Plant a pumpkin. Pumpkin without seedlings: a troublesome way to get a crop. Outdoor Pumpkin Care

In order for the pumpkin seeds to be planted in the open ground to be successful and your bed to be littered with large orange fruits by the end of the season, 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 get good yields, rules for planting pumpkin seeds have been developed, which allow avoiding errors associated with freezing crops, the death of sprouts from pests, droughts 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.

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

How and when to plant

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

Soil preparation before planting

Planting seeds

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

How to prepare the seeds before planting:

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

Proper fit

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

Important points for planting a pumpkin:

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

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

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

How to care

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

Secrets of a good harvest:

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

On the video - growing pumpkins in the open ground:

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

Consider planting pumpkins in open ground step by step.

What seeds you throw into the earth - such a crop and you will get

Before planting, pumpkin seeds should be checked for germination. To determine the germination capacity, as many seeds are selected as it is not a pity, and they are germinated. The more seeds were taken, the more accurate the germination percentage will be. If 15-16 seeds sprouted from 18-20 seeds, then germination is 80%.

To prevent the development of fungal diseases, the seeds are etched in a bright red solution of potassium permanganate (1 g n 100 ml of water) for no more than half an hour.

Pumpkin - Planting and Care

Pumpkin is planted in two ways:

seedlings;
seeds in open ground.

Planting Pumpkin Seedlings

Consider the first method in more detail. So, the percentage of germination is known to us. Now you need to germinate the seeds. To do this, put a piece of gauze in a cup, moisten it with plenty of water and spread the seeds. It is advisable to place the cup in a warm place, but not near the stove or radiator. Excessive heat will cause seeds to boil before even biting.

While the seeds sprout, it's time to start preparing pots and a soil mixture. You can take disposable cups, cardboard boxes from ryazhenka and kefir, plastic bottles.

The bottom and top of the bottles are cut, cut into pieces 7 cm high and placed on a pallet. Old dishes and detergent containers are suitable as a pallet Palmyra.

Why is the bottom of the bottles cut off? The root system of a pumpkin is as fragile as that of a cucumber. Plants of the pumpkin family do not tolerate transplanting, unlike tomato. And planting pumpkin seedlings in containers without a bottom prevents the roots from being injured.

To prepare a light breathable soil mixture, peat, turf soil and humus are mixed in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. In prepared containers, half the earth is poured.

Three days later, seeds that bite down are sown with their beaks down into the ground, deepened by 5 cm. We place the container with seeds in a sunny place. Within a few days, the first sprouts will appear from the ground, which, at the age of 10-12 days, are neatly laid with a spiral and covered with prepared soil to cotyledon leaves.

Do not forget to open the pots so that the leaves of the seedlings do not close, otherwise more developed plants will not let the sun in to the rest.

We plant seedlings. A place for growing pumpkins is chosen sunny and protected from the winds. It is very difficult to get a good crop in the shade. The best predecessors are potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots and corn. Pumpkins are returned to their original place after 4 years. You need to prepare the soil in advance. Since the autumn, they have been digging the ground and making about 5 kg of compost.

In mid-May, when the threat of morning frost has already passed, pumpkin seedlings at the age of three real leaves are planted on the street. Before planting the pumpkin in the open ground, the seedlings are hardened, as young plants can die already at -1 0 C. For this, the plants are placed in a cool room for a week, for example, in a corridor or a veranda. In the afternoon, the breeze is carried out in the sun.

Pumpkin has a powerful root system. The nutrition area for each plant should be at least 1.5x2 m 2. Pumpkin is planted according to the scheme 1x1.5 m 2 - one meter between the holes and a half between the rows. Wells with a diameter of about 50 cm are made in the ground. Before planting a pumpkin, the wells are shed with warm water. Plant pumpkin seedlings in bottomless pots to a depth of 5 cm, carefully removing the tray. This planting method protects the roots from the bear.

Planting pumpkins in open ground with seeds

Now step by step we will consider the second method - growing pumpkins in open ground with seeds. At the beginning of May, seeds are sown in the ground according to a 1x1.5 m pattern. Wells are shed with warm water and 3-5 seeds sown. Seeds can be sown at different depths. If part of the seedlings die during return frosts, then the remaining seeds will sprout and yield a crop.

When planting pumpkins with seeds, the seeding depth should not be less than 8-10 cm. With shallow planting, the sprouts emerge “in a shirt”, that is, together with the seed coat. Birds pull out young sprouts, taking them for seeds.

Of all the seedlings, the most developed plant is selected, the rest are simply plucked. It is plucked, not pulled out. The root system of pumpkin develops very quickly both in depth and in breadth. The roots of the seedlings are intertwined. Pulling out weaker germs can damage the roots of well-developed plants.

Top dressing

When growing pumpkins in open ground, until the leaves close, the plants are regularly loosened and watered. Apply liquid organic or mineral dressings, but not earlier than 10 days after transplanting pumpkin seedlings to a permanent place.

Suitable organics are chicken droppings and mullein. Chicken droppings are poured with water at a temperature of 40 0, stirred until a creamy mass is formed and insisted until bubbles appear. It is not recommended to insist longer, otherwise there will be less benefit from fertilizer.

The finished infusion is diluted in water in a proportion of 1:20, that is, half a liter per bucket of water. Pre-spill the wells with water so that the chicken manure solution does not burn the pumpkin roots. Mullein infusion is diluted with water in a proportion of 1:10.

For mineral dressing take a matchbox of ammonium nitrate in a bucket of water.

Pumpkin Pests and Ways to Combat

The main pests of all gourds:

melon aphids;
a bear;
slugs.

Melon aphid is a small insect that damages the aerial part of the plant. The insect sucks the juice from the shoots and flowers. The leaves are wrinkled, the ovaries crumble. Soap solution helps against aphids. In a bucket of warm water, 100 g of laundry soap grated on a coarse grater are stirred and plants are sprayed.

The bear makes moves in the soil and gnaws the stems and roots of plants. In each well, when planting, you need to put several granules of Medvedox. You can lay boiled grain mixed with Bancol in the wells.

Slugs cause significant damage to the main young plants. Their invasion in the rainy period are massive. Several generations of slugs develop over the season. If there are a lot of slugs in the area, then wet rags are laid out and insects are wiped from them every morning.

Pumpkin Formation, Collection and Storage

Pumpkin forms many shoots, which is why it needs to be formed. On the main stem after tying 2-3 fruits, 5 leaves are counted from the last and a pinch is made. On the lateral shoots after the first ovary, 5 leaves are also counted and a pinch is done. Do not turn the lashes, but sprinkle them with earth. In places of contact with the soil, the roots begin to develop in the whip, which additionally nourish the plant. If you do not form a plant, then many small fruits are formed that do not have time to ripen. Under large late-ripe pumpkins lay boards to prevent decay of the fruit.

In late autumn, they begin to harvest. Pumpkins with the cuttings are harvested before the onset of frost, in dry weather. Compliance with pumpkin growing technology allows you to get delicious ripe fruits with high nutritional value. They are left to dry on the street under a canopy, after which they are transferred to a well-ventilated room. Store pumpkin at + 7-10 0 С. Well-ripened fruits can lie until spring.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The best muscat hybrids are:

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

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

Popular hybrids of this group are:

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

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

What to look for when choosing seeds

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

When choosing seeds, it is important:

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

Selected seeds are checked for germination.

There are several ways to do this:

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

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

Growing seedlings at home

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

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

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

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

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

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

Seedlings are looked after:

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

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

How to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground

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

Landing time frame

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

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

Soil and seed preparation

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

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

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

How to plant a pumpkin

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

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

Several seeds are placed in each well:

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

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

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

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

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

Aftercare

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

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

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

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 up. 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.