Yes, oddly enough, pumpkin is a berry, although we are used to believing that it is a vegetable. An amazing plant that has been known since ancient times. Mexico is considered its homeland, where it was cultivated 5 thousand years BC. e. In Russia, pumpkin appeared in the 16th century, due to its unpretentious nature, it took root very well on our territory. In appearance, she is a beautiful orange, but sometimes it is green.
In autumn, markets are full of pumpkins of various shapes and sizes: round, oblong, in the shape of a guitar. There are large and small fruits. Everyone loves a pumpkin. It is tasty, low-calorie, healthy. It has as many vitamins as there are, perhaps, not in any product. It contains potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, fluorine, silicon. And the presence of vitamin E in it, which is able to rejuvenate and restore the body, has made it even more significant. Therefore, doctors advise including pumpkin in the diet of patients with cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, intestines, with anemia and obesity. A huge number of culinary recipes are known for cooking delicious food from this wonderful product.
Is it possible that the pumpkin in the garden grows the same as we see it in the market? Of course, if there is a plot, precious time and desire. In this case, some points must be taken into account.
When to plant a pumpkin
It is knowledge of all the nuances of growing vegetables that can provide a good harvest. In the spring, as soon as the earth warms up a little, the frost will end, the air temperature will be about +18 degrees, there comes a time when it is already possible to plant a pumpkin. After all, you should definitely consider that it is a heat-loving plant. And if you lower the seeds into the cold earth (when it is still impossible to plant a pumpkin), all your efforts will remain in vain. At first, when the nights are still cold, you even need to cover the area where you made the landing with film.
Harvesting seeds and varieties
A good gardener attaches great importance to the selection of seeds, and sometimes he himself makes the procurement of them. Selected ripe pumpkin should be stored in a cool, dry place. After using this fruit, the seeds must be cleaned from the pulp, dried and selected only the most dense, ripe and healthy. If future seedlings will be stored in a damp place, they may not come up at all. Or instead of a big berry, only a flower will appear on your bed. There are more than 30 varieties of pumpkins . Large fruits with hard bark: Almond, Freckle, Gymnosperma, Mozoleevskaya 49. They ripen early and are stored for a long time. Fetal: Baby, Winter Sweet, Winter Dining, Smile. These pumpkins are good for winter storage. Portioned Pumpkins: Butter Cake, Winter Sweet, Amazon, Orange Bush. Weighing up to 5 kg. Ripen early, sweet.
Usually gardeners take varieties that have taken root in the region.
Where to plant
When to plant a pumpkin, we know. Now we need to choose a landing place so that the lady who came from the Southern countries likes this, because she is a lover of the sun, water, air and freedom. Putting it in the shade means giving up the crop. Plant a pumpkin on loose, well-warmed ground. It’s great if this land is mixed with compost (vegetable waste with manure). It retains moisture and heat. Compost is easy to make. In autumn, you need to collect all the fallen leaves, branches from trees, dry grass, manure into a pit. In the rain and snow this good preet. In the spring, loose earth is added to it, mixed, all this is distributed among the beds. Better yet, plant pumpkin seeds or seedlings directly in this pit with ready-made fertilizer.
Seedlings need to be planted in pots or plastic boxes. When seedlings appear, after 20 days you can plant on the beds. Distribute at intervals of 80 cm. When planting, do not damage the seedlings, otherwise it will hurt, be naughty, and may even die.
Pumpkin care and top dressing
The branches and leaves of the pumpkin are strong, juicy and tenacious, quickly grow to a meter and a half wide. Pollination of flowers - the end of July or the beginning of August. One plant can have one or two fruits. The extra ovary must be removed. The pumpkin is considered ripened when the stalk is completely dry.
A good, ripe fruit (see pumpkin photo) can be stored in a cool, dry place until spring. Once a week, the beds where seeds or seedlings were planted should be fed with manure infusion, sometimes sprinkled with ash. If the seeds are planted on compost fertilizer, then top dressing is not needed. It is enough to water just with water.
It remains to wish all summer residents success and a good harvest!