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 the 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 such a 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.

  appeared in Russia in the 16th century and is still widely used to this day. For our vast country, this is a universal culture due to the fact that it can be grown in almost all regions. Pumpkin is widely used on the table of a simple layman. William Pokhlebkin assigned her a special place of honor in his Encyclopedia of Culinary Arts.

Pumpkin - 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 anti-inflammatory and restorative;
• a pleasant pulp that contains a number of important vitamins, including rare vitamin T (normalizing metabolism).

  Fans of this culture will certainly be interested in more.

At the word "pumpkin" many of us immediately imagine a rather big roundish fruit of bright yellow or orange color.

But in fact, a number of pumpkins are extremely diverse in shape, color, and taste. There are many inedible, decorative varieties.

Not everyone knows that they are widely known and - it turns out, they are also pumpkins. However, in this article we will talk about the usual edible, the most common: common pumpkin (hard-barked), nutmeg pumpkin and large-fruited pumpkin.

Pumpkin planting

• When planting a pumpkin, it is important to understand that it is southern, which has a main long 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.

• Pumpkin can branch, can grow 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.

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

• Pumpkin can be planted on any, but only fertile can give you a large pumpkin.

• In the fall, under digging, organic and minerals are added. It is advisable to introduce phosphorus-potassium fertilizers into the soil. In acidic soil, as well as for most garden crops, it is necessary to introduce or. You can also make, and immediately into the hole immediately before planting. Fresh fits this crop very well. Moreover, in areas with a cool climate, pumpkin is sown on compost heaps, adding sand and some turf land. They are well warmed up by the sun and rich in nutrients.

  If there is light fertile land, pumpkin seeds are planted straight to the ground  without creating beds. If the soil is heavy and there is a lot of moisture in it, then it is better to make and already sow seeds in them. The beds are also made for nutmeg pumpkins to provide them with the most warm, well-warmed soil.

Pumpkins can be planted immediately in the ground, or you can use the seedling method. An exception is nutmeg pumpkin, so that this species can ripen in the middle latitudes, it is planted only with seedlings.

• Pumpkin predecessors may be: , .
• Unsuitable  on the role of predecessors, her kindred cultures: squash, squash.

Planting pumpkins in the ground

Seeds before planting can warm up first  for 9 hours at a temperature of + 40 ° C and soak in a solution of ash and water for up to 12 hours (2 tablespoons of ash are added to 1 liter of hot boiled water). This is necessary so that the pumpkin germ breathes and can easily break through the skin. My grandmother heated them in the oven before planting, then wrapped the seeds in gauze, rolled up in several layers, and soaked them in an ash solution, after swelling, prepared the seeds for planting.

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

1. In prepared well-fertilized soil, line up the rows.
2. After doing the holes about 30 cm in size, spill them.
3. Plant about 3 seeds in the hole (try to dig them somewhere 5-6 centimeters, and not all together, but in different corners of the hole).
4. Leave the distance between the rows not less than 2 mbetween the plants themselves - about 1 m. Many gardeners plant pumpkins in a checkerboard pattern so that the plants do not interfere with each other.
5. Plants should be planted only on a warm ridge, and before emergence, you can cover it with a film.
6. When a crust forms on the surface, it is obligatory.
7. 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, seedlings are sown with nutmeg pumpkins.

• In the end of April  seeds are sown in the prepared fertile soil mixture. It is advisable to sow them immediately 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 30 days  after planting seeds, somewhere in late May, seedlings are planted in or under the film, also with a distance between plants of about 1 m.
• If there is a threat of freezing at night, be sure to harbor  film.
• In order to manage to get a good harvest in our latitudes, pumpkin lashes must be formed. In nutmeg pumpkins on one plant, it is advisable to leave 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

Basic care is, and especially during fetal growth. However, you should not water it until the ovary is smaller than the fist, otherwise the leaves grow mainly, and the fruit gains few useful substances. You should also stop watering when the pumpkin has ripened so that it lies down and picks up the sugars in the pulp.

Fertilizing pumpkins is possible and necessary, but do not overdo it.

1. The first top dressing - before flowering, organic (mullein infusion) and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
2. The second can be carried out during flowering, using wood ash in 10 liters of water.

Harvesting

1. Nutmeg pumpkins  it is better to collect in September, keeping the stalk. With proper cleaning in dry sunny weather, a pumpkin can lie for about a year. The pumpkin ripening method is very popular, this is when the fruits are warm, covered with something (like green tomatoes), they must be in a bright room, but so that direct sunlight is eliminated.

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

More information about the harvesting dates and storage rules for pumpkin crops will be reported by publications and

Types and varieties of pumpkin

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

Common pumpkin

Refers to annual herbaceous plants. The fruit is most often round in shape, 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 in color, with a dense skin. It can be stored all winter until spring.

TO table varieties  of this type include the following:

• Pumpkin "Spaghetti".  An early ripening variety, from emergence to full maturity, will take about 2 months. The pulp of this pumpkin after boiling breaks up into long fibers, thanks to which the variety got its name. They can be eaten cold in a salad or hot, like spaghetti.

Pumpkin "Spaghetti". Photo from nakhodka-betta.ru

• "Bush 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 is distinguished by good keeping quality.

Pumpkin "Bush Orange"

• "Mushroom Bush 189". Very popular early ripe variety. It grows in the form of a bush on which usually about 2 pumpkins measuring 6-7 kg. The shape of the pumpkin is in the form of a drop, at the base of the stalk there is a barely noticeable ribbing. When the pumpkin has reached full maturity, its color is bright orange with green spots. The pulp is thick, very juicy and sweet, bright orange in color.

"Mushroom Bush 189". Photo: Nina Makeeva, img-fotki.yandex.ru

• Pumpkin "Altai 47".  Refers to varieties of universal purpose, early ripening, from seedlings to ripening for about two months. Fruits are orange-yellow in color with light yellow or tan stripes. The skin is hard. The mass of the fetus is from 2 to 5 kg. The pulp itself does not have a sweet pronounced taste, sufficiently fibrous and medium in size. Laying, transporting, endurance to low temperatures, as well as good yield.

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

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

Vitamin Pumpkin 13 rub
Russian vegetable garden

Pumpkin Golden dome ser. Russian taste! 17 rub
Russian vegetable garden

Marseillaise pumpkin large-fruited 22 rub
Russian vegetable garden

Pumpkin Golden Pear 15 rub
Russian vegetable garden

Nutmeg pumpkin

Nutmeg pumpkin is one of the most delicious, but extremely heat-loving. Planted with seedlings, has the properties of both hard-bark and large-fruited pumpkins. The shape of the pumpkin is different, the color of the fruits is yellow or brownish-pink. Their weight can also be different. On a peel longitudinal light spots. The orange or bright orange flesh of this species has its own particular taste and smell, it is dense but tender in consistency. Seeds are small gray-white with a dark rim around the edges. The root system is strong, the root is about 2 meters, maybe more. It has a subspecies - a turban pumpkin (the shape of the fruit of this subspecies is in the form of a turban).

• Muscat variety pumpkin.Late ripening, long-toed. Fruits from 4 to 6.5 kg in weight, with a sweet, dense, juicy pulp of orange color.

A variety of nutmeg pumpkin "Vita". Photo from americanfoodroots.com

• Nutmeg Pumpkin Pearl.  Late-ripening variety with fruits of dark green color. The mass of fruits is about 7 kg. The pulp is deep orange in color, very juicy.

Nutmeg Pumpkin "Pearl". Photo from the site chasogorod.narod.ru

• Nutmeg Pumpkin "Vitamin". Late-ripening variety, from seedlings to full ripening 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 feed appointments.

Nutmeg pumpkin "Vitamin". Photo from sadogorodsad.ru

Large-fruited pumpkin

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

• "Mushroom winter".  The variety is late ripe, the shape of a pumpkin is spherical or slightly flattened, the peel is gray, the flesh is dense and juicy orange or pale yellow. In winter, it can be stored for about 7 months. Very productive variety even in non-chernozem areas.

Giant pumpkin cultivar "Winter mushroom". Photo from the site samenural.ru

• "Volga gray."  Mid-season variety, suitable for cultivation in the central black earth. Pumpkins are flattened, the peel is smooth, light gray in color, weighing 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 "Volga gray". Photo from cadowod.ru

• In folk medicine, pumpkin seeds are dried, then oil is made from them. Pumpkin seeds are rich in glycosides and steroids, vitamin E, trace elements potassium, copper, zinc, manganese, selenium, etc., plant proteins and sugars.
• The pumpkin pulp contains peptide fibers that contribute to the normalization of the stomach and the removal of toxins from the intestines.
• It is recommended to use pumpkin for overweight people: low-calorie vegetable; Vitamin T contained in pumpkin helps to speed up metabolism and the rapid absorption of food; The diuretic property of pumpkin ensures the removal of excess fluid from the body.
• For kidney diseases, pumpkin is recommended as a diuretic.
• Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene and lutein, which have beneficial effects on human vision.

Pumpkin can be sown immediately in the soil, or can be planted through seedlings. It grows best in well-heated sunny areas. Preparation of soil for planting pumpkins begins in the fall. After harvesting the precursors of pumpkin, the soil is freed from weeds and plant debris.

After the soil is loosened with a mill or a hoe, after two to three weeks they dig up to 25-30 cm to a depth. During digging, dandelion roots, sow thistle, wheatgrass, larvae of the May beetle and wireworm should be carefully removed from the site.

Fertilizers are introduced into the soil simultaneously with its digging. Due to the high rate of growth of aboveground and underground organs, pumpkins have an increased need for nutrients.

The best fertilizer for pumpkin is manure. It is advisable to use rotted compost, as there are many weeds in fresh manure. 5-10 kg of manure is applied per 1 square meter of the plot.

Organic fertilizers (on heavy soils) or 15-20 cm (on light soils) are planted to a depth of 10-15 cm. With a limited amount of organic fertilizers, they can be applied immediately before planting the crop directly into the hole.

The day before sowing the pumpkin, the soil is dug up, nitrogen fertilizers are applied for digging at the rate of 15-20 grams of fertilizer per 1 square meter of the plot. After digging, the site is leveled with a rake and begin to plant seedlings or sowing seeds.

Plant pumpkin seeds

For planting pumpkin seeds, it is best to select full-bodied seeds that need to be warmed up at a temperature of 60 degrees (2-3 hours). It is necessary for the friendly germination of seedlings. To ensure early germination, in order to acquire a culture resistance to adverse environmental conditions, the seeds are placed for one day in a solution of one of the growth stimulators before sowing:

• crezacin solution - one tablet of the stimulant is diluted in 100 ml of water;
• potassium humate solution - 4 ml of stimulant are diluted in 200 ml of water;
• epin solution - 2-7 drops of the stimulant are diluted in 100 ml of water.

If you do not have these preparations, you can use wood ash for processing pumpkin seeds: 2 tablespoons of ash are taken per 1 liter of warm water, insisted for one day, while stirring the solution periodically, then filter and lower the seeds placed in a gauze bag into it. After that, the seeds are washed with water.

You can soak the seeds in warm water or in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

After the seeds are soaked, you can begin to sow them or to germinate. Germinating pumpkin seeds in an apartment is possible by wrapping them in a damp cloth and placing in a saucer.

On the plot, you can germinate pumpkin seeds in a box with scalded sawdust. On the sawdust spread paper napkins (wet) in 23 layers, on them - pumpkin seeds, then again napkins, then warm sawdust and cover everything with a film. The box is left in a warm place.

Pumpkin sowing time

Depending on the biological characteristics of the pumpkin variety, as well as on the climatic conditions of the region, there are different times for planting crops. Planting of hard-bark and large-fruited pumpkins begins when the soil has warmed up to 10 degrees (at a depth of 10-12 cm), and the air temperature is 15 degrees. At an earlier sowing time, the plant should be provided with heat from biofuel, as well as protection against frost from the film.

When planting hard-bark and large-fruited pumpkin seeds in open ground, they must be planted in the soil to a depth of 5-8 cm (on light soils) or 4-5 cm (on heavy).

The seeds of long-graded varieties of culture are sown in a row (the distance between the holes should be about 1.5-2 meters, and between rows - 1.4 - 2 meters).

Bush pumpkin varieties can be planted using the square-nesting method according to the scheme: 80 * 80 cm or 1.2 * 1.2 m. The distance between the pumpkin seeds should be 3-4 cm. After the seeds are laid out in holes, they should be poured with a mixture humus and soil in equal amounts.

Planting pumpkin seedlings in open ground

The process of ripening pumpkin from the moment of sowing is quite lengthy, especially for late-ripening and heat-loving varieties of culture. The process lasts 120-140 days. In order to get an earlier harvest of pumpkin, you can grow its seedlings. Window sills in the apartment are suitable for this, it is desirable that the window sills are well-lit.

Seedlings are also grown in greenhouses, greenhouses or under a film frame. Seeding is best done in the last decade of April or early May. This ensures that the plant is ready for transplantation into the open ground.

As containers for seedlings, you can use packages of milk or peat hollow pots with a diameter of 10-15 cm. Ready peat soil is poured into the container. Self-preparation of nutrient soil: take humus and sod land in a ratio of 4: 1. 4 grams of potassium salt and ammonium nitrate, as well as 5 grams of superphosphate are added to the bucket of the mixture. After the mixture is moistened and thoroughly mixed (preferably 3-4 times). Such a mixture is poured into prepared containers and slightly compacted.

During sowing, the soil in the containers is poured with warm water, a 2-3 cm deepening is made in the center, in which one pumpkin seed is placed. The process of preparing seeds is the same as when sowing directly into the open ground. The pots on top are covered with plastic wrap and placed on a windowsill for germination.

After sowing pumpkins, you should maintain the air temperature within 18-25 degrees. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed and the temperature is reduced by 3-5 degrees (this is done for 4-5 days). In an apartment this can be achieved by airing the room. This protects seedlings from stretching.

If the seedlings are nevertheless elongated, then on the eighth to tenth day after the emergence of seedlings, a sub-cotyledon knee should be rolled up with a ring and laid out on the soil, covered with earth to the cotyledonous leaves. The field of this pumpkin seedlings is grown at daytime air temperature of 20-22 degrees, and at night 15-18 degrees. Watering a pumpkin should not be plentiful and frequent. Excess moisture can lead to “pampering” the crop.

The plant should be fed twice. The first feeding is carried out on the eighth to tenth day after the emergence of seedlings. Growing seedlings in a greenhouse would be better if you take 100 ml of slurry, chicken droppings or mullein and 5 grams of garden mixture per 1 liter of water, mix everything thoroughly and pour the area with this solution.

The second top dressing is done by any complex mineral fertilizers at the rate of 3-4 grams of fertilizer per 1 liter of water. It must be done immediately before planting the plant in open ground.

A few days before transplanting, it should be hardened. In plants ready for transplantation, the stem is low and stocky with short internodes, and there are also 2-3 well-developed dark green leaves.

Planting seedlings in the soil is carried out a little deeper than she sat in a pot, sprinkling it with the cotyledonous leaves. This contributes to the formation of additional roots. The roots during planting are squeezed with soil, while not allowing the formation of voids.

Seedlings planted in the ground are abundantly watered. This is necessary for better contact of the plant with the soil, to enhance the flow of water to the leaves. The soil around the plants is sprinkled with mulching material or dry soil only after the water is absorbed. Mulch protects the plant from the formation of earth crust.

In order to prevent the resulting pumpkin fruits from decaying from soil moisture, they should be protected from this as follows: 4 stones are laid on the ground, on top of them is a wide plate or board on which the pumpkin is laid. Do this only while she is still small.

As the ripening of individual fruits produce harvest. Immediately before the onset of frost, all pumpkin fruits should be removed.

Pumpkin must be present in the diet of every person. Remember this! We hope that thanks to our advice you will grow a large and sweet pumpkin, from which you will prepare healthy dishes.

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  Among melons and gourds there are real champions whose yield exceeds the wildest expectations, often puzzling the gardener with the question of what to do with ripened wealth. Make sure that pumpkin cultivation helps. Along with the high fecundity of her bushes, gardeners are attracted by the ease of caring for them. But to show everything that they are capable of, numerous varieties of culture can only if the rules of agricultural technology are observed.

Site Requirements

Pumpkin is not capricious, but she loves warmth and light and does not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, it is better to place the beds with it on a dry and well-warmed-up area where the earth does not cool much even at night. Ideal for a pumpkin - landing on a compost heap. Here, its bushes will be warm and “satisfying,” especially if superphosphate and wood ash (in small quantities) are put in each hole. For early and abundant fruiting, the plant needs a short day - less than 12 hours.

Are suitable for pumpkin areas on which last season beds or beds with the following crops were grown or located:

• onions;
• cabbage;
• carrots;
• beetroot;
• soybeans;
• beans;
• beans
• peas;
• peanuts
• lentils.

On the soil vacated after harvesting cucumbers, zucchini, squash, sunflower and gourds, its bushes will be less comfortable. In its former place, a pumpkin can be planted only after 5 years.

The quality of the soil determines the size and taste properties of the future crop. Pumpkin can grow and bear fruit even in poor land, but in such conditions it will not work sweet and large. To form impressive size vegetables, her bushes will need a lot of nutrients. Properly plant plants in loose soil with a neutral reaction, well seasoned with fertilizers.

To prepare the site for pumpkins begin in the fall. Before digging of infertile soil, compost or manure is introduced into it (3-5 kg \u200b\u200bper 1 m²). If the earth in the country is heavy, add ash (200-300 g). You can replace it with lime without changing the dosage of the substance. They also treat acid soil. Mandatory procedure - filling the soil with phosphorus-potassium compounds. The deeper you dig the soil, the better the pumpkin will develop in it.

In the spring, the plot is harrowed. They do this early, when it just gets off the snow. It is important to comply with the recommended deadlines, otherwise the land may dry out. Subsequently, light loosening of the soil is carried out, choosing weed roots from it. Before placing pumpkin seeds or seedlings in it, they dig it up again, deepening by 12-18 cm.

If the plot is not fertilized in the fall, the nutrient formulations - humus (compost), superphosphate, wood ash - are added during planting, adding them to each well and mixing thoroughly with the soil.

Presowing treatment

In order for the pumpkin seeds to sprout quickly and amicably, they are processed before planting. This is especially important if they were collected long ago. Such seeds are correctly checked for germination. To do this, you need a solution of sodium chloride (at a concentration of 25-30%). After pouring in the seed, observe him. High-quality seeds are heavy, they will drown. Empty and unripe - will remain on the surface.

There are several effective ways to pre-seed pumpkin seed. The easiest way is to soak them and leave them to germinate in a humid environment: sawdust, a piece of cloth or moss, gauze. To peck, they will need a little time - only 3 days. You can warm up or sparge pumpkin seeds. To reduce the risk of plant damage by pests and diseases, planting material is etched for 30 minutes in a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

Another option is to put pumpkin seeds in a nutrient solution prepared from ash or liquid fertilizer from a series of humates for a day. You can use a growth stimulator. Then they need to germinate. Wrapping pumpkin seeds in a damp cloth, they are allowed to lie for 1-2 days in a room where the air warms up to 22-23 ° C. Cocoon is not allowed to dry, regularly spraying it with water.

Getting seedlings

There are 2 ways to grow pumpkin:

1. through seedlings;
2. sowing seeds directly to the beds.

Which one to choose depends on the variety of culture and the climate of the area. In a non-seedling way, pumpkins are planted mainly in the south. In the middle lane and in regions where summer is even shorter and colder (in the Leningrad Region, the Urals, and Siberia), when sown in open ground, its fruits often do not have time to ripen.

A gymnosperm pumpkin variety requires a special approach. If the spring is cold and rainy, its seeds in the beds will rot, and will not germinate. Through seedlings, nutmeg pumpkins are also grown, loved by summer residents for their sweet taste and the impressive size of the fruit. Especially popular among them are the varieties Pearl Muscat and Muscat de Provence.

In separate containers: plastic cups, peat pots. They should be wide - 10-15 cm in diameter. At the bottom of the container, a fertile mixture of three components is poured:

• humus;
• turf land;
• peat.

Take them in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. The container is only half full. Hatching pumpkin seed is placed on top, sprinkling it with the same substrate, but spilled mullein solution (5%) and supplemented with wood ash (10-15 g). Having well moistened the soil mixture, the container is covered with a film. This planting of pumpkins is carried out in April-May. The exact dates are determined by the planned date of plant placement on the beds: the seeds are sown in containers 20-25 days before it.

Seedling and planting

For germination, pumpkin seeds need two conditions:

• a lot of light (excluding direct rays of the sun);
• heat (air temperature in the room with seedlings should be in the range of 25-27˚C).

When shoots appear, it is reduced to 15-20 15C in the daytime and to 12-13˚C in the night. Otherwise, pumpkin seedlings will stretch. But this can be fought. When their age is 7-10 days, the portion of the stem under the cotyledons is twisted into a ring, and moist soil is poured on top. If everything is done correctly, the seedling will be underground to cotyledon leaves.

Pumpkin seedlings need moderate watering. It is impossible to allow soil moisture in the tanks. Young pumpkins are fed twice before planting on beds. The nutritional composition is prepared on the basis of mullein, ammonium sulfate and phosphorus-potassium preparations.

By the time of placement in open ground, seedlings must release at least 3 true leaves. Before planting a pumpkin on the beds, it is hardened for 5-10 days. Placing containers with plants on the balcony or porch, open the window. First, airing is done for a short time (1-1.5 hours), but every day this time is increased. At the end of hardening, the window is kept open constantly.

Seedlings are planted in the same way as pumpkin seeds, but increase the depth of the hole. The root system of plants should fully enter into it and be 8-10 cm below the ground. After pouring 1.5-2 liters of hot water into the hole, wait until it is absorbed, and then the seedling is transshipped without disturbing the soil coma. The voids are covered with soil and compact it well. The surface of the beds is mulched. Even dry ground can be used for this. Its task is to prevent the formation of soil crust and retain moisture.

Sowing on beds

Planting pumpkins in open ground will become possible when the earth warms up to 12-13 ° C to a depth of 7-8 cm. Usually this happens in mid-May. Having made a wide (70 cm) bed for a pumpkin, holes are marked on it. It is correct if they are at a distance of 1 m from each other. Their diameter is made equal to 30 cm, and the row spacing is 2 m.

It will be more convenient to take care of the plantings if the holes are staggered.

After abundantly moistening each well with hot (about 50 водойC) water and waiting for it to be completely absorbed, 2-3 pumpkin seeds are laid out, leaving more free space between them. The depth of landing is determined by the structure of the soil. On medium loams, pumpkin seeds are covered with a fertile substrate of 5-6 cm. If the earth is light, its layer thickness is increased to 8-10 cm.

Having mulched the wells with humus or peat, they are covered with a film. To fix it, they pour earth around the edges. So pumpkin shoots will appear faster. They will have to wait about a week. When the shoots appear from the soil, the shelter is removed.

At stage 2 of these leaves, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving a maximum of 2 of them if the pumpkin is nutmeg or hard. Choosing large-fruited varieties of culture for breeding on the site (Dawn, Smile, Candy), you will have to limit yourself to one plant per hole. It is not recommended to pull out extra seedlings - there is a high risk of injuring the root system of those remaining in the garden. It is better to cut them flush with the soil. When the threat of frost remains, the seedlings are placed under the film by pulling it on a wire frame or arcs.

Alternative cultivation

If the size of the site does not allow you to select a plantation for spreading pumpkin lashes, this is not a reason to refuse to grow a crop. You can plant seedlings in a barrel. For these purposes, old containers without a bottom are ideal. In new barrels, you will need to make holes on the sides and bottom to avoid moisture stagnation. The hanging lashes of pumpkins under the weight of the crop can be injured on sharp edges and even break. An ordinary rubber hose will protect them from this. It is cut in half and put on the edge of the barrel.

The walls of the tank outside are painted in dark color. So they will heat up more and not rust. Having set the barrel in a sunny place, it is filled with biomass, creating a kind of warm bed. Thin branches, paper, weeds with powerful roots, thick grass stalks - any organics that slowly cross over are laid at the bottom. On top is placed what will quickly turn into compost: leaves, grass, vegetable tops. So a barrel for planting pumpkins is prepared in the fall.

If this is done in the spring, they add half-rotted organic matter from compost heap, humus, turf or fresh grass into it. All this is carefully tamped. When there is no more space left in the barrel, its contents are abundantly watered first with water, and then with a solution of a special preparation that contains effective microorganisms. Within a month, they will decompose organic residues into nutrients, making pumpkin easier to digest. This explains the timing of the procedure - the end of April and the first of May. While bacteria are working, pumpkin seedlings will grow to the right size.

Instead of a barrel, you can use car tires by placing them on top of each other.

Fundamentals of Agricultural Engineering

Pumpkin seedlings placed on beds need frequent watering. Spend it every day until they finally take root in a new place. After this, watering is reduced to a minimum. In the rainy summer you can do without it.

When the ovaries in size begin to resemble a fist, pumpkin bushes will again need a lot of moisture. Planting is watered during this period once a week, spending 1 bucket of water per bush. Particularly important is abundant moisture for pumpkins on hot days. Before harvesting, watering planting is stopped. If you neglect this recommendation, the fruits will be stored worse. Their taste will also suffer: they will become less sweet.

Pumpkin responds well to loosening the soil. It is advisable to carry them after each hydration, while removing weeds. They begin to loosen the soil from the moment of emergence, deepening into it under the bushes by 6-8 cm. The soil in the row-spacings is processed more intensively - by 12-18 cm. It is better to do this before moistening, then the water will reach the plant roots faster. When loosening, it is recommended to slightly spud up pumpkin bushes. This technique will make them more stable.

Planting is often fed - with a frequency of 1-1.5 weeks. The nutritional composition is prepared from mullein (1 l) and nitrophoska (2 tbsp. L). They are stirred in 10 liters of water. Under an adult bush pour 1.5 buckets of solution. The first feeding is started when a week passes from the moment the seedlings are placed on the beds. If pumpkin seeds were planted immediately in the ground, 3 weeks should be counted from the date of the procedure. During this period, it is better to water the plants with 4 times diluted water with manure or chicken droppings. Another option for fertilizer is wood ash (1 cup of substance per 10 liters of water).

Before the first top dressing, around the pumpkin seedlings make shallow (6-8 cm) grooves, departing from the plants 10-12 cm. The nutrient composition is poured into them. Further, the depth of the grooves is increased by 4 cm, digging them at a distance of 40 cm from the bushes. After fertilizing, the grooves are sprinkled with earth.

Bush formation

The most important thing in caring for a pumpkin is to properly form a bush. When the length of its main stem is 1.3-1.5 m, it will need to be pinched. Of the numerous side shoots, only 2 are left, removing the extra ones. In length, they must reach 60-70 cm. In order for the pumpkin to ripen large, the ovaries are normalized: one for each shoot.

Fruits will be poured faster if the lashes are pressed to the ground. Do this with a small wooden bacon or wire. Soil is poured on top of the shoot. The optimal thickness of its layer is 6-7 cm. Additional roots are formed underground on shoots. So that ripening pumpkins do not get dirty in the ground and are not affected by rot, put a glass or a piece of plywood under the fruit.

If the pumpkin is decorative, its shoots will need support. Growing fast, they easily mask old buildings, poles, sheds, fences on the site, they will twist a gazebo or trellis, creating a secluded green corner. But the lashes of such plants are heavy, so the support for them needs to be selected reliable. For their feeding organic compounds are more suitable. Otherwise, a decorative variety of culture is grown in the same way as an ordinary one.

Pumpkin, planting and care of which will require minimal skills from the summer resident, is a very grateful plant. With competent agricultural technology, it is able to feed more than one family with its tasty and healthy fruits. Despite the thermophilic culture, they grow it almost everywhere. Even in inappropriate pumpkin conditions of Siberia and the Leningrad region, its bushes will be able to bring a crop. It is only necessary to equip warm beds and prepare high-quality seedlings.

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Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground - from seed to large harvest

Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground is often practiced by gardeners, since this method requires less effort, and the result is not bad. In order for a vegetable to grow properly and bear fruit well, it is necessary to know how to sprout seeds for planting, when to plant this melon crop according to the Lunar calendar. We will tell you how to plant seeds in order to grow a rich harvest.

Preparing pumpkin seeds for planting

Inexperienced gardeners mistakenly believe that no effort is required to grow pumpkins - they threw the seed into the ground and wait for a large crop. The homeland of culture is warm lands, therefore, the opinion about the unpretentiousness of this plant is erroneous, but its significance for the human body is undeniably great.

Incorrect planting in open ground, improper care, untimely applied dressing will lead to small unsweetened fruits that cannot be stored for a long time. To prevent this from happening and the gardener was pleased with the harvest, it was necessary to determine the planting time, prepare seeds and beds, and ensure proper care.

For planting, you need to select full-sized, large, high-quality seeds, then lower them in 5% saline and mix gently. Unfit will be those that do not settle to the bottom. Rinse the seeds that are drowned in running water and dry. In order that the plants do not hurt, the seeds must be decontaminated. It is necessary to take a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, lower the material into it and hold for about a third of an hour. Rinse the treated seeds with running water.

preparation of pumpkin seeds for planting - in the photo

Dry pumpkin seeds can be disinfected by heating at +50 ° C ... 60 ° C for 5-6 hours. This procedure helps them wake up. If you dissolve trace elements and active substances and soak the seeds in them for a day, then this will be a successful step towards a large crop.

Wood ash contains large amounts of macro- and microelements. Effectively in its solution (20 g of ash per 1 liter of water) soak the seeds for 24 hours.

Before sowing a pumpkin in the garden, we must not forget about another important stage - hardening. The best effect is a change in temperature. At night, put the seeds in the refrigerator, for the day - in the room. Do this until they bend over. Germinated they will sprout a couple of weeks earlier.

Preparation of beds and planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Sowing pumpkin seeds occurs from May 15 to 25. If planted earlier than the specified time, then death from frost is likely, if later - the fruits do not have enough time for formation and ripening. So the gardener has to rack his brains over the deadline. For this reason, it is better to work on the lunar calendar.

Pumpkin is not indifferent to organic fertilizers. In the garden where it was decided to grow this plant, in autumn it is necessary to scatter manure, ash, mullein, compost. Meltwater will carry nutrients deep into the beds, and which remain will deepen during spring digging. Fans of mineral fertilizers can use Nitrofoska in the calculation of 60 g of substance per 1 m².

Planting pumpkin seeds - pictured

Within 6 days after digging the garden, the soil contains moisture. Therefore, it is important that the sowing is completed on time. Rain and special watering will help to make the soil moist.

Sowing occurs as follows - a shallow hole is dug, 3 or 4 seeds are put in it. The distance between the pits should be about 0.5 meters. The pits of the first row are closed with earth dug from the holes of the neighboring one. Thus, the landing speed is increased. It is good to take fertile soil to close the material, and cover the site with mulch from peat crumb or humus. If all these recommendations were followed, then after 7 days it will be possible to admire the first shoots.

If planting is done with un germinated seeds, then seedlings can appear only after a month. To accelerate the sprouting of sprouts, the bed is covered with a film, which is removed when shoots appear. After the development of two true leaves on plants, thinning is performed. 1-2 seedlings are left in the hole, the rest are cut to the ground. If the threat of frost has not yet passed, a film or covering material is thrown onto the frames. It’s not enough to learn how to plant pumpkin seeds on a bed, you need to learn how to properly care for plantings.

Further pumpkin planting care

Pumpkin grows quickly and is covered with lateral shoots that must be removed. The main lash and two lateral ones are left on the plant. On each of them 3-4 ovaries should develop. The branches should be nipped and sprinkled with moist soil, which increases their stability and makes it possible for additional roots to form. The plant receives more nutrition and becomes stronger.

pumpkin care - pictured

Pumpkin needs watering, as moisture evaporates well with its large leaves. Warm water is used for irrigation - its amount increases as it grows and by the end of the season it is brought up to 10 liters. In autumn, the ripe fruit does not require moisture; watering is stopped. Pollination is most often done by the gardener himself.

Pumpkin is affected by diseases and pests, and if everything is left to chance, then in the fall there will be nothing left of the crop. You can, of course, deal with them with chemical preparations, there are many of them offered in stores, but then there is a chance of these substances getting into the fetus, and you can make protection from close plantings of onions, dill and marigolds. Tilling, harvesting weeds will deprive pests of the habitat. Nobody canceled the mechanical way of protection either.

Pumpkin is planted in fertilized soil, but with growth, it also requires liquid organic-mineral fertilizing. She will well accept a liquid diluted bird droppings or mullein. If the gardener did not manage to fertilize the soil in the fall, then he will have to feed it every season all week.

Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground involves a lot of work, but the result will not be long in coming. The gardener will pleasantly surprise and delight a large wholesome and tasty crop in the fall. On his table during the long winter there will be pumpkin porridge, pumpkin pancakes, jam, juice and other delicious dishes.