According to their qualities, pumpkins are divided into three main types: hard-skinned, large-bodied and muscat. The former have thick and tough rinds, fibrous flesh and large, tasty seeds.
Advertisement
The large-fruited ones form large pumpkins. Usually their flesh is sweeter than that of the hard-skinned ones. This type is suitable for many dishes and juices.
In the line of large-fruited varieties there are giant pumpkins. Huge fruits weighing several hundred kilograms are grown mainly for records and impressive photos.
Muscat pumpkin is characterised by its distinctive pear shape. It has the sweetest, most delicate flesh with a nutmeg flavour.
Find quality seeds or seedlings
When buying seeds, pay attention to the date of manufacture: the fresher they are, the better the chances of getting sprouts. You can also feel the seeds and make sure they are firm and dense.
The optimum age of pumpkin seedlings for planting in the open ground is 20-25 days after sprouting. If this information is impossible to find out from the seller, look closely at the bushes themselves: they should have at least 2-3 true leaves.
Choose healthy seedlings with green leaves and a thick stem. There should be no spots, damage, dry patches, signs of rot, mould and fungal diseases on the plant.
How to prepare a bed for growing pumpkins
Find the brightest area of the garden and vegetable garden that is in sunlight all day long. There should be no other plants on the site that could prevent the pumpkin from spreading its long branches. It is also important that no water stagnates in the soil after the rains.
Apply 10kg of over-ripened manure or compost, 200g of wood ash and 40g of nitroammophoska per 1m2 of soil. If the soil is too heavy, clayey and acidic, you can additionally add 300-400 g of dolomite flour and 5-10 litres of sand.
Dig over the soil with the back of a spade, breaking up earth clods and mixing the fertiliser with the soil. Level the surface with a rake and water the bed abundantly with warm water.
