Pumpkin: how to grow a good harvest

Growing pumpkin

In the old days, a pumpkin was often planted in the most distant parts of the farmstead for the very reason that it almost did not need care. There it grew in breadth, occupying large areas. But in modern dachas, the plots are small – 6 – 10 acres. To give everything under the pumpkin is ridiculous. Therefore, many gardeners simply do not contact her. Meanwhile, these plants can be placed compactly.

In a barrel. Many summer residents on the site have a large metal or plastic barrel, which was purchased just in case, but never found a use. And it’s a shame to throw it away. And it is not necessary! You can plant squash there. It is enough to fill the barrel with fertile soil and sow the seeds. Shoots will not crawl around the site, they will hang from the barrel. It is not only economical, but also beautiful!

On a dung dog. As you know, fresh manure is not brought under vegetables – the roots will burn. Everyone except the pumpkin – it only benefits her. So, if you stocked up on organic matter, but there is no reason to use it yet, sow a pumpkin there.

Along the fence. You can put pumpkin lashes on the fence. But in this case, a problem arises: the fruits are heavy, they can break off the whips. Therefore, as soon as they begin to increase in size, they must be put in vegetable nets and tied to the fence.

So you can always find a place for a pumpkin. But still this culture has two conditions that must be met.

Fertile soil. In general, pumpkin grows well on any soil, except for strongly acidic and alkaline. But it is very desirable that the land be fertile, rich in organic matter. If the land is poor, when sowing, 0,5 buckets of humus should be added to the hole.

Sunny place. The pumpkin is photophilous and thermophilic (1), it must be grown in the brightest area – in the shade the harvest will be scarce, or even no fruit will be tied at all.

planting a pumpkin

In the middle lane and regions where conditions are similar, all pumpkins are grown in the same way. Seeds are sown immediately on the beds after May 25 to a depth of 3-4 cm (2). 3 seeds are sown in each hole, and when shoots appear, one of the strongest plants is left. You can’t leave everything – they will interfere with each other and the harvest will be very small.

If there are few seeds, the variety is rare, then you can sow one seed at a time, but first they need to be soaked in hot water (about 50 ° C) for 3-4 hours (3) – this will save them from pathogens and help them germinate faster.

The distance between the holes depends on the variety. If the shoots are short, like those of zucchini (there are also such varieties), then the sowing scheme is 70×70 cm. If the stems are of medium length, there should be 1 m in a row between plants, and 1,5 m between rows. For varieties with long lashes – 1,5 2xXNUMX m. The length of the shoots is usually indicated on the package with seeds.

Outdoor pumpkin care

Watering. It is needed only until the moment of shoots. You can water a couple more times when sprouts appear (once a week). There is no need to water further – excess water on the soil surface can provoke diseases, and the roots of the pumpkin are so long that they easily extract water from the lower layers of the soil.

Feeding. If the pumpkin grows in fertile soil, no additional fertilizer is needed. If the land is poor, then over the summer it needs to be fed 3 times:

• 2 weeks after germination – mullein infusion (1:10), norm – 1 bucket per 5 plants;
• when 5 real leaves appear – 2 teaspoons of nitrophoska under each bush – scatter evenly over the surface of the soil and close up with a rake;
• when lashes begin to form – 1 tbsp. a spoonful of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water, the norm is a bucket per plant.

Optional: once a month, feed with ashes – 1 cup per plant.

Harvesting pumpkins

You should not rush to harvest pumpkins – the longer they lie in the garden, the tastier and healthier they will be. But it is important to pluck them before frost. In the middle lane, the harvesting period usually falls on the first half of September.

In order for pumpkins to be stored all winter, they need to be collected in sunny weather. If it was plucked in the rain, the fruit must be dried for 2 weeks in a ventilated room at a temperature of about 25 ° C before storage.

The fruits must be fully ripe by the time of harvest. If there are scratches on the peel, they can be covered with brilliant green so that they do not rot.

Cut the pumpkins so that the stalk remains (its optimal length is about 10 cm). Without a stalk, the fruit quickly deteriorates.

Pumpkin storage rules

Pumpkins are perfectly stored in the apartment – in the villages they were put under the bed. This is the best place right now. If there is a pantry, then you can send it there. Or under the kitchen table. In warm conditions, the starch accumulated in the fruits over the summer turns into sugar. And the longer the pumpkins lie, the sweeter they become.

But there are 2 nuances that must be taken into account during storage: the room must be dry and dark. With high humidity and light, the fruits lie less and begin to rot.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing pumpkins with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
2. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.
3. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO “Orakul”, OOO Lazurak, IPKA “Publicity”, 1994 – 415 p.