Pumpkin is consumed fresh, stewed, in the form of puree, porridge, and soup. It goes well with cereals and vegetables. You can make pancakes from it, stuff it, bake it in the oven, or steam it.

Three types of pumpkins are common in global agricultural production:

• large-fruited;
• hard-barked;
• nutmeg.

Numerous varieties of large-fruited pumpkin are used as livestock feed. The fruits of hard-bark pumpkin are gray-skinned, sweet, and can be stored well in apartment conditions. Their flesh is edible raw.

In summer cottages, nutmeg pumpkin is often grown. The sweet and aromatic vegetable is suitable for eating raw. Of the varieties zoned for most regions for planting pumpkin, we should note Almond 35 and Volzhskaya Gray.

Pumpkins grow in any climate, making them an easy plant to grow in any garden. But it is not easy to get large and high-quality fruits by planting pumpkins in open ground. In our climate, pumpkins, like any southern plants, lack sunlight and the length of the growing season.

Pumpkin quickly grows a gigantic vegetative mass, so the soil must contain many nutrients. Pumpkins cannot be planted in the shade. She needs a lot of light to grow quickly.

Do not plant a pumpkin next to it - an aggressive bush will leave the pumpkin without sunlight and it will not set fruit.

Pumpkin can be planted from seeds in the garden. The best predecessors for pumpkin are nightshade and cabbage vegetables. Planting pumpkins in the ground near the south side of buildings will protect against the cold nor'easter.

Large pumpkin leaves are easily damaged by wind. When leaves turn over, plants slow down their growth and development. To avoid this, summer residents plant tall crops, such as beans, sweet peppers or standard tomatoes, around the perimeter of the pumpkin patch. If the size of the plot allows, grain crops can be sown between the pumpkin rows.

The soil will have to be prepared in the fall - make holes and cover with fallen leaves. In spring, the soil under the leaves warms up quickly. All that remains is to fill the hole with a bucket of fertile soil and plant 3 seeds. After the cotyledon leaves open, you need to leave one seedling (the strongest in appearance) and remove the rest. A month after sowing, each plant should have at least three leaves.

Treating the seeds with aloe juice before sowing helps speed up the development of the pumpkin. You need to squeeze out a few drops of juice, dilute with water 1:5 and soak the seeds in the solution for one hour.

Culture loves warmth. At a temperature of 0 degrees it dies, even if it is a short-term morning frost. Among the melons, pumpkin is the most moisture-loving. It tolerates close proximity to soil water well. In dry years, such areas can yield excellent harvests.

Tilling the land in autumn and spring for pumpkin is similar to cultivating beds before planting other vegetables of the family. Anyone who has ever grown cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons or melons will be able to prepare the soil for pumpkins. Like cucumbers, pumpkins can be grown not only on the ground, but also on a pile of old humus.

In the south of Russia, seeds are sown in April, in the middle zone - at the end of May. In Siberia, pumpkin is sown at the end of May, but it is taken into account that, if necessary, the seedlings will have to be protected from frost, which is possible in the region until mid-June.

Pumpkins are harvested when the fruits acquire a characteristic color and pattern. Unripe nutmeg pumpkin can be ripened at home.

From oilseed varieties, the seeds are removed immediately, poured into a glass container and filled with cold water for a day. If the fruits are overripe, the seeds should not be soaked to prevent germination. After soaking, the seeds are washed, separated from the pulp and dried in the oven until the thin transparent film covering the surface of the seed falls off.

Caring for a vertical pumpkin

There is an opinion that creeping plants spread to the south, but this is not so. The pumpkin grows in all four directions, taking over the surrounding areas. In favorable conditions, persistent plants can climb up a vertical surface and weave through an arbor, shed or bush.

This can be used by summer residents who do not have enough space for pumpkins on their plot. They need to plant not ordinary varieties, but climbing varieties, fortunately the seeds have become available for sale. To make the lashes climb up better, you can stretch the twines for them, like for cucumbers. For a “vertical garden”, varieties with large fruits are suitable - Spaghetti, Zhemchuzhina, Russian pumpkin.

The new wax pumpkin is well suited for vertical culture. It has elongated fruits with a dark green, dense rind that feels like wax. Initially, pumpkins were grown in China and southeastern countries, but now they are gaining popularity here too. The first variety of wax gourd that became famous in our country is called Chardzhou.

The fruits of the wax gourd are ready for harvesting 125-130 days after sowing, so in the northern regions they have to be grown through seedlings. The plants form powerful long stems, elongated fruits, up to 50 centimeters in length, each fruit weighs from six kilograms.

Wax pumpkin cannot compare with nutmeg in taste, but it is a champion in storage. The fruits, without drying out or rotting, can lie in the cellar for up to 3 years.

Another pumpkin that is still rare in our country is the figleaf pumpkin. In its homeland in Peru it is a perennial crop, but in our country it is grown as an annual crop. The pumpkin got its name from the unusual shape of its leaves. It has oval-shaped green fruits with a white pattern on the bark. The pulp is white or yellowish, sweet and tasty. Externally, the plant and fruits look like watermelons.

The length of the shoots of the figoleaf pumpkin reaches 10 meters, and it is suitable for vertical gardening. Although the plant originates from the tropics, it grows in any region of the country where there is a pumpkin cultivation culture.

Growing pumpkin

Pumpkin loves feeding with ash. This natural fertilizer supplies the plant with potassium, of which there will be a lot of potassium in a properly grown pumpkin (see below for the chemical composition of pumpkin and its value for those who want to lose weight).

According to the pumpkin growing technology, you need to stop watering a month before harvest, then the fruits will become hard and will be well stored. If autumn is rainy, it is better to cover the plants with film or place an awning over them. The fruits ripen three and a half months after planting the seedlings in the ground. If they have not had time to acquire the golden or gray color characteristic of the variety, they will acquire it later, after lying in the room for several weeks.

Pumpkin seeds and pulp have many beneficial properties, and the plant itself is unpretentious and grows well on any soil. Growing it with your own hands is not difficult at first glance, but some features still exist. We have prepared this article especially for those who are interested in unusual varieties of pumpkin and the peculiarities of their cultivation. Detailed descriptions of varieties with photos and videos will help you decide on the choice of seeds.

Below you will find a lot of useful information about the features of sowing and caring for pumpkins, as well as practical tips for storing vegetables in winter.

Growing pumpkins in open ground and caring for them

Pumpkin is an extremely useful, but at the same time unpretentious crop. It is thanks to the latter feature of the plant that it is often planted in areas that, due to the characteristics of the soil, are not suitable for the cultivation of other, more demanding plants.

Of course, when growing pumpkins in open ground, the plant will still need some care. To get a truly rich harvest, after the first shoots appear, the pumpkin bed must be regularly loosened to remove weeds and saturate the soil with moisture and air. It is also recommended to fertilize the vegetable several times a season, but even without adding additional fertilizers, the vegetable quickly gains weight. Next, we will look at the main nuances of growing pumpkin in more detail, so that even novice summer residents can cope with the cultivation of this vegetable.

Pumpkin varieties with photos and descriptions

There are many types of pumpkins, but the most common are the hard-skinned ones (Figure 1):

1. Acorn, or acorn, got its name because of the characteristic fruits, which are shaped like acorns. The pulp is orange-yellow, the peel is dark green or orange.
2. Aport- round, mid-season with orange-yellow flesh, weighing up to 7 kg. The peel is orange.
3. Smile- ripens in 85 days. The fruits are bright orange with light stripes, weighing up to one and a half kilograms.
4. Freckle- early ripening appearance. The pulp is yellow-orange, fruits up to 3 kg. The peel is light green with light spots. Well kept.

Figure 1. Hard-barked varieties: 1 - Acorn, 2 - Aport, 3 - Smile, 4 - Freckle

There are also large-fruited and cold-resistant species (Figure 2):

1. Russian- early ripe, climbing with orange flesh. Fruit weight is 3-4 kg. It is cold resistant.
2. Ordinary- fruits reach a weight of up to 25 kg. The smaller the fruit, the tastier.
3. Gribovskaya winter- late-ripening, with bright yellow or red flesh. Fruits weighing more than 3 kg, flattened, gray in color.
4. Merchant's wife- fruits are light orange, flattened, weighing more than 15 kg. This species is mid-season and can be stored for a long time.
5. Volga gray- round, light gray fruits, weighing up to 8 kg, with yellow or orange flesh. Mid-season species, drought-resistant.

Figure 2. Large-fruited and cold-resistant varieties: 1 - Rossiyanka, 2 - Ordinary, 3 - Gribovskaya winter, 4 - Kupchikha, 6 - Volzhskaya gray

When choosing a variety, you need to focus not only on the characteristics of the soil, but also on the climatic conditions in which the crop will be grown.

Muscat

These pumpkins have an excellent taste and can even be eaten raw. In harsh climates it can only be grown from seedlings.

Most Popular muscat varieties such(Figure 3):

1. Butternut- fruits weighing up to 1 kg with orange pulp, pear-shaped. Contains many useful vitamins and minerals.
2. Bylinka- fruits with bright orange pulp and gray skin.
3. Vitamin- the fruits are green, oval, weighing up to 6 kg with bright orange pulp. Contains a large amount of beta-carotene, very well suited for baby food and juicing.

Figure 3. Muscat varieties: 1 - Butternut, 2 - Bylinka, 3 - Vitaminnaya

Varieties for the Moscow region

The variety is also selected depending on the climate of the region. This is the only way to get a good harvest.

These types are best suited for the Moscow region(Figure 4):

1. Medical- fruits are flattened, weighing 3-5 kg ​​with a thin peel. The harvest is harvested 90 days after the formation of the first shoots. The variety is early ripening and stores well.
2. Candied fruit- fruits weighing 5 kg, flat-round in shape with yellow-orange pulp, which contains a lot of sugar and carotene.
3. Gribovskaya winter- a fruit with a gray color, flattened shape, weighing 3-4 kg. The core is bright orange. This is a late-ripening species that is well stored until the next harvest. Grown through seedlings.

Figure 4. Varieties for the Moscow region: 1 - Medicinal, 2 - Candied fruit, 3 - Winter mushroom

Varieties for Siberia

When choosing a variety for the Urals and Siberia, you need to take into account that frosts there continue until mid-June. Therefore, the culture resists cold and frost. The following species are considered suitable for harsh climates (Figure 2):

1. Smile- grows in the form of a bush, gives a high yield. Fruits weighing 3 kg with a thick orange peel. Can be stored for a long time at room temperature.
2. Freckle- fruits weighing no more than 3 kg with a hard rind, tastes like melon. This variety tolerates temperature changes and is most suitable for growing in Siberia.
3. Russian- dark orange in color, and tastes like melon. When grown correctly, it gives a high yield. Resistant to all diseases and pests, and suitable for planting in the Urals and Siberia.

Pumpkin seeds are gaining more and more popularity, as they have a number of healing and valuable taste qualities.

Here are several varieties that, when grown, produce tasty seeds and juicy pulp(Figure 5):

1. Miranda- rounded-flattened fruits of light green color, with yellow-orange pulp and olive-green seeds. Intended for direct consumption and processing. Sow in open ground at the end of April.
2. Sweet pie- fruits weighing 2-3 kg, round in shape with an orange-round peel. The variety is high-yielding and early ripening.
3. Premiere- fruits of a flattened shape with a dark green color and a coarse mesh. Weight 5-6 kg, flesh bright orange. The species is mid-season, tolerates cold well and lasts a long time.
4. Spaghetti- the shape and color of the fruits resemble a melon. Unripe fruits are green in color.
5. Melon- yellow, round, large, slightly flattened, weighing 25-30 kg, with dark orange flesh. The variety is mid-season, productive. Recommended for baby and diet food, as well as for making juices.
6. Gymnosemyanka- does not have a hard shell on the seeds. The yield is low and the fruits are small, but the variety is valued precisely for its unusual seeds. Gymnosperm pumpkin, like other species, loves warmth.

Figure 5. Varieties for seeds: 1 - Miranda, 2 - Sweet Pie, 3 - Premiere, 4 - Spaghetti, 5 - Melon, 6 - Golosemyanka

Seed preparation and planting

The area designated for the crop is well fertilized. Add at least 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket of sawdust, 1 liter jar of wood ash and 1 glass of nitroammophoska. The bed is made 70 centimeters wide, dug deep and watered with hot water (Figure 6).

Figure 6. Sowing seeds

To achieve rapid germination of seeds, they are dipped in a solution of liquid complex fertilizer for a day, after which they are covered with a damp cloth for 1-2 days, constantly moistening it with water.

To plant old seeds, they are checked for germination a month in advance. For this purpose, take several seeds of each type and soak them in a damp cloth until germination.

Holes for sowing are made along the bed at a distance of 90 centimeters. Seeds are sown germinated, 2 seeds in each hole, in warm, moist soil.

The author of the video will tell you how to properly plant in open ground.

Features of pumpkin care

The best time for planting is when the soil is well warmed up, at an air temperature of at least +13 degrees, since at lower temperatures the seeds rot.

Pumpkins are grown in two ways. Seedlings grown at home using paper cups or in a greenhouse. The seedlings are not picked. Seeds that are sown in the ground no later than the end of May.

To speed up seed germination, cover the bed with film, securing it at the edges. When shoots appear, the film is cut, a wire frame is installed and stretched for uniform ventilation.

Landing

Depending on the composition of the soil, the depth of planting the seeds will be different. To prevent night frosts from damaging the seedlings, the seeds are sown quite densely and at different depths.

When sowing seeds in the ground, pour 1.5-2 liters of warm water into each hole, place the seeds and cover with the nutrient mixture. After which the holes are mulched with humus or peat chips.

The first shoots appear about a week after sowing. When one or two leaves appear, the seedlings are thinned out, leaving only the strongest plants.

Watering

The culture loves moisture, especially during the period of mass flowering and fruit formation. Therefore, during the blooming of female flowers and the filling of fruits, when there is a prolonged drought and hot weather, the plants need to be watered abundantly with warm water. For irrigation, water from wells and boreholes is not used, since cold water destroys plants (Figure 7).

Figure 7. Pumpkin care: watering, pinching shoots and fertilizing

Also, do not forget to remove weeds and loosen the soil, especially before watering.

Top dressing

To get a good harvest, it is necessary to fertilize periodically. It is carried out in two stages:

• First. Fertilizers are applied when three to five leaves are formed. As a rule, nitroammophoska is used in dry form.
• Second. A solution of nitroammophoska is added when the first lashes appear.

In order to obtain a good harvest, plants are formed into one or two stems.

When forming into one stem, the side shoots and ovaries are removed after their formation. Two or three ovaries are left on the lash; after the last ovary, 3-4 leaves are left and the top is pinched. After this, all the flowers that appear are cut off.

When forming into two stems, two fruits are left on the main vine, and one on the side. Also leave 3-4 leaves and pinch the top.

In turn, do not forget about sprinkling the lashes. When they become more than a meter, they are unraveled, folded in the required direction and covered with earth.

From the video you will learn all the necessary information about growing and caring for pumpkins.

Collection time and storage features of pumpkin

Ripe fruits are cut off with the stalk, so they are stored for a long time and well. They can be stored in rooms at room temperature.

Basic signs of a ripe pumpkin:

• The stalk is woody (dried out and very hard);
• Leaves are yellowed or dried out.
• The color becomes more saturated and bright, depending on the variety.
• The shell becomes denser.

Fruits with mechanical damage or unripe fruits are eaten or processed. Only ripe fruits are suitable for long-term storage. They are dried and left to ripen in a dry room for 2 weeks.

They can also be stored on a balcony, loggia or in a barn, covering it at night. When constant frost sets in, they are moved to a warm place (Figure 8).

Figure 8. Harvesting and storing crops

The storage area should be dry and warm for the first two weeks. Then they are moved to a room with a humidity of 60-70% and a temperature of 3-8 degrees. In warmer rooms, the fruit may deteriorate.

Storing pumpkins at home in winter

For storage, choose the fruits of mature varieties. Store in dry, ventilated areas with a humidity of 75-80%. Sun protection is a mandatory requirement. It is good to store pumpkins in the attic in the hay, as well as on verandas, garages, sheds, and storage rooms. They are placed on shelves in one row, with the stalks facing up.

Periodically, the fruits are checked and spoiled ones are removed.

Growing pumpkins in open ground

Pumpkin (lat. Cucurbita) is a vegetable rich in vitamins, has a pleasant mild taste and is used in many dietary dishes. Growing a crop requires compliance with certain conditions and rules, which we will consider in more detail.

Preparing and planting pumpkins in open ground

Growing pumpkins is possible in two ways:

• Planting unpicked seedlings;
• Sowing prepared seeds.

Pre-sowing seed treatment

Growing pumpkin in open ground begins with preparing the seeds, which are soaked in water, preferably in sodium humate or potassium humate, for a day. Having taken the seeds out of the water, they are covered with a damp cloth or gauze for two days, leaving them in a shaded place at temperatures up to plus 23 degrees. Celsius. The fabric is constantly moisturized. It is not recommended to take seeds from the harvest of the year before last - there may be poor germination.

To treat diseases, seeds are immersed in a 30% solution of table salt (2 tablespoons of salt per 100 ml of water). Healthy and strong specimens will sink to the bottom, while weak ones will float to the surface and must be discarded.

After germination, the sprouts are placed in plastic cups or pots up to 10 cm in diameter, with prepared soil: a peat mixture mixed with sand and garden soil (1:1:1).

Transplanting and growing pumpkins in open ground in the Moscow region occurs after the appearance of three full-fledged leaves. On average, seedlings should be about a month old.

Site selection and soil preparation

The area allocated for growing pumpkin is chosen away from upright growing crops, with a flat surface and good access to sunlight. The land is pre-fertilized: per 1 sq.m. take 2 buckets of humus, 0.5 buckets of wood shavings, 1 liter of wood ash and 200 g of nitrophoska. The soil is dug up 50 cm deep and beds up to 70 cm wide are formed.

Pumpkin seeds or seedlings are planted in warm soil from mid-May, the air temperature should exceed the daily average plus 10 degrees. Celsius. If the seeds are planted earlier, they will not be able to develop properly and will rot.

Growing pumpkins in open ground in an area where potatoes, melons, sunflowers or watermelons previously grew is not recommended. Pumpkins are planted in one place with an interval of five years. Sandy loam, light and medium loamy soils with a neutral Ph of 4.5-5 are most suitable for growing pumpkin.

Pumpkin planting technology

Holes for seeds or seedlings are made along the entire bed at a distance of 0.9-1 m from each other and to a depth of 5-7 cm. At least 2 liters of water are poured into each hole, the temperature of which should not be lower than plus 50 degrees. Celsius, after which they begin sowing.

The top is mulched with sawdust, straw or peat. Growing pumpkin in open ground in Siberia is slightly different: it is recommended to sow 2 seeds per hole. After their germination, a weaker plant is selected and removed.

Agricultural technology for growing pumpkins in open ground includes additional covering of the planted seeds with film, which is carefully fixed along the perimeter of the bed. The covering material creates greenhouse conditions and helps protect the seedlings from possible frosts.

After the sprouts have reached 50 cm in height, the film is lifted, stretching it over a wire frame. In mid-June the material is removed.

Leaving a film without a frame on the bed can be used instead of mulch, which will help make the pumpkin easier to care for as it grows. When used in this way, cross-shaped cuts are made in the covering material for the sprouts.

Planting and growing pumpkins in open ground video

Pumpkin care rules

Caring for pumpkins in open ground is not difficult, as it involves timely watering and fertilizing.

Fertilizer application

Fertilizing should be done no more than once every 2 weeks. Fertilizing pumpkin in open ground with minerals is done twice: when five leaves appear (10 g of nitrophoska per plant in dry form); when lashes appear (15 g of nitrophoska per 10 liters of water for each bush).

Feeding pumpkins with wood ash (1 cup per 1 plant) and mullein (1 liter of mullein per 10 liters of water) is also effective. Mullein is introduced at the beginning of the growing season (1 bucket for 6 plants) and during fruiting (1 bucket for 3 bushes).

All fertilizing is applied to the ring-shaped ditch, increasing the depth from 8 to 15 cm as the pumpkin grows. At the seedling stage, the hole is dug at a distance of 15 cm, after 2 weeks it is increased to 40 cm.

Watering pumpkins

Before watering, the soil is loosened to a depth of 10 cm, trying not to catch the roots, and cleared of weeds. Watering pumpkins in open ground is carried out only with warm water, 50 g. Celsius, do not use cold artesian or well water.

Timely, abundant irrigation during flowering is especially important: moisture is necessary for the formation of female inflorescences. Water consumption during this period is about 30 liters per plant.

During fruit ripening, the amount of water when watering is reduced, since excess moisture reduces the shelf life and reduces the sugar content of the fruit.

Growing pumpkin video

Forming pumpkin lashes

Forming a pumpkin during cultivation allows you to avoid wasting energy on extra ovaries and shoots, which results in larger fruits with better taste characteristics. When the main stem has reached a length of 1.5 m, it is pinched. Only 2 side shoots up to 70 cm in length are left. A fruit ripens on each of them.

To speed up fruit filling, shoots are pressed to the ground and sprinkled with a small layer of soil at a distance of up to half a meter from the main shoot for rooting. A piece of plywood or glass is placed under each developing pumpkin to protect against fungal diseases that begin to develop on the fruit due to damp soil.

Pinching and caring for pumpkins in open ground video

Protecting pumpkins from diseases and pests

The most common pumpkin diseases are fruit rot, powdery mildew and mosaic. Most often they appear due to increased dampness - a favorable environment for the development of bacteria and fungi. The most common pests that attack pumpkins are spider mites and melon aphids.

Powdery mildew

When the first symptoms of a fungal disease are detected on pumpkin leaves, it is combated by spraying with a solution of 3 g of potassium permanganate or 2 g of copper sulfate dissolved in 10 liters of water. Treatment is carried out with 1% Bordeaux mixture during the formation of ovaries and leaves. For prevention, regular watering is carried out, crop rotation is observed and the remains of diseased plants are destroyed.

Pumpkin mosaic

Fruit rot

The rotten areas are carefully removed with a knife and the wound is wiped with freshly squeezed aloe juice. The rubbing area dries out, but the pumpkin continues to develop.

Methods of protection against insects

Aphids are combated by removing weeds, spraying with a soap solution (200 g of grated soap per 10 liters of water) or 10% karbofos in a proportion of 60 g per 10 liters of water.

Spraying with onion infusion of 200 g of onion peel per 10 liters of water or a 20% solution of chloroethanol (20 g per 10 liters of water) helps against spider mites.

Pumpkin harvesting and storage conditions

To prevent the pumpkin from spoiling in the garden, you need to harvest it on time. The moment of maturation can be recognized by the following signs:

• The stalk becomes rough and rough;
• The foliage and vines turn yellow and dry out;
• The skin becomes coarser and acquires a typical pattern for the variety.

Harvesting must be done before lasting frosts. Pumpkin pruning occurs with a stalk up to 6 cm. The cut fruits are stored in a dry, warm room. Within a week, the pumpkins ripen, and the cuttings dry out.

When frost occurs, unripe, unpicked pumpkins are mulched with straw or agrofibre.

Bottom line

Compliance with all the conditions and rules for caring for pumpkins will allow you to grow a rich harvest. Tasty and healthy vegetables are stored well until the New Year without any processing. Pumpkin can be used for main dishes, desserts, soups, preserved, or made from

There's no denying that pumpkin is a healthy vegetable. Only here in Siberia it does not have time to grow and ripen. Somehow, quite by accident, I managed to get a good harvest. Later I improved my method.

There was some last year's manure left on the site, I raked it into a small mound, made depressions, put half a bucket of fertile soil in them and watered them. The layer of manure on the mound was 20 centimeters, followed by ordinary garden soil. In June, I planted pumpkin seedlings in the holes (I don’t know the variety, it was given by a friend), without covering them with anything. Only at first it was shaded from the sun.

On the same day, I planted exactly the same pumpkin seedlings in a regular garden bed. I also added half a bucket of humus to each hole. Caring for the beds was the same.

After just a couple of weeks, you could notice a difference between the plants. Those growing in the manure bed began to overtake their neighbors from the regular bed. In July, their vines were already 5-7 m long, and young shoots were actively growing in width. I laid them out in furrows, but they interfered with the plants on other ridges. Removed all fruitless and new shoots. I decided not to pinch the main stems.

Five small pumpkin ovaries appeared on each plant. The rest faded and fell away. At the end of July, I decided to remove all the tops of the lashes and the remaining extra shoots. I had to tinker with them, as the lashes became very thick.

I noticed that under each fruit a new thick white root had grown - this is how the pumpkin receives additional nutrition from the ground. It also serves as an “anchor” to prevent the wind from turning the fruit over.

On the neighboring ridge the lashes were quite modest in size. I left 1-2 fruits on each plant; the plant simply could not feed more.

All August the pumpkins sat and filled. I went and watched them grow up. September has arrived, and with it the threat of frost in our area. I waited until the last minute. One night the temperature dropped to 0°C, and the upper leaves froze. I decided not to take any more risks. I collected 10 large pumpkins from two bushes. In a regular garden plot, all the pumpkins were smaller in size.

Now I don’t complain about the pumpkin harvest. We store the fruits on the floor in our apartment. They last until the new harvest without losing their taste.

What is the care

I didn’t feed the pumpkins in the manure bed with anything - they have enough food. At first, abundant and regular watering is required.

When the plants grow, there is no need to water - the roots go to great depths, providing the plant with water. I was convinced of this in the fall when I pulled out the tops. I couldn’t cope on my own, I had to call my relatives for help.

Svetlana Shishkina,

Tobolsk, Tyumen region.