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Decorative pumpkin Little Red Riding Hood is an annual gourd. It has unique characteristics, is resistant to diseases, pests and drought, does not require special cultivation techniques. Its fruits are used for culinary or decorative purposes.
Variety description
The Red Riding Hood variety was bred by the American breeder L. Burbank from the seeds of a Chilean pumpkin, shaped like an oak acorn. After many years of hard work, an unpretentious plant was obtained, resistant to drought, diseases and pests. Due to the visual similarity of the fruits with the oriental headdress, the derived subgroup was called chalmoid.
The brightest representative of the subspecies is a pumpkin in the form of a mushroom, called Little Red Riding Hood. The variety is considered decorative: its bush is compact, the lashes are thin, grow up to 2,5 – 4 m, weave well and cling to the proposed support. The crown of the plant is dense, rich, dark green. The leaf plate is small, rounded. The culture forms a large number of thin side shoots.
The variety is classified as early ripening. The growing season starts in June. The pumpkin bears large funnel-shaped yellow flowers on thin stems. By the end of June, fruits begin to form.
Description of fruits
The shape and color of the pumpkin are the distinguishing features of the Little Red Riding Hood variety. In appearance, the fruits look like a large mushroom with a red, orange, brownish rounded cap and a thick white, milky or white-green base.
The weight of a ripe pumpkin ranges from 200 g to 2 kg. Rarely there are large turban-shaped varieties, with fruits with a diameter of 10-20 cm, growing up to 4 kg.
The pulp of young pumpkins is crumbly, its thickness can reach 7-10 cm. The variety has a pleasant melon aroma and sweetness. After ripening, its peel hardens, the flesh becomes watery, bitter. Such fruits are used for decoration.
Characteristics of a variety
Decorative pumpkin Little Red Riding Hood has a high yield. Subject to the rules of agricultural technology and favorable growth conditions, up to 20 fruits can be harvested from one bush per season.
The Red Riding Hood variety is cold-resistant. Germinated seeds can be sown in early spring, immediately after frost, without waiting for the soil to warm up deeply. In the presence of mulch and covering material, young shoots are not afraid of return frosts.
The varietal feature of the Little Red Riding Hood is the high germination of seeds and their long shelf life. Pumpkin seeds remain viable for 7 years.
Another advantage of the variety is its drought tolerance. The plant easily tolerates dry periods with high air temperatures, without needing additional watering.
Pest and disease resistance
Ornamental pumpkins are susceptible to the same diseases as large table varieties. However, a feature of Little Red Riding Hood is increased immunity. There are practically no aphids, slugs and spider mites on plants. Powdery mildew is not terrible for pumpkin.
With proper storage of seeds and preventive measures before planting, insecticide treatment is not required.
Advantages and disadvantages
Gardeners note that, in addition to the unique appearance, the variety of decorative pumpkin in the form of a mushroom has significant advantages:
- unpretentiousness;
- frost resistance;
- high immunity to diseases, pests;
- drought tolerance;
- high yield;
- fast growth;
- precocity;
- long shelf life of ripe fruits.
In addition, the plant is suitable for vertical cultivation. Scourges easily climb to a height of up to 2,5 m, form dense thickets. A decorative pumpkin is planted to decorate verandas, gazebos, arched walkways.
Of the minuses, the bitter taste of a ripe pumpkin is noted, as well as watery pulp and a dense peel. Young fruits of the Red Riding Hood variety have no taste deficiencies.
Is it possible to eat pumpkin Little Red Riding Hood
Only unripe, “milk” fruits are suitable for cooking. Decorative pumpkin mushroom is consumed both raw and boiled, baked or steamed. The young pulp tastes tender, with a sweet, melon aroma.
A variety of salads are prepared from the fruits of the Red Riding Hood variety, they can be boiled, fried, salted, stewed, added to cereals or mashed potatoes.
Nutritionists say that the orange pulp of the pumpkin is saturated with keratin, enriches the body with useful vitamins and trace elements.
Application of decorative pumpkin
From a mature pumpkin of the Red Riding Hood variety, harvested in a timely manner and properly dried, craftsmen make unusual decor items, household utensils, and use them to create autumn compositions and children’s creativity.
Boxes, pots, cups, candlesticks, holiday lanterns are cut out of fruits of an unusual shape.
Lacquer and acrylic paints fit well on a hard, dried peel.
Cultivation technology
The variety of decorative pumpkin Little Red Riding Hood is one of the most unpretentious in care. For planting, it is worth choosing light, unshaded areas with loose, fertile soil. It is desirable that the soil environment is neutral or slightly acidic.
Red Riding Hood can be sown in open ground as early as the end of April. The variety is not afraid of frost and a sharp drop in temperature. Pre-germinate the seeds by placing for 2 days in gauze, periodically moistened with warm water. Planting with non-sprouted material is possible, but seedlings will appear much later.
Grow pumpkin varieties Little Red Riding Hood and seedlings:
- In late February – early May, the seeds are immersed in the nutrient composition for 2 – 3 days. You can buy it at any gardening store.
- The hatched seeds are placed in peat pots with a fertile substrate.
- After that, cover with polyethylene, put in a warm place with diffused light.
- When the first sprouts appear, the covering material is removed.
- 2 weeks before planting on open ground, young shoots begin to harden off: they are left on the veranda with an open window, they are taken out for 15-30 minutes outside.
- Complex organic approvals must be added to the prepared hole before planting.
- The distance between adjacent plants planted in open ground should be at least half a meter in order to leave room for the growth and development of side shoots.
- If the average daily temperature is below 15 degrees, the seedlings are protected with covering material.
Despite the fact that the variety is unpretentious, the pumpkin responds well to the application of complex fertilizers. The shoots, foliage and fruits of the plant develop best on the “dung cushion”: per 10 sq. m of soil contribute 50 kg of mullein. The introduction of organic top dressing during the flowering period is mandatory.
For the Red Riding Hood variety, timely high-quality watering is desirable, as the soil dries. It is preferable to use warm, settled water. With a lack of moisture, the lashes of the culture become thinner, the leaves turn yellow, the ovaries dry out, fall off, and the fruits turn out to be bitter, too small, pale.
If you want to create a hedge or a green wall, you need to provide a stable support for the Red Riding Hood pumpkin. To do this, use wooden, metal, plastic trellises. In addition, whips are allowed on fences, walls or bars on the veranda.
To stimulate the growth of lateral processes, the main lash is pinched when its length reaches 1 m. This procedure is required to obtain a decorative look for a pumpkin bush.
Ripe fruits are harvested at the end of August – September, when the stalk becomes stiff, brown and hard.
For storage for decorative purposes, the pumpkin is washed in a solution of baking soda or wiped with alcohol, placed in a warm, well-ventilated area. The seeds are not removed. After about 1 – 2 months, the Little Red Riding Hood will be suitable for creating compositions.
Conclusion
Decorative pumpkin variety Little Red Riding Hood is an unusual decoration for a personal plot. Curly lashes with dense foliage and miniature mushroom fruits will decorate a veranda, arch or gazebo, disguise an unsightly wall or fence. Pumpkin belongs to unpretentious cultures, grows quickly, is not susceptible to drought and frost. In addition, the young fruits of the Little Red Riding Hood pumpkin will help diversify the diet and get a portion of the necessary vitamins, and the mature ones will decorate the house.
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