Autumn pleases us with abundant harvests of fruits and vegetables. By the time the yellow leaves begin to swirl in the air, pumpkins are ripening in the vegetable gardens and melons. Since ancient times, these fruits amaze the imagination of people. Even fairy tales and legends were composed about this extraordinary plant. And it was the pumpkin that the fairy turned into a carriage for Cinderella. The fruits of this plant are already fantastic. Due to the combination of color, size, taste, the pumpkin has won nationwide love.

Types of pumpkin

Currently, three types of pumpkin are grown: large-fruited, hard-barked and nutmeg. Among these species there are ornamental varieties, fodder (they are grown as animal feed), table varieties.

large crops

This species has the largest and sweetest fruits of all existing species. Some varieties are superior in sugar content to watermelons. The sugar level reaches 15%. Large-fruited pumpkins are cold-resistant. The leaves of this species may be kidney-shaped or pentagon-like. The stems are dense, smooth, without grooves. In varieties belonging to the large-fruited species, the stalk is rounded. Matte seeds. Seed color varies from white to brown.

The large-fruited pumpkin has the largest and fleshy fruits.

hardbark gourd

The peel of ripened fruits is very thick and hard, resembling wood in hardness. This species is good for a fairly early ripening period. The fruits can be harvested at the end of August. Hard-skinned pumpkins are climbing and bush. For small summer cottages, gardeners prefer to choose bush varieties, as this saves space. The fruits are medium in size. The stalks of this species have pronounced grooves. The stem is spiny, with hairs. The leaves are pentagonal in shape.

Hard-barked pumpkin has a very thick and tough skin

Varieties of this species are the most delicious, sweet and fragrant. The stem is multifaceted. Seeds are dark yellow or brown. Muscat pumpkins are very thermophilic. They ripen late compared to other species, so they are planted mainly in the southern regions of our country. In central Russia, they are also grown, but this requires great effort on the part of farmers and gardeners. The Muscat species is grown in seedlings, then transplanted into open ground when the soil warms up well. Usually landing is made in the first half of June. But the fruits are harvested unripe, as they do not keep up with the harvest in the European part of the country. There are six varieties of butternut squash, but the pear-shaped fruits are the most popular.

Pear-shaped pumpkin gained popularity among gardeners

The harvest of nutmeg and large-fruited varieties is harvested before the onset of frost. The hard-skinned ones can also be harvested in the summer to enjoy pumpkin pies or pumpkin soup.

Popular varieties

Scientists have more than 670 varieties of pumpkin. Many of them are decorative and unsuitable for human consumption. But it is necessary to talk about the most popular varieties that are not only edible, but also tasty and healthy.

Table: varieties of hard-skinned pumpkin

Photo gallery: hard bark varieties

The fruits of the Acorn variety are shaped like acorns.
Altai pumpkin is universal in use and is cold-resistant
Variety Freckles grows small in size - up to three kg
Gribovskaya bush pumpkin has an ovoid or elongated fruit shape
The fruits of the Spaghetti variety are shaped like a melon.

Table: large-fruited pumpkin varieties

Photo gallery: large-fruited varieties

Winter sweet gourd cultivar has knobby gray fruits
Zorka pumpkin contains a lot of carotene
Pumpkin varieties Medical has an early ripening period
Pumpkin variety Smile is well stored at room temperature
The average weight of the fruits of the Kherson pumpkin reaches 3-5 kg

Table: nutmeg varieties

Photo gallery: pumpkins of nutmeg varieties

Pumpkin variety Butternat has a nutty flavor
Vitaminnaya pumpkin is actively used for baby food
Pumpkin variety Palav Kadu reaches a weight of 7 kg
Pumpkin Prikubanskaya tolerates transportation well and is stored for a long time

Landing features

Pumpkin can be planted both in open ground and in greenhouses. True, plants are not in greenhouse conditions throughout the season. After the seedlings have grown stronger, they try to plant them in open areas. A prerequisite is a large amount of space, because this culture loves space. The plant is not demanding on the soil, but gardeners note that the sweetest fruits can be obtained if the pumpkin grows in fertile soil.

Land for planting is prepared in the fall. The site is dug up, manure or compost is introduced into the soil in the amount of 3-4 kg per 1 m 2. Acidic soil is limed or sprinkled with ash. On an area of ​​1 m 2 you need 200 g of ash.

The timing of planting pumpkins for seedlings depends on the climate and the precocity of the variety. Seeds can be sown from mid-April to the end of May. When planting for seedlings, peat pots are used to avoid picking plants in the future. If the pumpkin is planted with seeds in a greenhouse, it is necessary to follow the planting pattern of 10x10 cm. The planting depth is 7–10 cm. The temperature in the room before the first shoots should not be lower than +25 ° C. Then it is lowered to +19 °C. Plants are planted in open ground at the age of four weeks. The pumpkin does not like sudden changes in temperature, so it is transplanted after the threat of frost has passed. The landing site should be well lit. In the shade, a pumpkin can grow, but will not bear fruit.

Pumpkin seeds are buried in the ground up to 12 cm

Seedling holes should be more than 12 cm deep. Hot water is poured into each hole. After the water is absorbed, a seedling is placed in the hole. The plant is transplanted with a clod of earth so as not to injure the roots. Bush varieties should be located at a distance of 50 cm from each other, medium climbing - up to 80 cm. Planting scheme for highly climbing plants 120x110 cm.

Frequent watering can damage the plant - excess moisture threatens fungal diseases. Pumpkin is watered no more than twice a week. An adult plant needs 20 liters of water. Young seedlings are watered as needed, making sure that the soil does not dry out and does not crack. During the dry season, the pumpkin can be watered once every two days.

Video: how to germinate seeds for seedlings

Growing pumpkin

There are many ways to grow pumpkins: outdoors, on a balcony, in bags, or on a compost heap. If you choose the right plant variety, then there will be no problems with care and productivity. It is worth considering the methods popular among gardeners.

How to grow pumpkin outdoors

First of all, you need to choose a well-lit area, preferably without drafts. You can plant a pumpkin along a fence to create a hedge, or you can identify the plant on a compost heap. There is nothing surprising in this. If the garbage is of organic origin, the pumpkin will grow and bear fruit well.

When planting on a compost heap, you need to make deeper holes than on a garden plot. Garden soil mixed with ash is poured into the hole. After that, seedlings are planted in the prepared place.

For small gardens, you should choose bush varieties. They are more compact than climbing plants. When planting seeds in open ground, holes or trenches are made 7–12 cm deep. For seedlings, the planting depth should be greater. If the plants are in a peat pot, they are planted without removing them from the container. From plastic pots, a pumpkin is taken out very carefully, without violating the integrity of the earthen coma.

Pumpkin grows well in a compost heap

When planting a pumpkin in open ground, you need to know which plants were its predecessors in a particular area. It is best to plant a pumpkin after potatoes, legumes, tomatoes and cabbage. Thanks to these crops, the soil is saturated with trace elements necessary for pumpkin for good fruiting.

Video: planting seedlings in open ground

Growing in bags

Owners of small gardens quite often go to tricks to place the right amount of crops. Garbage or plastic bags from flour, sugar do not take up much space. In addition, a bag with a plant can be placed in any part of the garden, placed on pebbles, boards or near the gazebo.

If you have a small area, pumpkins can be easily grown in plastic bags.

According to the same principle, pumpkin is grown in metal and plastic barrels. For cultivation, you should opt for bush or medium climbing varieties.

For planting, it is better to choose bags with a volume of 100-120 liters. The material must be dense so as not to tear from the amount of earth. There is one plant per bag. It is planted in a hole, watered immediately after planting. In the future, artificial irrigation should be abandoned. Rain water will be sufficient. It is not necessary to make additional holes in the bags. Thanks to polyethylene, a greenhouse effect is created, providing warmth and the necessary moisture for the plant.

Video: how to grow a pumpkin in a bag

How to grow on trellises

This method also reduces the area needed to grow pumpkins. If in open ground the distance between the holes is from 50 to 120 cm, then when grown on trellises, the plants are placed at a distance of 30 cm from each other. Between the tapestries, the gap should be at least 1 meter.

When grown on trellises, planting is carried out with seeds in open ground. Drop 2-3 seeds into the hole. After germination, one healthy and hardy plant is left. Planting is done after the danger of frost has passed.

Tapestries can be built from ordinary slats. A diagonal crate is assembled between the two-meter posts. It is recommended to fasten the slats together with small carnations. Tapestries can be placed perpendicular to the ground or put in the form of a "book". Pumpkin lashes are launched along the grate.

When grown on a trellis, weak shoots are removed. The pumpkin should have only strong, fruitful ones left. The main stem is pinched over the fifth leaf. Trellis-grown pumpkins ripen faster and have a sweeter taste, because in this way the plant receives more sunlight and heat.

Trellis-grown pumpkins ripen faster

Not every variety is suitable for this method. Muscat and hard-skinned pumpkins with fruits weighing up to 4 kg are grown on trellises.

Video: pumpkin on trellis

Growing on a balcony

Pumpkin is grown on the balcony most often to decorate the room. In this case, it is worth choosing decorative varieties:

• stellate;
• warty;
• pear-shaped;
• pumpkin fungus, or chalmoid and others.

Photo gallery: decorative inedible varieties

Fungus squash is a type of large-fruited squash
The size of the fruit of the star gourd is not more than 15 cm in diameter
The skin of the warty pumpkin is covered with tubercles
Decorative pear-shaped pumpkins can be of different colors

Most ornamental varieties are inedible. This does not mean that the fetus can be poisoned. It's just that these pumpkins are tasteless or, on the contrary, have a too specific taste. Edible ornamental varieties include:

• variety Jack-be-little;
• cultivar Sweet Dumpling;
• grade Baby Boo.

To plant a pumpkin on the balcony, you need a pot with a volume of at least 10 liters. One third of it is filled with drainage material, for example, expanded clay or pebbles. The rest of the container should be filled with fertile soil. After planting, the pot is placed in a warm place, well lit by the sun.

Ornamental varieties of pumpkins are grown on the balcony

In addition to decorative ones, compact bush varieties can be grown on the balcony: Smile, Orange bush and others.

plant care

These plants are easy to care for.

• periodically loosen the soil after watering;
• form the main whip;
• systematically weeding weeds, this will increase the yield;
• mulch with straw, sawdust or hay to reduce the amount of weeds in the beds;
• periodically feed the plants;
• inspect the pumpkin for pests and diseases.

Soil loosening

Pumpkin needs to provide oxygen access to the roots. To do this, the soil is loosened after watering or rain. In addition to the holes, row-spacings are also processed. With subsequent moistening of the soil, this will allow water to penetrate faster to the root system.

The soil is loosened after each watering or rain.

Formation of the main whip

The whip is formed to increase the yield of the plant. You need to pinch the pumpkin after the first fruit. If this is not done, the plant's strength will be spent on the second or third fruit growing on the whip. The pumpkin is arranged in such a way that one fruit can be grown on one stem.

Video: how to form a pumpkin lash

Plant nutrition

The yield of pumpkin increases significantly if the plants live in fertile soil. Therefore, feeding is a must. It is advisable to do this in the following order:

1. The first top dressing is carried out 7 days after planting seedlings in open ground. To do this, use organic fertilizers, for example, chicken manure, diluted with water in a ratio of 1:4.
2. Subsequent top dressing is carried out 2-3 times a month. Organic fertilizers are also used: a solution of wood ash (1 tablespoon of ash per 10 liters of water).

With a long absence of sun, the plant can be fed with urea. For 10 liters of water, 10 g of fertilizer will be required.

Diseases and pests

Pumpkin is susceptible to fungal diseases such as anthracnose, white rot and black mold, as well as powdery mildew. Insects are also not averse to spoiling the future crop. Slugs, wireworms, aphids, podura cause great harm to plants.

To prevent diseases, it is necessary to follow the planting pattern, the frequency of watering. It is necessary to monitor how dense the beds are. Good ventilation of the site often becomes one of the most important conditions for prevention.

If the plants are sick, it is necessary to begin intensive treatment. The pumpkin is sprayed with Bordeaux liquid (1%). Dead plants are removed from the beds and burned.

Sick plants are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture

Pests should be dealt with individually:

• slugs are harvested by hand. You can use a beer trap: beer is poured into small dishes and placed near plants, slugs crawl on its smell;
• wireworms can also be lured. At some distance from the pumpkin, you need to bury the root crops, cut into pieces. The depth to which the trap is lowered should be about 50 cm. Then the vegetables are destroyed along with the wireworms;
• to get rid of podurs, the earth is sprinkled with ashes;
• fighting aphids is difficult, but real. You can use tools such as Alatar, Karbofos. Some gardeners advise watering plants with soapy water: 0.3 kg of laundry soap per 10 liters of water.

Photo gallery: pumpkin pests

Ash will help in the fight against fools
Slugs are harvested by hand or using a beer trap
You can get rid of aphids with a solution of laundry soap
Wireworms are lured with root crops buried in the ground.

Features of growing pumpkins in the regions

Differences in the cultivation of pumpkins in central Russia, in the Urals, in Siberia and the Donbass, as such, do not exist. In any region, plants need to provide enough light and heat. In areas with a short summer, early-ripening varieties are planted. In the southern part of the country, varieties with late maturation can be grown.

You can't argue, pumpkin is a healthy vegetable. Only here in Siberia it does not have time to grow and mature. Somehow, quite by accident, I managed to get a good harvest. Later I improved my method.

There was a little last year's manure left on the site, I raked it into a small mound, made indentations, put half a bucket of fertile soil in them and watered. The layer of manure on the mound was 20 centimeters, followed by ordinary garden soil. In June, I planted pumpkin seedlings in the holes (I don’t know the variety, a friend gave it), I didn’t cover it with anything. Only at first shaded from the sun.

On the same day, I planted exactly the same pumpkin seedlings on a regular garden bed. I also added half a bucket of humus to each well. The garden care was the same.

After a couple of weeks, you could notice the difference between the plants. Those that grew on the dung bed began to overtake their neighbors from the usual bed. In July, their lashes were already 5-7 m long, young shoots were actively growing in width. I laid them out in furrows, but they interfered with the plants on other ridges. Removed all barren and new shoots. I decided not to pinch the main stems.

Five pieces of small pumpkin ovaries appeared on each plant. The rest faded and fell off. At the end of July, I decided to remove all the tops and remaining extra shoots from the lashes. I had to tinker with them, as the whips became very thick.

I noticed that a new thick white root has grown under each fruit - this is how the pumpkin receives additional nutrition from the ground. It also serves as an "anchor" so that the wind does not turn the fruit over.

On the neighboring ridge, the whips were rather modest in size. I left 1-2 fruits on each plant, the plant simply could not feed more.

Throughout August, pumpkins lay and poured. I went and watched them grow up. September has arrived, and with it the threat of frost in our area. I waited until the very end. One night, the temperature dropped to 0°C, and the upper leaves froze. I decided not to take any more risks. I collected 10 large pumpkins from two bushes. In a regular garden, all the pumpkins were smaller in size.

Now I don’t complain about the pumpkin harvest. Our fruits are stored on the floor in the apartment. They lie until the new harvest, without losing the taste.

What is the care

I didn’t feed the pumpkins on the dung bed - they have enough food. At first, abundant and regular watering is required.

When the plants grow, there is no need to water - the roots go to great depths, providing the plant with water. I was convinced of this in the fall, when I pulled out the tops. I couldn’t cope on my own, I had to call relatives for help.

Svetlana Shishkina,

Tobolsk, Tyumen region

Pumpkin is used fresh, stewed, in the form of mashed potatoes, porridge, soup. It goes well with cereals and vegetables. From it you can make pancakes, stuff and bake in the oven, steam.

Three types of pumpkins are common in world agricultural production:

• large-fruited;
• hard bark;
• nutmeg.

Numerous varieties of large-fruited pumpkin are used for livestock feed. The fruits of a hard-boiled pumpkin are gray-skinned, sweet, well stored indoors. Their flesh is edible raw.

In summer cottages, nutmeg pumpkin is often grown. Sweet and fragrant vegetable suitable for eating raw. Of the varieties zoned for most areas for planting pumpkins, Almond 35 and Volga gray should be noted.

Pumpkins grow in any climate, because of this they give the impression of unpretentious plants growing in any gardens. But getting large and high-quality fruits by planting pumpkins in open ground is not easy. In our climate, pumpkins, like any southern plants, lack sunlight and a long growing season.

Pumpkin grows a giant vegetative mass in a short time, so the soil must contain a lot of nutrients. You can not plant a pumpkin in the shade. It needs a lot of light to grow quickly.

Don't plant the squash next to it - an aggressive shrub will leave the squash out of sunlight and it won't set fruit.

Pumpkin can be planted with seeds in the garden. Nightshade and cabbage vegetables are considered the best predecessors for pumpkin. Planting pumpkins in the ground near the south side of the buildings will protect against the cold northeast.

Large pumpkin leaves are easily damaged by wind. When the leaves are turned over, plants slow down growth and development. To avoid this, summer residents plant tall crops around the perimeter of the pumpkin plot, for example, beans, sweet peppers or standard tomatoes. If the size of the plot allows, crops can be sown between the rows of pumpkins.

The soil will have to be prepared in the fall - make holes and cover it with fallen leaves. In spring, the soil under the leaves warms up quickly. It remains to fill a bucket of fertile soil in a hole and plant 3 seeds each. After opening the cotyledon leaves, you need to leave one seedling (the strongest in appearance), and remove the rest. A month after sowing, each plant should have at least three leaves.

The processing of seeds before sowing with aloe juice helps to speed up the development of pumpkins. It is necessary to squeeze a few drops of juice, dilute with water 1: 5 and soak the seeds in the solution for one hour.

Culture loves warmth. At a temperature of 0 degrees, it dies, even if it is a short-term morning frost. Among gourds, pumpkin is the most moisture-loving. It tolerates the proximity of soil water well. In dry years, such areas can get an excellent harvest.

The cultivation of land in autumn and spring for a pumpkin is similar to the cultivation of beds before planting other vegetables of the family. Anyone who has ever grown cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons or melons will be able to prepare the soil for pumpkins. Like cucumbers, pumpkin can be grown not only on the ground, but also on a pile of old humus.

In the south of Russia, seeds are sown in April, in the middle lane - at the end of May. In Siberia, pumpkins are sown at the end of May, but take into account that, if necessary, seedlings will have to be sheltered from frosts, which are possible in the region until mid-June.

Pumpkins are harvested when the fruits acquire a characteristic color and pattern. Unripe butternut squash can be ripened at home.

From oil-bearing varieties, seeds are removed immediately, poured into a glass container and poured with cold water for a day. If the fruits are overripe, the seeds should not be soaked to prevent their germination. After soaking, the seeds are washed, separated from the pulp and dried in the oven until the thin transparent film covering the surface of the seed falls off.

Caring for your vertical pumpkin

There is an opinion that creepers spread to the south, but this is not so. The pumpkin grows in all four directions, capturing the adjacent territories. In favorable conditions, stubborn plants can climb a vertical surface and braid a gazebo, barn or bush.

This can be used by summer residents who do not have enough space for pumpkins on the site. They need to plant not ordinary varieties, but curly ones, since the seeds have appeared on sale. To make the whips climb up better, you can pull the twine for them, as for cucumbers. For a "vertical garden" varieties with large fruits are suitable - Spaghetti, Zhemchuzhina, Rossiyanka pumpkin.

The new wax gourd is well suited for vertical culture. It has elongated fruits with a dark green, dense rind that feels like wax to the touch. Initially, pumpkins were grown in China and southeastern countries, but now they are gaining popularity in our country. The first variety of wax gourd that became famous in our country is called Chardjou.

Wax gourd fruits are ready for harvesting 125-130 days after sowing, so in the northern regions it is necessary to grow them through seedlings. Plants form powerful long stems, fruits are elongated, up to 50 centimeters in length, the weight of each fruit is from six kilograms.

Wax gourd can't compare to nutmeg in taste, but it's a storage champion. Fruits, without drying out and without rotting, can lie in the cellar for up to 3 years.

Another so far rare pumpkin in our country is the fig-leaved pumpkin. At home in Peru, it is a perennial crop; we grow it as an annual. The name pumpkin received for the unusual shape of the leaves. She has oval-shaped fruits of green color with a white pattern on the bark. The flesh is white or yellowish, sweet and tasty. Outwardly, the plant and fruits look like watermelons.

The length of the shoots of the fig-leaved gourd reaches 10 meters, and it is suitable for vertical gardening. Although the plant originates from the tropics, it grows in any region of the country where there is a culture of pumpkin cultivation.

Growing pumpkin

Pumpkin loves top dressing with ashes. This natural fertilizer supplies the plant with potassium, which will be abundant in a properly grown pumpkin (see below for the chemical composition of pumpkin and its value for those who want to lose weight).

According to the technology of growing pumpkins, watering should be stopped a month before the harvest, then the fruits will become hard and will be well stored. If the autumn is rainy, it is better to cover the plants with a film or place an awning over them. The fruits ripen three and a half months after planting seedlings in the ground. If they did not have time to acquire a golden or gray color characteristic of the variety, they will acquire it later, having lain down in a room for several weeks.