Pumpkins are quite a diverse group of annual plants, most often large and creeping, the fruits of which vary in weight, shape and color.Pumpkin edibleidentifies the species and varieties of pumpkin that are suitable for consumption. See whatvarieties of pumpkinare worth growing in the garden, what are the rulespumpkin cultivation , and when it is best to carry outpumpkin harvesting and how it should be stored so that pumpkins collected in the garden retain their nutritional values as long as possible.
Edible pumpkin
Edible pumpkin - varieties
Growing squashis popular in many parts of the world. Ripe pumpkins can be eaten cooked, raw, and stored. Somepumpkin varietiesalso have edible seeds. The most commonly cultivated species are:squash(Cucurbita pepo),gourd(Cucurbita maxima),butternut squash(Cucurbita moschata).
Among thevarieties of pumpkinit is worth mentioning the shellless pumpkin, the seeds of which are devoid of the husk, which makes them perfect both for direct consumption and for preserves, as well as a spaghetti squash whose flesh, when cooked, breaks down into fibers like pasta, resembling spaghetti.
In addition to edible pumpkins, we can also growdecorative pumpkinsin our home garden and on the plot. Their fruits are not edible, but they have very attractive shapes and colors. As a result, they are used as table decorations, and often also shop windows.They can be grown as climbers and used to cover unsightly places on the plot. By climbing the supports, even several meters high, they can create a nice, compact wall of greenery.
Edible pumpkin - cultivation
Pumpkins require a temperature of 25 ° C to grow properly, and the minimum growth temperature is 8 ° C. Therefore, you need to choose a warm and sunny position for their cultivation, or under cover. The soil should be airy, fertile and well-drained, with medium or high nitrogen content (we cultivate in the first year after manure). Plants can be cultivated by sowing directly into the ground or from seedlings.
In the first case, the seeds are sown around May 10th.When growing a pumpkin , place 2 seeds at a distance of 60 cm in a row and 60 cm between the rows. As a rule, two rows are formed on the bed. Plants in rows can be arranged alternately or in a checkerboard pattern.Pumpkinneeds more space as it produces long, creeping shoots.Therefore, we grow it in one row along the bed (through its center), keeping a distance of 100 to 120 cm between the plants.
To get an earlier crop, the pumpkin can be grown from seedlings.Pumpkin seedlingsare prepared in a greenhouse by sowing 2 seeds in pots filled with substrate up to 2/3 of their height. Sowing should be carried out between 15 and 20 April. After emergence, remove the weaker seedling in each of the pots, and when it grows beyond the edges of the pot, complete the substrate to the full pot. We plant seedlings in the field in the second half of May. In order to accelerate the harvest, and to protect the plants against strong winds that dry the leaves and temperature drops, we cover the plants with non-woven fabric or perforated foil. The covers are removed when the first flowers appear on the plants.
Basic maintenance procedures inpumpkin cultivationinclude loosening the soil, weeding, watering and top dressing twice (after the appearance of the first seedlings and the first fruit harvest).In principle, chemical protection should not be necessary.
Wcultivating the giant pumpkinan additional treatment is removing unnecessary fruit buds, so that the plant has 3 to 4 fruits left. We perform this treatment when the fruit we want to leave reaches the size of a tennis ball. Simultaneously with removing the excess fruit, shorten the shoots, leaving 3-4 leaves above the last fruit.
Edible pumpkin - harvesting and storage
The fruit of the edible squashis harvested with the stalks 12 to 20 weeks after planting.Pumpkin harvestis carried out from July to the first frost. We collect them gradually every few days, because frequent harvesting results in a more abundant harvest.
The fruits of the giant pumpkinare harvested only in the phase of their full maturity, in the fall before the expected frosts. Similarly, in the fully ripe phase, harvest
ornamental pumpkinsTheir skin is then very hard and the shoots slowly start to dry out.Harvesting must be done before the first frost, because even slightly frozen pumpkin fruits will not be suitable for storage.
When preparingpumpkins for storage , place them in the sun to harden the skin and become a barrier to water loss. If we store pumpkins for the winter in an airy room at a temperature of about 10-13 ° C, the fruits will last up to 6 months. Decorative pumpkin fruits can be stored at room temperature, which is important if we use them, for example, to decorate tables.
Based on: C. Brickell, Wielka Encyklopedia Ogrodnictwa, MUZA SA, Warsaw 1994, p. 335; D. Jadczak, Warzywa pumpkin, Działkowiec, No. 5/2005, p. 29; E. Sikora, Decorative Pumpkin, Działkowiec, No. 10/1995, p. 23. Photo. freeimages.com
