2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
The technology for growing decorative pumpkin is simple to implement. You can entrust this activity to your children. Give them small beds for the experiment. There will be no limit to delight when they see the "miracle" of transformation with their own eyes
Habitat conditions
Loves fertile soils, well filled with organic fertilizers. Photophilous, prefers sunny, well-warmed places. Demanding heat. It responds positively to watering.
Landing
The seeds are soaked for a day in an epin solution. Slightly dried grains are kept for 3 days in a cloth in the refrigerator for hardening. For an earlier harvest, they are planted in mid-April in separate cups.
Fill in the finished peat-based soil. A hole is pierced at the bottom to drain excess water. 1 seed is spread to a depth of 2 cm. Sprinkle with earth, watered with potassium permanganate.
After 3-4 days, cotyledon leaves appear. If necessary, add soil to the stem to form additional roots. At the age of one month, seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place.
At the end of April, they sow directly into the ground. In autumn, the beds are filled with rotted organic fertilizers and ash. Dig it to the depth of the arable layer. In the spring, the soil is loosened with a rake.
Dig small holes. 2 seeds are planted in each. The planting scheme is square-nested every 20-30 cm. Watered with warm water. To obtain friendly shoots, cut plastic bottles without lids are placed on the wells. They remove the shelter with the onset of guaranteed warm weather.
Care
Regular watering 2-3 times a week will allow the plant to create a good leaf mass. Top dressing is used at the initial stage of cultivation with complex fertilizers or diluted nettle infusion.
Loosening the row spacings until the tops close. Regular weed removal. Mulching the soil around the bushes with peat, sawdust, humus.
After the main stem reaches a length of one meter, the growth point is pinched, stimulating the formation of lateral branches. Each plant produces up to 20 fruits, depending on the variety and size. If you do not pinch the lashes, then they grow 4-6 meters long.
To increase the yield on cloudy, cold days, artificial pollination of flowers is used. Pollen from male specimens is transferred to female pistils when a sticky liquid is released from them.
Harvesting
Harvested at several times as the fruit ripens. Do not wait for the first frost, after which the pumpkins are poorly stored.
Finished products are laid out in a thin layer in boxes, placed in a cool, dry place, or used for crafts and room decoration.
Getting seeds
The largest ripe specimens are used to obtain their own seeds. Provided that the distance between the different varieties was at least 200 meters from each other or in different parts of the garden. Otherwise, you will end up with a mixture of different shapes. Cross-pollinated pumpkin culture.
Cut the fruit in half. Separate the seeds from the pulp. Rinse with running water through a sieve. Lay out on the newspaper until completely dry in a warm room. Packaged in paper bags. Shelf life 4-6 years.
Cooking
Many varieties of an unusual culture are used in cooking. They are more suitable for preparing second courses. The pulp does not have much sweetness, but it is quite edible.
For children's birthdays, you can bake meat roast in "mushrooms". Take off their hat. Get out the seeds. Stuff the empty space with minced meat. Put the top back in place. Bake in the oven until tender (40-50 minutes). Children will be pleasantly surprised by the unusual treat.
If you have never had such amazing plants at your dacha, then it is not too late to buy seeds of a "miracle vegetable". She will decorate the flower beds of your garden, surprise guests with an unusual dish on the festive table.
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