Pumpkin is one of the oldest plants cultivated by man. The queen of all vegetables takes up a lot of space in the garden, but has low maintenance requirements.
Edible pumpkins go best on a sunny bed. They like well-drained soil, slightly sandy and rich in humus. JIf there is little space in your vegetable garden, you should rather give up growing the large-scale gourd.Weakly growing varieties such as 'Table Queen' can actually grow anywhere, and with a little fantasy it will find place in the garden for two or three other varieties.
North American Indians planted pumpkins coordinated with corn and beans. This combination is also a good idea today. Corn serves as a support for long shoots of beans. Bacteria growing in the bean's roots enrich the soil with nitrogen, providing the maize and pumpkin with the necessary nutrients.In a very small garden, you can grow a pumpkin among fruit bushes, on the edge of an apple root ball or as an attractive climbing plant next to a pergola trellis.
The fruits of the giant pumpkin reach the largest sizes. The popular variety of 'Atlantic Giant' (and not only it) bears fruit weighing several hundred kilograms. If we don't care about records, we can even grow pumpkins on a compost heap.During the season, the giant squash shoots cover an area of several square meters.The butternut squash Cucurbita moschata is also expansive, e.g.valued in France variety 'Muscade de Provence', and ornamental, e.g. the variety 'Jack O'Lantern' with fruits used during the feast of spirits.
A moist substrate is appreciated by all types of pumpkin. Even the weakly growing miniature pumpkin 'Jack be Little', rooted at the foot of the compost pile, will bear delicious fruit of excellent quality.
Gourmets care more about class than size. One of the best edible pumpkins is the US-valued buttery pumpkin with fruit in the shape of a bottle or a club.Compared to other varieties, it contains very little seeds, but much more delicate as butter flesh, e.g. twice as much as the fruit of the same size 'Hokkaido' pumpkin.
The seeds of almost all types of pumpkins are covered with thick, woody shells. The exception is the oil squash with green and yellow striped fruit. Inside there are shelled dark green soft seeds. They contain valuable vegetable protein, a lot of vitamin E and are very tasty.The dark oil squeezed from the seeds gives salads, soups and other pumpkin dishes a delicate nutty flavor.
You should not rush to harvest the pumpkins, especially when you intend to store them longer. The deadline for harvesting is determined by the announced frosts.The cut fruits should be placed in a dry, often ventilated and warm room (at a temperature of about 20 ° C) for two or three weeks.During this time, the content of vitamins in the fruit of many varieties will increase, and the flesh will get full aroma.
On a straw lining
In longer sunny autumn weather, we can delay the harvest of the pumpkins, allowing the fruit to ripen directly on the bed. Damage, on which pathogenic fungi easily develop, will be prevented by a soft bedding.A thick layer of straw will protect even very heavy fruit.
If the substrate is wet, the litter will start to rot over time, so it should be replaced regularly. Small fruits are effectively protected against dirt and moisture by a base made of wooden slats.However, the fruits should be carefully inspected every few days and turned over to give them a nice color.
