Fleshy and light pumpkin "Pastila Champagne" with juicy pulp and unique aroma

This rose vegetable has a bright vanilla aroma, unusual appearance, long shelf life and unpretentious character. We are talking about an extravagant pumpkin with the beautiful name Pastila-Champagne.

We will tell you everything about this culture: the characteristics of cultivation, the secrets of a good harvest and its application... And at the end of the article you will find reviews of farmers who have already managed to grow this vegetable.

Description and characteristics of the variety

Pumpkin Pastila-Champagne is a mid-season variety. The plant bush is medium in size and occupies a small area on the site.

Distinctive features

Pumpkin Pastila Champagne differs from other varieties in its unusual shape and color. This can be seen in the photo. The fruit is divided into small segments with light spots on the skin. Another distinctive feature of the variety is that it tolerates transportation well over long distances and is stored for a long time without losing its presentation and taste.

Fruit characteristics

Pumpkin Pastila Champagne elongated in the shape of an ellipse. The mass of one pumpkin is 2-3 kg. The rind is dense, but not thick-walled, pinkish.

The flesh of the pumpkin is fleshy, bright orange in color with a pleasant vanilla aroma, and the taste is sweet. The seed chamber is located along the entire fruit, it is deep, but themselves sunflower seeds small.

Yield

The yield of the variety is average. With proper care, 3-4 pumpkins can be harvested from one bush.

How to grow

For a good pumpkin harvest, it is important to choose the right place for planting it. And then carry out the appropriate plant care measures. The first important stage is the preparation of the seed.

Seed preparation

First, pumpkin seeds are heated for a month near a heating device (for example, on a battery). This increases the chance of getting more female flowers, which means growing a larger crop.

The next steps:

1. Seeds are selected, discarding empty ones. To determine the empty ones, place the seed in a salt solution. Those that do not drown are empty and are not suitable for landing.
2. The seeds are hardened. The seed, wrapped in a damp cloth, is kept in the refrigerator for three days. This will help the seedlings quickly adapt to weather changes.
3. Disinfection is carried out. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for 10 hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or water with aloe juice.

Landing

Most gardeners plant this pumpkin directly in the ground without first growing seedlings. The best time to plant seeds is at the end of May. The place for the plant is chosen sunny, sheltered from drafts.

If there is a desire or the weather conditions of the region are unfavorable, seedlings are grown. This is done at the end of April, and by mid-May they are transferred to the ground under the film. The plant is watered abundantly immediately after planting. The film is removed after 3-4 weeks.

Seeds are germinated before planting. To do this, soak them in water for 2-3 hours, then put them on a wet cloth and cover. Leave for 3-4 days. After this procedure, sprouts will appear from the seeds, and they can be planted in separate containers, deepening into the ground by 5-7 cm. Peat pots are well suited.

The scheme of planting shoots in the ground: 1.5 x 1 m (distance between rows and plants, respectively). Previously, 5-6 kg of humus are introduced into each hole and 2 tbsp. l. organic fertilizer. The crop grows well on compost heaps.

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Care

When caring for this variety, it is important to observe the regularity of watering. Start with a small amount of water (2-3 l), gradually increasing it as the plant grows (up to 10 l). It should be watered under the seedling. When the fruits reach their maximum size, watering is stopped, otherwise the vegetables will be tasteless and may rot.

The plant is fed 2 times a month. For this, cow dung and an organic fertilizer complex in equal proportions are suitable. You can fertilize the culture with these means until the end of July. From August, it is better to use only potassium-containing top dressing. It helps the fruit to ripen faster.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

The champagne pastilla weaves well, so before the fruits begin to set, a net can be installed nearby. The scourges will climb it.

Excess ovaries are removed so as not to overload the lash. Leave 4-5 pieces, which are tied with twine.

There are times when the Champagne Pastila does not grow due to the wrong landing site. Due to the lack of sufficient heat and light, the plant may not yield at all.

Growing tips from vegetable growers

The cultivation and care of pumpkin has its own characteristics. To get a good harvest, experienced gardeners recommend:

1. Select and prepare the seed carefully.
2. Observe the rules of crop rotation: plant a pumpkin in the same place only once every 3-4 years.
3. Do not cultivate gourds nearby (zucchini, melons, cucumbers).
4. Observe the distance between plants. Do not thicken the planting.
5. Before setting fruits, treat the plant with remedies for diseases and various pests.
6. Weed regularly. They contain fungal spores that cause bacteriosis.
7. Feed the pumpkin with complex mineral fertilizers (copper sulfate, boric acid with urea, potassium permanganate, zinc sulfate).
8. Regularly inspect plantings for diseases and pests.
9. Remove infected plants and fruits in a timely manner.
10. Pinch the main stem of the pumpkin when it reaches a length of 1.5 m.
11. Reduce watering in late summer (about two weeks before harvest).

Diseases and pests

Protecting a plant from diseases and pests is an important point in caring for it. Pumpkin Pastila Champagne has an average disease resistance. For example, bacteriosis can destroy the entire crop. It is important to detect it immediately, preventing an epidemic.

Its first signs:

• darkened and already starting to rot fruits;
• brown ulcers;
• uneven fruit growth.

If you find an infected bush, immediately remove it from the site. The rest of the plants need to be treated with Bordeaux liquid.

From pests, beware of aphids and spider mites. To prevent them from multiplying, spray the bushes with a solution of onion peels. To prepare it, 4 cups of husk are poured into 2 liters of hot water and insisted for two days. Then the infusion is filtered and diluted with water in equal proportions. They are processed at least three times with a break a week.

Harvesting and application of the crop

Harvesting takes place at the end of September-beginning of October. The ripeness of the fruit is checked by the stalk. In a ripe pumpkin, it hardens and begins to dry out. Pumpkins must be harvested with stalks, otherwise they will not be stored for a long time. At room temperature, Pastila-Champagne lasts up to 3-4 months without loss of taste.

Important! The fruits should be folded with the stalk up and so that they do not touch each other. For long-term storage, vegetables are selected without damage or pronounced spots.

Application

This sweet vegetable is good in almost any form. It is added raw to cold snacks and salads, pumpkin fresh is made. Pastila-champagne is baked, stewed, and various pastries, soups, purees and porridge are prepared from it.

Many people will like it in combination with meat, and even just baked slices of this vegetable with sour cream or mayonnaise will pass for a delicacy. And even children love this pumpkin for its sweetness.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The variety has many advantages, but there are also disadvantages. Everything in order.

Pros:

• pleasant taste and aroma;
• a lot of pulp;
• convenient fruit shape;
• drought resistance;
• long shelf life;
• high transportability.

Minuses:

• predisposed to viral diseases and pests;
• demanding to care;
• does not tolerate high humidity and frost.

Farmers reviews

Many growers liked Pastila-Champagne pumpkin. They note its taste, versatility, and yield.

Elena: “I planted 2 seeds in the ground on May 27. On two plants it turned out to grow 3 pumpkins (weighing 2, 4 and 10 kg). Many small pumpkins were tied, but most likely they were rotting due to the cold and wet July. The taste of fresh pumpkin is sweet and very pleasant, the texture is dense, the aroma is melon-cucumber-watermelon. I liked it more raw. The peel is not hard, it is easily cut off. The cut is poorly stored. "

Ekaterina: “Nice fresh scent. No pumpkin smell and taste. Nicely sweet. Both fresh and baked. One lash grew 2 pumpkins, 1.5 and 1.7 kg each. It is not enough, but we did not have a summer at all, so I am happy with that too. It's amazing that in such cold and rainy conditions, pumpkins were even sweet. "

Marina: “I try to grow Pastila-Champagne pumpkin regularly, this is my favorite variety. The length of the main whip is 4-5 meters. The weight of the largest pumpkin turned out to be 6 kg, and the smallest about 3 kg, as stated in the annotation. The color of the fruit is beige-pink. The seed chamber is small. When ripe, in appearance it resembled a torpedo melon. Very aromatic and tasty and juicy enough for a pumpkin. Seedlings were planted on April 25 in peat pots, in the ground with shelter - on May 15-17. She reaped the harvest in September. "

Conclusion

Many gardeners have appreciated the Pastila Champagne variety. Among the positive properties of pumpkin are versatility in use and a long shelf life.

The variety requires more maintenance than the usual popular varieties. But all labor costs will pay off with the quality of the fruit. And in the right place, even with minimal care, at least three pumpkins can be collected from one bush.