How to properly grow pumpkins outdoors?

In central Russia and in other territories with a similar climate, pumpkin varieties grow: large-fruited and hard-bore. In the southern regions, butternut squash grows. Sometimes gourd is found. Growing pumpkin outdoors is not as difficult as inexperienced gardeners imagine it to be.

Growing pumpkin outdoors

Meet the pumpkin!

Pumpkin is a well-known annual plant with a powerful root system, wide leaves, and long sturdy stems. The taproot can penetrate three meters deep into the soil, and the lateral roots spread over an area of ​​up to four meters, in search of moisture and nutrition.

The stem of the plant "crawls away" from the base by more than seven meters. The pumpkin has large flowers of yellow or yellow-orange color, which are located alone (the plant is dioecious). On the main stem, from the tenth leaf onwards, fruits are formed.

Pumpkin Russian woman

Table pumpkin Sweetie

Hokkaido pumpkin

Almond pumpkin

Pumpkin varieties and their features

Hardcore	This pumpkin is fast-growing and has a high yield. It has coarser fiber than the pulp of a large-fruited variety, and it does not last very long (up to four months) without changing the taste and nutritional characteristics.
Large-fruited	This pumpkin is a real giantess, record-holding fruits reach 60 kg. The yield is also high. And the shelf life of the fetus is up to nine months.
Nutmeg	This pumpkin can lie absolutely unchanged in a cellar or other cool and dry place for up to two years. Late-ripening variety.

What the pumpkin loves

Pumpkin loves warmth, does not tolerate cold combined with dampness.

The place to grow the pumpkin must be sunny.

Important! The temperature that pumpkin seeds need for germination is up to + 30 ° C. At lower temperatures, they will germinate for a very long time and slowly. And at less than + 10 ° С they will not rise at all.

The entire growing season for pumpkin takes place at an optimal temperature of + 25 ° C. In this case, it builds up a rich orange pulp, fragrant, dense but juicy, and a wide leaf apparatus (up to 40 m² per plant).

Pumpkin in the garden

The pumpkin loves moisture, without a sufficient amount of which the largest fruits are not formed. If at the beginning of flowering the pumpkin suffers a drought, the flowers may fall off, and the ovary will not form.

Pumpkin is a light-loving culture. It must be grown in sunny and calm areas (ideally melon).

Melon

How to grow a pumpkin from seeds

The easiest way to grow pumpkins is to use the traditional seed sowing method. Only seeds for sowing must be prepared.

Choosing pumpkin seeds

It all starts with the selection of seed materials. Only the largest seeds of selected quality should be taken for sowing. Thin, frail, dryish, not full should be discarded. The calibrated seeds begin to prepare for sowing.

We take only the best seeds

Seed preparation

The best way to prepare pumpkin seeds for sowing is to germinate them. This process continues until the seeds hatch. For germination, pumpkin seeds are immersed in water with a stable temperature of + 40 ° C (permissible up to + 50 ° C, below forty is impossible). In this state, the seeds should spend at least three hours.

How to germinate pumpkin seeds

Advice! How do you get that temperature? put a bowl with germinated seeds on a radiator or other heating device, place in a yogurt maker or multicooker in the "Yogurt" mode.

Then the swollen seeds are wrapped in a well-moistened cotton cloth and left at the temperature of the living room until they are pecked. The fabric needs to be checked and re-moistened all the time to keep the seeds from drying out.

Since pumpkin is a heat-loving plant, it is recommended, especially in the middle climatic zone, to increase the cold resistance of the seeds before sowing. To do this, after pecking, they must continue to be kept in a damp cloth, but already in the lower drawer of the refrigerator, for three to five days.

Due to the heat-loving nature, it is not worth sowing seeds in open ground, first it is better to grow pumpkin seedlings.

Growing pumpkin seedlings

Seedlings are needed in order to get a bountiful and early harvest. And also so that the seeds that have hatched do not die from the cold, if the sowing is carried out at a time when cold snaps are still possible. Seedlings do not have to be grown at home - you can do this in a special nursery or mini-greenhouse. But best of all, "under supervision", to grow pumpkin seedlings on the southern windowsill of the apartment. At room temperature, which is nevertheless closer to the expected pumpkin + 30 ° C than the temperature in a spring greenhouse, the process will go faster and better.

Important! Despite the powerful and sturdy appearance, pumpkin seedlings do not tolerate transplanting well. Therefore, it is better to grow seedlings in peat pots.

To grow seedlings, you will need peat-peat or ordinary pots with a size of at least 10x10 cm in an amount half as much as the number of seeds. There is no need to try to grow a "pumpkin forest", remember about the 40 m² feeding area that the pumpkin can cover. Two plants, with a sufficiently spacious placement, a large amount of heat, light and moisture, with regular feeding, will give a larger yield of fruits in terms of number and size than ten located in the same space.

Planting pumpkin seedlings

Important! Pumpkin seedlings should be at home or in a greenhouse before planting in the ground for at least three weeks. Therefore, seeds are sown based on this calendar indicator.

Seedling soil

Pumpkin seeds are sown in normal fertile seedling soil, consisting of peat and sand. No special additives are required. Fertilizers do not need to be applied to the soil either. If growing seeds in peat pots, simply fill them with soil. If grown in plastic containers, add 3 cm of sawdust to the bottom.

Sowing seeds

Sprouted in the above way and hardened seeds are sown in pots in pairs. Later, the weak seedling can be removed by simply pinching off the stem. Sowing depth - 2 cm. Seeds are covered with peat.Watering is carried out before and after sowing.

During the first three days after sowing, the temperature should be + 25 ° C ... + 30 ° C.

Seedling care

Seedlings of pumpkin seedlings

Seedlings should appear on the fourth day. After that, the temperature must be lowered and maintained within + 18 ° C ... + 25 ° C for a week, then reduced again to + 15 ° C ... + 18 ° C. This is necessary so that the pumpkin seedlings do not stretch out, grow strong and squat ...

Pumpkin seedlings

Watering the seedlings is carried out regularly, but it should not be excessive. Stagnant water is prohibited. Ideal soil moisture and air humidity will contribute to the formation of hardy and abundantly fruiting pumpkin plants in the future.

Water your pumpkin shoots regularly

Two weeks after germination, top dressing is carried out. To do this, the mullein must be diluted in a ratio of 1:10 with water and poured into each pot, or under each plant in the greenhouse, 100 ml of nutrient solution after watering. If there is no mullein, feeding is carried out with nitrophos according to the instructions.

Video - Growing pumpkin seedlings

Readiness and disembarkation

A properly grown seedling looks like this:

• low stem, thick and strong;
• short internodes;
• three well-developed true leaves with a rich green color.

In this state, pumpkin seedlings can be planted in open ground under a temporary film shelter on the 22nd day after sowing with germinated seeds in pots.

Planting seedlings

Before planting, the holes are watered with hot water. If the seedlings are in a peat-baked container, they do not need to be removed, just slightly destroy the walls and bottom of the pot.

After planting, the plants are watered with warm water and protected with a film cover until stable warm weather sets in.

Growing pumpkin in a greenhouse

Soils suitable for growing pumpkin

This plant is most suitable for fertile soil, which has a fairly loose structure, well warmed up. It is on such a land that the fruits of the pumpkin will reach record sizes.

Important! Pumpkin will grow worst of all on moist and clayey soil. Acidic soils are not suitable for the plant categorically - they must be treated with lime (liming under the predecessor) or add wood ash.

When growing pumpkins in your summer cottage, try to comply with the following requirements.

1. Disembarkation from the south side of the house along a wall or fence. The structure and the fence will protect from the wind during the day and give the plants the heat accumulated during the day at night.
2. Pumpkin whips may well be directed at a house wall, fence, barn roof. Closer to the sun, the fruits will ripen better.
3. If there is a compost heap on the south side, it is ideal to plant the pumpkin next to it, directing the whips there.

Growing pumpkin on a compost heap

Soil preparation

To successfully grow a pumpkin, in the fall, having removed the predecessors, it is necessary to start preparing the soil.

1. Apply organic and mineral fertilizing to a clean, free from plants and weeds area (5 kg of humus, 15 g of potassium chloride and twice as much superphosphate per m²). If there is no humus, manure can be applied in the fall - 7 kg per m².
2. Dig the area 20 cm deep.
3. To lighten the soil structure, if necessary, add river sand (coarse grain) and peat.
4. Deacidify the soil with wood ash.
5. Loosen, stir if possible, pour over with hot water.

In the spring, there is no need to dig up the upper soil layer, it is enough to remove the weeds that have appeared and level the area with a rake. In this state, the soil should be from March to May - the time for planting pumpkin seedlings.

Prepare the soil for pumpkin planting

Two days before planting the grown seedlings, the soil on the garden bed must be dug up to 12 cm (half a shovel bayonet), ammonium nitrate must be added - 20 g per m² and holes must be made.

On light-textured soil, the holes can be shallow - up to 25 cm. If the soil is heavy, the depth of the hole should reach 40 cm. A little compost and a layer of dry leaves are placed on the bottom.

The scheme of the formation of beds for planting pumpkin

The distance between plants in a regular garden is about a meter. If possible, it can be doubled.

Pumpkin predecessors

This question is relevant because the culture is demanding of its predecessors.

Potatoes, cabbage, onions, legumes, root vegetables.	Cucumbers and zucchini, squash, as well as melons and watermelons.

Pumpkin care

The pumpkin does not need sensitive and specialized care, but there are some activities that should not be neglected if you want to get a large harvest of large fruits.

Pumpkin, flower

Watering

The main care measure is the adjustment of irrigation. The pumpkin, like a pump, pumps out all the moisture from the ground, and then evaporates it through the leaves. Thus, the roots and stems get a little. Therefore, the moisture level in the soil must be constantly replenished.

Advice! It is especially necessary to water the pumpkin abundantly when it begins mass flowering and fruit formation. The water temperature should not be lower than + 20 ° С (warmed up in the sun). In no case should you water the pumpkin with cold water in the heat - the plants may die.

After watering, every other time you need to loosen the soil near the base of the stem. Weed as it grows.

If the summer turned out to be dry, then before flowering the pumpkin can be watered more often.

Top dressing

You need to feed the pumpkin often, otherwise you will not be able to get large fruits. The first top dressing in the open field is after the formation of the fifth leaf. The second is when the whips begin to form. Then every two weeks.

You can feed with nitrophos, starting from 10 g per plant and increasing the dose by 5 g with each feeding. You can add dry granules or prepare a solution.

During the fruiting period, a glass of ash is added to each top dressing.

You can feed the pumpkin throughout the growing season with mullein solution.

How to shape a pumpkin

How to shape a pumpkin

The plant is formed in one stem, in extreme cases, in two - this contributes to high yields. To do this, after the appearance of extra shoots from the sides, they are all removed, and extra ovaries are also plucked out, leaving no more than three on each lash.

By the way! On the shoots of the second order, the pumpkin can bear fruit after the second leaf, but they will grow small and tasteless, so it is worthwhile to engage in pinching the shoots of the plant.

Video - Pumpkin: growing and pinching

Powder

Another agrotechnical technique that contributes to crop yields is the powdering of the lashes. As soon as the lashes have reached a meter length, they must be carefully untangled, laid in a given direction and sprinkled with earth in two or three places. This is done so that the wind does not break the whips and leaves, breaking the ovary. But the main thing is that in the internodes pressed to the ground, additional roots are formed, which will nourish the plants and contribute to the increase in fruit.

Garden care

A few more tricks

1. Scourges that have climbed onto a fence or roof must be controlled. When pumpkins begin to ripen on them, secure them by placing them in ordinary shopping bags and securing them to additional fasteners. Otherwise, heavy fruits will slide down, breaking off the stems.
2. It is undesirable, especially in wet weather, for the fruits to lie on bare ground. When they are medium in size, place planks or other breathable material underneath them.

Pumpkin pest control

Video - How to properly grow and care for a pumpkin

Harvesting pumpkin

Pumpkin is one of the most "capricious" vegetables in our gardens. It does not require greenhouse conditions or any special tweaks when leaving. Growing pumpkins in the open field is not only exciting, but also profitable: pumpkin seeds are always in price. But in order for pumpkins to grow the size of a cart wheel, you need to know a few secrets of growing it.

Biological features of pumpkin

Pumpkin is an annual plant with a strong root system and a long, flexible stem that grows up to 7 m or more in length. The central root, in search of moisture and nutrients, "drills" the ground to a depth of 7 m, and its lateral branches grow up to 4 m.

Wide five-toed leaves and large yellow or yellow-orange pumpkin flowers in the garden are visible from afar. After 10-12 leaves, fruits are tied on the main stem.

The size, taste and keeping quality of pumpkin depends on the variety. For most varieties, the shelf life does not exceed 3-4 months, but there are also champions. For example, pumpkin fruits of the Large-fruited variety can be stored for up to 9 months, and the Muscat variety - up to 2 years, without losing their taste and useful qualities.

Pumpkin loves heat and does not tolerate cold. At a temperature of 30 ° and sufficient moisture reserves in the soil, pumpkin seeds germinate in 2-3 days. At a soil temperature below 20 °, they germinate for a very long time, and at a soil temperature of 10 ° and below, they "strike" and do not germinate at all.

The optimum temperature for the growth and development of pumpkin is 25 ° C. In such conditions, it also quickly grows its leaf mass (and the total surface area of ​​the leaves of one pumpkin can reach up to 40 m²), and forms large and juicy fruits.

Pumpkin is not only a heat-loving plant, but also a moisture-loving one. It is especially important that the pumpkin has enough moisture when it starts flowering. During this period, the root system in plants is not yet sufficiently developed, and a lack of moisture can lead to the fall of the ovary.

In addition to heat and moisture, a pumpkin needs a lot of sunlight to grow. Therefore, it is better to grow it in areas open to the sun and protected from cold winds.

Site preparation for growing

Loose, fertile soils are best for pumpkins. On heavy clay soils, and even with a high level of subsoil water, you will not wait for a good pumpkin harvest. The plant does not tolerate acidic soils.

It is better to plant a pumpkin, if possible, in such a way that on the north side the site is protected by a wall of a house, an outbuilding, or at least a fence. In this case, it will be at least partially protected from cold northerly winds, and the stems of plants can be directed to trail against a wall or fence - the higher to the sun, the better the fruits will grow and ripen.

The area for growing pumpkin should be started in the fall. Under plowing in the chilly season, organic fertilizers should be applied at the rate of 5 kg of humus or 7 kg of manure per 1 m². Also, you need to enrich the soil on the site with mineral fertilizers: 30 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride per m².

Some enthusiasts, in order to keep the soil looser, prefer not to plow the area for the pumpkin, but to dig it up by hand. There is no special sense in such hard work: it is better to add peat or coarse sand together with fertilizers for plowing to ensure the looseness of the soil on the site.

Wood ash introduced simultaneously with them will not interfere, especially if a weakly acidic soil reaction is observed on the site.

How and when is it better to grow a pumpkin?

Pumpkin can be grown both by planting seeds in open ground and through seedlings. It is preferable, if the climatic conditions of your area allow, to sow seeds directly into open ground, since the pumpkin does not tolerate transplanting well.

If the climatic conditions allow growing it only through seedlings, then it is better to do this in special peat pots - in this case, you simply plant the plant along with the pot on the garden bed, without damaging its root system during transplantation.

The timing of sowing seeds depends on climatic conditions. In most regions where it is possible to grow pumpkin in the open field directly from seeds, it is sown after May 15, when the soil warms up to 12-15 cm at the planting depth.In the southern regions, where at this time there is practically no threat of night frosts, there are no additional tweaks are not required for this.

In more northern latitudes, where night frosts are possible after May 20, it is better to build an impromptu greenhouse at the landing site. For this I use 3 or 5 liter plastic bottles: I cut off the bottom of them and set them over the planted seeds, deepening their walls into the ground by 1.5-2 cm.

For a decade and a half of using such shelters, pumpkin seedlings have never died, although there were years when at night the air temperature dropped to 7-8 ° C for a day or two.

When growing pumpkin through seedlings, you need to carry out simple calculations. Seedlings are planted at the age of 22-23 days. Therefore, when planting it in open ground, for example, on May 25, it is necessary to plant seeds for seedlings on May 2-3. With the date of planting in the ground on June 5, seeds are planted for seedlings on May 14-15, etc.

Selection and preparation of seeds

Regardless of the cultivation method, the selection and preparation for planting pumpkin seed is carried out in the same way. Only large full seeds are selected for planting.

Pumpkin seeds are large, so their selection does not take much time and effort. If you don't like the pumpkin seed for something (too thin, insufficiently filled, has mechanical damage), it must be discarded.

To sprout faster, pumpkin seeds are germinated. To do this, they are immersed in warm water and kept there for 3-4 hours. All this time, the water temperature must be maintained in the range of 40-50 ° - it cannot be lowered or raised higher.

Then the swollen seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth, placed in a shallow container and left in it at room temperature until pecking, periodically moistening the cloth to prevent it from drying out.

After pecking, it is better not to plant the seeds immediately, but keep them for 3-5 days in the same damp cloth, but already in the refrigerator at a temperature of + 3-4 °. This pre-planting hardening greatly increases the cold resistance of the pumpkin.

Growing seedlings

Seedling photos:

Growing pumpkin through seedlings makes it possible to grow it even in the northern regions, where planting pumpkin seeds in open ground is impossible.

For growing seedlings, it is better to use peat cups, but if necessary, you can do this in plastic ones. The only condition is that the cups must be large enough, at least 10x10 cm. It should also be borne in mind that pumpkin seedlings can be small - for a planting area of ​​2 acres, only 5-6 pieces will be needed. seedlings.

Therefore, the ideal option is to plant it on the windowsill of your own house or apartment. It is possible to do this in a greenhouse or a greenhouse, but economically it is not entirely justified: for the sake of a small amount of seedlings, it is unprofitable to build a greenhouse or a greenhouse, and it is quite difficult to choose garden crops that are similar to the temperature requirements.

Pumpkin soil is needed light, with good water and air permeability. It is best suited for its cultivation a substrate of mixed in equal proportions of high-moor peat and sand.

The peat pots are filled with a prepared soil substrate and sludge seeds are planted in it. Since the seeds have already been planted, they are planted as follows: initially, the soil substrate is poured 2-3 cm below the upper edge of the pot.

Then the poured substrate is moistened, the germinated seeds are carefully placed on it, the substrate is poured on top, it is slightly moistened again and left to germinate in a place where the temperature is maintained at 25-30 ° for the first 3 days.

If the seeds are well glued, then you can plant one seed in a pot, but it is better to plant it in pairs for safety reasons: one of the two will probably germinate. If both germinate, then the second must be removed by pinching off the sprout at the very surface of the soil.

Usually, under such conditions, seeds germinate in 3-4 days. In the first week after germination, the temperature is maintained at 18-25 °, and then lowered to 15-18 °.If this temperature regime is not observed, the seedlings will quickly stretch out and are likely to disappear.

To grow well-developed, sturdy pumpkin seedlings, plants need to be watered regularly. But here, too, it is important to observe the measure: both the lack of moisture and its excess are destructive for the immature roots of the seedlings.

The only feeding of pumpkin seedlings is carried out 2 weeks after germination. It is better to do this with diluted water in a ratio of 1:10 with mullein, or with nitrophosphate dissolved in water.

3 weeks after planting the seeds, with proper care, the seedlings can already be planted in open ground. The readiness of seedlings for transplantation is evidenced by 3 well-developed true leaves of a rich green color.

Planting seeds and planting seedlings in open ground

Outwardly, both planting seeds and planting pumpkin seedlings in open ground look almost the same. But still, there are certain differences between them. It is better to plant both seeds and seedlings on a high bed 70 cm wide. The length of the bed is determined by the size of the plot.

But tall beds are not a prerequisite for growing pumpkin - they just make it much easier to care for the plants. If the cultivation of pumpkins is carried out in the usual way, then they are usually planted in rows. The distance between adjacent rows is left at 2-2.5 m.

The pumpkin is planted in the holes. To do this, a number of pits 40 cm wide and 30 cm deep are dug on the square. A tablespoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate is poured onto the bottom of these holes.

Then the holes are filled by a third with humus or rotted compost, then another third with soil substrate: mixed in equal proportions with peat and turf soil with the addition of half a glass of wood ash. The remaining third of the hole is filled with ordinary earth and poured with 2 liters of water at room temperature.

This algorithm is the same for sowing seeds and planting seedlings. The differences are that 2-3 seeds are placed in each such hole, sprinkling them with soil on top by 2-5 cm, and for seedlings they make a shallow hole in the ground so that the container with seedlings will completely enter into it.

Further, when planting seedlings, the bottom and walls of the peat cup are slightly cut. In plastic, the walls are carefully cut on both sides and the plant is transferred into the hole along with the ground.

How to care for a planted pumpkin?

The pumpkin is good because it does not need anxious care. The main agricultural activity is regular watering. Due to its extensive leaf mass, pumpkin quickly "pumps out" almost all moisture from the ground, therefore, without replenishing it, it will not give a good harvest.

It is especially important to have a sufficient amount of moisture during flowering and fruit setting. At this time, plants need to be watered only with warm - not lower than 20 ° - water, otherwise the pumpkin can "throw off" the ovary.

After watering and heavy rains, gently loosen the soil at the base of the roots. Also, until the pumpkin grows and covers the entire area with its foliage, you need to regularly remove weeds.

It is also important to properly organize the feeding system. The first is carried out during the formation of 5 of this sheet, the second - at the beginning of weaving, the subsequent ones - every 2 weeks. They are fed with nitroammophos, starting with 10 grams of fertilizer per bucket of water, and then with each new feeding, this dose is increased by 5 grams. During the formation and further development of the fruits, in addition to the nitroammofosk, another glass of wood ash per 10 liters of water is added.

A feature of the pumpkin is that as it grows, it forms many side shoots. They should be pinched at the beginning of development: the fruits are tied to them small and tasteless, and they take a lot of moisture and nutrients.

Growing pumpkins in your garden will not take much of your time and effort. And the benefits of such cultivation are enormous: if you do everything right, you will not only receive large tasty and healthy pumpkin fruits as a reward, but also clear your area of ​​unwanted "neighborhood".

The thick, wide foliage of pumpkin is better than any herbicide destroying weeds, not giving them access to heat and sunlight, so most of them simply die.

Pumpkin is an orange beauty that will adorn any garden. This healthy and tasty vegetable native to Mexico has been widely cultivated in Europe and Asia since the 16th century. Due to its unpretentious nature, the pumpkin has taken root well in our territory. The pulp of the plant, in addition to a number of substances necessary for a person, contains a rare vitamin T. Due to the large amount of carotene, pumpkin helps to maintain and strengthen vision.

Pumpkin is tasty and low-calorie, everyone loves it. Doctors recommend including pumpkin in the diet of those suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diseases of the intestines, liver, obesity and anemia. Pumpkin seed oil is a non-allergenic anti-inflammatory and revitalizing agent.

Many gardeners strive to grow pumpkin. Planting pumpkin seeds outdoors is a traditional growing method that, with proper care, allows you to get a rich harvest.

Pumpkin planting dates

Before sowing pumpkin seeds outdoors, make sure the timing and timing are right. Pumpkin is a heat-loving plant, the seeds of which may not sprout in cold after winter or excessively humid and damp ground. Also, it is worth taking into account the possibility of frost return after the first warming.

After the end of the frost, as soon as the air temperature rises to + 18 ° C, the time comes when you can plant a pumpkin. Seeds are planted in the ground when it warms up to 12-13 ° C at a depth of 7-8 centimeters. The optimum temperature for pumpkin development is + 25 ° С. The plant stops growing if the air temperature drops to + 14 ° C.

To get a good harvest, it is necessary to start sowing pumpkin in May. Favorable days for planting seeds in open ground are different for each region: they depend on the climatic conditions of the area. In the northern part of Russia, the first days of June are favorable for sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground.

Residents of the southern regions can plant seeds outdoors in mid-May. Some gardeners in the southern part start planting seeds from May 10. For those who live in the middle lane, the most favorable days for sowing pumpkin seeds in open ground come at the end of May, from about the 25th.

According to folk traditions, Yuri's day is considered the best day for planting pumpkins, from the very morning. If circumstances do not allow you to plant seeds on this particular day, do not be upset. A pumpkin planted in moist, warm soil enriched with fertilizers, regardless of the day of planting, will give an excellent harvest.

Choosing a place on the site

The correct selection of a site for a pumpkin is an important condition for obtaining a rich harvest. It is advisable to place the bed in a warm area warmed up by the sun's rays. The pumpkin also tolerates shading well. For the plant, the most preferred sandy loam or sandy soil, which is good because it warms up quickly.

Perennial grasses, corn, or winter wheat are good precursors for pumpkin in the garden. You can plant it after carrots, cabbage, beets, tomatoes, onions, peas, beans, peanuts, lentils, green manure. After cucumbers, zucchini, squash, watermelons and melons, it is advisable to plant a pumpkin only after 5 years.

Soil preparation

Fertile soil rich in nutrients is the key to a good pumpkin harvest.

Preparing the soil for planting should be done in the fall:

1. Remove weeds and plant debris from the area.
2. Shallowly loosen the ground with a hoe.
3. After 2-3 weeks, dig up the soil, collecting the roots of the weeds.

In the spring, a day before planting or on the same day, the earth must be dug up again. After that, the site is leveled with a rake.

Starting to develop actively, the pumpkin builds up the aerial part, so the plant needs a lot of nutrients.When digging up the ground, you should definitely apply fertilizers to it. The best options are rotted compost, humus, or manure. They are introduced at the rate of 5-10 kilograms per 1 square meter to a depth of 15-20 centimeters in light soils and 10-15 centimeters in heavy soils.

It is not always possible to apply such an amount of manure. Then it can be put into the holes at the rate of 1-2 kilograms per plant. In addition to manure, it is worth adding 20 grams of superphosphate and 10 grams of potassium sulfate to each well.

Some gardeners add a handful of humus, a glass of ash and 50 grams of superphosphate to each hole. You can use mineral and organic fertilizers (for one plant - 1 tablespoon). All introduced components must be thoroughly mixed with the ground before planting the seeds.

Some gardeners grow pumpkins on compost heaps. This method allows you not only to get a high yield, but also to improve the compost heap.

It is beneficial to plant pumpkin on compost for several reasons:

• The green mass of the pumpkin prevents weeds from growing on the compost.
• Pumpkin planted in compost accelerates the decomposition of coarse plant residues (sunflower stalks, cabbage stalks).
• Leavings covered with greenery improve the appearance of the compost heap.
• The pumpkin protects the compost from drying out.

Seed selection

There are more than three dozen pumpkin varieties. Almond, Mozoleevskaya 49, Gossemennaya, Freckle are hard-bodied large-fruited varieties that ripen early and are stored for a long time. Large-fruited varieties Smile, Winter sweet, Kroshka, Winter dining are good for winter storage. Early ripening portioned pumpkins are distinguished by a sweet taste: Butter crumpet, Amazon, Winter sweet, orange bush.

Many pumpkin varieties can be grown from seeds in the garden. For seed growing, it is not recommended to choose only nutmeg varieties, since the seeds may simply not sprout. Pumpkin seeds can be stored for 1 to 4 years.

When choosing a seed, you need to pay attention to its freshness, checking in advance for germination. This is easy to do: just take a few seeds and germinate them on wet gauze. By looking at how many seeds from all have sprouted, you can determine the approximate percentage of their germination. This will help in the future easier to know how many seeds to put in the holes.

For a good pumpkin harvest, you need to choose only full-weight seeds. To select the best, you need to prepare a 3-5% salt solution and dip the seeds into it. The ones that have surfaced are unsuitable for planting, and the rest can be planted. These seeds must be collected, washed and dried.

Preparing seeds for planting

For growing pumpkin in the open field, it is important not only to choose the right seeds, but also to prepare them for further sowing. It takes a little time, but has a positive effect on the harvest.

For friendly shoots, before planting pumpkin, it is recommended to warm up the seeds for 2 hours at a temperature of about 60 ° C. To prevent fungal diseases, after that they are kept in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 12 hours.

To ensure the sprout easy penetration through the hard skin of the seed, use a solution, for the preparation of which 2 tablespoons of wood ash are diluted in 1 liter of boiling water with stirring. Gauze folded in several layers is abundantly moistened with an ash solution and the seeds are wrapped in it for 12 hours.

Processed seeds can be sown directly into the ground, or you can germinate first at home and then plant. For those who choose the second method, it is better to prepare a box of sawdust for this procedure in advance.

You can do it this way: place sawdust on the bottom of any convenient deep container, then pour boiling water over them several times and cover them in 2-3 layers with gauze. Having laid out the seeds there, cover them with several layers of gauze and a layer of sawdust, and tighten the box with foil.In a home greenhouse arranged in this way, the seeds will germinate in 2-3 days and will be ready for planting.

You can do without these procedures, but the ripening period of the pumpkin in this case is significantly increased. A pumpkin whose seeds have not undergone pre-sowing treatment, in areas with a cool, short summer, may not have time to ripen until frost.

Technology of planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Of all the melons and gourds, pumpkin is the most resistant to cold weather, but it also loves heat. Better to plant it in late spring when there is no frost. In cold soil, seeds planted too early can simply rot. To feed one plant, an area of ​​1-4 square meters is required. It may be slightly less for early maturing varieties and more for late maturing.

A melon seeder is used to plant pumpkin seeds in large areas. In a typical vegetable garden, seeds most often have to be planted by hand. Before planting the pumpkin, rows are marked on the site and holes are made in them with a diameter of 30 centimeters.

If, after a snowless winter, the land on the site is dry, about 2 liters of water with a temperature of 50 ° C must be poured into each hole. Seeds can only be planted when the water is absorbed.

It is very important to keep the distance between plants when planting. For long-growing varieties, 1.5-2 meters are left between the holes, 1.4-2 meters between the rows. Bush pumpkin varieties can be planted in the nesting method according to the scheme 80x80 centimeters or 1.2x1.2 meters.

In light soils, seeds are sown to a depth of 5-8 centimeters, in heavy ones - by 4-5 centimeters. It is recommended to put 2-5 seeds in one hole: in large-fruited varieties it is possible less, in nutmeg - more. Place the seeds with their beak down at a distance of 3-4 centimeters from each other.

Having sprinkled the seeds with fertile soil, the site is mulched with humus or peat crumbs. Experienced gardeners install a homemade greenhouse made of film with slots over the planted seeds to accelerate growth.

Plant care field planting

Pumpkin sprouts should hatch a week after planting in the ground. Further care of the plants includes loosening the earth, regular watering, feeding, fighting diseases and pests.

Watering

Large pumpkin leaves contribute to the rapid evaporation of moisture, so the plant requires regular watering, and only with warm water. As the pumpkin grows, the amount of water for irrigation must be increased.

It is recommended to slightly reduce the amount of watering during the flowering period: the fruits will be tied better. The pumpkin patch is re-hydrated when the fruits begin to gain weight. Before harvesting, about 10 liters of water should be used to water one plant. When the pumpkins reach their full size, you can stop watering the plants.

Loosening and thinning

The soil around the plants must be loosened and cleaned of weeds after rain or watering. With the emergence of seedlings, the first loosening is carried out to a depth of 6-8 centimeters. It is better to loosen the row spacing before watering to a depth of 12-18 centimeters in order to ensure rapid penetration of water to the roots of plants. During loosening, it is recommended to slightly huddle the plants, increasing their resistance.

After the formation of two true leaves in the seedlings, it is necessary to thin them out, leaving in one hole two sprouts of nutmeg or hard-bore pumpkin and one at a time - large-fruited.

When 3-4 leaves are formed in seedlings, the second thinning is carried out. In order not to damage the root system of the remaining seedlings, it is not necessary to pull out the extra seedlings. It is enough just to cut off an unnecessary seedling at the level of the ground surface.

Top dressing

Pumpkin forms a large amount of vegetative mass (leaves, stems) and fruits, so it needs frequent feeding, preferably with liquid fertilizers.

3 weeks after sowing the seeds in the ground, it is recommended to carry out the first feeding with manure or chicken droppings diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 4. Such organic feeding should be repeated 3-4 times a month.It is good to feed the pumpkin by dissolving a glass of wood ash in 10 liters of water.

When applying the first top dressing at a distance of 10-12 centimeters around the plants, it is necessary to make grooves 6-8 centimeters deep and pour the solution into them. For further feeding, grooves 10-12 centimeters deep are placed 40 centimeters from the plants.

After fertilization, the grooves are covered with earth. If cloudy weather lasts for a long time, it is recommended to spray the pumpkin with a solution of 10 grams of urea in 10 liters of water.

Pollination

If there are not enough pollinating insects on the land plot during the pollination of plants, you will have to do it yourself. To do this, you need to learn to distinguish between female and male flowers. The males have an elongated stem, and the females are located on the stem, they have an ovary under the petals.

At about 9 o'clock in the morning, it is necessary to pick the male flower, cut off the petals and touch the pistils on the female flowers with an anther. If the male flowers have not yet blossomed, the male flowers of a closely related plant such as a squash can be used to pollinate the pumpkin. The pumpkin harvest will be good, but it will no longer be possible to use the seeds for sowing.

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

Terms for planting pumpkin in Belarus, Ukraine, Leningrad region and other regions

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

The pumpkin is planted in open ground in late spring

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

Most popular varieties

For Moscow region

Premiere

Table pumpkin Premiere

Cold-hardy crop with a sprawling long lash and sweet-tasting large fruits hanging over mature up to 6 kg. The culture is unpretentious to the type of soil, its fertility.

Dachnaya

Pumpkin grade Dachnaya

Culture with an early ripening period (75-85 days). The vegetable is characterized by a sweetish taste with hints of vanilla. Ripe pumpkin weighs 3-4 kg. Duration of storage of fruits is more than 4 months.

For the Urals

Russian woman

Pumpkin Russian woman

The plant is resistant to garden diseases and frost. The pulp is juicy and sugar, for which it is appreciated by culinary experts. The mass of the Russian pumpkin exceeds 2.7 kg. The ripening period of the crop is 110-130 days. The ripe fruit is orange.

Pearl nutmeg

Pumpkin nutmeg pearl

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

The best varieties of Siberia

Freckle

Pumpkin variety Freckle

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

Smile

Pumpkin Smile

Shrub variety. The culture easily tolerates temperature extremes and withstands frost, shows resistance to a humid environment.The variety has excellent taste and long shelf life (up to the next season). The duration of the growing season is 90-110 days, fruit weight - 2.1-3 kg.

Correct planting of a plant in open ground

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

Seed preparation: check for germination and germination

Sprouted Pumpkin Seeds

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

The soil

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

The depth of digging the soil should be at least 35-50 cm. To disinfect the site, it is necessary to pour hot water over it.

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

Planting seeds and seedlings in the country

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

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

Pumpkin is not recommended to be planted next to potatoes.

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

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

• in March start planting seeds for seedlings (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23);
• in April sowing is permissible in open ground (17-22, 24-29);
• in May (16 - 21, 23 - 28 numbers).

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

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

And what to do if the pumpkin seedlings are strongly elongated?In cases of excessive activity of seedling growth, when the stem becomes thin and unnecessarily long, the first thing to do is to transplant the plants into larger pots, providing the necessary space.

Growing at home and further care

At home, pumpkin can be grown on almost any soil. The culture shows tolerance to adverse weather conditions, even when it has begun to germinate. But these facts do not mean that the culture does not need to be cared for.

How long will the seeds germinate?

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

Pre-planting soaking of seeds in growth stimulants will help speed up the germination process. In addition to special means, aloe juice, infusion of wood ash, potato juice, honey solution are used.

Watering rules

Watering the pumpkin during flowering is especially important: moisture is necessary for the formation of female inflorescences

The pumpkin needs watering, but in moderation. Excessive moisture will provoke the pulling of the seedlings. It is better to water the soil after loosening and weeding. The culture tolerates drought well, but the reaction to cold water from the main line can be negative. Therefore, experts recommend using the settled liquid from the well.

Top dressing

The plant is very fond of feeding. Already a week after germination of seedlings, the first complementary food is introduced. The plant gets ideal nutrition from the mullein solution. Nitrophoska is considered no less effective (15 grams per bucket of water). She and carry out subsequent feeding with an interval of 10-14 days.

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

Forming pumpkins

Scheme of the formation of pumpkin lashes

As soon as 2-3 true leaves appear on the seedlings, you need to thin out the garden bed. When growing large-fruited pumpkin, only one sprout is left, nutmeg and hard-bark - 2 seedlings each.

The developing lash should also be shaped by removing excess ovaries and lateral shoots. This is done in two ways: in one stem and in two. In the first case, it is recommended to leave only 2-3 ovaries, on which there are 3-4 leaves. In the second method, 2 fruits are left on the main stem, and one on the side shoot. Without such a procedure, the fruits will be small and not very tasty.

Pests and prevention

Pumpkin is considered an unpretentious plant, however, this culture is also threatened by pests. Reducing productivity, and sometimes destroying young shoots can:

• slugs;
• melon aphid.

When signs of an invasion of pests are detected, special preparations are used (Actellik, Fufanon, Tsitkor, etc.). Products made from biological components are safer. In efficiency, sometimes folk methods are not inferior, among which deserve attention:

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

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

For an instant reaction to an invasion of pests, it is necessary to make it a rule to inspect the beds with a regularity of 1 every 3 days. Then you can localize the problem and save the harvest.

Harvesting

You can determine the maturity of a pumpkin by the following criteria:

• the peduncle becomes more rigid, the surface is corked, its woodiness occurs simultaneously with the stem supplying food;
• the leaves on the whip dry up, change color to yellow;
• whatever the original peel color, after ripening, reflects the texture pattern more vividly;
• if you run your fingernail over the crust, no trace is formed;
• when you press your fingers on the fetus, feel hard;
• ripe product is covered matte bloom;
• when tapped, audible ringing knock;
• when harvesting the peduncle is easy to remove.

It is necessary to harvest the pumpkin before stable frosts.

To ensure the crop has a long shelf life, it is necessary to pluck the fruits carefully, taking care not to damage the rind. Scratches should be sealed with a bactericidal plaster so that microbes do not penetrate into the vegetable.

The fruits removed from the garden are placed in a dry room, where they ripen for about a month.

The main guarantee of a good harvest is correct selection of seeds and timely care. Self-grown pumpkin diversifies the menu for households, enriches the body with nutrients.