One of the most popular varieties of pumpkin "Vitaminnaya": how to get a rich harvest of healthy and tasty vegetable
Today we will talk about one of the most popular pumpkin varieties - Vitamin. From the name it is clear that this is not just a pumpkin, but a storehouse of vitamins and microelements. In the article we will talk about the features of this culture and its disadvantages. You will learn how to properly plant and grow this orange vegetable for a rich harvest.
The content of the article
Description of the variety and distinctive features of pumpkin Vitamin
Variety Vitamin - late ripening. Full ripening from the moment of planting the seeds takes at least 130 days. Therefore, it is not recommended to grow this variety in regions with cold climates.
In such conditions, the pumpkin will not have time to ripen before the onset of autumn frosts. And even in warm climatic conditions, experienced vegetable growers recommend growing Vitaminic seedlings.
In the photo, Vitaminnaya pumpkin.
Fruit characteristics
Fruits of the Vitaminnaya variety are oval, dark green, orange-green or dark orange in color. The rind is thin. The weight of one pumpkin is about 5-7 kg. The pulp is bright orange in color, aromatic, sweet, crunchy, and at the same time tender.
Yield
The pumpkin has a high yield (3.7-4.4 kg / m2.). It is stored for a long time and tolerates transportation well.
How to grow
Vitamin pumpkin is a heat-loving plant. It is possible to plant it in the ground with seeds only in the southern regions, where there are no frosts in the middle of autumn. At the time of landing, the ground should warm up to 13 ° C.
In the middle lane and in the northern regions, the seedling method is used.
Seed preparation
First of all, pumpkin seeds are heated. This is done for 1-2 months near a heating device or stove. Warming up increases the chances of getting more female flowers - and therefore a good harvest. Then the planting material is prepared.
The preparation consists of a number of activities:
- Seed selection. Empty seeds are discarded at this stage. To determine if the seeds are empty or not, they are placed in a salt solution. Those that do not drown are empty and are not suitable for landing. They will not sprout.
- Hardening. The seed, wrapped in a damp cloth, is kept for three days in the refrigerator on the lower shelf. This helps the seedlings to quickly adapt to weather changes.
- Disinfection. Before planting, the seeds are soaked for 10 hours in a weak solution potassium permanganate or water with aloe juice.
Seedling
Seeds are planted on seedlings in early May. Most gardeners use special pots with nutritious soil. Seedlings require regular moisture, but excessive moisture should be avoided.
The pots with seedlings are covered with a film, creating a greenhouse effect, but periodically they must arrange ventilation.
Landing
Vitamin does not like cold, so the garden should be warm. To do this, cover it with a film. Also, small holes are prepared in the beds and spilled with hot water. If there was no rain in the coming days, then at least two liters are poured into each hole. After planting, the roots of the plants are covered with peat.
In early June, the seedlings are transferred to the beds. By this time, three leaves usually have time to appear on it. It is buried up to the cotyledons. Vitamin pumpkin seeds are planted during the same period. The distance between adjacent holes is about 0.7-1 m.If frosts are still expected, then the beds must be covered with a film.
Important! It is a thermophilic pumpkin variety. Experienced farmers recommend planting seeds or seedlings under a greenhouse even in June.
Care
Caring for Vitaminnaya consists in pinching the side lashes and the main stem, watering, loosening, weeding and feeding. Much attention is paid to the care of the whips. As the pumpkin grows, it releases many twisting stems. They are fixed in the soil with tendrils. These shoots allow the plant to receive nutrients along its entire length.
As soon as the lash grows, in places where antennae appear, they are sprinkled with earth and additionally watered. You cannot cut or move the stems.
Important! The soil under the bushes is additionally mulched with straw or humus. This is done to retain moisture and avoid weed growth.
As soon as the first shoots appear, the pumpkin is thinned out. But this only applies to direct planting of seeds in the hole. If 3-4 bushes have sprung up, 1-2 of them are left. Seedlings are thinned out only after the formation of several leaves. They are carefully cut at ground level so as not to damage the roots of the plant.
Watering
The plant is undemanding to watering, but in dry periods it is irrigated twice a week. This is done strictly at the root so that water does not fall on the whip. Two weeks before harvesting, watering is completely stopped. If this is not done, the pumpkin peel will be thin, and the fruit itself will be watery. Such a vegetable will quickly deteriorate and will not survive even until winter.
Loosening
Loosening the soil plays an important role in the cultivation of pumpkin crops. This is the only way to provide the plant roots with sufficient oxygen.
Bait
For the growth and proper development of fruits, the plant is regularly fed. As a top dressing, both organic fertilizers (chicken dung or cow dung diluted in water) and mineral fertilizers are used.
There is a specific fertilization scheme for the Vitamin pumpkin variety. For all nutmeg varieties it is the same:
- when germinating seeds - three weeks after sowing;
- the first feeding is carried out a week after planting seedlings in open ground;
- every 3-4 months, fertilizers are regularly applied until the ovaries appear.
For the first bait, cow dung or chicken droppings are diluted in water in a ratio of 1: 4 (1 part manure / droppings and four parts water). Until the ovaries appear, the pumpkin is fertilized with a vegetable mixture or wood ash.
The proportions are the same - 50 g of dry matter is taken for 10 liters of water. In a cold summer, pumpkin is sprayed with an additional urea solution: 10 g of urea is taken for 10 liters of water.
Important! Pumpkin does not like acidified soil. Therefore, after applying organic fertilizers that increase acidity, wood ash is added. It is introduced during watering (2 glasses of ash are taken on a bucket of water) or sprinkled on top.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
Pumpkin doesn't like cold. It is best to prepare high beds for her, cover them in advance with a transparent film or mulch with manure. Fertilize the site in the fall. If the soil lacks vitamins, the leaves and flowers of the pumpkin will fall off.
Growing tips from experienced gardeners
The cultivation and care of pumpkin has its own characteristics. Experienced gardeners are advised to adhere to these rules:
Pinch the main stem of the pumpkin when it reaches a length of 1.5 m.- Leave only two lashes on each plant.
- Pick off all the fruits, leaving only 1-2 pumpkins on one whip.
- Pin the whips to the ground and add soil to improve the root system.
- Place boards, bricks under the fruit, or hang pumpkins in a net from a support.
- Water the plant abundantly and regularly during the growing period.
- Fertilize pumpkins with cow dung and nitrophosphoric acid twice a month.
- Reduce watering in late summer.
Diseases and pests
An important point in caring for any plant is to protect it from diseases and pests.Vitamin pumpkin is the most resistant to diseases and pests compared to other varieties. However, it is also susceptible to diseases such as bacteriosis, powdery mildew and white rot.
With bacteriosis, the affected plant is completely removed and the place where it grew is disinfected. Then the neighboring stems are treated with Bordeaux liquid (10 g of lime and the same amount of copper sulfate).
Getting rid of powdery mildew is not easy. This fungus is resistant and does not die even in winter. Experienced gardeners struggle with it with sodium phosphate and colloidal sulfur (for the solution, take 30 g of dry matter per 10 liters of water).
Foliar dressings are used against white rot (take 1 g of zinc sulfate, 2 g of copper sulfate and 10 g of urea per 10 liters of water). If the disease has spread strongly, then the leaves are removed and the cut sites are sprinkled with crushed coal or rubbed with a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate.
Important! To prevent plant disease, follow the rule crop rotation: Grow pumpkin in one place no more than once every 3-4 years.
Harvesting and application of the crop
Pumpkin reaches full maturity in 130 days from the moment of germination. The crop is usually harvested from mid-August to mid-September. The exact date depends on the climatic conditions.
The fruits are removed before the onset of the first cold weather - the pumpkin cannot withstand frosts. Watering is stopped a couple of weeks before harvesting. Cut off fruits with a small stalk (5-6 cm) - this way they will be stored longer.
Application
Pumpkin of nutmeg varieties is universal in use: it is equally tasty both raw and after heat treatment. It is rich in vitamins, and most of them remain even in baked or boiled product. Vitamin is perfect for preparing salads and main courses.
They bake pies and cookies from it, fry pancakes, boil porridge, jams, soups and sauces, as well as make dumplings and freshly squeezed juices... Pumpkin pulp contains a large amount of carotene, so it is often used for baby and medical nutrition.
How to store
Until the onset of cold weather, the pumpkin is stored on a closed balcony or in another dry room. When the air temperature starts to drop below 5ºC at night, the fruits are transferred to a warmer place. You can store the vegetable in the apartment, but the optimal storage temperature is from +4 to + 8ºC.
When the harvest is large, it is stored in the garden, in a trench. Cover with straw (thick layer) from above and sprinkle with earth, leaving ventilation holes.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Vitamin pumpkin has many advantages over other varieties common in Russia. Its fruits contain a huge amount of vitamins and minerals necessary for the body.
Also among the advantages of this variety:
- high yield (up to nine fruits can be obtained from three seedlings);
- seedlings in the open field take root quickly;
- ease of pollination - no need to artificially pollinate;
- high rate of bud and ovary formation, as well as a long flowering and fruiting period;
- large mass of fruits (up to 7 kg).
Vitaminnaya has few disadvantages:
- plant susceptibility to fungal infections (powdery mildew, rot);
- long ripening period;
- you need to thin out the seedlings.
Farmers reviews
According to summer residents, Vitamin pumpkin has more advantages than disadvantages. Many people note a pleasant taste: jams and mashed soups made from it are especially tasty. Freshly squeezed juices are most often made from this variety for the treatment of various diseases and for preventive purposes.
Julia: “This year for the first time I planted Muscat Vitaminnaya from purchased seeds. Planted early, April 20. Soaked, germinated (the sprouts crawled out quickly), planted in cups. On May 21, she planted seedlings in open ground. It was hot, so more watering was required. A completely unproblematic pumpkin. Pollinated itself. Each lash grew a pumpkin weighing about 7 kg. Planted solely for medicinal purposes.Excellent medicinal juices are made from it ”.
Anastasia: “Yesterday I cut my first vitamin. She planted seedlings in an organic box with Miracle Yudo. As a result, Vitaminnaya became the earliest of all pumpkins, including large-fruited and hardy. The first ovary appeared in July. Then she dropped it for a long time (I must say that her neighbor in the box dropped all the ovaries at different stages of development). At the end of August, two more pumpkins formed. And they managed to grow by the end of September. Weight - 4 kg. The skin is thin and easy to cut. The scent of watermelon for the whole house. The pulp is fiery. Gives a lot of juice. In its raw state it is very tender, sweet, like persimmon. "
Conclusion
Most gardeners prefer Vitamin pumpkin. Despite the fact that the vegetable is late ripening, it ripens well in the climatic conditions of Central Russia. It is not difficult to take care of him, so even a novice gardener can get a good harvest.
The fruit of this variety has an excellent sweet taste and a bright nutmeg aroma. In preparation, Vitamin is universal, which also distinguishes it from other pumpkins.