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How to sow and grow pumpkin: rules for preparing seeds and beds
18.02.2023 06:50
Updated: 14.04.2023 03:48
One small pumpkin seed can produce up to 50 kg of fruit with proper care. Even a novice gardener can handle growing this melon crop.
Correct planting of pumpkin
Pumpkin is grown both through seedlings and by direct sowing directly into the garden bed. If the region has a cold climate, it is better to plant seedlings so that the pumpkin has time to bear fruit before autumn.
The seeds of this crop begin to germinate already at +14 degrees. Before planting, the seed material is slightly warmed up by placing it on a radiator to stimulate the plant to produce more female ovaries.
Then the seeds are soaked in lukewarm water and left in a warm room. When the seeds begin to burst at the base, you can begin sowing.
The pumpkin bed should be prepared in advance. You can even plant it on a compost heap. It is common to grow pumpkins in bags or barrels. The bush takes up a lot of space, so it is advisable to arrange a two-story bed on a small garden plot to make it easier to tie the vines to the supports.
The crop loves fertile soil, rich in nutrients. On depleted soil, there will be few fruits, and they will be small. You can simply fertilize the bed with organic matter during digging, adding up to a bucket of compost, humus or rotted manure per square meter of land.
Pumpkin can be planted in open ground at an air temperature of about +18 degrees. The crop loves warmth, and pumpkin is sown in the middle zone climate already at the end of May.
Sow the pumpkin at a distance of about one and a half meters from each other. Place two seeds in holes 4-5 cm deep, and after germination, pinch out the weak sprout.
Growing pumpkin
Pumpkin is a powerful plant that requires a lot of moisture. Water the bed often and abundantly, but when watering, do not allow the soil to become waterlogged. A week before harvesting, watering is completely stopped.
Otherwise, caring for a pumpkin bed consists of loosening the soil and weeding. On one plant, 2 stems are left as they grow. If planted too densely, the pumpkin bears fruit very poorly.
The crop responds well to organic and complex mineral fertilizers. But it should be noted that pumpkin, like watermelons, can accumulate nitrates, so you should not get carried away with fertilizing. On fertile soil, pumpkin will yield a good harvest even without additional feeding.
