Growing pumpkins (step-by-step agricultural techniques). Growing pumpkins in several ways Pumpkins in bags

For many millennia, pumpkin has served humans as a culinary product, a medicine for many diseases, and also helps improve appearance and well-being.

America is considered to be the birthplace of pumpkins. It was here that orange fruits began to be grown five thousand years ago. Pumpkin was very popular among the Indians because it did not require complicated care, had good taste, gave a stable harvest and could feed a large number of people.

Christopher Columbus not only discovered America for Europeans, but also introduced them to its many gifts of nature. Among other vegetables, fruits and spices, the great navigator brought with him a large orange berry (in botany, the fruits of the plant are considered a berry).

Pumpkin appeared in Russia later, around the 16th century. Some scientists believe that the “Queen of Autumn” came here thanks to Persian traders. Others argue that Russian merchants, who at that time were actively trading with Western countries, first introduced Russians to this culture.

Only in the 18th century did the pumpkin become widespread, when its large fruits turned yellow en masse on the lands of the Russian landowner class.

Pumpkin: healing properties

Pumpkin contains a huge amount of useful substances that have a beneficial effect on the human body. Pumpkin berries are rich in vitamins and microelements, which make them one of the most valuable fruits.

What kind of diseases are beyond the power of this priceless gift of nature? It is also useful for people suffering from diseases of the liver, stomach, cardiovascular and nervous system. It has a positive effect on human vision thanks to carotene and vitamin A, which are included in large quantities in its composition. Vitamin E eliminates wrinkles and hair loss. Fiber improves digestion and also effectively fights excess weight. Iron makes pumpkin an excellent means of preventing anemia.

Growing pumpkins: difficult or easy?

Experienced gardeners claim that growing pumpkins does not pose any particular difficulties. However, some features should still be taken into account when choosing this crop for planting.

Choosing the right seeds is the key to success

Before growing pumpkin in open ground, as well as in seedlings, you should select suitable varieties and high-quality seed material. You can read about the varieties of pumpkin. If the seeds were not prepared in the fall, they can be purchased in specialized stores. Having opened a pack of seeds, it is already visually easy to determine their quality. Good pumpkin seeds can be seen from afar: a “convex belly”, a beautiful, intact crust without signs of dryness, fungal diseases or frostbite.

Testing pumpkin seeds for germination

Before planting, it is advisable to check the seeds for germination. To do this, you need to put several seeds in moistened gauze or cloth and place them in a warm place. If the pumpkin seeds for planting have mostly “hatched”, then they are suitable for planting; if not, you need to purchase new ones.

Testing pumpkin seeds for germination

Prevention of fungal diseases of pumpkin

In addition, pumpkin seeds are subjected to another procedure - soaking in a manganese solution. The purpose of this manipulation is to protect the plant from fungal diseases. By dissolving 1 gram of potassium permanganate in 100 milliliters of water and leaving the seeds in it for 30 minutes, you can rid the pumpkin of many unpleasant garden diseases.

Processing pumpkin seeds

Preparing pumpkin seeds for planting

Before planting a pumpkin, its seeds should be germinated. As when testing for germination, the seeds are left for 1-2 days in a warm place, wrapped in soaked gauze or a cloth. Sometimes summer residents use a different method of germinating planting material. Pumpkin seeds are heated in an oven at 40°C for about nine hours, and then they are also “wrapped” in a cloth soaked in a water-ash solution. After a couple of days, the tails of the embryos should appear.

Ways to grow pumpkin

Beginning farmers often wonder how to plant pumpkins, for example, in bags, in order to get a good harvest. As a rule, pumpkin planting is carried out using two methods: seedlings or planting seeds directly in open ground.

Seedling method of growing pumpkin

The seedling method of growing pumpkin answers the question: how to grow pumpkin in temperate climates and northern latitudes. Thanks to this technology, the pumpkin will have time to grow and produce a harvest even in the most unfavorable climatic conditions.

Pumpkin seedlings

Optimal timing for planting pumpkin seeds for seedlings

The first thing you need to decide is when to plant pumpkin seedlings, since a successful harvest largely depends on the timing of planting. Each person chooses his own method of determining the appropriate time for planting seeds. Some rely on calendars that take into account the phases of the moon, others empirically determine the best time to grow seedlings, others grow and care for pumpkins based on agricultural scientific works.

Basically, in central Russia, pumpkin seeds for seedlings begin to be planted in April - the first days of May. The snow has not yet melted from their plots, but summer residents are already beginning to sprout pumpkin seedlings on the windowsills of their city apartments.

Rules for growing seedlings

There should not be any particular difficulties in obtaining pumpkin seedlings, but you should still adhere to some rules in order to obtain high-quality planting material by the beginning of summer.

Agricultural technology is as follows:

Planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Beginner agronomists quickly master growing pumpkin in open ground, since knowing the simple features of the “Indian berry” agricultural technology, you can grow it in the cool climate of Russia without any particular difficulties.

Features of open-air pumpkin agricultural technology

Features of watering pumpkins

Simple pumpkin growing and care in open ground in the Moscow region involves constant loosening and proper watering of the soil. At the beginning of its growth (before flowering) and in the phase of fruit formation, pumpkin needs increased watering. Moderate irrigation will be needed when the pumpkin has formed a fruit and is gaining sugar content.

Features of feeding pumpkin

Ten days after transplanting, the plants can be fertilized for the first time. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are suitable for feeding. Chicken manure and cow manure are chosen as organic fertilizers. Mullein infusion is prepared at the rate of 1 part fertilizer to 10 parts warm water. Chicken fertilizer is a little more complicated to prepare. To obtain the fertilizer, chicken manure is diluted in warm water until it becomes sour cream, left to infuse until the first bubbles appear, and then 0.5 liters of the resulting solution is added to one bucket of water.

Vaccination is a panacea for pumpkin diseases and cold

More complex “pumpkin farming techniques” are demonstrated by experienced gardeners. In some cases, they manage to demonstrate the wonders of agronomy, growing watermelons, cucumbers and melons on pumpkin rootstock.

Naturally, the question may arise: why graft other garden crops onto pumpkin? In this case, the casket opens quite simply. Some representatives of the “pumpkin family” are very picky about temperature conditions, and some are very susceptible to diseases. Pumpkin is the most unpretentious and hardy plant of the family, which is why “sissies” are grafted onto it to obtain more resistant plants.

Grafting watermelon onto pumpkin rootstock

It should be noted that grafting a watermelon onto a pumpkin is a labor-intensive process and requires certain skills. Before grafting a watermelon onto a pumpkin, you need to grow two seedlings two days apart. The pumpkin sprout should be two days younger than its watermelon relative. Seedlings of two plants are transplanted from small cups (volume 100-200 ml) into one large container (from 800 ml to 1 l). The seedlings are “relocated” immediately after the third leaf grows on the stems.

Methods of grafting a watermelon scion onto a pumpkin rootstock

There are different ways to turn a pumpkin into a watermelon: grafting by approach, reed grafting and in the central part of the plant.

In the first case, a two-millimeter layer of skin is cut off from the stems of both plants, the stems are tightly connected at the cut site, wrapped in plastic wrap and secured with a clamp.

In the second case, two-centimeter tongues are cut out on the stem: on a pumpkin - from top to bottom, on a watermelon - from bottom to top. The resulting “latch” is connected and the grafting site is also wrapped with film and a clamp.

In the third option, a point is marked on the pumpkin stem between two cotyledon leaves, a two-centimeter incision is made, into which a watermelon seedling (2.5 cm), cut with a wedge, is placed. The grafting site is wrapped in polyethylene, the tails of which are tightly tied in a knot.

In the same way, melon is grafted onto a pumpkin, which makes it possible to obtain more frost-resistant representatives of melon crops.

A fresh and juicy cucumber also cannot boast of a powerful root system that allows it to tolerate cold, nor is its resistance to disease high. Therefore, grafting a cucumber onto a pumpkin may be a solution for gardeners who dream of growing heat-loving plants in the northernmost regions in a barrel. A cucumber is grafted onto a pumpkin using the same technologies as watermelon and melon.

Pumpkin is an amazing plant; its fruits can grow to truly gigantic sizes. Both pulp and seeds are used for food: both contain a huge amount of useful substances. Pumpkin is the champion among vegetables in terms of iron content, is rich in pectin, and its healing properties are also known. It requires a large amount of fertilizer, but otherwise growing pumpkin is not difficult.

Choosing a landing site

When it comes to placing a pumpkin, you have to think carefully, since in a common area among other vegetables it will offend its neighbors, whom it will certainly drown out with its powerful lashes. Although it is often planted among potatoes, which experience almost no oppression. But since a pumpkin, like cucumbers, with the help of its tendrils is able to climb neighboring plants and low structures, gardeners with little land take advantage of this, for example, letting its lashes climb over fences.

A wide variety of supports are invented for growing pumpkins.

When there is nothing suitable for this in the garden, then directly above the holes a flooring of two or three poles or slabs is made on stakes - 1–1.5 m in height. As the vines begin to grow, they are directed onto the flooring, and separate supports are placed under the hanging fruits. In this form, the pumpkin is not an obstacle for many low-growing vegetables, at a height above which it will grow.

The next question is how to create suitable soil conditions for pumpkins. The difficulty here is not so great, since one pumpkin bush will require a hole area of no more than 1 m2. If you consider that for an average family you need to plant 3-4 bushes, then you can find a place for this anywhere and provide the pumpkin with a nutritious soil mixture on it.

What kind of soil is needed for planting pumpkins?

Pumpkin grows well on structurally fertile, light dark-colored sandy loam soils. In areas well fertilized with manure, the fruits reach enormous sizes.

The basic tillage of soil for pumpkin is no different from tillage of soil for vegetable crops: in the fall, the bed is dug up with fertilizers using a shovel, and in the spring it is leveled with a rake. The soil for this vegetable should have an acidity close to neutral, the optimal pH being 6.5. You should not plant pumpkins where any pumpkin crops (cucumbers, zucchini, squash) grew last year.

Fertilizers for pumpkin when planting

In terms of pumpkin's requirements for the content of nutrients in the soil, it is very similar to cucumbers. Pumpkin feels great on a pile of finished compost, where various waste was dumped last season, as well as in those places where manure used to lie.

You can grow pumpkins in specially prepared trenches, filled with chopped branches, green or dry grass, manure, and various household waste, which are mixed with soil and a layer of fertile soil is poured on top. The depth and width of the trench is up to half a meter.

The greatest effect is obtained with the combined use of organo-mineral fertilizers per 1 m2: for digging 4–5 kg of manure and for feeding (when 5–6 leaves appear) 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride. Nitrogen fertilizers (saltpeter, urea) can also be applied when loosening the beds in spring.

Landing dates

In central Russia, mainly large-fruited and hard-bark pumpkins are cultivated, and in the south - nutmeg. Types of pumpkin differ quite significantly from each other. In hard-barked pumpkin, the bark of mature fruits is woody, while in other types it is soft. This pumpkin is characterized by the greatest early ripening. Large-fruited pumpkin is the most cold-resistant and productive. The hard-barked pumpkin is also quite resistant to low temperatures; the most demanding of heat and also late-ripening is the nutmeg pumpkin.

Thus, it turns out that in the middle zone, without growing seedlings, you can only be guaranteed to get a harvest of hard-barked pumpkin, while nutmeg may not grow even using the seedling method. In the southern half of the country, any pumpkin can be grown, but nutmeg varieties, even in the south, are sometimes grown through seedlings.

Butternut squash is the most delicious, but also the most capricious

Pumpkin seeds germinate in soil heated to 13–14 o C, and its seedlings are very sensitive and die at 1–2 degrees below zero. The best temperature for normal growth and development of plants is 20–25 o C. If you sow it in the ground with the onset of heat, you may not wait for ripe fruits, which require from 115 to 130 summer days. Therefore, you often have to start growing pumpkin from seedlings. To do this, pumpkin seeds are sown in peat pots at the end of April. The pots must be large, at least a liter in volume.

The period for planting seedlings in the garden is approximately the same as for tomato seedlings. In the regions of central Russia this is usually the end of spring (depending on the actual weather), and in the north it can be mid-June.

When pumpkin is grown by directly sowing seeds in a garden bed, they are sown in mid-May and it is better if holes are made for this so that they can be covered with glass. It has been noticed that slugs react very early to the emergence of pumpkin seedlings by gnawing their stems. To catch slugs, pieces of boards are laid out next to the seedlings and checked every morning.

Planting pumpkins in seedlings

The best way to prepare seeds for sowing is through germination, which causes them to lose their taste and, as a result, are less damaged by pests. Before this, they are disinfected for 20–30 minutes in a dark solution of potassium permanganate.

The pots are filled with nutritious garden mixture. 2-3 seeds are sown in one pot, burying them 3-4 cm, but after germination one best plant is left, the rest are removed. Before planting, the seedlings are kept in a greenhouse, they try to give as much sunlight as possible, remembering that pumpkin seedlings are sensitive to lack of lighting and stretch out very quickly. In an apartment, seedlings are kept on a lighted windowsill, where during the day the temperature on clear days is 25–27 o C and above, and at night it does not drop below 12 o C.

For pumpkin seedlings, select the largest pots

The period for growing seedlings in a greenhouse or at home is about a month. You should not keep it longer - the roots will not have enough volume of the pot for full growth: they will fill it very tightly.

The holes for planting seedlings are prepared in a place where in the future the vines can be easily transferred to any supports. To create a better thermal and air regime, the sides of the holes are laid out from any rotting organic material or from turf, boards or slabs with an elevation of 25–30 cm above the soil. Fertilized soil in the amount of 2–3 buckets is poured inside the hole. In order to avoid moisture loss during the spring-summer period, the hole is covered with a film of any color, and its edges are sprinkled with soil.

Before planting the seedlings, a hole is cut in the film in the appropriate place. First, one or two buckets of water heated in the sun are poured into it, and then the seedlings are planted. The overgrown and elongated one is lowered into the hole deeper than usual - up to the cotyledons. The planted seedlings are covered with a piece of glass using a box made of boards. This measure is necessary to better warm the soil, reduce moisture evaporation and protect against birds.

Ready pumpkin seedlings are a completely viable plant

Watering is carried out every other day until the seedlings become stronger and begin to grow. Adult plants are watered as needed, which they themselves signal by wilting leaves.

Video: planting pumpkin seedlings in open ground

How to plant a pumpkin in open ground: seeds to help!

In the southern regions, and often in the central region, pumpkin is grown by sowing seeds in the ground, trying to do this on light, fertile soils. Sowing of seeds is often carried out on ridges. Basically, the holes are prepared in exactly the same way as in the case of seedling cultivation. Sowing seeds is very simple.

Under favorable conditions, seedlings after planting a pumpkin in open ground appear in 6–8 days. If really warm weather has already arrived, the film can be removed. But sometimes holes are cut in it for sprouts, and the film is left in place for a while so that the soil does not cool down. After a few days, the excess shoots are cut off: it is better not to pull them out, so as not to damage the roots of nearby plants.

Video: sowing pumpkin with sprouted seeds

Planting schemes

The root system of all types of pumpkins is well developed, penetrating to a depth of 1.5 m. However, it requires a lot of space: the pumpkin spreads roots not only deep into the ground, but also to the sides, and the growing lashes reach a length of several meters.

The feeding area for pumpkins is perhaps the largest among known garden dwellers. The following planting schemes are recommended: 2 x 1 m, one plant per hole, or 3 x 2 m, two plants per nest.

If there is space, you can plant pumpkins along the path, and lay out the whips in directions from it

Ways to plant pumpkins

In addition to the usual planting of pumpkins in a pre-prepared bed (on a flat surface or slightly raised), gardeners often come up with some tricks to save space in the country and make caring for plants easier.

Planting on a compost heap

Any plant residues, including those that rot slowly, are placed in compost. And if grass compost matures by the next season and can be used as fertilizer for any vegetables, then large residues like cabbage stalks, tree branches or raspberries can be processed within 2-3 years. To avoid wasting space, you can plant a pumpkin in this pile, which is not yet ready as fertilizer.

Partially rotted remains will already be a nutrient medium for the plant, and those that will continue to rot will not hinder it in any way. The pumpkin roots will quickly take up all the free space in this pile: after all, it is quite loose. Since the pumpkin leaves are large, they will shield the future compost from the rays of the sun; it will be better for it to rot rather than dry out. True, you shouldn’t hope that such a pile of pumpkins will have enough nutrients; you’ll have to add a little mineral fertilizer. To make caring for the pumpkin easier, the pile should be fenced on the sides with boards, giving it a convenient shape and height. But on top of the plant residues you need to pour a layer of soil of 10–15 centimeters.

Both the pumpkin and the compost pile mutually help each other.

Such a bed, in fact, is a greenhouse: the rotting of large fragments warms the soil, and the pumpkin itself helps this. For growing on compost, it is more convenient to use varieties with not very long vines; it is better to plant seedlings in such a bed, placing the plants no more often than 80 cm from each other. But early ripening varieties can also be planted with seeds, temporarily covering the compost heap with spunbond. Caring for pumpkins planted in compost is very easy. Firstly, you have to bend over less. Secondly, such a bed does not require loosening, and often no weeding. But the heap needs to be watered no less often than a regular garden bed, and even more often.

Planting in bags

In order to save space in the garden, you can plant pumpkins in ordinary garbage bags made of thick plastic film, but it is advisable that their capacity be at least 100 liters. After all, the bags can be placed anywhere, even on the asphalt, as long as they are not completely in the shade. In the fall, a mixture of soil and compost or even just compost is poured into bags, and in the spring one pumpkin is planted. You can do this either with seeds or seedlings, depending on the situation.

It is best to place bags of pumpkins next to the fence, so as not to have to come up with additional support: the stems will climb up, and the growing fruits can be placed in nets, which are also tied to the fence. Pumpkins in bags are easy to care for, if only because the plants are at a very convenient height. It is also easy to regulate the humidity: irrigation water will not leak through the polyethylene, and if, on the contrary, the climate of the area is too humid, then excess moisture can be released through several drainage holes.

A variety of vegetables are planted in bags, including all pumpkin crops

Using barrels

Metal barrels can be used instead of plastic bags. Of course, this pleasure is not so cheap, but for this you can also take a barrel that is no longer suitable for its intended use.

In order for the soil inside the barrel to be better warmed by the sun, it is advisable to paint the outside of the barrel a dark color.

Of course, it is a pity to spend a new barrel for such purposes, but if it is clearly unnecessary, you will have to drill several drainage holes in its lower part. It is advisable to put a cut irrigation hose on the upper rim for easy care of plants.

In the fall, various plant waste is placed at the bottom of the barrel: branches from pruning trees, leaves from under trees and bushes, tops from collected root crops and other plants. Garden soil is poured on top. In the spring, water the soil in the barrel generously to speed up the decomposition of the waste poured into it. Since the contents of the barrel will have settled significantly by summer, humus will need to be added by the time the pumpkin is planted.

At the very beginning of summer, pumpkin seedlings are planted in a barrel. Sometimes two plants are planted, but it is better to limit yourself to just one. At first, the pumpkin is watered very often: both the seedlings need to take root and the biomass continues to decompose. Rotting causes heating, and the pumpkin in the barrel is very comfortable. Additional fertilizing is not required for this planting.

The fruits of short-stemmed pumpkin can even be left on a barrel

The vines hang freely from the barrel; over time, flowers appear on them and fruits begin to appear. If they have reached the ground, you can leave them there, placing a small plank under each one. If you are left hanging in the air, you will have to come up with additional support.

Planting pumpkin on nettles

One of the most popular natural fertilizers in the garden is an infusion of mowed grass and pulled out weeds. It smells very unpleasant, but contains many nutrients necessary for plants, and therefore is very often used for fertilizing. One of the leaders in nutrient content is common nettle. In this regard, it is used not only as a liquid fertilizer: various garden crops are often planted in nettles. Unlike manure, this eliminates the introduction of pathogenic bacteria, larvae of harmful insects and other pests.

The highest quality nettles are spring ones, collected in May. Make a large hole, right up to a bucket, and fill it with chopped nettle leaves (along with the stems; you can cut or tear them in any convenient way and not very finely). Mix nettles with soil approximately 1:1 and water well. It is better to water with an infusion of the same nettle, obtained by pouring a bucket of nettle with water and letting it sit for 5–7 days.

The top of the hole is sprinkled with clean soil, after a few days the pumpkin seedlings are planted and watered with clean water. After 3–4 days, the seedlings begin to grow.

Is it possible to plant pumpkins in a greenhouse?

It is impossible to grow nutmeg pumpkins in harsh climatic conditions, but even with ordinary large-fruited ones there can be a problem due to the lack of warm summer days. In this case, you can plant a pumpkin in a greenhouse. True, space in the greenhouse is precious, and the pumpkin grows in the form of a huge plant, occupying a large area, so you have to be a little cunning. In modern polycarbonate greenhouses it is difficult to implement such a trick, but in ordinary film greenhouses it is easy.

Often they plant a pumpkin next to cucumbers, giving it a place somewhere in the very corner. Planting holes are made in the same way as in open ground, they are filled with fertilizers, seedlings are either planted in the holes or seeds are sown. But by the time the stems grow to about half a meter, summer weather has already set in in the fresh air. They bend the edge of the film from which the walls of the greenhouse are made and release the pumpkin outside. This is how it grows all summer: the roots are in the greenhouse, and the fruits are in the open air.

A pumpkin is planted in a greenhouse, but is released outside to live.

Features and timing of pumpkin planting in different regions

Not only what varieties of pumpkin can be planted depends on the climatic conditions of the region, but also how and when to do it. If in the middle zone it is difficult to grow only the most heat-loving and late-ripening nutmeg pumpkins, then in Siberia or the Urals problems may arise with more cold-resistant varieties. But usually preliminary preparation of seedlings solves these problems. In the middle zone, they prefer to grow mid-season varieties with seedlings, and early ones are sown in the garden with seeds. Sowing seeds is possible in the last days of May, and planting seedlings without film covers is closer to June 10.

The climate of Belarus is similar to that of the Moscow region, and the approaches to growing pumpkins there are approximately the same. The State Register of Belarus includes about twenty varieties of pumpkins, and almost all of them are widely known in the central regions of Russia. The timing of planting seedlings or sowing seeds here is the same as in the central zone of our country; neither the planting rules nor subsequent care are any different.

In the Urals and most of Siberia, night frosts are possible even in June, so the time frame for growing pumpkins is very tight. Here they almost never risk sowing seeds directly into the ground, preferring to grow seedlings. It is transferred to the garden bed no earlier than mid-June. And even in this case, they monitor the weather, perhaps covering the plantings with non-woven materials for the first time. However, Siberia is large: in the south, as well as in the Southern Urals, summers are sunny and sometimes even dry: in these areas you can grow almost any variety of pumpkin, including direct sowing of seeds in a garden bed.

In the south of the European part of Russia there is no need to grow seedlings. Here the pumpkin grows without problems, huge fields are allocated for it, it is illuminated by the hot southern sun and grows large and tasty. All available varieties have time to ripen by sowing seeds directly in the field, which, depending on the weather, is possible either in early May or even earlier.

Video: planting a pumpkin in a tire

Compatibility of pumpkin with other plants when planting

If you are thinking about what you can plant next to a pumpkin, first of all you need to think so that it does not drown out its neighbors: the pumpkin bushes are huge, and the vines extend far. Therefore, if, for example, she climbs into a bed of carrots, she will not have to expect any carrot harvest. Therefore, you should ask yourself the question about neighbors only after it is clear to which area the spread of pumpkin vines will be limited.

From a biological point of view, anything can grow next to a pumpkin patch: apart from its geometry, it does not interfere with anything.

Pumpkin feels very good next to corn, beans, onions, and various salads. It is not advisable to plant it close to cabbage. Sometimes you can read that potatoes are also an undesirable neighbor, but the practice of planting pumpkins in potato fields has long been known, and both plants coexist normally. Although, probably, in this matter it is better to listen to agronomists and limit the possibility of such a neighborhood.

Pumpkin can be grown either by sowing seeds in a garden bed or by pre-preparing seedlings. Options are selected based on the climate of the region, pumpkin variety and gardener preferences. In any case, pumpkin is an unpretentious vegetable, and apart from good doses of fertilizers, it does not require anything special, and the planting process itself will not complicate even the most unskilled gardener.

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 melon fields. Since ancient times, these fruits have captured the imagination of people. Even fairy tales and legends were written about this extraordinary plant. And it was the fairy who turned the pumpkin into a carriage for Cinderella. The fruits of this plant themselves are already fantastic. Thanks to the combination of color, size, and taste, pumpkin has gained nationwide love.

Types of pumpkin

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

Large-fruited crops

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

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

Hardbark pumpkin

The skin of ripe fruits is very thick and hard, reminiscent of wood in rigidity. This species is good for its rather early ripening period. The fruits can be collected at the end of August. Hard-barked pumpkins come in climbing and bush varieties. For small summer cottages, gardeners prefer to choose bush varieties, as this saves space. The fruits grow to medium size. The peduncles of this species have pronounced grooves. The stem is spiny, with hairs. The leaves have a pentagonal shape.

The hard-bark pumpkin has a very thick and tough skin.

Varieties of this species are the most delicious, sweet and aromatic. The peduncle is multifaceted. The seeds are dark yellow or brown in color. Butternut squash are very heat-loving. They ripen late compared to other species, so they are planted mainly in the southern regions of our country. They are also grown in central Russia, but this requires a lot of effort on the part of farmers and gardeners. The nutmeg species is grown as seedlings, then transplanted into open ground when the soil warms up well. Planting is usually done in the first half of June. But the fruits are collected unripe, since they are not in time for harvest in the European part of the country. There are six varieties of butternut squash, but the pear-shaped fruit is the most popular.

The pear-shaped pumpkin has gained popularity among gardeners.

Muscat and large-fruited varieties are harvested before frost. The hardbarks can also be collected in the summer to enjoy pumpkin pies or pumpkin soup.

Popular varieties

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

Table: hard-barked pumpkin varieties

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Gymnosperm pumpkin	Dining room. Medium ripening period. Climbing is average. The shape of the fruit is varied: pear-shaped, spherical. The color of the fruit is dark green and green with yellow spots. The weight of one fruit reaches 2 kg. Large seeds containing large amounts of oil. The pulp is very delicate in taste, orange in color.
Corn pumpkin	Dining room. Mid-early ripening. Pumpkin tolerates transportation and long-term storage well. Climbing. The fruits are yellow-green striped, ovoid. They reach a weight of up to 5 kg. The pulp is light orange, sweet, and quite dense. Sugar content 5–7%.
Altai	This is an early ripening variety. Universal to use. Climbing pumpkin. Altai is cold-resistant. The fruits are ribbed, round, orange in color. The weight of one pumpkin can reach 5 kg. The pulp is fibrous, orange in color. The sugar content of the variety is 5–6%.
Orange bush	Table early ripening variety. It is a compact bush plant with bright orange fruits. The weight of one pumpkin ranges from 4 to 7 kg. The pulp of Orange bush is juicy, rich yellow in color.
Almond pumpkin	Mid-season variety. Universal. A climbing plant with fruits weighing up to 5 kg. The pulp of the fruit is juicy and very sweet. Almond tolerates transportation and long-term storage well.
Freckle	Dining room, early ripening. Bush. Freckle pumpkins grow small in size, from 1 to 3 kg. The color of the fruit is green, mesh. The flesh of Freckles does not taste very sweet, is yellow in color, and dense.
Gribovskaya bush	Table early ripening variety. Bush plant. The fruits are yellow with green stripes and grow up to 5 kg. The shape of the fruit is ovoid. The pulp of Gribovskaya bush is dark yellow. The variety is compact and is actively used in small garden plots.
Acorn (Acorn)	Dining room, early ripening. There are two varieties of Acorn: climbing and bush. The fruits are shaped like acorns. Pumpkin comes in green, black and white colors. The pulp of Acorn is sweet, pale yellow in color.
Spaghetti Pumpkin	Early ripening table variety. A bushy plant with cylindrical yellow fruits resembling a melon. The pulp is fibrous, with a nutty and citrus flavor. The fibers separate when cooked and resemble spaghetti.

Photo gallery: hard-barked varieties

The fruits of the Acorn variety are shaped like acorns
Altai pumpkin is universal in use and is cold-resistant
Variety Freckle 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: varieties of large-fruited pumpkin

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Children's delicatessen	Table variety. Medium ripening pumpkin, climbing. The fruits of Children's Delicacy are small in size and grow up to 3 kg. Color orange. The pale orange flesh of the fruit is sweet and juicy. Universal in use.
Centner	Very large, average weight of one fruit is 50 kg. Early ripening variety. Climbing. White sweet pulp. The variety is universal, but due to the large mass of fruits, Tsentner is often grown exclusively for its seeds.
Medical	Semi-bush table pumpkin of early ripening. The variety tolerates temperature changes well in the summer. The fruits have a light gray mesh color. The pulp is orange, sweet and juicy.
Kherson	Table medium late variety. Gray climbing pumpkin. There are small light gray spots on the skin. The average fruit weight is 3–5 kg. The orange pulp has an excellent taste. Kherson pumpkin is very sweet and juicy. This variety is drought-resistant and stores well indoors.
Smile	This early ripening table pumpkin is very popular for growing in central Russia. The fruits of Ulybka are medium-sized, weigh from 3 to 5 kg, sweet and crunchy. The color of the fruit is orange with white thin stripes. The variety is cold-resistant. At room temperature, Smile can be stored for more than 4 months.
Winter dining room	Late ripening table variety. Climbing pumpkin with gray fruits. The fruits are ribbed. The skin may have light gray or pale pink stripes. Very sweet orange pulp. The variety tolerates transportation and long-term storage indoors.
Winter sweet	Table pumpkin, late ripening. Climbing. The fruits are tuberculate, gray in color. The average weight of the fetus reaches 6 kg. Very sweet orange pulp. Winter sweet pumpkin is used in production for the preparation of baby food and natural juices. The variety tolerates transportation well and is drought-resistant.
Zorka	Early ripening table pumpkin. Strongly climbing. The dark gray fruits contain a large amount of carotene. The bright orange flesh of Zorka is very sweet. Fruit sugar content reaches 14%. The average weight of the fetus is 6 kg. Baby food is made from Zorka.

Photo gallery: large-fruited varieties

The Winter Sweet Pumpkin variety has lumpy gray fruits.
Pumpkin variety Zorka contains a lot of carotene
Pumpkin variety Medicinal has an early ripening period

Pumpkin variety Smile stores well at room temperature
The average weight of Kherson pumpkin fruits reaches 3–5 kg

Table: muscat varieties

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Prikubanskaya	Medium-late pumpkin, table, with smooth pear-shaped fruits. The color of the fruit is pale orange, bright orange. Pumpkin grows up to 5 kg. The flesh is rich orange, very sweet and juicy. The variety tolerates transportation well and is stored for a long time.
Palav Kadu	Table variety, late ripening. The plant is climbing, with round orange fruits. The average weight of the Palav Kadu fruit reaches 7 kg. The pulp is very juicy and sweet. The color of the pulp is orange.
Butternut	Late-ripening table pumpkin. Strongly climbing. The fruits are pear-shaped, pale orange in color. Butternut also comes in a light brown color. The maximum weight of the fetus is 1.5 kg. The pulp is orange, very sweet and oily. Pumpkin has a nutty flavor.
Vitamin pumpkin	Late ripening table variety. Climbing. The fruits of Vitamin Pumpkin are oval-shaped and green in color. The weight of one fruit can reach 7 kg. The bright orange pulp is very sweet and dense. This variety of pumpkin contains a lot of carotene, so it is actively used for baby food.

Photo gallery: nutmeg pumpkins

The butternut squash variety has a nutty flavor.
Vitaminnaya variety pumpkin is actively used for baby food.
Pumpkin variety Palav Kadu reaches a weight of 7 kg

Prikubanskaya pumpkin 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 kept in greenhouse conditions throughout the entire 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 picky about soil, but gardeners note that the sweetest fruits can be obtained if the pumpkin grows in fertile soil.

The land for planting is prepared in the fall. The area is dug up, manure or compost is added to the soil in an amount of 3–4 kg per 1 m2. Acidic soil is limed or sprinkled with ash. For an area of 1 m2 you need 200 g of ash.

The timing of planting pumpkin seedlings depends on the climate and the early maturity of the variety. Seeds can be sown from mid-April to the end of May. When planting seedlings, use peat pots to avoid picking plants in the future. If the pumpkin is planted with seeds in a greenhouse, you need to follow a planting pattern of 10x10 cm. The planting depth is 7–10 cm. The room temperature 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. 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

The holes for seedlings 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 replanted with a clod of earth so as not to injure the roots. Bush varieties should be spaced at a distance of 50 cm from each other, medium-climbing varieties - up to 80 cm. The planting pattern for strongly climbing plants is 120x110 cm.

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

Video: method of germinating seeds for seedlings

Growing pumpkin

You can grow pumpkins in different ways: in open ground, on the balcony, in bags or on a compost heap. If you choose the right plant variety, there will be no problems with care and productivity later. It is worth considering the methods popular among gardeners.

How to grow pumpkin in open ground

First of all, you need to choose a well-lit area, preferably without drafts. You can plant a pumpkin along the fence, creating a hedge, or put the plant on a compost heap. There is nothing surprising about 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 in the garden plot. Garden soil mixed with ash is poured into the hole. After which the seedlings are planted in the prepared area.

For small gardens, it is worth choosing bush varieties. They are more compact than climbing plants. When planting seeds in open ground, make holes or trenches 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. The pumpkin is taken out of the plastic pots very carefully, without disturbing the integrity of the earthen lump.

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 pumpkin after potatoes, legumes, tomatoes and cabbage. Thanks to these crops, the soil is saturated with microelements necessary for pumpkin to bear fruit well.

Video: planting seedlings in open ground

Growing in bags

Owners of small gardens often use tricks to accommodate the required number of crops. Garbage or plastic bags for flour and sugar do not take up much space. In addition, the bag with the plant can be placed in any part of the garden, placed on pebbles, boards or near the gazebo.

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

Using the same principle, pumpkins are 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 due to the amount of earth. One plant per bag. It is planted in a hole and watered immediately after planting. In the future, artificial watering should be abandoned. Rainwater will be sufficient. There is no need to make additional holes in the bags. Thanks to polyethylene, a greenhouse effect is created, providing heat and the necessary humidity for the plant.

Video: how to grow a pumpkin in a bag

Method of growing on trellises

This method also reduces the area required to grow pumpkins. If in open ground the distance between 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. The gap between the trellises must be at least 1 meter.

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

Trellis can be made from ordinary slats. A diagonal sheathing is assembled between two-meter posts. It is recommended to fasten the slats together with small nails. Trellis can be placed perpendicular to the ground or placed in the form of a “book”. Pumpkin whips are thrown across the grate.

When grown on a trellis, weak shoots are removed. Only the strong, fruit-bearing ones should remain in the pumpkin. The main stem is pinched above the fifth leaf. Pumpkins grown on a trellis ripen faster and have a sweeter taste, because this way the plant receives more sunlight and heat.

Pumpkins grown on trellises ripen faster

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

Video: pumpkin on trellises

Growing on the balcony

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

stellate;
warty;
pear-shaped;
mushroom pumpkin, or turban-shaped pumpkin and others.

Photo gallery: decorative inedible varieties

Fungus pumpkin is a type of large-fruited pumpkin.
The size of the Star Gourd fruit is no 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 fruit can be poisoned. These pumpkins are simply tasteless or, on the contrary, have too specific a taste. Edible ornamental varieties include:

Jack-be-little variety;
variety Sweet Dumpling;
Baby Boo variety.

To plant pumpkins on the balcony you will 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.

Decorative 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

Caring for these plants is easy:

periodically loosen the soil after watering;
form the main lash;
systematically weeding, this will increase productivity;
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.

Loosening the soil

Pumpkin needs to provide oxygen access to the roots. To do this, loosen the soil after watering or rain. In addition to the holes, the row spacing is also treated. When the soil is subsequently moistened, this will allow water to quickly penetrate the root system.

The soil is loosened after each watering or rain

Formation of the main lash

The vine 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 energy will be wasted on the second or third fruit growing on the vine. The pumpkin is designed in such a way that one fruit can be grown on one stem.

Video: how to form a pumpkin lash

Plant nutrition

Pumpkin productivity increases significantly if the plants live in fertile soil. Therefore, fertilizing is necessary. It is advisable to do this in the following order:

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

In case of prolonged absence of sun, the plant can be fed with urea. For 10 liters of water you will need 10 g of fertilizer.

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 harvest. Great harm to plants is caused by slugs, wireworms, aphids, and poduras.

To prevent diseases, it is necessary to follow the planting pattern and frequency of watering. You need to monitor how thick the beds are. Good ventilation of the area often becomes one of the most important conditions for prevention.

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

Diseased plants are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture

Pests should be dealt with individually:

slugs are collected by hand. You can use a beer trap: pour beer into a small container and place it near the plants; slugs will crawl to its smell;
Wireworms can also be lured. At some distance from the pumpkin, you need to bury the root vegetables, 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 fools, the ground is sprinkled with ash;
fighting aphids is difficult, but possible. You can use products such as Alatar, Karbofos. Some gardeners advise watering plants with a soap solution: 0.3 kg of laundry soap per 10 liters of water.

Photo gallery: pumpkin pests

You can get rid of aphids using a solution of laundry soap

Wireworms are lured using root crops buried in the ground

Features of growing pumpkin in the regions

There are no differences in growing pumpkin in central Russia, the Urals, Siberia and Donbass. In any region, plants need to be provided with sufficient light and heat. In areas with short summers, early ripening varieties are planted. In the southern part of the country, varieties with late ripening periods can be grown.

Types of pumpkin

Large-fruited crops

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

Hardbark pumpkin

The hard-bark pumpkin has a very thick and tough skin.

The pear-shaped pumpkin has gained popularity among gardeners.

Muscat and large-fruited varieties are harvested before frost. The hardbarks can also be collected in the summer to enjoy pumpkin pies or pumpkin soup.

Popular varieties

Table: hard-barked pumpkin varieties

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Gymnosperm pumpkin	Dining room. Medium ripening period. Climbing is average. The shape of the fruit is varied: pear-shaped, spherical. The color of the fruit is dark green and green with yellow spots. The weight of one fruit reaches 2 kg. Large seeds containing large amounts of oil. The pulp is very delicate in taste, orange in color.
Corn pumpkin	Dining room. Mid-early ripening. Pumpkin tolerates transportation and long-term storage well. Climbing. The fruits are yellow-green striped, ovoid. They reach a weight of up to 5 kg. The pulp is light orange, sweet, and quite dense. Sugar content 5–7%.
Altai	This is an early ripening variety. Universal to use. Climbing pumpkin. Altai is cold-resistant. The fruits are ribbed, round, orange in color. The weight of one pumpkin can reach 5 kg. The pulp is fibrous, orange in color. The sugar content of the variety is 5–6%.
Orange bush	Table early ripening variety. It is a compact bush plant with bright orange fruits. The weight of one pumpkin ranges from 4 to 7 kg. The pulp of Orange bush is juicy, rich yellow in color.
Almond pumpkin	Mid-season variety. Universal. A climbing plant with fruits weighing up to 5 kg. The pulp of the fruit is juicy and very sweet. Almond tolerates transportation and long-term storage well.
Freckle	Dining room, early ripening. Bush. Freckle pumpkins grow small in size, from 1 to 3 kg. The color of the fruit is green, mesh. The flesh of Freckles does not taste very sweet, is yellow in color, and dense.
Gribovskaya bush	Table early ripening variety. Bush plant. The fruits are yellow with green stripes and grow up to 5 kg. The shape of the fruit is ovoid. The pulp of Gribovskaya bush is dark yellow. The variety is compact and is actively used in small garden plots.
Acorn (Acorn)	Dining room, early ripening. There are two varieties of Acorn: climbing and bush. The fruits are shaped like acorns. Pumpkin comes in green, black and white colors. The pulp of Acorn is sweet, pale yellow in color.
Spaghetti Pumpkin	Early ripening table variety. A bushy plant with cylindrical yellow fruits resembling a melon. The pulp is fibrous, with a nutty and citrus flavor. The fibers separate when cooked and resemble spaghetti.

Photo gallery: hard-barked varieties

Table: varieties of large-fruited pumpkin

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Children's delicatessen	Table variety. Medium ripening pumpkin, climbing. The fruits of Children's Delicacy are small in size and grow up to 3 kg. Color orange. The pale orange flesh of the fruit is sweet and juicy. Universal in use.
Centner	Very large, average weight of one fruit is 50 kg. Early ripening variety. Climbing. White sweet pulp. The variety is universal, but due to the large mass of fruits, Tsentner is often grown exclusively for its seeds.
Medical	Semi-bush table pumpkin of early ripening. The variety tolerates temperature changes well in the summer. The fruits have a light gray mesh color. The pulp is orange, sweet and juicy.
Kherson	Table medium late variety. Gray climbing pumpkin. There are small light gray spots on the skin. The average fruit weight is 3–5 kg. The orange pulp has an excellent taste. Kherson pumpkin is very sweet and juicy. This variety is drought-resistant and stores well indoors.
Smile	This early ripening table pumpkin is very popular for growing in central Russia. The fruits of Ulybka are medium-sized, weigh from 3 to 5 kg, sweet and crunchy. The color of the fruit is orange with white thin stripes. The variety is cold-resistant. At room temperature, Smile can be stored for more than 4 months.
Winter dining room	Late ripening table variety. Climbing pumpkin with gray fruits. The fruits are ribbed. The skin may have light gray or pale pink stripes. Very sweet orange pulp. The variety tolerates transportation and long-term storage indoors.
Winter sweet	Table pumpkin, late ripening. Climbing. The fruits are tuberculate, gray in color. The average weight of the fetus reaches 6 kg. Very sweet orange pulp. Winter sweet pumpkin is used in production for the preparation of baby food and natural juices. The variety tolerates transportation well and is drought-resistant.
Zorka	Early ripening table pumpkin. Strongly climbing. The dark gray fruits contain a large amount of carotene. The bright orange flesh of Zorka is very sweet. Fruit sugar content reaches 14%. The average weight of the fetus is 6 kg. Baby food is made from Zorka.

Photo gallery: large-fruited varieties

Table: muscat varieties

Variety name	Characteristics of the variety
Prikubanskaya	Medium-late pumpkin, table, with smooth pear-shaped fruits. The color of the fruit is pale orange, bright orange. Pumpkin grows up to 5 kg. The flesh is rich orange, very sweet and juicy. The variety tolerates transportation well and is stored for a long time.
Palav Kadu	Table variety, late ripening. The plant is climbing, with round orange fruits. The average weight of the Palav Kadu fruit reaches 7 kg. The pulp is very juicy and sweet. The color of the pulp is orange.
Butternut	Late-ripening table pumpkin. Strongly climbing. The fruits are pear-shaped, pale orange in color. Butternut also comes in a light brown color. The maximum weight of the fetus is 1.5 kg. The pulp is orange, very sweet and oily. Pumpkin has a nutty flavor.
Vitamin pumpkin	Late ripening table variety. Climbing. The fruits of Vitamin Pumpkin are oval-shaped and green in color. The weight of one fruit can reach 7 kg. The bright orange pulp is very sweet and dense. This variety of pumpkin contains a lot of carotene, so it is actively used for baby food.

Photo gallery: nutmeg pumpkins

Landing Features

Pumpkin seeds are buried in the ground up to 12 cm

Video: method of germinating seeds for seedlings

Growing pumpkin

How to grow pumpkin in open ground

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

Pumpkin grows well in a compost heap

Video: planting seedlings in open ground

Growing in bags

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

Using the same principle, pumpkins are grown in metal and plastic barrels. For cultivation, you should opt for bush or medium-climbing varieties.

Video: how to grow a pumpkin in a bag

Method of growing on trellises

Pumpkins grown on trellises ripen faster

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

Video: pumpkin on trellises

Growing on the balcony

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

stellate;
warty;
pear-shaped;
mushroom pumpkin, or turban-shaped pumpkin and others.

Photo gallery: decorative inedible varieties

Jack-be-little variety;
variety Sweet Dumpling;
Baby Boo variety.

Decorative 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

Caring for these plants is easy:

periodically loosen the soil after watering;
form the main lash;
systematically weeding, this will increase productivity;
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.

Loosening the soil

The soil is loosened after each watering or rain

Formation of the main lash

Video: how to form a pumpkin lash

Plant nutrition

Pumpkin productivity increases significantly if the plants live in fertile soil. Therefore, fertilizing is necessary. It is advisable to do this in the following order:

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

In case of prolonged absence of sun, the plant can be fed with urea. For 10 liters of water you will need 10 g of fertilizer.

Diseases and pests

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

Diseased plants are sprayed with a solution of Bordeaux mixture

Pests should be dealt with individually:

slugs are collected by hand. You can use a beer trap: pour beer into a small container and place it near the plants; slugs will crawl to its smell;
Wireworms can also be lured. At some distance from the pumpkin, you need to bury the root vegetables, 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 fools, the ground is sprinkled with ash;
fighting aphids is difficult, but possible. You can use products such as Alatar, Karbofos. Some gardeners advise watering plants with a soap solution: 0.3 kg of laundry soap per 10 liters of water.

Photo gallery: pumpkin pests

Features of growing pumpkin in the regions

How pumpkin is grown: through seedlings (in the middle zone and further north), by direct planting of seeds in the ground (in the south).
Preliminary preparation of pumpkin seeds: not necessary, but to shorten the germination period it is recommended to soak or germinate them.

1. Growing pumpkins in open ground

Growing pumpkin seedlings

Dates for planting pumpkin seeds for seedlings: end of April - first half of May
Additional lighting: when growing seedlings in an apartment on south-facing windows, it is not required.
Recommended temperature: 25-27*C. Pumpkin seeds begin to germinate at temperatures above 10*C, but for normal growth and development they need 25-30*C during the day and 18-20*C at night.
Picking pumpkin seeds is not required.
Important.
Pumpkin seedlings are immediately grown in pots (recommended diameter - 14-15 cm) so that there is no damage to the root system during planting. At the same time, when planting a pumpkin seed, the pot is only half filled with soil. 10-12 days after sowing, when the growth of the subcotyledonous stem slows down (in the first days it becomes very elongated, especially with a lack of light), moist soil is poured into the pots, while twisting the stem with a corkscrew, so that only the cotyledonous leaves appear from the ground. This technique is called ringing pumpkin seedlings.
During the period of growing seedlings, it is recommended to carry out two fertilizing with complex mineral fertilizers. Also, it is necessary to ensure that the pumpkin plants do not touch the leaves and, as the seedlings grow, move the pots apart. Pumpkin seedlings ready for planting should have 3-5 true leaves.

Planting pumpkins in the ground

Dates for planting pumpkin seedlings in the ground: end of May - first ten days of June (25-35-day potted seedlings are used).
Also in central Russia, it is possible to plant pumpkin seeds directly into the ground (approximately in mid-May), but under cover. In this case, it is recommended to plant 2-3 pieces at once. seeds, and after they sprout and the appearance of real leaves - leave one, the strongest plant.
Planting pattern: Because pumpkin is a strongly climbing plant, the distance between plants in a row should be 1-1.5 m, and between rows - at least 2 m. It is recommended to plant pumpkin seedlings on ridges or mounds, in holes 8-10 cm deep. In each hole Plant one plant at a time.
The best predecessors: potatoes, cabbage, tomato, legumes.
Important.
It is better to choose a place for planting pumpkins that is dry and warm, well-warmed during the day and retains heat at night. It can be planted on a pile of garbage (after having first poured a sufficient layer of nutritious soil on top) and on a compost heap (by making a larger hole at the planting site and adding garden soil to it along with ash and superphosphate).
It is recommended to harden off pumpkin seedlings a week before planting. To do this, the daytime temperature is reduced to 15-17*C, and the night temperature to 12-15*C and ventilation is increased.
Before planting pumpkin seedlings in a permanent place, it is recommended to add 1.5-2 kg of compost (or humus) to each hole and pour plenty of warm water at the rate of 1-2 liters per hole. Pumpkin seedlings are planted in the resulting pulp, covering the sides with dry soil so that a crust does not form.
If the pumpkin seedlings were grown in a plastic pot, remove the plant carefully, trying not to damage the lump. If in a peat pot, plant it in the hole along with the pot.
Attention! For better survival, it is recommended to cover pumpkin seedlings in the first week after planting (with cut-off 5-liter plastic bottles or paper caps).

Pumpkin growing and care

Watering.
It is recommended to water the pumpkin with warm water, not at the root, but in the annular groove around the stem. Because Since the pumpkin has a powerful and highly branched root system, going to a depth of up to 3 meters, it should be watered moderately - the pumpkin itself is able to extract the missing moisture from the deep layers of the soil.
And when the pumpkin ovaries reach the size of a fist, it is better to switch to drip irrigation. In garden and dacha conditions, it can be imitated with a bucket of water installed next to the plant. The end of a thick cotton rope is lowered into the bucket, and its second end is wrapped around the whip and sprinkled with earth near the roots.
Fertilizers and fertilizing.
Since pumpkin produces a large amount of green mass (leaves, stems and fruit), fertilizing must be done every 7-10 days.
The first feeding is organic - 2 liters of slurry per bucket of water with the addition of 40 g of superphosphate and 30-50 g of wood ash.
The second feeding is mineral - 20-30 g of ammonium nitrate, 40-50 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium salt per 10 liters of water.
In the future, organic and mineral fertilizing is alternated. Feeding consumption: from 1 l/plant at the initial stage of growth, to 5-7 l/plant at the end of summer.
Bush formation.
Since the pumpkin forms a mass of long shoots, it must be shaped to obtain large fruits. The main stem is pinched when 2-3 fruits have formed on it, leaving 5-6 leaves above the fruit, and 2 side shoots - after the first fruit appears on each, also leaving 5-6 leaves above the fruit. All fruitless shoots and shoots that appear later are removed.
Important.
Before closing the plants in rows, after rain or watering, it is recommended to loosen the soil.
To prevent the wind from turning over the lashes, they are pinned or sprinkled with moist soil.

Diseases and pests of pumpkin.

Powdery mildew
Small white powdery spots appear on the upper and then on the underside of the leaf and the stem. Subsequently, the affected leaves turn yellow and die, and if the disease develops severely, the fruits are also affected.
Olive spot
On the stems, the disease manifests itself in the form of ulcers, and brown spots form on the leaves. Oily spots appear on the fruits, which eventually turn into light brown sores with sporulation of an olive-colored fungus. A gelatinous fluid is secreted at the border between healthy and diseased tissue. The affected ovaries die, and the fruits lose their marketable quality.
Pests
The greatest damage to pumpkins is caused by slugs, which spoil the ripening fruits.

Attention! To combat all pumpkin diseases, it is recommended to use modern effective drugs approved for use in personal gardens, strictly observing the recommended dosage, timing and frequency of treatments.
To combat slugs, sprinkle the ground around the plant with ash, tooth powder or superphosphate. You can also use simple traps, such as wet rags, and collect slugs from them daily.

Receiving commercial products.

Early ripening pumpkin varieties ripen 85-90 days after germination, late ripening varieties ripen 120-150 days. Pumpkin fruits are usually harvested all at once, after the first slight frost. The fruits are cut with a sharp knife, leaving a stump of the stalk (which should be in the drying stage) measuring 3-4 cm. This protects the fruit from rotting, which during storage begins exactly from the place where the stalk is torn off. When harvesting pumpkins, you should also avoid mechanical damage to the fruit, which can cause them to be stored worse and rot faster.
Attention!
To make the pumpkin tastier, as the fruit grows, some of the leaves around it are removed so that it is well illuminated by the sun.
In open ground, contact with the ground may cause pumpkin fruits to deteriorate, so it is recommended to place non-rotting material (plywood, boards) under them.
If you decide to grow a giant pumpkin, then only one (less often two) fruits are left on one plant, and all other ovaries are promptly removed.