Pumpkin Growing Basics

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Any summer resident and gardener is familiar with a pumpkin. This culture is a favorite for planting in personal plots. It belongs to annual plant species and is a representative of the pumpkin family of the same name. She came to our region from the USA. It is worth noting that initially Portugal and Spain were her homelands. There culture immediately won the love of the country's inhabitants

In Russia, pumpkin appeared only in the seventeenth century, but even here it immediately fell in love with gardeners. At the moment, only two types of pumpkin plants are grown in the gardens - ordinary and large-fruited. Only they out of all thirteen forms turned out to be adapted in order to feel comfortable in our soil and climate conditions. They do not need a lot of light and too high temperatures, like other species.

It should be noted that the soil for planting a pumpkin crop must necessarily be very fertile. In addition, during cultivation, the pumpkin will need to be fed several times. Only then will it allow you to get large weighty fruits. Miniature pumpkins do not have excellent taste and grow worse in our climatic zones. When grown in a vegetable garden, pumpkin requires a lot of free space. In this case, it will develop well and bring high yield rates. Long lashes should be spaced at least six meters apart. Only climbing bushy gourds have short stalks and do not require large areas to obtain nutrients.

Among melons and gourds, it is pumpkins of different varieties that are not demanding to obtain large amounts of micronutrients. However, the soil should contain enough humus and be thoroughly fertilized. Among summer residents, the plant has gained popularity due to its incredible health and wellness benefits. Many dishes and juices are prepared from pumpkin. In its composition, a vegetable contains a lot of components necessary for a person. Among them, there is vitamin C, iron, fiber and much more. In general, pumpkin contains many substances that normalize the functioning of various body systems. In winter, pumpkin can be stored under certain conditions. Subject to all requirements, it will not lose its taste and useful qualities even in the spring months.

Seedling pumpkin

Pumpkin is a plant that loves heat very much and needs it during cultivation. Unlike many other vegetable crops, it has special temperature requirements. For high-quality and efficient germination of seeds, a temperature of twenty-two to twenty-seven degrees of heat is needed. However, with temperatures above forty degrees, seedlings should not be grown.

Pumpkin seedlings do not tolerate frost. Therefore, when choosing the time for sowing a crop, this circumstance must be taken into account. Do not allow overflow of soil where the pumpkin grows. This is especially dangerous in the case of cold weather. If the temperature drops below the plus fourteen degrees mark, then the root system stops deepening. It is recommended to grow a pumpkin plant in fertile types of soils, well warmed up. You need to place plantings in the southern areas of the site, next to the walls of the house or fences.

For example, summer residents living in the Moscow region can effectively grow pumpkin seedlings at home. In this case, it must be placed on the southern and southwestern windowsills. Moreover, it is worth making sure that the temperature does not drop below ten degrees Celsius at night. For containers, preference should be given to containers the size of liter cans. This is where the swollen vegetable seeds are located. Cups made of paper or polyethylene are perfect for such tasks. Fertile soil from the garden is placed in them. To begin with, only two-thirds of the container is filled with soil. The seeds are deepened when sown to a depth of about three centimeters.

The soil is poured almost to the edges of the container at the moment when the first true leaves are formed on the seedlings. Before planting, the pumpkin must be treated with a weak manganese solution. Seedlings do not need to be fed too often. At a young age, the culture will not be able to normally tolerate too high concentrations of fertilizers. The potting soil for growing pumpkin should include humus, soil, and sand. This mixture is the best for the development of seedlings. With slow growth of seedlings, you can feed the pumpkin with a mullein or a mineral mixture of nitrogen.