How to sow pumpkin in open ground. Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground is simple advice for beginners. Landing and care

Habitual in garden space and culinary use pumpkin It lends itself well to cultivation and care in various conditions, including open ground.

Pumpkin: a description of the garden culture

The smooth, hilly, or warty pumpkin fruits obtained as a result of natural farming are very diverse in shape, color, and mass. The latter ranges from tens of grams to a centner. Growing pumpkin in the open ground is facilitated by the features of its root system - the depth (up to 3 m) of the main root and the active part, spread widely (up to 10 sq. M), located in arable land 20-25 cm from the surface.

This gives a solid resistance to drought. Although varieties in the form of bushes have already become known in garden practice, the classic stem of a pumpkin spreads (creeps) along the ground, stretching up to four or more meters. The enormous leaf surface consists of large, with elongated stalks of pumpkin leaves that do not have stipules. Each of the plants is a common home for male and female flowers.

The same-sex flowers with the same red-orange color differ:

flowering sequence (the first appear male);
place on the stem (female - higher);
pedicels (for men - longer);
the presence of sometimes inflorescences (only for men).

In addition, un dusted female flowers last longer. Pollination is carried out by insects (due to the natural severity of pollen that the wind is not able to tolerate) or manually by a person. The most favorable for natural pollination are the morning hours of the first days after watering or rain.

The absence of bees due to cold, heat or prolonged rainfall leads to the fall of un dusted flowers. Ellipses of pumpkin seeds, rounded and pointed at different ends, are well-known to many lovers to feast on. Germination lasts up to four years.

In connection with the latter circumstance, one can give an answer to the question of whether it is possible to sow pumpkin with fresh seeds: there should be more than the usual amount (after all, germination is slightly worse), and if we are talking about only a few seeds, it is recommended to cut them with sharp hand, since a strong fresh shell prevents penetration of the sprout.

Did you know? Of the eight hundred known pumpkin varieties in the world, only 200 are edible.

Features of growing pumpkins, how to choose a site for planting

In addition to the natural attention to the light and temperature conditions and the soil structure of the area where the pumpkin will grow, one must also take into account the features of its root system, which actively removes nutrients from the earth, and broad foliage that can drown out neighboring plantings.

Lighting requirements

Ideally, a pumpkin needs lighting, as gardeners say, with full sun, that is, it should have at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. The result of this effect will be increased productivity and improved fruit quality.

But she will tolerate the penumbra with dignity. This is used to maximize the exploitation of the available land, compacting plantings of long-growing varieties of corn by planting pumpkins. The shadow of the pumpkin itself makes it difficult for weeds to grow. In this sense, it can be used as a means to cleanse the soil.

Optimum temperature for seedlings or seeds

The general rule requires that the extreme limit of daily air temperature when planting pumpkins, seedlings were not lower than + 8 ° С (for seed planting - from + 13 ° C and above) subject to its night decrease not lower than + 3 ° С. In other cases, it’s not worth the risk.

What should be the soil for planting

Growing well on any soil, pumpkin prefers soil that is saturated with humus, moist, but not too damp, with good drainage. To get this, before planting (sowing) the soil is mixed with a lot of compost.

The soil for pumpkin can be both slightly acidic and slightly alkaline, but acidity (pH) of 6.5 is recognized as optimal. You should not plant a pumpkin in the area where its relatives (cucumbers, zucchini, squash) grew up before that.

After other crops, pumpkin soil is suitable, and planting after potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, onions, carrots, winter grains (corn and wheat), a variety of legumes and herbaceous perennials is very favorable.

Important! Do not be afraid of groundwater close to the surface of the earth (0.6 - 0.7 m) - they will not affect the yield of the pumpkin.

Planting pumpkins in the garden (planting dates, sowing technology, picking seedlings, seed preparation, etc.)

What is the best way to do this, determining whether to plant a pumpkin with seeds or seedlings, the owner should be prompted by the climate of the area in which his plot is located. That is, before planting a pumpkin directly in open ground or for seedlings, you need to devote some time to studying and evaluating natural factors. Geographic latitude also determines what month of the year gardeners will plant pumpkin. In particular, for the middle band this is the end of April.

Sowing seeds in open ground

Directly in the open ground, pumpkin seeds are planted in gardens where the July air temperature does not drop below 18 degrees. Before this, you need to make sure, having studied the forecast of meteorologists, that there is no threat of a quiet disaster, as return frosts are sometimes called. After this danger has passed, sowing is carried out. If the weather deteriorates, it is better to cover the crops with non-woven textiles.

Important! The day before planting, the seeds are heated and soaked in water with dissolved ash.

Once you have opted for the seedling method, you need to take care to properly sprout pumpkin seeds for seedlings. In order for the roots to be undamaged when they are moved to the open ground, planting pumpkin seeds for seedlings is done immediately in peat pots or simply in paper cups.

When using seed boxes at their bottom, under a substrate of a mixture of peat and soil, a layer of wood sawdust is poured into several centimeters. Sowing is carried out three weeks before moving to the open ground. In order for the pumpkin seeds to sprout well, the germination temperature in the first three days can be brought to 25 degrees, reducing it at night to a maximum of +15.

Planting pumpkin seedlings involves a number of prerequisites. When the prepared soil has not yet been warmed up, pumpkin seedlings should not be planted. You can determine the optimum (12 degrees) temperature of the soil by simply inserting an ordinary household thermometer into it for 10 minutes. If it is lower, then make a blanket for the soil from a polyethylene (preferably black) film. If time does not tolerate or there is no other case for planting, then in the planting holes you can pre-fill three (or more) liters of hot water.

Seedlings grown in peat pots are planted with them, buried 3 cm deeper than in greenhouse soil. Seedlings from the boxes are placed in holes filled with water, so that, being located in the soil, the roots avoid unnecessary bends.

How to care for a pumpkin

Pumpkin care begins with watering it immediately after planting. About a week after that, it is advisable to mulch the soil surface with compost containing effective microorganisms, placing chopped nettles over its layer. Peat, humus, pine needles and even dry land are also suitable as mulch.

An essential aspect of the maintenance is the supporting loosening of the soil, which must be done at least every two weeks. This procedure is almost always combined with weeding. Immediately after planting, the depth of cultivation can be up to 12 cm, and by the end of the first month it should be reduced to 5-8 cm in order to avoid damage to the root system. In the absence of natural (insects) pollination, you must use the manual method - otherwise the decay of unbound fruit occurs.

The operation, which should be carried out before noon, is quite simple: with the anthers of each torn male flower with the removed petals, you need to carefully touch the pistils of one or two female flowers. When the weather improves, then to attract insects as pollinators, you can spray a flowering pumpkin with honey water on a weekly basis (one teaspoon of sweetness per 10 liters of water).

Important! So that the fruits do not decay, do the pollination yourself.

How to properly form a plant

Pumpkin seedlings quickly become sprawling plants with long stems and large leaves. So that a powerful plant does not violate the boundaries of its growing area, it is necessary to produce pumpkins, which is easy to do in open ground. For this, the pumpkin pinching technology is used, and it must be done while the plant is young. Pinching occurs by removing the apical kidney (it is possible with part of the shoot).

Her goal is the accelerated development of side shoots that carry a larger number of female flowers. In addition, excess young axillary shoots that have reached 5-7 cm are removed - this procedure is called pinching. It is carried out on open ground simultaneously with the removal of excess leaves and the direction of all processed pumpkin lashes in one direction. At the same time, leaving one ovary on each lash, at the harvesting stage, excellent fruit sizes are obtained.

Watering and fertilizing pumpkins

The irrigation period for a pumpkin is the time of its flowering, the emergence and development of the ovaries. At the beginning of fruit setting, the plant is watered sparingly so that they do not grow too small. Then the volume of moisture, and warm (at least +20 degrees), increase.

Warm significant watering contributes to the formation of female flowers. Cold watering with well or artesian water is able to ruin the landing. When a real foliage appears on a growing pumpkin, it begins to be fed with dry nitrophos (10 g per plant) and 15 grams of nitrophosk diluted with water is given to each vegetable during lash formation.

- ash at the rate of 1 glass / 1 plant;
- a solution (1: 8) of mullein in the calculation of 10 liters per six plants when the vegetation began, and three - during fruiting;
- humus, rotten chicken droppings or manure, humus - it is possible by eye.

How to protect pumpkin from pests and diseases

Pests and diseases	Manifestations	Protection methods
Gourd aphids	Twisting leaves, falling flowers	Spraying with infusion of celandine (or garlic, or onion peel) or with a chemical solution (kemifos, actellik, fufanon). Autumn collection and elimination of plant debris, deep digging of the soil
Slug	Damage to young leaves (round holes and silver stripes), later - ovaries	Soil loosening, thinning, weeding. Traps of cabbage leaves, watermelon peels, soaked rags, followed by the destruction of pests in concentrated saline. Superphosphate and other chemical protective bands around plants. Spraying with a solution of creocide
Powdery mildew	Drying of diseased leaves covered with copious white coating extending to stems and petioles	Timely weeding. Warm watering. Removing diseased leaves. Spraying with chemicals (gates, topaz) and cultivating the soil three weeks before harvesting
Peronosporosis (downy mildew)	Growing and drying light yellow spots and gray-purple plaque on the leaves	Warming up the seeds before sowing. Chemical spraying (strobe, carcidide, copper oxychloride, cuproxate)
Anthracnose	Drying and forming holes on the leaves, indented spots with pink coating. Appear also on cotyledons and petioles.	Removing diseased plants. Spraying (Bordeaux liquid, copper oxychloride, abigalik)

In general, pumpkin is not very susceptible to harmful influences, but the basic methods of protection are useful in case of negative manifestations.

Many delicious pumpkin varieties can be grown by sowing seeds in open ground at the end of May, but not nutmeg - they simply will not sprout, it is better to grow them in seedlings. Seeds should be taken only fresh, it is advisable to test them for germination, in order to know what to expect after sowing in the ground. Discard seeds that have surfaced when soaked with salt water, sank to the bottom, prepare for sowing.

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

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

Landing and care

Before sowing, it is advisable to prepare the soil. 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket of sawdust, a glass of nitrophoska and a liter jar of wood ash are added to 1 square meter of the pumpkin plot. The site is digged well to a depth of not less than 40 cm and spilled with hot water. Vegetable growers determine the timing of sowing, it depends on the weather and the characteristics of the variety. Hatching seeds of large-fruited and hard-barked pumpkins are planted in the soil when it has already warmed up to 10 degrees at a depth of 10-12 cm. In the Moscow Region, this usually happens at the end of May.

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

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

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

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

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

It happens that female flowers bloom earlier than male flowers, then you can pollinate with male flowers of another related plant - zucchini or squash are suitable. The fruits ripen perfectly, but it will be impossible to use seeds for planting, so if you want to sell or plant seeds, then you need to pollinate only with the flowers of the same plant.

How to protect yourself from pests

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

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

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

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

Top dressing

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

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

The chemical composition of pumpkin is rich in vitamins and minerals useful for the normal functioning of human organs. This explains the popularity of growing vegetables on garden plots. Culture enjoys success among agrarians for industrial cultivation. In this review, we will talk about the features of planting pumpkin seeds and seedlings in open ground and further care.

Dates for planting pumpkins in Belarus, Ukraine, the Leningrad region and other regions

A crop is planted after the soil is fully warmed up, and the average daily temperature does not fall below + 10 ° С. If during sowing in spring the temperature is below + 13 ° C, the germination process slows down, which threatens to rot the seeds. In the middle lane, the best seed planting dates fall in the second decade of May. According to folk traditions, the sowing day coincides with the church holiday - St. George's Day, but you should not rely on a significant date without taking into account weather conditions.

In the southern regions, as well as in Belarus, Ukraine, in the Donbass, where weather conditions permit, pumpkin can be planted at the end of April. According to the lunar calendar, this period coincides with the growing moon, which is favorable for the development of the top fruits.

The most popular varieties

For Moscow region

Premiere

Cold-resistant culture with a spreading long lash and sweet-tasting large fruits, hanging in a mature form to 6 kg. The culture is unpretentious to the type of soil, its fertility.

Country

Culture with early ripening (75-85 days). The vegetable is characterized by a sweet taste with hints of vanilla. Pumpkin in mature form weighs 3-4 kg. Duration of fruit storage for more than 4 months.

For the Urals

Russian woman

The plant is resistant to garden diseases and frost. The pulp is juicy and sugar, which is appreciated by the chefs. The weight of the Russian pumpkin exceeds 2.7 kg. The ripening period of the crop is 110-130 days. The color of the ripened fruit is orange.

Nutmeg Pearl

Harvest ripens in 100 days the weight of pumpkins is about 5-7 kg. The taste is saturated with a musky note. The plant is cold-resistant, tolerates drought and heavy rainfall, has strong immunity.

The best varieties of Siberia

Freckle

A plant with vegetation days. The pulp is very juicy and sweet, tasting like a melon. Even after heat treatment, it retains a crispy structure. Pumpkin weight does not exceed 3 kg.

Smile

Bush grade. The culture easily tolerates temperature changes and can withstand frosts, is resistant to humid environments. The variety is distinguished by excellent taste and a long shelf life (until the next season). The duration of the growing season is 90-110 days, fetal mass - 2.1-3 kg.

Proper planting in open ground

The key to productivity is the correct planting, which includes the preparation of seeds and soil, as well as the process of laying in the hole of planting material.

Seed Preparation: Germination and Germination Testing

Seeds must first be checked for germination and sorted, leaving only healthy specimens. 3 days before the start of sowing, grains must be germinated in wet gauze or sawdust. To accelerate the germination of seeds at home, they are placed for 2 days in a solution of sodium or potassium humate. The tank should be in the room all this time, where the temperature regime is 20 ° C.

The soil

The soil must be prepared before planting. To do this, they dig it up, make fertilizers: potash, phosphorus, compost or manure. It is better to use complex ones, they enrich the soil with various nutrients.For example, 2 buckets of humus, ½ buckets of sawdust, 1 kg of ash, 1 glass of nitrophoska are introduced per 1 m2.

The digging depth of the soil should be at least 35-50 cm. To disinfect the area, pour it with hot water.

Where to plant a pumpkin in the country? The landing place is selected sunny, well-ventilated. Such predecessors as potatoes, sunflowers, melons, watermelon will not work. But after legumes, tomatoes and beets, the plant will feel great. The same site should not be used for disembarkation either; a break should be 4-5 years.

Planting seeds and seedlings in the country

The distance between the holes should be at least 60 cm, because the lash of the plant actively develops and spreads over a large space. In determining the scheme, it is better to be guided by the characteristics of the variety. More often gardeners use this option of planting:

embedment depth sunflower seeds - 8-10 cm (on light soils), 5-6 cm (on loams) with the acute side down;
interval between holes in a row - 60-80 cm;
distance between rows - 1 m.

For spreading lashes, the following scheme is used: 1x1.5 m. To protect the planting from spring frosts, it is recommended to cover the garden with a film.

Experienced gardeners use the lunar calendar when planning planting work in the garden. The dates indicated in it affect the rate of development of plants. It is recommended to plant a pumpkin on the growing moon:

in March begin to plant seeds on seedlings (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23);
in April seeding is permissible in open ground (17 - 22, 24 - 29 numbers);
in May (16-21, 23-28).

In addition to 3-4 seeds, organic fertilizers are added to each well: manure, humus or peat. To moisturize, use warm water (2 liters per hole).

In the Leningrad region, Moscow region, in the Urals, in Siberia, pumpkin is grown in seedlings. The technology of planting young plants in the soil does not differ from planting seeds.

But what if pumpkin seedlings are very long? In cases of excessive activity of seedling growth, when the stem becomes thin and excessively long, the first thing to do is to transplant the plants into more spacious pots, providing the necessary space.

Cultivation at home and further care

At home, pumpkin can be grown on virtually any soil. The culture shows endurance to adverse weather conditions, even when it began to germinate. But these facts do not mean that culture does not need to be looked after.

How many seeds germinate?

The timing of seed germination depends solely on temperature conditions. If the night indicator does not fall below 12-14 °, the seeds will begin to germinate in a week. Even if the weather is cool a month later, 2-3 leaves are already developing on the shoot.

Preplant seed soaking in growth stimulants will help speed up the germination process. In addition to special tools, aloe juice, infusion of wood ash, potato juice, honey solution are used.

Watering Rules

Pumpkin needs watering, but in moderation. Excess moisture will provoke stretching of the seedlings. It is better to water the soil after loosening and weeding. The culture tolerates drought well, but the reaction to cold water from the central highway can be negative. Therefore, experts recommend using the settled fluid from the well.

Top dressing

The plant loves top dressing. A week after germination, the first lure is introduced. The plant receives ideal nutrition from a mullein solution. Nitrofoska is considered equally effective (15 grams per bucket of water). It is followed by subsequent feeding with an interval of 10-14 days.

The correct formation of the seedling is expressed in a low but strong stalk, short internodes, the presence of 3 leaves after a month.

Pumpkin Formation

As soon as 2-3 real leaves appear on the shoots, you need to thin out the bed. When growing large-fruited pumpkins, they leave only one sprout, nutmeg and durum bark - 2 seedlings each.

A developing lash should also be formed, and side shoots. They do this in two ways: in one stem and in two. In the first case, it is recommended to leave only 2-3 ovaries, on which there are 3-4 leaves. In the second method, 2 fruits are left on the main stem, one on the side shoot. Without such a procedure, the fruits will be small and not very tasty.

Pests and Prevention

Pumpkin is considered an unpretentious plant, however, this culture is also at risk from pests. Reduce productivity, and sometimes destroy young shoots can:

slugs;
gourd aphids.

When signs of an invasion of pests are detected, special preparations are used (Actellik, Fufanon, Citkor, etc.). Safer are products made from biological components. Folk methods are sometimes not inferior in effectiveness, among which deserve attention:

decoctions and infusions from pharmaceutical chamomile;
infusions on potato and tomato tops;
decoctions of wormwood and other aromatic herbs;
wood ash;
tobacco dust;
slaked lime, etc.

Working solutions are used to spray plants, and powders are used for dusting. The procedures are repeated 2-3 times at intervals of 7-10 days.

For an instant reaction to an invasion of pests, one should make it a rule to conduct inspection of the beds with a regularity of 1 time in 3 days. Then you can localize the problem and save the crop.

Harvesting

The maturity of a pumpkin can be determined by the following criteria:

the stalk becomes stiffer the surface gets stuck, its stiffness occurs simultaneously with the stem supplying power;
leaves on the whip drychange color to yellow;
whatever the original skin color, after maturing, reflects the texture pattern brighter;
if you run a fingernail over the crust, no trace;
when you press your fingers on the fetus, hardness is felt;
ripe product is covered matte coating;
when tapping is heard sonorous knock;
when harvesting the stalk is easy to remove.

To ensure a long shelf life, it is necessary to pick the fruit carefully, being careful not to damage the peel. Scratches should be sealed with a bactericidal plaster so that microbes do not penetrate into the vegetable.

Harvested fruits from the beds are placed in a dry room, where they ripen for about another month.

The main guarantee of a good harvest are proper seed selection and timely care. Hand-grown pumpkin diversifies the menu for households, enriches the body with nutrients.

If you want to get an early crop, plant the seeds on seedlings, and subsequently it in the open ground. Pumpkin should grow at home no more than 25 days, otherwise the seedlings will stretch, so start pre-sowing seed treatment a month before the end of spring frosts. In the middle lane they begin to be etched in potassium permanganate on April 20-25. Make the solution weak. After pouring 3-4 crystals in 100 water, stir it. Then put the pumpkin seeds there for 20 minutes.

After that, rinse them and put them to be enriched with nutrients. To do this, you need a bandage and a bowl. Wrap the seeds in a double layer of bandage, put it in a container, pour in a growth stimulator. After 10 hours, drain it, put the bowl for a day in the refrigerator. After this time, hold the wet seeds in a bandage for a day at room temperature. Then plant each seed in a separate pot with a nutritious mixture, it is better to use peat.

Do not water the earth, grow seedlings on a light windowsill or balcony at a temperature of + 15 + 20 ° C, then it will not stretch. At the end of May, pumpkin seedlings are planted in open ground.

Planting seeds in the soil

If you do not have the opportunity to grow seedlings, you will have time to get large fruits by planting the seeds immediately in open ground. The best time for this is May 15-20. Start to germinate the seeds as described above two days before planting.

This culture, like all representatives of the pumpkin family, loves to grow on light soil rich in organic matter. Moreover, the latter may be decomposed. It’s easy to prepare the pumpkin area, to avoid unnecessary efforts, start digging from the middle of the ridge. At the same time, take a little land, put it to the left and right side. You will get a trench 60 cm wide. Put grass, dry leaves, semi-decomposed compost, manure in it. Pour 2 tablespoons of nitrofoska per square meter. Shuffle it all with a shovel. Cover from above with earth, which lies on both sides of the trench.

Spill the bed with warm water. Plant the pumpkin seeds in a square-nested manner in 2 rows after 50 cm. Cover with a non-woven material on top. If the weather is warm, the first sprouts will appear in 5 days. If it's cool, you have to wait 7-9. After that, remove the non-woven material, water it occasionally, loosen the top layer superficially, water it as needed. On each bush, leave no more than 1-2 ovaries, then the fruits will grow large.

Growing and planting seedlings in open ground

Planting seeds in the soil

KakProsto.ru

Pumpkin planting dates - the second decade of May

Spider mite is a pest that creates a thin Putin on the back of pumpkin leaves. Control measures: spraying with a solution of garlic, infusion of onion husks or even plain water.

The first (one and a half weeks after transplanting seedlings or 21 days after sowing seeds): slurry diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4;

One of the most important components of pumpkin care is

Immediately before transplanting the seedlings, 2 kg of compost are introduced into the wells, pouring it with warm water. After planting, the wells are sprinkled with dry earth to prevent crusting. The first week is the most important when delicate plants need shelter from the weather with paper caps or cut-off five-liter plastic containers.

Planting seeds in open ground should be after the soil has warmed up to 11-12 ° C. The beds are prepared as follows:

OgorodSadovod.com

Growing pumpkin in the open ground: variety selection, planting, care, harvesting - Onwomen.ru

Mid-ripening varieties with maximum yield

Before planting in the soil, it is desirable to withstand pumpkin seeds in an ash solution for 10-12 hours at a temperature of up to 40 degrees. Plants are sown to a depth of about 5 cm, 4-5 seeds are put in the hole. Aisles should be approximately 1.5 m, in a row between plants - 1.2 m.

Popular varieties

There are about 100 varieties of edible pumpkin. It can have a round, pear-shaped, oval, turban and other shapes. The color of the fruit is also diverse. To be able to consume this vegetable all winter, you need to plant and grow it properly.

After planting pumpkins in open ground, you need to think about protecting it from pests. To prevent the bear from biting its roots, several granules of a special preparation called Medvedox are put in each hole during planting.The planting time is determined by the vegetable growers themselves, it depends on the weather and the characteristics of the variety. Hatching seeds of large-fruited and hard-barked pumpkins are planted in the soil when it has already warmed up to 10 degrees at a depth of 10-12 cm. In the Moscow Region, this usually happens at the end of May.
Melon aphid - manifests itself by twisting the leaves with their subsequent drying. Control measures: treatment of beds with a 10% solution of karbofos, regular weeding of weeds.The following (2-4 times a month): 50 g of garden mix or a glass of wood ash in 10 l of water.
WateringSometimes gardeners grow pumpkin seedlings in plastic cups. In such cases, before planting in open ground, plants must be removed without damaging the root system. Otherwise, it will not work to grow a good crop.

Bed preparation

Make holes at a distance of 50 cm from each other, with row spacing 1.5-2.0 m wide;

Each summer resident has his own recipe for preparing seeds. In order to obtain viable seedlings, you can, for example, hold the seeds for 24 hours in a sodium humate fertilizer solution, and then cover them with a damp cloth for one to two days, occasionally wetting the cloth with water. At the same time, the air temperature in the room should be + 22-23 `C.

. These include pumpkin Almond, Marble, Barn. All these are very sweet, evenly ripening and unpretentious varieties with a sugar content of 7-13%.

Pumpkin is considered the queen among gourds, because it has the largest fruits. Farmers of Central America to this day participate in competitions for the largest pumpkin. Some record holders reach a weight of 100 kg or more, and a pumpkin listed in the Guinness Book of Records weighed 300 kg.

Seed preparation

Pumpkin is valued for its healing and palatability. It is used to make cereals, soups, juices, salads, muffins, casseroles and even jam. You can use the pulp for culinary purposes, and solid bordering as an attribute for Halloween. Then you need to plant varieties of round shape with a yellow or orange color. If you want to surprise people who come to the house, plant a pear-shaped variety. Like many others, it lasts until spring at room temperature, if you store an intact fruit. With such instances you can decorate your home. If you want to get an early harvest, plant the seeds on seedlings, and subsequently it in the open ground. Pumpkin should grow at home no more than 25 days, otherwise the seedlings will stretch, so start pre-sowing seed treatment a month before the end of spring frosts. In the middle lane they begin to be etched in potassium permanganate on April 20-25. Make the solution weak. After pouring 3-4 crystals in 100 water, stir it. Then put the pumpkin seeds there for 20 minutes. After that, rinse them and put them on a rich diet. To do this, you need a bandage and a bowl. Wrap the seeds in a double layer of bandage, put it in a container, pour in a growth stimulator. After 10 hours, drain it, put the bowl for a day in the refrigerator. After this time, hold the wet seeds in a bandage for a day at room temperature. Then plant each seed in a separate pot with a nutritious mixture, it is better to use peat. Do not over-moisten the earth, grow seedlings on a light windowsill or balcony at a temperature of + 15 + 20 ° C, then it will not stretch. At the end of May, pumpkin seedlings are planted in open ground.

Growing seedlings

Pumpkin harvesting begins in September and ends after the first frost. The degree of fruit ripeness is determined as follows: if, when pressed on the skin, it retains its integrity, then the pumpkin has ripened. Take off the fruits carefully so as not to hit or drop them, because mechanical damage shortens pumpkin storage life.

In order to grow a good harvest, it is necessary to protect the beds with pumpkin from diseases and pests, of which there are many pumpkins.

. Even a short drought can play a fatal role. The fact is that this vegetable crop has a considerable leaf surface, with which quite a lot of moisture evaporates. Therefore, the pumpkin needs to be regularly watered throughout the growing season and ripening, reducing watering only during flowering.

Planting seeds

Pumpkin is a native of the tropics. This can be seen even by the way it grows: leaves develop more intensively than fruits. In the cold summer, this vegetable crop needs help in ripening, and now we will dwell on how to do it in more detail.

Half a bucket of humus, a glass or two ashes, 20-25 g of nitrophoska are added to each well;
Inexperienced gardeners often make this mistake: they sow old, unprepared seeds and wonder why there are no seedlings. In order not to waste time, you can do the following: soak a small amount of seeds of different varieties at the same time and leave them for germination.
Late ripening varieties
In addition, pumpkin - an integral part of the festival of evil spirits Halloween. On the surface of the fruit, freed from the pulp, the Americans cut their faces, insert a lamp inside and with a cheerful company go home.

If you do not have the opportunity to grow seedlings, you will have time to get large fruits by planting the seeds immediately in open ground. The best time for this is May 15-20. Begin to germinate the seeds as described above two days before planting. This culture, like all representatives of the pumpkin family, loves to grow on light soil rich in organic matter. Moreover, the latter may be decomposed. It’s easy to prepare the pumpkin area, to avoid unnecessary efforts, start digging from the middle of the ridge. At the same time, take a little land, put it to the left and right side. You will get a trench 60 cm wide. Put grass, dry leaves, semi-decomposed compost, manure in it. Pour 2 tablespoons of nitrofoska per square meter. Shuffle it all with a shovel. Cover the top with earth, which lies on both sides of the trench. Spill the bed with warm water. Plant the pumpkin seeds in a square-nested manner in 2 rows after 50 cm. Cover with a non-woven material on top. If the weather is warm, the first sprouts will appear in 5 days. If it's cool, you have to wait 7-9. After that, remove the non-woven material, water it occasionally, loosen the top layer superficially, water it as needed. On each bush, leave no more than 1-2 ovaries, then the fruits will grow large.

Planting seedlings

Harvested is well stored at a temperature of + 4 ... 8 `C. Some hybrids can retain consumer qualities for a long time at room temperature.

How to care for a pumpkin

Bacteriosis - manifests itself as ulcers and brown spots on the fruits and leaves. The disease develops with changes in temperature and high humidity. Control measures: treatment of beds with Bordeaux liquid or zinc sulfate solution.

In a plant, it is necessary to cut off all the shoots except the three most powerful ones. 3-5 ovaries with a diameter of about 15 cm are left on the main stem. The less ovaries are left, the larger the fruits can be obtained. It should be noted that the most delicate and delicious pulp of medium-sized pumpkins. In addition, they are easier to collect and transfer to the storage place.The contents of the well are mixed, spilled with a warm solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 8-10 liters of water);

Two methods of growing seedlings are practiced: in greenhouses and at home, on the windowsill. Since the second method is more interesting to us, we will dwell on it in more detail.

. They are Zarya Vostoka, Sweet Winter, Mushroom Winter with ripening periods from 140 to 160 days and sugar content of 11-12%. Pumpkin is also very much loved in Russia. It is so easy to grow it that even novice growers successfully cope with this task. It does not require the construction of greenhouses and hotbeds and bears fruit excellently even in the northwestern regions of Russia Pumpkin is not a very capricious plant, however, in order to get a good crop, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules when planting it. Firstly, it is desirable to plant a pumpkin after legumes: beans, peas, and it will feel good in the garden, where last year beets, tomatoes, and potatoes were grown. To get a good crop, you need to take care of the introduction of organic and mineral fertilizers. You can make them directly into the hole, in the amount of about a handful of humus, a glass of ash and 50 grams of superphosphate. All components must be thoroughly mixed with the ground before laying the seeds.

After planting seedlings in the open ground or sprouting from seeds at the pumpkin, side shoots quickly form, they need to be removed, leaving in addition to the main scourge two more side ones. The number of ovaries also needs to be limited, leaving 3-4 on each branch: after counting 5 leaves after the last ovary, the lash must be clipped, then the plant will not waste strength, but will direct them to ripen the fruit. Many delicious pumpkin varieties can be grown by sowing seeds in open ground at the end of May, but not nutmeg - they simply will not rise, it is better to grow them in seedlings. Seeds should be taken only fresh, it is advisable to test them for germination, in order to know what to expect after sowing in the ground. They discard seeds that have surfaced when soaked in salt water, and which sink to the bottom, are prepared for sowing. White rot is a fungal disease that affects the whole plant as a whole. It looks like a white coating on the fruits and leaves, after which the pumpkin gradually rots. Control measures: powdering the beds with lime-cannon, vitriol, crushed charcoal.

Pumpkins demanding soil fertility, love
A few words about pollination

Diseases and Pests

2-3 germinated seeds are planted in each well, with a depth of 5 cm.

The first step is to prepare pots with a diameter of 15 cm and fill them in 2/3 with a mixture of turf (1 part), humus (2 parts) and peat (1 part). Three weeks before the intended planting in the garden, the germinated seeds are sown in pots, sprinkled with a mixture of mullein and ash on top. When sprouts appear, the seedlings are taken out to a room with a temperature of + 13-14 `C.
To ensure a good harvest from pumpkin beds, you need to plant this crop in loose fertile soil in a well-lit, elevated area. On marshy soils and in lowlands, it does not grow.
Of the currently existing 800 varieties and hybrids of pumpkin, only 35 are sweet and suitable for growing in the country or in the garden. We list only the most popular of them.
Nutmeg pumpkin varieties are recommended to be planted with seedlings. Seeds are pre-soaked in an ash solution, then sown in cups with moist soil. In this case, the planting dates for pumpkins for seedlings are calculated so that at the time of planting they were 25-30 days. For seed germination and emergence of seedlings add 5 days.
They plant the pumpkin in fertilized soil, and then feed it with liquid organic-mineral fertilizers. If the soil is rich in fertilizers, it is enough to pour 2-3 times for the entire growth period with liquid diluted bird droppings or mullein with 1 tablespoon of full mineral fertilizer.
So that the wind does not turn the lashes, they are sprinkled with moist soil, in this case additional roots may form, which will further strengthen the plant. The wide leaves of the pumpkin evaporate a lot of moisture, so watering is simply necessary, and only with warm water. After planting in open ground, each plant is watered with 1 liter of water, and the older it is, the more water it needs, so at the end of summer each should receive at least 10 liters. When the fruits have reached their maximum value, watering is stopped.

Pumpkin harvest

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

Root rot - develops due to watering the beds with cold water or sudden changes in temperature. With sick plants, proceed as follows: they cut off rotten roots and sprinkle shoots with earth to form a new root system.

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How is planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Pick the seeds

Fertilizers

. Sometimes it happens that there are very few male flowers on a pumpkin, or there are none at all. In such cases, manual pollination of plants with other pumpkin crops is practiced - for example, zucchini or squash. True, seeds from such fruits are not suitable for seed material.

After emergence in the wells leave no more than 1-2 plants. In case of return of frosts, you need to have a film ready for shelter.

Landing and care

Seedlings need moderate watering and mandatory nutrition. A solution for feeding is prepared as follows: 20 g of double superphosphate, 15 g of potassium sulfate and nitrate, 50 g of a garden mixture are taken in a bucket of water (8-10 l). Each plant needs about half a liter of mortar.In order to create a pumpkin-like environment, it should be planted along the fence and walls on the south side. This will create an obstacle in the way of cold winds and provide maximum warming action of the sun.

Early ripe sweet varieties

The best time for planting pumpkins into the soil with seeds is the second decade of May, when frosts no longer threaten young plants, the ground is sufficiently warmed up, at that time viburnum is blooming and peonies are blooming.