Not every gardener knows about all the existing varieties of pumpkin. In our article we will get acquainted with the most popular of them, learn how to identify individual varieties from the photo and the attached description.
There are a huge variety of pumpkin varieties in the world selection, and some vegetables are used as animal feed, while other fruits are used in cooking.
Varieties
In nature, there are three main varieties of pumpkins, which differ from each other not only in appearance, but also in other characteristics.
Die-hard
The crops in question are loved by domestic gardeners for their quick fruit ripening times. If the nutmeg and large-fruited varieties are harvested in the fall, then the described plants produce fruits already in mid-summer.
Note: The main value of the crops under consideration is the excellent taste of the pulp and selected seeds. A distinctive feature of many varieties of hard-boiled pumpkins is their grooved stalk and hairy stem.
One of the most popular types of hard-barked pumpkins is the Gymnosperm. The seeds of this vegetable are practically devoid of shell, so they are used to make various sweets, including halva.
The pulp of such fruits has a reduced amount of natural sugars compared to other varieties, but despite this, it is considered quite tasty. The fruits of the gymnosperm are small, so the crop produces low yields.
Among other disadvantages of the described plant, attention should be paid to the possibility of rotting of the seeds when planted in open ground. In this regard, the crop in question is grown using seedlings.
Gymnospermous pumpkins are classified as mid-season varieties. Their fruits have dark green skin with a specific mesh (speckled). The vegetable has a long shelf life; its weight can range from 2 to 7 kilograms.
Spaghetti
This variety differs from its analogues in its special pulp, which in appearance resembles vermicelli. According to experts, the first harvest of the described crop can be harvested within 2.5 months after germination.
The plants have well-developed vines, oval fruits with hard creamy yellow skin. The pulp is beige with a characteristic vanilla aroma. The fruits are small, their weight rarely reaches 1 kilogram.
Gribovskaya bush
An early ripening variety with a growing season of about 3 months. The plant is quite powerful, bush type. The fruits are large with yellow-orange skin, average weight is about 5 kilograms.
These crops grow compactly and produce good yields. The pulp of the vegetable has an excellent taste; therefore, the bush mushroom is classified as a table variety.
Large-fruited
These varieties include large pumpkins with sweet flesh and light-colored seeds. The fruits are quite voluminous, so they are often stored outside, because most gardeners have cellars or basements designed for other vegetables.
Titanium
According to experts, the fruits of this crop can reach a weight of 180 kilograms, although the record-breaking pumpkins weighed 500 kilograms.
Titan is considered a mid-season variety, since its growing season is within 120 days. The plant has long vines, round fruits with orange skin. The pulp is yellow, of medium thickness, of acceptable taste.
Russian
This vegetable is very popular among domestic gardeners. The Russian plant is undemanding in care, produces good yields, is distinguished by high shelf life and excellent taste.
The first harvest of this pumpkin can be harvested 3 months after germination. The average weight of the fruit is 3 kilograms, the pulp has a sweetish taste with a characteristic melon aroma.
hundred pound
Quite an old, but still popular variety of large-fruited pumpkins. This plant is considered mid-season, since its growing season is within 120 days. The crop has powerful, fairly long stems, oval or round fruits, weighing from 7 to 25 kilograms.
The pulp is loose, characteristic yellow in color, and has a low sugar content. The fruits of the hundred-pound pumpkin are used as animal feed. The main advantage of the described culture is considered to be good immunity to major diseases.
Muscat varieties
In our country, nutmeg varieties are grown from seedlings. These plants are distinguished by a pentagonal stalk. The seeds of such crops are brown or yellow.
It is important to know: the fruits of this type of pumpkin are considered the healthiest and tastiest, but to obtain good harvests of this crop, warmth is necessary.
golden pear
This new and very promising variety has sweet, dense pulp, which has a nutty flavor that is unusual for other pumpkins. The fruits are drop-shaped, have orange skin, and their weight rarely exceeds 2 kilograms.
The golden pear ripens early, its growing season is about 3 months. The culture differs from its analogues in its high resistance to diseases and pests, and good preservation of fruits.
Vitamin
This is a late variety of nutmeg pumpkin with a growing season of 135-140 days. The pumpkins of this variety are cylindrical, less often oval, with well-defined ribbing. Ripe fruits have a brown surface with a barely noticeable pink tint and a characteristic network made of green spots.
The pulp is orange and crunchy. It contains a huge amount of beta carotene. The fruits are well stored in the basement or cellar, their weight ranges from 3 to 5 kilograms.
Hylea
Such pumpkins are classified as mid-season, since their growing season ranges from 100 to 110 days.
The vegetables in question have a cylindrical or spherical shape, their brown or orange surface is covered with a coating. The pulp is orange, juicy and sweet. The fruits can be stored in the basement for up to 1 year, their weight reaches 8 kilograms.
Many domestic gardeners grow pumpkin from seedlings. In this case, sowing seeds in separate containers must be carried out in mid-April or early May. To accelerate growth, pots with seedlings are placed on a well-lit windowsill.
Pumpkin seedlings are grown in a temperature range from 25 to 27 degrees, and each seed is sown in a pot with a minimum diameter of 14 centimeters. The selected container is filled halfway with the nutrient substrate.
Approximately 10 days from the moment of germination, when the height of the seedling reaches a decent size, soil is added to the container. A special feature of the operations carried out is bending the stem into a ring and sprinkling the plant with soil up to the cotyledon leaves. This technique makes it possible to obtain a well-developed root system of the plant.
Gardener's advice: Pumpkin feeding at the seedling stage is carried out no more than twice during the entire growing period.
The seedlings are moved into open ground after the appearance of 3 true leaves; this usually occurs in seedlings that are 25 days old. The transplant is done in stable warm weather no earlier than the end of May. About two weeks before this, the seedlings need to be hardened by reducing daytime temperatures to 16 degrees, night temperatures to +13 degrees.
The best predecessors of pumpkin are cabbage, potatoes and tomatoes, as well as all members of the legume family. To plant these crops, it is advisable to choose a dry area on a hill where heat will accumulate. Some gardeners place plants on a compost heap for additional warming. In this case, a small amount of superphosphate and wood ash are added to the planting hole.
When growing seedlings in peat pots, they are moved into open ground along with the container. If ordinary plastic flowerpots were used to obtain seedlings, the plant must be carefully turned upside down and the earthen ball removed.
After this, the culture is moved into the planting hole and watered with warm water (about 2 liters of liquid for each hole). Seedlings are planted in such a way that there is at least one meter between seedlings within one row, and the row spacing is 2 meters.
For the first time after planting in a permanent place, the plants are covered with cut plastic bottles or paper caps. Further care of crops comes down to loosening the rows, removing weeds, periodic watering and fertilizing.
As we have seen, the process of growing pumpkins is not particularly difficult. First you need to choose a suitable variety, after which you can begin the main work.
Watch an interesting video about delicious varieties of pumpkin:
There is a wide variety of pumpkin varieties for open ground, a description of which will be presented below. Due to its large size and golden color, the pumpkin is considered the queen of the fields. It is cultivated by many vegetable growers. The vegetable is rich in vitamins and minerals, the taste is preserved during cooking, stewing, and baking.
There are three main varieties of pumpkin:
- hard-barked;
- large-fruited;
- nutmeg.
In the vegetable crop, pumpkin varieties in each variety are bushy or climbing, portioned or with large fruits, sweet and semi-sweet, with a large and small content of seeds. In addition, there are fodder, table and decorative groups of vegetable crops.
Any type of pumpkin is suitable for growing in open ground. When choosing, take into account the purpose of the future harvest, the size of the land plot, and climatic features.
The common pumpkin is an annual herbaceous plant, with a thin, creeping stem up to 8 meters in length. Along the entire length of the cylindrical or faceted stem, many branches are formed - tendrils. The leaves are large and waxy green. The shape of the leaves can be round-triangular, pentagonal, kidney-shaped. The surface of the leaves is hard and fluffy to the touch.
The plant blooms from June to autumn. Pumpkin flowers are bell-shaped, light yellow or orange in color with a pleasant aroma. The fruits are formed in different shapes and may differ in color. The pulp is yellow or orange, juicy and sweet.
butternut squash
The fruits of the nutmeg vegetable are rounded and flattened, with a pronounced expansion at the base, the stalk is pentagonal. Varieties of the nutmeg group differ in taste, aroma and benefits of the pulp. All types of pumpkin are heat-loving and late-ripening. Therefore, it needs to be grown through seedlings.
Seeds of brown or gray-yellow color are sown in late April. In the first half of June, young shoots are transplanted into open ground. If the fruits have not ripened over the summer, then after picking they can be left to ripen in a warm place.
Spanish guitar
A mid-season variety of pumpkin, Spanish guitar, is characterized by an oblong shape up to 75 cm, orange flesh and high taste. Ripening begins after 112 days.
The peel is thin, bright orange, and the surface is smooth. The length of the plant stems is 4 meters. It also differs from other pumpkin crops in that the mass of the pulp makes up 95% of the total mass of the fruit. With proper care, the weight of the vegetable reaches 8 kg.
Tsukatnaya
A popular variety of butternut squash is the Candied Squash. Belongs to the mid-late group of plants. Full maturity occurs after 140 days. The fruits are formed wide, flattened in shape. The color changes from green to light brown as it ripens. The pulp is juicy, orange in color with a high content of carotene and sugars. The weight of one vegetable is 5 kg.
Vitamin
The most popular variety of pumpkin is Vitaminnaya. It is characterized by high yield, good shelf life and transportability. The pulp is very sweet with a pleasant nutmeg aroma.
The vegetable crop is late-ripening; full ripening of pumpkins occurs after 130 days. It is recommended to grow in seedlings in regions with warm climates.
Weave plants of medium length. The Vitaminnaya pumpkin fruit has an elongated shape, weighing about 6.5 kg. The peel is thin, yellow-orange in color, with slight ribbing near the stalk. The pulp is dense and tender, bright orange in color.
Marble
The Marble pumpkin variety is a plant with late fruit ripening (130 days). The fruits are large and flattened. The peel is wrinkled, gray-green, with light gray patches. The weight of the vegetable reaches 10 kg. The interior is orange.
The harvested crop has good shelf life, does not crack and retains its juiciness and sweetness for a long time. The variety is rarely affected by diseases, especially white rot.
Muscat de Provence
French breeders have developed a high-yielding variety, Muscat de Provence. Belongs to the mid-season group of plants; fruit ripening occurs after 110 days. Unlike other types and varieties of pumpkin, this plant has a powerful stem and is highly resistant to diseases. Vegetables have a flat-round shape with pronounced edges.
Thick skin of pale yellow color. The bright orange pulp is tasty, juicy, crispy, and contains about 10% sugars. The weight of the fruit reaches 7 kg.
Walnut
Butternut or Nut pumpkin belongs to early ripening varieties and has a long shelf life of the harvested crop. The weight of a pear-shaped vegetable is about 1 kg. A small number of seeds are located in the expanded part of the pumpkin. The color of the dense peel is bright orange, the flesh is sweet with a nutmeg aroma.
Judging by reviews from gardeners, caring for Walnut pumpkin is not difficult. The main thing is to ensure abundant watering and regular loosening of the soil. Do not allow weeds to grow. It is necessary to carry out hilling periodically, do not forget to pinch the vines and apply fertilizer.
Varieties with large fruits
Large-fruited pumpkin varieties are considered large. The fruit pulp is sweet, some of them contain up to 15% sugar. The varieties tolerate low air temperatures well. The seeds can be cream, white or brown. The peduncle has a rounded-cylindrical shape, the stem is without grooves, and the leaves are pentagonal.
Popular types of large-fruited pumpkins for open ground: Titan, Smile, Crocus, Medicinal, Kupchikha, Azure. The description will allow you to choose the most suitable variety.
The mid-season variety Kupchikha ripens after 112 days. The plant forms long, powerful vines. The average weight of round fruits is 8 kg, but can reach 20 kg, the skin is orange-yellow. The pulp is orange, dense, juicy and sweet.
The variety is valued for its high yield, good shelf life and transportability, and disease resistance. The pulp is used to prepare porridges, soups, and juices.
Pumpkin Lantern
Pumpkin variety Lantern produces large fruits up to 7 kg after 100 days, therefore it belongs to the mid-season group of plants intended for table use. The pulp is orange, juicy and crispy. Harvested vegetables are stored for a long time, retaining all their nutritional components and juiciness.
The plant's vines are long, so pinching is required. Covering the stems with soil allows the plant to grow additional roots and receive more of the nutrition it needs to grow.
Russian porridge
Pumpkin of the Russian porridge variety for table use is characterized by mid-ripening boundaries. It takes 115 days from the emergence of seedlings to the ripening of large fruits. The stem is powerful, the leaves are elongated, up to 3–4 flat-round fruits are formed. The surface is orange with a pinkish tint and light ribbing.
The variety is resistant to diseases and stores well. The pulp is orange, juicy and soft. It is suitable for making various cereals, side dishes, purees, and juices.
Varieties of hard-bark pumpkin
In hard-skinned pumpkin varieties, the skin becomes woody and hard during ripening. All types of pumpkin that belong to this group ripen early. The harvest can be harvested at the end of August. The fruits are not too large, but the cream-colored seeds are large and have an excellent taste.
Acorn squash
Acorn squash is often called the Acorn variety because the small fruits resemble acorns in appearance. The Acorn variety is for table use, with early fruit ripening.
The pulp is light yellow, juicy, soft, with a pleasant aroma. The skin can be of different colors: dark green, orange, orange-green.
Bun
The early ripening pumpkin variety Plyushka belongs to the table group. Fruit ripening occurs on the 87th day. The lashes are short, up to 1 meter in length. Many flat-rounded fruits with small white stripes are formed on the stem, weighing about 1.5 kg.
The color of the juicy pulp is yellow, with a high content of vitamins and carotene. The abundant harvest can be stored for a long time and does not spoil.
Gymnosperm
Among the numerous varieties of hard-bark pumpkin, the gymnosperm type occupies special attention; the description indicates many positive qualities. A distinctive feature is that the seeds are not covered with a dense peel, but with a thin film. This film contains a lot of fiber.
The fruits can be round, pear-shaped or cylindrical with slight ribbing. The color may be orange, dark green or yellow. All varieties are characterized by early fruit ripening. After only 3.5 months you can harvest.
Green pumpkin
In addition to yellow and orange shades, there are also green pumpkin varieties. The most popular varieties with green skin include: Tsarevna-Frog, Vesnushka, Acorn, Harlequin, Altair.
Varieties for the Moscow region
The Moscow region is characterized by unstable weather conditions. Summer can be dry or rainy, and frost can occur in spring. Therefore, varieties must be able to withstand adverse factors well. For planting, you should choose flat areas of land that are well lit by the sun.
Among all types of pumpkin, you can choose the right variety. The main thing is to get acquainted with the characteristics. In the description, you need to pay attention to the yield, ripening time of the vegetable crop, resistance to cold and disease.
Popular varieties for the Moscow region include: Gribovskaya, Kroshka, Zolotaya Chasha, Lechebnaya, Muscatnaya, Tsukatnaya.
Chit
A proven variety in Russia is the Kroshka pumpkin with medium-early ripening. From the emergence of seedlings to technical maturity, 120 days pass. The round-flat fruits do not grow very large, weighing no more than 3 kg. The color of the dense, woody peel is light gray or even almost white. The light yellow pulp is dense, juicy with a high sugar content.
The plant exhibits good resistance to diseases, especially anthracnose. The fruits are stored well and for a long time. Care consists of loosening, weeding, pinching, regular watering and mandatory application of fertilizers.
Figolifolia
In culture, the Figolia pumpkin, or in other words, the Black-seeded pumpkin, belongs to the annual type. The stems are hard, pentagonal and can reach 20 meters in length. The leaves resemble those of figs.
The fruits have an oval-elongated shape, light green or white with dark green spots and stripes. The pulp is juicy and white. The weight of the fetus is about 4 kg. The fruits can be stored for 3 years. The seeds are an unusual black color, similar to watermelon seeds, but only twice as large.
Sweet pie
Early ripening variety Sweet pie for table use. The fruits, weighing 2–3 kg, are orange-red in color, rounded-flattened in shape with pronounced edges. The pulp is yellow, very tasty, juicy, crispy.
The harvest is consistently high in any weather conditions. The fruits are suitable for short-term storage of 3–4 months. The seeds are quite large, white-cream in color with a pronounced rim along the edge.
Melon
Melon pumpkin is very sweet, juicy and aromatic, the smell is reminiscent of a ripe melon. Full ripening of the fruit occurs after 100 days. Large pumpkins are round, slightly flattened, pink-orange in color, weight reaches 30 kg.
The description of the variety notes unpretentiousness, high frost and drought resistance, good keeping quality, and excellent taste. Excellent for growing in open ground. Melon pumpkin can be added to any dishes, as well as eaten fresh.
Pastille champagne
The original variety is Pastila Champagne. The shape of the fruit is in the form of an elongated ellipse, the peel is of medium thickness, pink in color. The juicy and sweet pulp is dense, bright orange in color, and occupies almost the entire internal space of the vegetable. The pulp emits a pleasant vanilla aroma.
Several fruits weighing 2–3 kg are formed on one stem. The harvested crop is stored well and for a long time. The fruits can be consumed fresh or processed.
Zorka
The large-fruited Zorka pumpkin is considered the most delicious, sweet vegetable crop. The pulp contains a record amount of sugar and carotene. The plant belongs to the mid-season varieties. The period from germination to fruit ripening lasts 115 days.
The plant is powerful, the vines are of medium length, the fruits are rounded and flattened, weighing up to 7 kg. The surface of the thin skin is smooth, the main color is gray-green with gray-yellow stripes and spots. The pulp is bright orange, dense and sweet.
Almond
The Almond pumpkin variety is characterized by high yield. The plant belongs to the varieties of medium ripening period, the period lasts 115 days. The lashes are powerful, long, stretching up to 8 meters. Pumpkins are round in shape and slightly flattened. The surface is smooth, slight ribbing is observed near the stalk. The weight of the fetus reaches 5 kg.
The surface of the dense bark in an immature state is distinguished by a shade of green; as it matures, it acquires a brown-orange color with stripes and spots of light brown color. The pulp is yellow-orange, juicy, dense, crispy.
Russian
One of the popular pumpkin varieties is Rossiyanka. The fruits are characterized by a bright orange color, the shape resembles a spinning top or pear. It is an early-ripening, high-yielding and cold-resistant crop. The period from germination to fruit ripening lasts 90 days. Scourges of medium length. The average weight of pumpkins is 3–4 kg with dense, juicy yellow flesh and a melon aroma.
The variety is planted as seeds directly into open ground or as seedlings in Russia and Ukraine. The variety resists cold well, but does not tolerate frost well, so you need to take this factor into account during cultivation.
Hokkaido pumpkin
Japanese Hokkaido pumpkin has early fruit ripening, the growing season lasts an average of 90 days. Pear-shaped pumpkins are small, weighing from 1 to 2.5 kg. The color of the thin peel can be bright orange, red, gray or green. The fruits are stored for a long time, the yellow-orange pulp is juicy, sweet with a pleasant nutmeg aroma.
Varieties for Siberia and the Urals
Siberia is characterized by the persistence of frosts until the beginning of summer. This factor must be taken into account when choosing the best pumpkin variety for Siberia.
To enjoy soft, juicy and sweet pumpkin, you need to choose varieties that are frost-resistant. The most suitable varieties are Ulybka, Vesnushka, and Rossiyanka.
Medical
An early-ripening, large-fruited variety is Medicinal pumpkin. Fruit ripening occurs after 100 days. Weight is 4.5 kg. Pumpkins are orange in color and flattened in shape, but the most common color is gray-green in the skin.
The pulp is orange, juicy, aromatic, with a pleasant sweetish aftertaste. The plant tolerates adverse weather conditions well, continues to develop in the cold and is slightly susceptible to pests and diseases. The harvested crop is characterized by good keeping quality and transportability.
Pearl
The mid-late pumpkin variety Zhemchuzhina is one of the productive crops. You will be able to get a mature harvest after 110 days. The shape of the fruit can be cylindrical, round, or oval. Ripe thin peel of deep orange color. The pulp is orange-yellow, thick, juicy with a nutmeg aroma.
The fruits are large, their weight reaches 8 kg, and they stretch up to 50 cm in length. A small number of seeds are located in the expanded part of the pumpkin. Positive characteristics include high yield, cold resistance and drought resistance. The harvested crop can be stored all winter.
Smile
Another healthy, tasty and nutritious pumpkin is the Smile variety. It is a high-yielding, early-ripening crop. On one stem, up to 7 round fruits of a rich orange color with light stripes ripen in 90 years.
The pumpkin bark is medium thick, the flesh is orange, very sweet, dense with a melon aroma. The weight of one pumpkin reaches 800 g. The culture does not have any special care requirements. Shows resistance to drought and cold. The harvested crop is stored all winter.
Gray Volzhskaya
The Gray Volzhskaya pumpkin belongs to mid-season and large-fruited pumpkins. Harvesting can begin after 3.5 months. The weight of mature fruits with gray skin reaches 9 kg. Vegetables are round in shape, slightly flattened at the base. The flesh is creamy yellow, medium firm and sweet.
The variety resists drought well; the abundant harvest is stored for a long time and is easy to transport.
Wax gourd or Benincasa
Wax gourd or Benincasa can be stored for a long time. Taste and presentation are preserved for 2–3 years, and can be stored indoors. The pulp and seeds are widely used in cooking and medicine.
Benincasa Wax gourd is an annual plant with a strong root system. The lashes can stretch up to 4 meters. The fruits are round or oblong in shape. The average weight of the fruit is 4–5 kg, the weight of large pumpkins is 10 kg. The unripe peel is covered with a sticky waxy coating. Ripe fruits have a smooth surface with a thick waxy layer and a white coating.
Sweet varieties
It is worth saying that it is not enough to choose the seeds of a sweet variety of pumpkin; you also need to plant and grow the crop correctly. Sugar content may decrease due to cold weather, even short-term, lack or excess of moisture, and lack of mineral fertilizers.
Varieties with sweet, juicy pulp include: Atlant, Kroshka, Lazurnaya, Vesnushka, Almond. They have sweet, aromatic pulp, which is used to make desserts (jam, preserves, pies).
A porcelain doll
An interesting pumpkin hybrid is the Porcelain Doll variety. Refers to late-ripening plants; harvesting begins after 4 months. The skin is an unusual blue shade with pronounced ribbing. The weight of each fruit reaches 10 kg.
The pulp is dark orange in color and contains about 14% sugars. The pulp is often used for baby food. The variety is characterized by high disease resistance.
Sweetie
A large-fruited pumpkin of bright orange color, for table use - Sweetie. It is a mid-season crop; mature harvesting begins after 3 months. The average weight of round fruits is 3 kg; with good care and favorable weather conditions, the weight reaches 10 kg.
The variety stores well. The lashes are of medium length, about 1.5 meters, and 6 fruits are formed on each. The pulp is orange, dense and high in vitamins and carotene. The seeds are large, cream-colored, very tasty.
Honey
Honey pumpkin surpasses all known varieties in its taste. Characterized by early ripening. The harvest can be harvested after 85 days. The bright orange bark is thin but very dense. The pulp is dense, crispy, juicy, up to 10 cm thick. The weight of one round fruit is about 5 kg, the harvest is stored for a long time.
Sweet tooth
Slasten's pumpkin is considered a high-yielding table variety. The plant has early ripening periods. Tolerates heat and drought well. The vines are of medium length, the leaves are pale green.
The fruits are round in shape, with pronounced segments, weigh 5 kg. The bark is dark green. The pulp is orange, crispy, juicy and high in sugar. The harvested crop retains its taste for a long time.
Winter sweet
Sweet Winter Pumpkin is classified as a late-ripening, high-yielding variety. From the appearance of the first shoots to ripening, 130 days pass. The crop is medium-climbing, round-flat in shape, with pronounced segments, weighing up to 10 kg. The skin is dark gray with light gray patches.
The pulp of the fruit is orange, juicy, dense with a pleasant aroma and high sugar content. The variety is valued for its taste, good shelf life, transportability and high resistance to diseases.
Children's delicatessen
The hybrid pumpkin Children's Delicatessen is a mid-season variety. Fruit ripening after sowing seeds occurs after 4 months. Each vine produces many fruits, weighing 3 kg. The shape of the vegetable is flattened, the color of the dense bark is bright orange. The pulp is thick, juicy, sweet, light yellow in color.
Hybrid varieties
Among the pumpkin varieties, hybrid varieties are valued for their taste and quality. In addition, plants are characterized by increased resistance to adverse weather conditions and errors in care. Names of popular pumpkin hybrids: Kashtanka F1, Lyubimitsa F1, Orange honey F1.
Hybrid Kashtanka is used for table purposes and belongs to the mid-season crops. Harvesting begins after 115 days. The plant has long vines with numerous portioned fruits. The shape of the fruit weighing 2 kg is flat-round, with slight ribbing. The skin is light green with light gray stripes.
The taste qualities of the Kashtanka hybrid are high; vegetable growers obtain consistently high yields even if agrotechnical requirements and bad weather conditions are not met; the harvest is suitable for long-term storage.
The Lyubimitsa hybrid is considered mid-season. The growing season lasts 120 days. Table vegetable. The plant produces long vines with numerous portioned pumpkins. The fruits weighing 2.5 kg are flat-round, the skin is dark green with light green stripes.
The pulp of the fruit is bright yellow, juicy, dense and aromatic. Suitable for dietary and baby food. The harvested crop is suitable for long-term storage.
There are more than 700 varieties and hybrids of this vegetable, but only 35 of them are sugar varieties, which are not very suitable for growing at home. More information about popular varieties of pumpkin with a high sugar content will be discussed in this article.
For the growth of sweet pumpkin varieties, good conditions are needed: a lot of mineral fertilizers, sunlight and moisture. In many cases, even those pumpkin varieties that should contain more than 10% sugar can gain about 3-4% due to the fact that they are designed for growing in southern sunny regions.
The main factors to pay attention to when choosing a variety:
- possibility of growing on a country plot;
- average yield when grown in your region;
- acclimatization.
The best pumpkins are those that grow to a small size, have an average yield, and have the same sugar content. Planting sweet pumpkin in the country is the best option for getting a rich and, most importantly, very tasty harvest. You just need to decide on the variety, because there are many of them. You also need to understand that pumpkin is also a healthy vegetable, a storehouse of useful vitamins.
Popular sweet pumpkin varieties
Here the main role is played not by weight, but by taste - this is much more important. Therefore, it is worth familiarizing yourself with the most common varieties of pumpkin with a high sugar content in Russia.
Table. The sweetest varieties of pumpkin.
| Variety name, photo | Description |
|---|---|
| This variety is a late ripening variety. Despite the fact that the plant is a bush plant, it grows quite powerful. Contains about 12% sugar. The pumpkin pulp is loose, but very sweet and yellow in color. The ripening of the vegetable occurs 155 days from the moment of planting. With the additional use of liquid fertilizers, the weight of the pumpkin can reach 5 kg. The yield is quite high - from 20 kg per square meter. m. This result is due to good stem growth and high planting density. |
| A widely known pumpkin variety, high-yielding and early ripening. The fruits of the plant are light gray in color, sometimes they have a green tint. Pumpkin differs from its relatives in its slightly flattened shape and egg-yellow dense flesh, which has a juicy and very sweet taste. The variety stores well and also has high immunity to various fungal diseases and white rot. |
| The variety is resistant to adverse weather conditions and is also unpretentious in terms of storage. You can store the fruits all winter in the basement and they will not rot. The sugar content in pumpkin is 6-7%. It has a unique and unusual taste: the flesh is very soft, so it boils quite quickly, and the crust itself is crispy. The fruits of this variety are small, their weight ranges from 3-5 kg and very rarely exceeds these figures. Only occasionally, when all the rules for caring for a pumpkin have been followed, can the fruits grow up to 15 kg, but this is rare. |
| A high-yielding variety, the ripening time of which is 125-130 days. The optimal period for growing seedlings is the first half of April. The weight of a pumpkin can reach 35 kg. It has soft and sweet flesh, colored light orange. The skin of the pumpkin has a slightly different shade - orange-pink. |
| Based on the name, it is easy to guess that this variety is distinguished by large fruits, the weight of which can reach 50 kg. Despite the huge size of the fruit, the taste still remains sweet and juicy. The rind of the vegetable is smooth, but slightly segmented. The variety is late-ripening, so at least 110 days pass from the appearance of the first shoots to ripeness. During development, the plant forms many lashes, the main one of which reaches very large sizes. |
| A mid-late plant with a good taste. Pumpkin keeps well. At least 120 days pass from the appearance of the first shoots to full ripening. The lashes are long, and the fruit has a smooth, flat-round shape. It is colored light gray and has a medium bark. At the same time, the pumpkin has sweet and juicy pulp, colored orange. As a rule, the fruits of this variety do not grow to large sizes - from 2 to 3 kg, although in rare cases they can grow up to 8 kg. |
| Perhaps one of the brightest varieties of pumpkin, belonging to the group of early ripening ones. Approximately 110 days pass from the emergence of seedlings to full ripening. This variety has gained popularity due to its crispy crust and good taste. The pulp contains 7-8% sugar, and the weight of the fruit can reach 30 kg. The plant tolerates light frosts well and is also resistant to various diseases. |
The list of sugar-containing pumpkin varieties can be continued for a long time, because there are many of them, but there is not a wide variety of varieties in the State Register. Perhaps pumpkin cannot reach its potential in Russia due to the fact that gardeners have not yet been able to enjoy the sweet taste of world rarities and taste culinary masterpieces made from sweet varieties of vegetables.
Growing pumpkin from seeds
The best way to grow pumpkin is by sowing seeds. You just need to prepare it first. As with planting any plant, the planting process begins with choosing seed material and preparing the soil. Only after this can you proceed directly to sowing the seeds of sugar pumpkin varieties. Let's consider each of these stages of preparation separately.
Soil preparation
To fertilize the soil, you can use regular humus or prepare a special mixture by mixing 10 kg of humus, 3 kg of sawdust, 500 g of wood ash and 200 g of nitrophoska. Fertilizers need to be applied in the following quantities: per 1 sq. m. - 20 kg of fertilizers. Before sowing, it is also necessary to dig the bed deeply (at least 40 cm). The recommended width of the bed for growing pumpkins is 50-60 cm.
Seed preparation
The optimal way to prepare seed material is to germinate the seeds. The process lasts until the seeds hatch. Immerse the pumpkin seeds in water (temperature not lower than +40 degrees) for about 3 hours. You can heat the water to the required temperature by placing the container with the seeds on the stove. Alternatively, you can place the seeds in a slow cooker and set it to Yogurt.
After the seeds have swelled, carefully wrap them in wet cotton cloth and place them in a warm room until gluing, periodically checking the cloth and moistening if necessary. After pecking, place the pumpkin seeds in the bottom section of the refrigerator for 3-4 days. This helps to increase the cold resistance of seeds before sowing.
Step-by-step sowing instructions
Step 1. After adding fertilizer to the soil, moisten it a little. To do this, use a garden watering can. It is advisable to water with warm water, because there is no point in waiting for warm days to plant pumpkins.
Step 2. Pumpkin seeds must be prepared in advance. This will speed up the plant growth process. Plant 4 seeds in each hole, deepening 3 cm.
Step 3. Cover the planted seeds with loose soil using a shovel or sap.
Crops are covered with soil
Step 4. Mulch the holes with the planted seed. Humus may be suitable for this purpose - it, in combination with the warm water that was previously watered on the soil, will provide the necessary heat.
Step 5. Cover the wells with plastic or glass to protect them from weather conditions. If there are no serious frosts, the glass can be removed when the first shoots appear.
Aftercare
Special and careful care is not for pumpkin, because it is not picky in this regard. But still, there are certain recommendations that you need to follow if you want to get a rich harvest.
Watering
Proper regulation of plant watering is the main component of care. The fact is that the pumpkin, like a powerful pump, constantly pumps out all the water from the soil, after which it evaporates through the leaves. Consequently, the stems and roots of the plant do not receive enough moisture, which is why it is necessary to regularly replenish its level in the soil.
Important! During the period of fruit formation and mass flowering, pumpkins need to be watered especially abundantly. Always use warm water (from +22 C), for this you can heat it in the sun. On hot days, watering your pumpkin with cold water can cause the plant to die.
After watering, the soil must be loosened around the base of the stem. As the pumpkin develops, you need to periodically get rid of weeds by weeding them. This will protect the plant and speed up its growth.
Top dressing
To get large fruits, you need to feed the pumpkin often. After the fifth leaf appears, perform the first feeding. Carry out the second after the formation of lashes, then repeat this procedure twice a month. For fertilizing, use nitrophoska - first use 10 g of fertilizer for each plant, but gradually increase the dose by 5 g. Not only the solution, but also dry granules are excellent for fertilizing.
On a note! At the beginning of the fruiting period, the fertilizer used should be mixed with a glass of wood ash. In addition, you can use mullein solution to feed pumpkin during the growing season.
Pests and diseases
During the growth process, all garden plants can be exposed to various diseases, so they need to be protected from this. If we talk about the most common diseases, then these are, of course, powdery mildew and olive spot. In the first case, small spots form on the stem and lower part of the leaves, which leads to yellowing of the affected areas and gradual death. If no measures are taken, the disease can spread to pumpkin fruits.
Important! When olive spot develops, small brown spots appear on the leaves of the plant, and sores appear on the stems. Over time, the fruits become covered with oily spots, which later develop into ulcers. As a result, the pumpkin does not lose its taste, but its ovaries die.
Video - Planting pumpkins in open ground
Pumpkin- a plant that has been known to mankind for more than 5,000 years. All forms of pumpkin are divided into Asian and American, the latter were brought from Central America by Columbus and Cortez. Pumpkin gained the greatest popularity because of its fruits, which in cool rooms could be stored for more than five months. Pumpkin seeds have proven useful in human treatment and nutrition. All this made it possible to develop various varieties of pumpkin in different soil and climatic conditions. The largest fruits can weigh several centners, and crumbs, decorative pumpkins, weigh no more than half a kilogram. The fruit pulp contains carotene and microelements, is ideally digestible and does not cause allergies. Pumpkin is good for feeding children from 7 months to 12 years. A large amount of pectin cleanses the body well of heavy metal salts and toxic compounds. Therefore, steamed pumpkin should be given to patients and people after surgery. Seed oil has a good cosmetic effect on the skin of the hands and face.
Early varieties of pumpkin: description of varieties
Early varieties pumpkins ripen after 80-96 days of growing season. They have fruits of small and medium size, cold-resistant.
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Amazon– bush variety of hard-bark pumpkin. Ripening occurs on the 89th day from sowing to the finished harvest. The fruits are round, bright orange with white dots, small portion size. Weight from 500 grams to 3 kilograms. Ideal for juices and baby food. |
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 Medical- This is an early ripening pumpkin, resistant to cold weather and ripening in 95 - 110 days. The length of the whip is no more than three meters. The weight of pumpkins is from 2.5 to 5.5 kg. The shape of the fruit is rounded and flattened, with a gray-green skin. The pulp is medium thick, sweetish, bright orange in color. Under normal conditions, undamaged fruits can be stored for 6-9 months. The variety is resistant to pests and diseases. Due to the increased content of vitamins, it can be used not only in cooking and baby food, but also in cosmetology and traditional medicine.
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Mid-season pumpkin varieties: description of varieties
Mid-season varieties pumpkins ripen after three months. The lashes are of medium length and short. Keeping quality from 2 months to six months. The pulp is suitable for processing and fresh consumption.
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Hylea– This is a mid-season variety of nutmeg pumpkin. It takes 90-110 days from sowing to ripening. The fruits are elongated oval, dark green at first, creamy pink when fully ripe, weighing 6-9 kg. The variety is resistant to many diseases and tolerates heat and drought in the air. The pulp is thick, tasty and bright in color. Suitable for baby food. Can be stored up to 6 months. |
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 Almond
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This is a mid-season variety; it takes 110 days to ripen. The shape of the fruit is rounded and elongated. Medium-braided. The variety is resistant to diseases. The fruits weigh from 2 to 5 kg and have one of the juiciest and most delicious pulps among nutmeg pumpkins. Stores well for more than 9 months.
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Late pumpkin varieties: description of varieties
Late ripening varieties long-term, large-fruited. They have large bushes and require 120 to 145 days to fully mature. They are well stored and processed into juice and puree.
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hundred pound – one of the most popular mid-late varieties. The harvest can be harvested four months after germination. The plant produces long vines, grows powerfully and does not like crowding. The fruits are large, weighing up to 45 kilograms, oval. The color of the peel can vary from yellow to orange. The pulp is loose and tasty. Can be stored up to 6 months. |
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 Winter sweet– a late-ripening variety, it takes 4 months to ripen. Scourge up to three meters long. The fruit is flat-round, has segments, fruit weight is from 5 to 13 kg. The peel is dark with light spots of various shapes. The pulp is aromatic and sweet in taste. The variety is well stored. Used in baby and medical nutrition, there are many seeds. Resistant to root rot and ovary rotting.
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Kavbuz – 
Titanium
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In order to grow a giant pumpkin fruit, several conditions must be met.
First of all, choose the desired variety, in which the formation of large fruits is determined by genetics. They mainly belong to the pumpkin species (Cucurbita maxima).
In the last century, the largest pumpkins in our country grew varieties Stofuntovaya (8-12 kg). Today she is being overtaken Big Max (up to 18 kg), Mother-in-law (15-20 kg), Kupchikha (35-55 kg), Big Max and Titan (up to 50 kg), Atlant (60-70 kg). Leader in fruit size – Tsentner variety, which, with intensive care and favorable conditions, produces orange segmented oval fruits weighing up to 100 kg.
By the way, the world record was set by Swiss farmer Benny Mayer, who grew a pumpkin weighing 1053.6 kg in 2014.
More representative fruits are produced varieties of the species Cucurbita maxima, located in Peru, Bolivia, the southern states of the USA and India.
That is, to form large fruits, pumpkin requires heat and plenty of moisture. In addition, pumpkin loves loose, fertile soil - its roots are weak and grow wider rather than deeper. To feed the plant, they must easily and quickly occupy a wide area.
Therefore, pumpkins grow best in a garden bed generously filled with manure or on a compost heap.
The listed varieties are medium and medium late (120-130 days). Therefore, even in the south of the country they do not have time to fully realize their potential before the cold weather.
The solution is to prepare the seedlings on the windowsill in individual cups, or at the beginning of April, sow a pumpkin in a greenhouse (greenhouse) under additional cover, and with the arrival of stable heat, release its stems outside.
This way, by the way, it’s easier to water and feed the plant: pumpkin doesn’t like its leaves being pulled. This must be done regularly - at least once a week, alternating clean water with infusions of manure, herbs, ash and solutions of complex fertilizers.
The listed varieties of large-fruited pumpkin form long vines. They need to be evenly distributed so that parts of the plant do not shade each other.
To improve the nutrition of the vines, the nodes of the internodes (with an interval of 1-1.5 m) are sprinkled with compost or steamed sawdust - adventitious roots grow under them. If you want to grow a very large fruit, only one ovary is left on the plant. The rest are deleted.
Giant fruits are good for making juice (up to 40 l) and candied fruits (up to 25 kg from a pumpkin that has gained 80 kg).
But they are inconvenient to use in cooking, and finding storage space is problematic. In addition, too large fruits do not differ in taste, as they are poor in sugars and vitamins. And if you need pumpkins for food, and not for participating in the Hampshire Swim, the Pumpkin Growers Championship or making a carriage for Cinderella, grow pumpkins with fruit weighing up to 5 kg.
Record-breaking pumpkins: 10 secrets from Bulgaria
Vegetables that are huge in size usually raise suspicions that they are genetically modified or overfed with nitrates. But this is always the case - says the famous Bulgarian gardener and seed grower Hristo HRISTOV, who has been growing Gigamp pumpkins for many years.
He raised the first giants in 2005 - 235 kg each. But don’t think that everything is thanks to the Bulgarian climate. It is precisely in Russia and the central zone that the climate is more favorable for growing giant pumpkins. They don’t like it when the temperature stays high for a long time: optimally - no more than +30 degrees, but in our summer it’s usually above +33 degrees.
By the way, the largest pumpkins (up to 500 kg and heavier!) are produced in southern Canada, northern Europe and the USA.
And although the summer of 2007 was hot in Bulgaria (it reached +39.3 degrees!), I watered the pumpkins well and set a country record - the largest weighed 270 kg!
To get giant pumpkins, you need a large, sunny area - no partial shade or crowding! Only for the fetus I provide a place of 1-1.5 sq.m. In total, a plant needs 20-30 sq.m.
- I grow pumpkins from seedlings. I plant it in the garden bed with the first true leaf. A month before planting, I fill holes 40 cm deep with the extracted top layer of soil mixed 1:1 with half-rotted manure or compost.
- Typically the stem grows in the opposite direction to the first leaf. Knowing this, I plant the seedlings so that the stem is oriented in the direction I need (where there is room).
- I cover the nodes on the stems with moist soil for the growth of additional roots. I pollinate pumpkins by hand, rubbing female flowers with two or three male flowers of the same variety. The most suitable time for pollinating flowers is from June 15 to July 15.
- After pollination, I measure the small fruits daily to determine which one grows faster. I remove all other ovaries, i.e. I leave only one on the bush.
- I definitely form the bushes according to the Christmas tree type. I leave the main stem and side vines on the plant, which I lay perpendicularly (for easier care). I remove shoots of the second order when they reach a length of 2-3 cm. I pinch off the main stem when, after the fruit, it grows 4-6 m (see Fig.
- In pumpkins, the stem usually grows at an acute angle to the stem, and the fruit can crush it. Therefore, when the pumpkin reaches the size of a football, every day at noon I move it a little (by 2-3 cm) until the stalk is at a right angle to the stem.
- Watering is important for maximum results. For the first three weeks, I rarely water the seedlings. Further (especially in the heat) - more often, and I water not only at the root, but also the entire area under the plant. The norm is 30-40 liters of water per week per 1 sq.m.
- If the soil is fertile, you can do without fertilizing. If not, the diagram is like this:
- before flowering - with a solution of mineral fertilizers in a ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium 1: 3: 1;
- after flowering - with a solution of mineral fertilizers in the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium 3: 1: 3;
- after leaving one fruit - with the same solution in a ratio of 2:1:4.
5 Secrets to Growing a Giant Pumpkin
I started growing my own garden not so long ago - about seven years ago. During this time I learned a lot and continue to experiment with pleasure. I once read about “pumpkin dad” Benny Mayer, who managed to grow the world’s largest pumpkin, weighing 1056 kg! I also decided to show off my pumpkin giant in the garden. I was pleased with the result - my orange miracle weighed 200 kg!
- Warm bed
I have been preparing the planting site since the fall. I allocated a sunny, wind-protected area measuring 6 × 6 m for the bed. In the center of the site, I dug a square depression (1.5 × 1.5 m) 25-30 cm deep. I laid humus at the bottom, mixed in half with fallen leaves and healthy plant matter. leftovers from the garden. I sprinkled it with earth and dug it up a little. The result was a bed filled with organic matter, about 25 cm high. I watered it and left it until spring. When the snow melted, I covered it with black film.
- Sandpaper for seeds
At the end of April, the edges of pumpkin seeds of the Titan variety were carefully sawed off with sandpaper and soaked for 5 hours in a solution of potassium humate (according to the instructions). I placed damp moss at the bottom of the bowl, placed seeds on it, covered it with a thin layer of the same moss and placed it in a warm, bright place for germination. Periodically sprayed with warm water. I placed a strip of film on the bottom of seedling pots with a diameter of 12-15 cm, and brought the edges out.
I filled the containers with garden soil and watered them generously with warm water. I sowed the sprouted seeds to a depth of 2.5 cm. When the sprouts appeared, I fed the seedlings for the first time with complex mineral fertilizer according to the instructions, and the second time I fed the plants in the same way a couple of days before planting. In the second half of May, when the earth had warmed up well and the threat of return frosts had passed, I watered the seedlings abundantly.
I dug holes along the depth of the seedling containers and watered them with a solution of complex mineral fertilizer (according to the instructions). The seedlings, along with the soil lump, were carefully pulled out over the edges of the film. In the prepared warm bed I planted only one plant - the strongest plant. The rest were planted in another area.
- Mandatory haircut
Caring for a giant pumpkin is no more difficult than caring for any other representatives of the pumpkin family. The main thing is to feed it on time, protect it from diseases and pests, and what is even more important is to form the lashes correctly.
I released the main vine of the record pumpkin to 7.5 m (3 m after the fruit formed). After that, I cut off the top and buried it with earth. The bush itself was formed in the form of a triangle, the base of which was the root of the plant.
The first secondary lashes were released at 3-3.5 meters. Each subsequent lash was made shorter than the previous one by 1-1.5 m.
All third lashes growing from the axils of the secondary lashes were immediately cut off.
When 3 fruits were formed on the main vine, all other ovaries were immediately removed.
And when the pumpkins reached the size of a football, I left one, the smoothest and fastest growing one. The rest he cut off.
- Tanning under an umbrella
Throughout the summer, the growing fruit was protected from direct sunlight. The fact is that under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the peel of the fruit quickly hardens, becomes less elastic and does not allow the pumpkin to grow further. At first I used spunbond on the arms as a cover. And when my experimental pumpkin grew a lot, I had to install a beach umbrella.