Popular among farmers pumpkin "Winter Sweet" with a pleasant taste and high yield for long-term storage
Sweet winter pumpkin is one of the most fruitful and delicious varieties. Porridges, soups and juices, used for canning and pickling. The product is excellent for dietary nutrition, contains a complex of vitamins and minerals.
Let's consider in detail how to grow a pumpkin of the Winter Sweet variety and how to harvest the crop correctly.
The content of the article
Description of the variety
Winter sweet is suitable for growing in the northern regions of the country. It has a high immunity to frost and drought; it tolerates heavy rains and fogs without consequences.
Distinctive features
The variety belongs to the late maturing, gardeners harvest after 120-130 days from the moment of planting. Sprawling bushes, leaves are wide, dark green. In care, the pumpkin is unpretentious; to increase immunity, summer residents arrange feeding and the formation of bushes.
Fruit characteristics and yield
The fruits are large, with a ribbed surface. The shape is round, flattened on both sides. Pumpkin weight varies from 5 to 11 kg.
The peel is gray, with a slight spotting on some vegetables. The pulp is dense, yellow in color. The taste is sweet and juicy, reminiscent of a melon. The yield is stable, from 1 sq. m collect about 25 kg of ripe fruits.
Interesting! Pumpkin is a low-calorie product, 100 g contains only 25 kcal. The vegetable is rich in fiber, protein and iron, contains vitamins A and B. Regular consumption of the product improves digestion, and a glass of pumpkin juice before bedtime serves as an excellent folk remedy for insomnia.
How to grow
For cultivation in the northern regions, the seedling method is used; in the south and in the middle lane, the culture is planted with seeds in open ground. Consider the basic rules of planting and care.
Planting with seeds
Large and heavy seeds are selected for planting. The sampling is carried out as follows: poured into a jar of water sunflower seeds and stir the liquid clockwise. Those that remain on the surface are not suitable for planting. The sunken seeds are removed and dried.
Then the etching procedure is organized. Disinfect the seed with a solution of potassium permanganate or Bordeaux liquid. The seeds are placed in a tissue bag and immersed in the solution for 24 hours. Disinfection destroys pathogenic microflora on the seed surface and protects future plants from diseases and insect pests.
After disinfection, the seeds are germinated. To do this, they are wrapped in warm, damp gauze and removed to a warm place for 3-6 days. To accelerate growth, add a stimulant "Kornevin" or "Heteroauxin". Germination allows seeds to quickly adapt to external climatic conditions and show the best yield in the future. Sprouted seeds are placed in prepared beds, sprinkled with earth and watered abundantly with warm water.
Important! Pumpkin prefers loose and nutritious soil. It is better to choose a sunny, hilly area for planting. With the arrival of spring, the soil is dug up, fertilized with peat or vermicompost. Experienced gardeners recommend planting Winter Sweet after frost, in early or mid-May.
Planting seedlings
Cook seedlings in late March. Planting pumpkin in wooden boxes, plastic cassettes, plastic pots... The main thing is that the container is dry and clean. For reliability, the container is washed with running water and a solution of potassium permanganate.
As a seedling soil, use a ready-made mixture from a store or land from a garden. The advantage of the first option is that the soil is already disinfected in advance and saturated with nutrients. You can buy it at any gardening store. Popular mixtures are “Universal” or “Krepysh” soil.
Earth is poured into the container and small grooves are made at a distance of 5-7 cm from each other. 2-3 disinfected seeds are placed in each hole, sprinkled with earth on top. Seedlings are watered with warm clean water and placed on the sunniest windowsill in the house or near a radiator. If the windows face the north side, they organize the illumination with a phytolamp.
Water the seedlings as the soil dries up, about every 5 days. After 10 days, organize a liquid organic feeding. Poultry droppings or manure are great for this. The next fertilization is applied after another 10 days. Potassium superphosphate or ammonium nitrate is used.
Important! After 2-3 weeks, the seedlings are planted on the site. First, the sprouts are watered with water so that the earth is moist and does not crumble. The seedlings are carefully removed from the container with a lump of soil on the roots and placed on the garden bed. Pat it gently around the stem and sprinkle with dry wood ash or sawdust.
Care
The basis of care is timely watering. Moisten the beds in the morning or evening to avoid sunburn. Water the bushes directly under the root, water should not get on the leaves, fruits and stems. Otherwise, the likelihood of fungi and infections increases. About 2 liters of water are consumed per plant, on hot and dry days - 2.5-3 liters. Watering is stopped 2 weeks before harvesting.
The pumpkin needs root and foliar feeding. The first option includes fertilization with organic and mineral substances. Top dressing strengthens the plant's immunity and improves the palatability of the fruit. Peat, humus, manure are used as organic matter.
Of minerals, preference is given to potash and phosphorus fertilizers, as well as complex preparations - "Kimira", "Zdraven", "Magic Leica".
Foliar dressings are spraying with nettle solution, Bordeaux liquid, succinic acid solution. Their main purpose is to protect against diseases and pests.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
Pumpkin beds need regular loosening and weeding. The procedure is carried out before watering. Weeding improves the quality of the soil, makes it more nutritious and lighter, saturates it with oxygen. Along with this, they monitor the whips of the plant.
When 2-3 long shoots are formed, they begin to form a bush: the side small lashes are removed, the top is pinched. Formation promotes healthy fruit development. If the remaining lashes are entangled with each other, they are straightened and laid on the ground, sprinkling with earth in several places.
Besides shaping, it is important to keep track of the amount of mineral dressings. An excess of nitrogen leads to curling and yellowing of the leaves, an excess of calcium leads to weakening of the roots. If fertilized incorrectly, there is a risk of disease. For accuracy, experienced gardeners mark the fertilization dates on the calendar.
Important! When growing pumpkins in a greenhouse, the structure is ventilated daily. Greenhouses are characterized by heat and high humidity, which contributes to the development of dangerous microbes.
Growing tips from experienced gardeners
Simple tips and tricks from experienced gardeners will help not only protect the pumpkin from negative factors, but also increase the shelf life of the product:
- If the soil is acidic, sprinkle the beds with lime and dry wood ash before planting.
- Before planting seedlings, the seeds are hardened by placing them in a freezer for 2-3 days.
- It is convenient to grow seedlings in peat tablets.They are made from environmentally friendly raw materials and are easy to use. Purchase pills at a gardener's shop.
- After planting the pumpkin in the open ground, each bush is covered with plastic wrap. It protects the sprouts from frost and rain. Remove the film after the first leaves appear.
- The optimum water temperature for irrigation is about +20 ° С. It is not recommended to use tap water, it is better to water the vegetables with rainwater or well water, after warming up in the sun.
- If the fruits are too large and heavy, a wooden board is placed under each. This prevents rotting.
- When spraying with Bordeaux liquid or succinic acid, gloves, a respirator and goggles are used.
Diseases and pests
On pumpkin beds, downy mildew is found, or, as the people call it, downy mildew. The cause of infection lies in pests and weeds, high humidity and improper care. Peronosporosis appears in the form of yellow-brown spots on the leaves. As a preventive measure, spraying with ash is used, for treatment - "Planzir" or "Previkur". If false dew is not detected in time, all the bushes will fade, and the fruits will lose their elasticity and taste.
Another common disease is root rot. It appears mainly at the stage of flowering of the plant due to irrigation with cold water or an excess of mineral fertilizers. The roots take on a gray-brown color, the leaves curl and dry out. For prevention purposes, the rules of crop rotation and irrigation regime are observed. Treatment is carried out by spraying on the basis of zinc sulfate or the drug "Fundazol".
Of the pests, the melon aphid attacks the Winter Sweet. A small bug can destroy up to 80% of the entire crop. Aphids appear due to contaminated soil or improper sowing. The pest sucks nutrients from the bushes, which is why the plants slowly die. To get rid of melon aphids helps means "Consento" or a solution of copper sulfate.
In addition to aphids, slugs appear on the beds. The reason lies in non-compliance with the rules of crop rotation or contaminated soil. Get rid of slugs by spraying with iodine and milk.
Harvesting and application of the crop
Collect Winter Sweet in September. The fruits acquire a characteristic gray color, the skin hardens. For long-term storage, vegetables are cut with a stalk. The collected pumpkins are wiped with a dry cloth and placed in a cool, dark place, such as a basement or pantry.
Harvest is used to prepare vegetable side dishes and salads, sweet dishes and desserts. Part of the harvest freeze and dried... Pumpkin harmoniously complements winter dishes, enriching the body with vitamins and dietary fiber.
Interesting! Pumpkin makes delicious cakes and pastries, pies and muffins. The product goes especially well with honey and cinnamon.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
The advantages of Winter Sweet include a juicy and sugary taste. The dense pulp is universal in use, suitable for dietary nutrition. Ogorodnikov are pleased with the high yield and large fruits. The pumpkin is suitable for cultivation both in the south of the country and in the northern regions. No special knowledge is required in leaving.
Of the shortcomings, the late ripening of the vegetable is noted. If the summer is rainy, the fruits do not have time to gain sugar content. In the middle lane and in the north, Winter Sweet is grown in seedlings.
Farmers reviews
Despite the presence of positive reviews about the variety, there are also sharply negative ones. What do the gardeners say about the Winter Sweet?
Maria, Moscow: “I like the winter sweet pumpkin, it doesn’t cause trouble in growing, the harvest always grows glorious. I use it fresh and make preparations for the winter. "
Alexey, Tyumen: “I planted Winter Sweet for the first time, I was satisfied. The maximum pumpkin weight is 12 kg, which made me happy. I recommend for growing. "
Natalia, Volgograd: “I planted it with seeds in open ground, apparently in vain.The sprouts got sick with root rot and had to be treated. In the future, difficulties arose with the formation of a bush, there were a lot of lashes. Taste qualities, in my opinion, are average. "
Conclusion
The high-yielding and late-ripening variety Winter Sweet is so named for a reason: the yellow sweetish pulp tastes like ripe melon. The variety is planted in sunny beds. In the northern regions, they are grown through seedlings, in the southern regions - by seeds in open ground. The beds are watered every 5 days, fertilized every 10-15 days. Mineral fertilizers are alternated with organics to maintain balance.
Harvested in early autumn, pluck the fruits together with the stalk. Pumpkin is used for preparing first and second courses, baked goods and desserts.