Delicious variety, suitable for long-term storage and consumption raw - pumpkin "Marina from Chioggia"

The Marina pumpkin variety from Chioggia originated in Italy. At home, it is one of the most demanded products by culinary specialists and is grown in large quantities by farmers in the north of the country.

In Russia, these pumpkins have appeared recently and have already become popular. Their undoubted advantages include high yield, rich sweet taste, bright appearance, the ability to store up to one and a half years. In the article, we will consider what else the variety is good for and how to grow it correctly.

Description of the variety

The variety is medium late, technical ripeness occurs 90 days after planting. Full maturity, when the pumpkin reaches its maximum taste, occurs after 120 days.

The plant is powerful and climbing. Marina from Chioggia loves fertilization and abundant watering, but bears fruit even without them, being content with a minimum of moisture.

Distinctive features

In their homeland, in Italy, pumpkins of this variety grow large, up to 10 kg. In Russia, the fruits reach a weight of 3-4 kg, keeping all the distinctive features: dark olive color, wrinkles, deep folds, knobbiness.

Fruit characteristics

The fruits are regular, round and flat. Sometimes turban-shaped pumpkins grow, which makes them even more colorful.

Interesting. Initially, round and smooth pumpkins are tied, but as they mature, characteristic deep grooves and warts appear on them.

Ripe pumpkin has a color ranging from gray to blue-green or dark green, completely covered with pimples and warts. It has few seeds - 15-20 seeds can be found in a tiny seed chamber.

The pulp has a light tropical fruit flavor and honey aroma.

Yield

One plant is capable of stretching 1-2 fruits weighing from 3 to 12 kg. The yield depends on the amount of moisture, heat and sun available. Timely pollination of flowers is also important.

How to grow

Marina from Chioggia is planted as seeds directly into open ground, and with the help of seedlings. The planting method is chosen depending on the climate of the zone where the pumpkin is grown. The fruits ripen late and take a long time to reach the frost. If September is warm in your area, it is better to plant pumpkin seeds in late May, if not, then seedlings in April.

Planting with seeds

When planted with pumpkin seeds, planted in open ground, ripen not earlier than the end of August. Ideally, they will need another 2-3 weeks to reach their size and flavor - this is assuming a warm summer.

It is better to plant a pumpkin on an old compost or manure heap - this way the pumpkins will receive the maximum of nutrients from the soil. The main thing is to water them more often, since such soil absorbs a lot of moisture.

Seeds are prepared for planting in several stages:

1. First, in a saline solution of 3 tbsp. l. table salt and 1 liter of water soak the seeds for 5 minutes. After mixing, viable specimens will go to the bottom - they are washed with clean water and dried. Those that float to the surface are thrown away.
2. Then they are heated for 2-3 hours, gradually increasing the temperature to +60 ° C.
3. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for 10 hours in a nutritious infusion of wood ash (2 tablespoons per 1 liter of warm water).
4. For seedlings to appear as early as possible, it is recommended to germinate the seeds.To do this, put a damp napkin on a saucer and wrap the seeds in it, keep it until pecked at room temperature, regularly moistening the napkin.
5. Further, the germinated seeds should be hardened. To do this, they are placed in a damp napkin on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for 12-18 hours, then removed for 6-8 hours - and so on for a week.
6. Seeds are planted when the soil at a depth of 12 cm warms up to + 10 ° C. They plant 2-3 seeds in a hole 5-10 cm deep (then you will need to choose one, cut the rest). 1 liter of warm water is poured into the hole.
7. After planting the seeds, they are protected with a covering material until seedlings emerge.

Planting seedlings

The seeds are soaked, germinated and hardened in the same way as before planting directly into the ground.

Then do the following:

1. Prepare a nutrient mixture: 5 parts of decomposed peat + 3 parts of manure humus + 1 part of sod land + 1 part of mullein.
2. The mixture is moistened and placed in a 10x10x10 cm container... One seed is sown to a depth of 3 cm, watered a little with warm water. Cover with foil or glass. Grown at night temperature + 15-17 ° С and daytime + 20-25 ° С, until shoots appear. Further, the seedlings are grown on a windowsill at room temperature. A week before disembarkation, it must be hardened: for this, the temperature is reduced to + 15-18 ° С during the day and + 12-14 ° С at night.
3. The first feeding is done two weeks later. solution of 1 tsp. superphosphate + 0.5 tsp. urea per 1 liter of water. Norm: 1 glass for 2 plants. The second - after another two weeks with a solution of 1 tsp. nitrophosphate + 1 tsp. wood ash per liter of water.
4. Seedlings are ready for planting when 2-3 true leaves have appeared. Plants are deepened into the holes to the cotyledons, watered with warm water and shaded for several days so that they take root better.

Care

Caring for a pumpkin is not difficult if you have taken care of preparing the soil in advance. You can prepare it in two ways:

1. Apply organic and phosphorus-potassium fertilizers in the fall during digging, then in the spring - nitrogen fertilizers.
2. In the spring, for digging, add a nutrient mixture at the rate of 2 buckets of humus, half a bucket of sawdust, 1 tbsp. nitrophosphate and 1 liter of wood ash on the day of planting or the day before.

Important! On heavy clay soils, pumpkins are best grown in beds.

Further care:

1. Loosen the soil for better root formation, until the plant has five full leaves.
2. Watering infrequently, but abundantly during the growth of green mass and fruits. Reduce watering during flowering.
3. Feed every two weeks with mullein infusion.
4. Weed the garden in time.
5. Manually pollinate female flowers: pluck a few male flowers, cut off their petals and hold anthers along the stigma of a female flower. Repeat several times.
6. So that the plant does not waste energy on the fruits, 2-3 lashes are left. They are pinched when the number of large (15-17 cm) ovaries reaches 2-5, leaving at least 5 leaves above each.

Important! In wet weather the fruit may rot. For prevention, a plastic board is placed under them.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The main problem in growing the Marina pumpkin from Chioggia is its late ripening. With late planting, the fruits do not have time to ripen, therefore, when growing, it is recommended to strictly observe the timing: planting seeds for seedlings in April, planting seeds in open ground at the end of May.

More chances to grow a good harvest in the southern regions. For the north, early maturing, quickly ripening varieties are suitable.

Growing tips from experienced gardeners

For the full growth of Marina from Chioggia, a lot of free space is required, since her bushes are large and her whips are scattered over a distance of more than 5 m.

For the same reason, experienced summer residents are advised to regularly fertilize pumpkins of this variety and provide the bushes with a sufficient amount of moisture.

Diseases and pests

Pumpkins are unpretentious, they are immune to phyto-infections. However, there are diseases that can affect plants:

1. Powdery mildew. Fungal disease manifested by white spots on the surface of the leaves. It is treated by treatment with sodium phosphate.
2. Bacteriosis. Associated with high humidity of air and soil. It appears as light green spots on the leaves, which soon darken, dry out and leave holes. It is treated by treatment with Bordeaux liquid.
3. Root rot... Fungal infectious disease that affects the root collar. It is associated with sudden changes in temperature and watering with too cold water. At the first sign, you need to change the soil layer at the roots to a fresh one and treat the root collar with ash or crushed coal.

Pests that attack pumpkin most often:

• spider mite;
• melon aphid;
• slugs.

They fight against aphids and spider mites with the help of infusion of garlic, slugs are destroyed mechanically or with the preparations "Mega", "Thunderstorm".

Harvesting and application of the crop

Harvesting is carried out not earlier than the end of September, before frost, in dry weather. Before being sent for storage, the pumpkin is left to rest for 1-2 weeks in a moderately warm room. Remove the fruits carefully, leaving at least 10 cm of the stalk.

For storage ripe specimens are suitable, with a whole thick peel. Not fully ripe thin-skinned fruits are best sent for processing or animal feed.

Pumpkins of this variety are perfectly stored - they can lie for up to one and a half years without losing their taste. When stored in them, the amount of sugar increases, and the color of the peel gradually changes to orange.

Sweet variety, good for cooking desserts.

Important! The peculiarity of the variety is its small, but tasty seeds.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The advantages of the variety include:

• spectacular appearance;
• high sugar content;
• lack of "swamp" smell in ripe fruits;
• the variety is suitable for storage.

Disadvantages:

• long ripening;
• it is inconvenient to peel the warty peel;
• the pits and furrows of the fruit are difficult to clean out of the ground, making it difficult to cook with the peel.

Farmers reviews

Reviews about the pumpkin are different, but mostly summer residents speak positively about it.

Natalia, Smolensk: “I grew Marina pumpkins from Chioggia in 2017. Started sprouting seeds at the end of April. I grew seedlings in a greenhouse. I planted it in the ground at the end of May. Until the end of June, it was kept under the covering material. There were many flowers and ovaries, I left two on the lash. She harvested in mid-September, each bush gave 3-4 pumpkins. "

Roman, Tver: “We grow pumpkins every year for ourselves and for sale. Marina from Chioggia delighted with the harvest and loved the whole family. I sold several pumpkins at the autumn fair. In May, sprouted seeds were planted on an old dung heap, the bushes grew and bloomed in July. Sprayed flowers with diluted honey to attract bees. July was dry, so it was watered every three days. Harvested in September, pumpkins grew large and sweet. "

Conclusion

With due diligence and observing the necessary growing conditions, every summer resident will be able to get a harvest of original fruits. These pumpkins will delight the eye, will become the subject of admiration for neighbors, and you will enjoy sweet healthy desserts from them throughout the year.