weight seeds. To select the best, you need to prepare a 3-5% solution of salt and lower the seeds into it. Surfaced for landing unsuitable, and the rest can be planted. These seeds must be collected, washed and dried.

Preparing seeds for planting

For growing pumpkins in the open ground, 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 crop.

For friendly seedlings before planting pumpkins, it is recommended to warm 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.

In order to provide the sprout with light penetration through a hard peel of a seed, a solution is used, for the preparation of which 2 tablespoons of wood ash are diluted with stirring in 1 liter of boiling water. The 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 immediately in the ground, or you can first germinate at home, and then plant. Those who choose the second method, it is better to prepare in advance a box with sawdust for this procedure.

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

You can do without these procedures, but the ripening time of the pumpkin in this case is significantly increased. Pumpkin, the seeds of which did not undergo pre-sowing treatment, in areas with a cool short summer may not have time to ripen before frost.

Technology for planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Of all gourds, pumpkin is the most resistant to cold, but it also loves warmth. It is better to plant it in late spring, when there are no frosts. Seeds that are planted too early in cold soil can simply rot. To feed one plant, an area of \u200b\u200b1-4 square meters is required. It may be slightly less for early ripening varieties and more for late ripening.

For planting pumpkin seeds in large areas, gourds are used. In a typical garden, seeds often have to be planted manually. Before planting pumpkins on the site outline the rows and make holes 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 well. Seeds can only be planted when water is absorbed.

Keeping the distance between plants when planting is very important. For long-variegated varieties, 1.5-2 meters are left between the wells, 1.4-2 meters between the rows. Bush pumpkin varieties can be planted in a nesting manner according to a pattern of 80x80 centimeters or 1.2x1.2 meters.

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

Sprinkling seeds with fertile soil, the site is mulched with humus or peat crumb. Experienced gardeners to accelerate the growth of the planted seeds on the planted seeds homemade greenhouse from the film with slots.

Plant Care Planting Field

Pumpkin sprouts should hatch one week after planting in the ground. Further care of plants includes loosening the soil, regular watering, top dressing, and the fight against diseases and pests.

Watering

Large leaves of 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 get better. Resume moisturizing pumpkin beds, when the fruits begin to gain weight. Before harvesting, for irrigation of one plant, it is necessary to use about 10 liters of water. When pumpkins reach their full size, watering can be stopped.

Loosening and thinning

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

After the formation of two real leaves in the seedlings, it is necessary to thin them, leaving two sprouts of nutmeg or hard-barked pumpkin in one hole and large-fruited one.

When 3-4 seedlings are formed in the seedlings, a 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. Simply cut off an unnecessary seedling at ground level.

Top dressing

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

3 weeks after sowing seeds into the soil, it is recommended that the first top dressing with manure or chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4. Such organic top dressing should be repeated 3-4 times a month. Feed the pumpkin well by dissolving a glass of wood ash in 10 liters of water.

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

After fertilizing, the grooves are covered with earth. If the weather is cloudy 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 on the land during pollination of plants there are not enough pollinating insects, you will have to do it yourself. To do this, you need to learn to distinguish between female and male flowers. The male has an elongated leg, and the female are located on the stem, they have an ovary under the petals.

About 9 o’clock in the morning it is necessary to pick a man’s flower, cut off the petals and touch the pistils on the female flowers with anther. If the male flowers have not yet blossomed, for pollinating pumpkins, you can use male flowers of a closely related plant, for example, zucchini. Harvest of pumpkins will be good, but it will no longer be possible to use seeds for sowing.

If you have a small plot of land, and you do not know what is best planted on it, be sure to include a pumpkin on your list. Caring for her is not so difficult, and the harvest can be so rich that you have enough for a long time. Pies, pumpkin jam, tasty porridge ... To provide yourself and all relatives and friends with this useful vegetable, you need to plant it correctly.

Growing pumpkins is a snap

Site preparation

If you want to get a rich harvest, you need to choose the right site for pumpkin. The bed should be located in a warm area, which is heated by sunlight. But it tolerates shading well. The soil can be any, but the most preferred is sandy or sandy loam. She is good at warming up quickly.

It is good if before that winter wheat, corn or perennial grasses grew on the bed. You can choose a bed after other vegetable crops: onions, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes, carrots. It is not worth planting it, if before that cucumbers or squash grew here, it is not advisable to do this in place of cucumbers. In the same garden, you can again grow pumpkin only after five years.

Corn is a good predecessor for pumpkin

Soil preparation

Earth must be prepared in the fall. How to do it right?

Clean the area, remove weeds, plant debris.
Shred open shallow hoe.
After some time, the earth needs to be dug up (2-3 weeks). When digging, collect weed roots.
In the spring, on the day of sowing or per day, the land again needs to be dug. At the same time, nitrogen fertilizers are added. After that, the site is leveled using a rake.
Make tall beds. The heavier the ground, the higher the bed should be. The standard sizes of the beds under the pumpkin: width - 1 -1.4 m, the height should be at least 20-25 cm, and the distance between them - 50 cm.

Fertilizer application

When digging the ground, do not forget to fertilize the soil. Pumpkin begins to grow actively, the aerial part quickly grows in it, therefore, it needs a lot of nutrients. How to fertilize the earth? The best option is manure or humus, rotted compost. 5-10 kg of manure is applied per square meter. They are laid to a depth of 10-15 cm, if the soil is heavy, and 15-20, if light.

It is not always possible to make such an amount of manure. Then it is put only in holes for seedlings, 1-2 kg per plant. In addition to manure, it is worth putting a little superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (10 g) into the hole. Or use organo-mineral fertilizers that add 1 tablespoon to 1 plant.

Pumpkin loves plentiful manure fertilizer

On the heap

If you were resting in the village, then you saw heaps of compost on which the pumpkin grows. This is not only a way to get a high crop, but also to improve the compost heap. Why is it profitable to plant pumpkin on compost:

No weed. Compost overgrows with herbs that need to be cleaned. If you plant a pumpkin on it, then its green mass will not allow weeds to grow.
Speeds up decomposition. Coarse plant debris, such as cabbage stalks or sunflower stems, etc., is also placed in compost. They do not decompose quickly, it takes 2-3 years. A pumpkin accelerates this process. If you plant this plant on compost, then they decompose faster.
The pile looks prettier, because the remains are covered with greenery.
Compost does not dry out.

Pumpkin grows well on a compost heap

Planting Pumpkin Seeds

If the plot is large, the seeder comes in handy. Used gourds seeders SBN-3 and SBU-2-4. The first seeder makes planting seeds in 2-3 rows, the distance between them is 140 or 180 cm. But this method is not suitable for a conventional garden. Most often you have to plant seeds manually.

Only early ripening pumpkin varieties are planted with seeds, or nutmeg, hard-boiled. The rest - only through seedlings.

Training

How to plant a pumpkin? If you are counting on a good harvest, choose only full-weight seeds. To select the best, you need to prepare a 3-5% salt solution and lower the seeds into it. Those that have surfaced are not good. The rest must be collected, washed and dried. Pumpkin seeds can be stored for 1-4 years. In order for the seedlings to be friendly, the pumpkin has grown healthy and strong, seedbed preparation is necessary. How to do it right?

Warming up

This is necessary to obtain friendly shoots. They need to be kept at a temperature of 60 degrees for at least 2-3 hours.

Quenching

Pumpkin must be resistant to sudden changes in temperature. To make the plant better tolerate cold, seeds are hardened. They are kept for 48 hours at a temperature of + 1 ° C.

Disease resistance

Diseases can destroy plants that have not yet matured. To prevent this, the seeds must be processed:

- crezacin;
- potassium kumate;
- hellenic;
- wood ash - per 1 liter of water 2 tbsp. ashes. It must be insisted 1 day, filtered and immersed in a bag of gauze for 1 day. Then rinse with water.
- Potassium permanganate. It should be pink. Water must be changed after 4 hours, treated for 12 hours.

Germination

Seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth, making sure that it does not dry out. After 2-3 days, the sprouts will hatch.

Pumpkin seeds are stored for up to four years

Landing

Pumpkin is the most resistant to cold, if you take all the gourds, but she also loves warmth. Therefore, it must be planted in late spring, when there are no frosts. If you plant it too soon, the seeds will simply rot in cold soil. Therefore, planting pumpkins in open ground occurs when the soil temperature should be 13 ° C at a depth of 10 cm.

One plant has a feeding area of \u200b\u200b1 to 4 square meters. For early-ripening varieties, it can be less, for late-ripening - more.

Therefore, the distance between the plants is so important. If they are long-walled varieties, then between the holes they leave a distance of 1.5 - 2 m, and between the rows - 1.4 - 2 m. When choosing bush varieties of pumpkins, the planting scheme is different: this is a nesting method, 80 by 80 cm or 1, 2 on 1, 2 m. In light soils, the seed planting is deep - 5-8 cm, in heavy soils - 4-5 cm. You can put from 2 to 5 seeds in one hole: for large-fruited seeds, less for large-fruited ones. They are placed at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.

Pumpkin needs to be planted at a distance from each other

Through seedlings

If you want to grow late-ripening varieties that ripen in 120-140 days, the crop will ripen only if you plant seedlings. Planting of seeds is carried out in April (end) or May (beginning). It is important to calculate the planting period so that after a month (25-30 days) it can be planted in open ground.

Growing seedlings

Buy peat pots (diameter 10-15 cm), fill them with peat soil. You can prepare the land yourself. To do this, take 4 parts of humus and mix it with one part of turf. Fertilizers must be added to the ground. For one bucket you will need ammonium nitrate (4 g) + potassium salt (4 g) + superphosphate (5 g). All this moisturize, mix. Seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm, covered with a film.

Planting pumpkins for seedlings is made in peat pots or cassettes

The first time the temperature is 18-25 degrees. After 4-5 days, you will see hatching sprouts. The film must be removed, lower the temperature to 15-20 degrees. To do this, ventilate the room more often. If this is not done, then the seedlings will stretch. Seedlings are not often watered so that the plant does not grow pampered. Do not forget about feeding. The first is done 8-10 days after the sprouts hatch.

They are fed a mixture of Darin. The second time you need feed before planting, any mineral fertilizer is suitable. 3-4 g of fertilizer are put on 1 liter of water.

Landing

You can plant a pumpkin outside only when the weather is stable and warm. If you suddenly freeze, all your work will be gone. Wells for seedlings are arranged in the same manner as described above. I make large holes to fit a plant with a lump of earth. 1-2 liters of warm water are pre-poured into each well. Seedlings are planted deep, falling asleep to the cotyledon leaves. Then additional roots form. Then you need to water the seedlings. If you plant seedlings on a compost heap, the distance between plants should be 70-80 cm.

Pumpkin does not seem difficult to cultivate the plant, as it grows even in a compost heap. But there are several rules, how and when to plant a pumpkin in the ground, without which the vegetable will grow small and unsweetened. To get a large fruit is the work of a gardener and adherence to technology.

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Pumpkin planting methods

Depending on the place of the garden for the pumpkin and on the desired timing of the harvest, choose one or another planting method:

seedling method;
planting in open ground with seeds;
landing in compost.

When planting pumpkins, you need to focus on the climatic conditions of your region. In cold regions planted later, in hot - earlier. Pumpkin ripens in 95 days - early ripe, late in 140 days.

Seedling method

In some regions, in open ground, pumpkin does not have time to ripen in these periods. Therefore, gardeners choose a seedling method of planting.

Planting seeds in open ground

In this way, early ripe pumpkin varieties are sown. In regions with a hot climate, mid-season will have time to mature.

Planting in compost

If there is no room for planting, you can plant it in a compost pile. Pumpkin accelerates the process of decomposition of coarse fibers and decorates this place with its leaves. Pumpkin in this place grows no worse than in the garden.

The technology for growing pumpkin in compost is no different from other methods. Pumpkin will also need timely watering and additional mineral fertilizing. She will receive organic microelements from a compost heap.

When and how to plant a pumpkin for seedlings?

Seedlings should be strong enough for transplanting into open ground, but not older than 50 days. Focusing on these terms, gardeners begin to grow seedlings.

Landing time

Plant seeds for seedlings 30–40 days before planting seedlings in the ground. Usually pumpkin seeds are planted in the second half of April.

Seed preparation

Seed Preparation Process:

Seeds are soaked in warm water for one day. Seeds that are viable will swell and drown. The rest will stay swimming - they do not need to be planted.
Soak the seed in the root-forming solution: Zircon, Epin.
Leave the seeds in a damp cloth until roots are formed.

The technology of planting seeds for seedlings at home

Before sowing seeds at home, you need to prepare the soil and containers:

special pumpkin land should be bought;
if there is no possibility - the land can be taken from the garden, it must be disinfected and fertilized;
containers for pumpkin immediately choose individual, transplant culture does not tolerate.

Peat pots are best suited for pumpkins; they can be planted immediately in the ground. Peat gives the plant additional trace elements when decomposed.

Before planting, containers with soil are watered with warm water. Hatching seeds are planted in pots to a depth of 6 centimeters. And put in a warm place. Before the first shoots, the pots can be covered with a film. After the emergence of seedlings, the film must be removed and the seedlings put in a sunny place.

Seedling care at home

Pumpkin seedlings develop well at air temperatures from 18 to 23 degrees.

Water the pumpkin as needed: about once a week. The first time seedlings are fed a week after emergence. The plant needs organic fertilizer: manure, chicken droppings. The second time the vegetable is fed a week before planting in the ground. A comprehensive mineral fertilizer is suitable.

How and when to plant seedlings in the garden?

When the air temperature of the earth warms up to 15 degrees and the risks of frost are over, seedlings can be planted in the ground. Seedlings should have 3-4 adult leaves.

10 days before planting, seedlings need to be prepared. They take it out in the daytime, at partial shade. And at night they take back to the house.

Depending on the size of the fetus, one of the methods of planting is chosen:

1 meter per 1 meter;
1.5 meters to 1.5 meters.

Dig the earth in the bed and pour it abundantly with warm water. Then draw holes and plant seedlings in them. Seedlings are planted to the depth of the first leaves, this will increase the root system of the future vegetable.

Rules for planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

You must comply with the timing and technology in order to properly plant pumpkin seeds in the soil. The quality and size of the future crop depends on this.

Landing time

Seeds are planted in open ground and in a compost pit depending on weather conditions. But later than June, planting a pumpkin is not necessary - it will not have time to develop.

Pumpkin seeds are planted in late May - early June, when the air temperature rises above 18 degrees, and at night does not drop below 5 degrees.

Site selection

A place for a bed needs to be chosen sunny. There should also be enough space for the development of pumpkins, this is a sprawling plant.

Seed and soil preparation

The bed for planting pumpkins needs to be dug to the depth of the bayonet of the shovel and clean this place of weeds. Then organic fertilizers are applied to the soil.

For 1 square meter of beds, you need to make:

8 kilograms of decomposed compost;
20 grams of potash fertilizer;
30 grams of superphosphate.

If the ground is cold, you need to warm it up before planting seeds, covering it with a transparent film.

If the seeds are bought in garden shops, they do not need to be pre-processed. Seeds collected from last year's crop should be soaked in a weak potassium permanganate solution for 30 minutes.

Then the seeds need to be sprouted:

put them in a damp cloth;
cover with a film to create a greenhouse;
put in a warm place above 20 degrees.

To accelerate the process, the rag is moistened in a root-forming solution: Zircon, Kornevin.

Before planting seeds, you can test them for germination. This will provide a good pumpkin crop.

The technique of checking seeds can be seen on the channel "Blooming Garden!"

Landing technology

Before planting seeds, you need to water the bed with hot water - 80 degrees.

Then you need to prepare the wells:

hole size - 30 centimeters;
depth - 6 centimeters;
the distance between the holes from 80 centimeters.

2 to 4 germinated seeds are placed in the wells. Then they fall asleep with loose soil. If the earth has dried, it must be additionally poured with warm water.

Outdoor Pumpkin Care

Pumpkin care in the open field should be carried out regularly. If a lot of vegetable crops grows in the garden, it is convenient to make a calendar of watering and fertilizing so as not to miss anything.

Watering

Before watering, each plant must be plowed to a depth of 10 centimeters. Watering should be done only with well-maintained and warm water.

The plant is watered once a week, the amount of watering is 30 liters per bush. The volume of water must be reduced to 15–20 liters when the fruits begin to ripen.

Top dressing

Two weeks after the emergence of seedlings, you need to start feeding the plant. Then it needs to be fed every 2-3 weeks.

It is better to feed the pumpkin with liquid fertilizers. To do this, grooves up to 8 centimeters deep are made around the plant and fertilizers are poured into them.

Fertilizers for pumpkin:

manure contains a maximum of useful substances for the development of pumpkin;
chicken droppings, contains calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus;
ash, composed of potassium and magnesium;
dry nitrofoska;
ammonium nitrate;
barn, similar in composition to manure.

If it rains on the street for several days in a row, it is necessary to spray the pumpkin with a solution of urea. Spray the plant only when the rain ends.

Topping

It is important to pinch the pumpkin to grow sweet and large fruits. It is important not only to remove excess branches, but also dry, rotting antennae.

Pinch rules:

you need to start pinching the plants no earlier than the first fruits appear;
pinch the whips at a distance of 5-6 leaves from the fetus;
for growing large pumpkin, you need to leave no more than 4 ovaries;
on the main stem, 2-3 fruits should develop;
on one side - 1 fruit.

Harvesting

In order for the planting of pumpkin seeds in open ground to be successful and your bed by the end of the season be studded 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 errors during sowing can significantly affect its yield.

How to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground?

Pumpkin appeared in the Old World thanks to enthusiasts and sailors who dreamed of growing wonderful fruits of their favorite exotic plants in their home garden. For this reason, a popular herbaceous culture differs from the European flora, which grows in a temperate climate, with a more heat-loving disposition. To obtain good yields, rules for planting pumpkins with seeds have been developed that allow avoiding errors associated with freezing crops, the death of sprouts from pests, drought and diseases.

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

Harvested varieties of nutmeg pumpkin:

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

Promising varieties of hard-boiled pumpkin:

Gymnosperms;
Bulgarian;
Mushroom bush;
Spaghetti;
Almond;
Danka Polka;
Country.

Large-fruited pumpkin for open ground:

Titanium;
Russian woman;
Hundred pound;
Marble
Smile;
Centner;
Baby
Atlant.

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

The best predecessors for outdoor pumpkins:

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

Acquired seeds do not always have acceptable germination. Often unscrupulous merchants sell expired material in a package with a beautiful photo that does not correspond to the declared varietal characteristics. The best option is to plant the pumpkin with your own seeds in open ground, which allows you to save a lot of money on a large garden. You need to know the rules for their collection and storage methods, so that the spring work on the beds went well and give an acceptable result.

Harvesting pumpkin seeds:

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

Planting pumpkins in the open ground with seeds in spring

More often gardeners use a wide-row method of sowing. Depth of laying pumpkin seeds in open ground depends on soil composition and moisture. In light soil, it is up to 8 cm, in heavy soil - not more than 5-6 cm. The scheme and rules for planting pumpkins depend on the average size of the lashes: corn, for this purpose shade-tolerant varieties with long stems are suitable in open ground. It adjoins well with beans, peas or beans. Try to separate the beds with different types of gourds. For example, zucchini, or squash are able to pollinate with pumpkins, losing their taste.