How and when to plant a pumpkin

Yes, strangely enough, a pumpkin is a berry, although we are used to believe that this is a vegetable. An amazing plant that has been known since ancient times. Her homeland is Mexico, where she was cultivated for 5 thousand years BC. E. In Russia the pumpkin appeared in the 16th century, because of its unpretentious character, it very well settled on our territory. She looks like a beauty of orange, but sometimes it is green.

In autumn the markets are full of pumpkin of different shapes and sizes: round, oblong, in the form of a guitar. There are large and small fruits. Pumpkin is loved by everyone. It is tasty, low-calorie, useful. There are so many vitamins in it, as there are not, perhaps, in any product. It contains potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, fluorine, silicon. And the presence in it of vitamin E, which is able to rejuvenate and restore the body, made it even more significant. Therefore, doctors advise to include pumpkin in the diet of dietary nutrition to patients suffering from cardiovascular diseases, liver disease, intestines, anemia and obesity. There are a lot of culinary recipes for making delicious food from this wonderful product.
Is it possible that the pumpkin on the garden area grows the same as we see it on the market? Of course, if there is a site, precious time and desire. In this case, we must take into account some points.

When to plant a pumpkin

It is knowledge of all the nuances of growing a vegetable can provide a good harvest. In the spring, as soon as the ground warms up a bit, the frosts will end, the air temperature will be around +18 degrees, the time comes when you can plant the pumpkin already. After all, it is certainly worth considering that it is a heat-loving plant. And if you put seeds in cold ground (when you can not plant a pumpkin yet), all your efforts will remain in vain. At first, when the nights are still cold, you even need to cover the area where you landed, with a film.

Harvesting of seeds and varieties

A good horticulturist gives seed selection a great importance, and sometimes he makes the harvesting of such seeds. The selected mature pumpkin should be stored in a cool dry place. After using this fruit, the seeds must be cleaned from the pulp, dried and selected only the densest, ripe and healthy. If the future seedlings are stored in a damp place, they may not ascend at all. Or instead of a big berry in your garden, only the flower will show. Pumpkin varieties number more than 30. Large fruits with a hard bark: Almond, Freckles, Golosemennaya, Mozoleevskaya 49. They keep up early and are stored for a long time. Krugloplodnye: Crumb, Winter sweet, Winter dining room, Smile. These pumpkins are good for winter storage. Portion Pumpkin: Rich puff, Winter sweet, Amazon, Orange bush. Weight up to 5 kg. Early ripen, sweet.
Usually gardeners take varieties that have taken root in the region.

Where to plant

When we plant a pumpkin, we know. Now we need to pick up a landing site, so that the mistress, who came from the Southern countries, liked it, since she is a lover of the sun, water, air and freedom. Putting it in the shade means giving up the harvest. To plant a pumpkin it is necessary on the loosened, well warmed up earth. Excellent, if this land is mixed with compost (vegetable waste with manure). It retains moisture and heat. Compost is easy to prepare. In autumn it is necessary to collect in the pit all fallen leaves, branches from trees, dry grass, manure. In the rain and snow this is good. In spring, add loose soil to it, mix it, it is all distributed among the beds. And it is even better to plant seeds or pumpkin seedlings directly into this pit with a ready fertilizer.

Seedlings need to be planted in pots or plastic boxes. When there are seedlings, after 20 days you can land on the beds. Distribute with an interval of 80 cm. When planting, do not damage the seedlings, otherwise it will hurt, be capricious, or even completely die.

Care and feeding of pumpkin

The branches and leaves of the pumpkin are strong, juicy and tenacious, quickly growing to 1.5 meters in width. Pollination of flowers - the end of July or the beginning of August. One plant may have one or two fetuses. Extra ovary should be cleaned. Pumpkin is considered ripe, when the stalk completely withers.

A good, mature fruit (see pumpkin photo) can be stored in a cool dry place until spring. In a week, once the beds where the seeds or seedlings were planted, it is necessary to feed with the infusion of manure, sometimes sprinkle with ashes. If the seeds are planted on compost fertilizer, then no fertilizing is needed. It is enough to water just water.

It remains to wish all the dacha owners success and good harvest!