2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Zucchini can be seen in almost every summer cottage, which cannot be said about squash. Many gardeners are afraid to grow this vegetable, considering it very capricious in terms of care. However, this opinion is erroneous. Squash are grown almost in the same way, and even surpass their congeners in taste and useful properties. What are the advantages of squash? Young fruits with white crunchy flesh, which taste like mushrooms, are most appreciated. The French called the squash "Jerusalem artichoke", as they caught some similarity in their tastes. Young squash is boiled, fried, stewed, stuffed, used to prepare festive dishes. In addition, delicious canning is prepared from them
A wide variety of species
The fruits of the squash can be of very different shapes: disc-shaped, in the form of a disk, a bell, with jagged edges, scallops, or simply even. The most common are white squash, but there are varieties that give orange, green and even purple fruits.
Among all kinds of species, the most popular are "Sun", "White 13", "Orange", "Disc", "Umbrella", "Cheburashka". Special attention should be paid to the new hybrid variety "Solar Blast F1", which produces excellent mini-fruits intended for canning.
Planting principles
Patisson is more thermophilic than zucchini, therefore, a sunny area with protection from the wind is chosen for planting. These plants are planted with seeds or seedlings.
In the spring, before planting, you should complete all the preparatory work: level the ground and apply mineral fertilizers.
Many experienced gardeners practice hardening the seeds of squash, which allows you to get good germination of plants. To do this, the moistened seeds are placed in small gauze bags for 3 days, while for 6 hours they should be in a warm room with a temperature of 20 ° C, and the rest of the time in a room with a temperature of 0 ° to 2 ° C. Sometimes, before sowing, the seeds are soaked in special solutions that provide active growth stimulation.
Seeds are sown from mid-April, but the second half of May is considered optimal for planting seedlings. Seedlings of squash break through, leaving one sprout in the hole. To provide the necessary moisture, it is recommended to lightly sprinkle the beds with peat. Seeds can be sown a little earlier than the recommended time (15-20 days). In this case, a film shelter is made, which provides a comfortable temperature and humidity regime and protects the plants from spring frosts.
Squash care and possible problems
Caring for this plant includes weeding, watering, removing the lower leaves for better ventilation, as well as rotten fruits.
Water the squash as needed, but abundantly. To prevent water from getting into the flowers and ovary, it must be poured under the root or along the furrows. Correct watering in this case is one of the measures for the prevention of rot diseases. For better plant growth, it should be periodically fed, alternating mineral and organic fertilizers. For fruit ovary, squash requires cross-pollination. In the beds, this role is played by pollen-carrying insects. But in greenhouses sometimes you have to pollinate plants by hand.
To prevent the fruits from rotting and serving as a food source for garden slugs, you should limit their contact with the ground. To do this, you can make a homemade backing from pieces of glass or plywood. Squash are susceptible to the same diseases as cucumbers. The main reasons for the deterioration of plant growth are sudden changes in temperature and watering with cold water. Diseases of anthracnose, white and root rot, and powdery mildew are considered very dangerous for them.
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Squash
Squash - early ripening vegetable culture; an annual herb, considered one of the many varieties of pumpkin. History Squash came to Europe in the 17th century from America. This interesting fruit immediately gained unprecedented popularity in a number of European countries.
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