The fruits of the “Baby” pumpkin, despite the name, are quite large, and most importantly, they are extremely tasty. We learn how to plant and grow this variety, how to achieve high yields and how to preserve the fruits until spring.
Pumpkin Baby: description and characteristics of the variety
Variety "Baby", despite the name, refers to medium-sized table varieties. The plant is relatively compact, therefore, does not require large areas for growing.
“Little” was brought out by breeders of the Astrakhan region in the 80s of the last century. The variety was introduced to the State Register in 1996.
Brief description of the variety:
- Plant. The climbing type. The main stem is powerful and long, reaching a length of 3 m or more. Leaves are lobed, uncut, rich green.
- Fruit. Large, rounded and slightly flattened. Reach 40 cm in diameter. The crust is thin, grayish in color, on the cut is dark green. On a gray background, pale pink spots are found. The flesh is moderately juicy, saturated orange or yellowish, occupies most of the fruit.
- Seeds Oval, yellow, large, in hard and smooth peel. Can be used for planting.
Pumpkin Seeds Baby
Pumpkin Baby
Pumpkin tops Baby reaches three meters
Pumpkin "Baby" refers to the "portioned" varieties. One fruit is ideal for preparing meals for a small family.
The main characteristics of the variety "Baby":
Characteristics / Parameters | Description / Meaning |
Ripening category | mid-season |
Ripening period | 120-130 days |
Productivity | 3-4 kg per 1 square. m |
Storage | well stored even at room conditions |
Fruit weight | 2.5-4 kg |
Transportability | good |
Disease and pest resistance | high |
The taste of fruit | sweet honey |
Scent | melon |
Appointment | universal - used in cooking and food industry |
100 g of raw crumb pumpkin contains 9.2% sugar and 12 mg carotene.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Pulp "Crumbs" is much sweeter than most varieties. This pumpkin has other advantages:
- due to the dense crust and pulp, the fruits are distinguished by good keeping quality and can be transported long distances without problems;
- high immunity to most diseases, in particular to anthracnose;
- frost resistance - tolerates short-term frosts well;
- pleasant taste and honey aroma;
- undemanding to care;
- stable yield.
The “Crumbs” pulp is very tasty; soups, side dishes, salads, pies, casseroles, and sweet pastries are prepared from it.
Disadvantages:
- medium-sized fruits - but this is a subjective minus, since many people like the small size of the fruit;
- unpresentable appearance - due to the gray peel, this pumpkin is not used for decorative purposes, it has exclusively a table setting;
- may be affected by powdery mildew.
Features of planting pumpkin Baby at home
The Baby variety can be grown with seeds and seedlings, the main thing is to provide good growing conditions. We learn how to pick up a plot for "Baby" and how to plant it.
Soil selection
Soil requirements:
- Pumpkin loves fertile soils with a high humus content. It grows well on light loamy and sandy loamy soils.
- On poor sandy soils, large and tasty pumpkins will not grow. A lot of humus is introduced into such soils, as well as clay and turfy soil.
- It is not recommended to grow pumpkin on heavy, slowly drying and boggy soils. It is advisable to plant it on elevations so that there is no flooding.
- The optimum acidity of the soil is pH 6.5-6.8.
Crop rotation requirements
Pumpkin is recommended to be grown after:
- legumes;
- cabbage;
- Luke;
- beets;
- carrots.
It is not recommended to plant pumpkin in areas where sunflowers, potatoes and melons - cucumbers, zucchini, melons, watermelons grew before this. Bad neighbors for pumpkins are potatoes and tomatoes. Well adjoins pumpkin with legumes and corn.
Pumpkin is a cross-pollinated crop, so you cannot grow different varieties nearby.
You can grow pumpkin again on the site only after 4 years.
Optimal conditions
Optimal growing conditions:
- Illumination Culture prefers sunny areas protected from drafts and winds.
- Humidity. The plant requires regular hydration during flowering and the formation of ovaries. The optimum humidity is 40–50%, soils 70–80%.
- Temperature. The optimum temperature for development and fruiting is from +18 to +25 ° C.
Soil preparation
It is worth adhering to the following recommendations:
- In autumn, the soil is dug up, introducing organic fertilizers - manure or compost. The fertilizer application rate is 5 kg per 1 sq. Km. m. In the fall, superphosphate is also added if the soil is not fertile enough. The norm is 100 g per 5 square meters. m
- In the spring, the soil is re-dug and loosened.
- If necessary, if the soil has high acidity, lime, chalk or wood ash is added.
For each type of soil, the quantity and composition of fertilizers is calculated and selected individually. Humus or compost, peat and river sand must be added to clay and dense soils.
On dense and moist soils, beds at least 25 cm high are arranged; on loose soil, beds can be dispensed with.
Preparing seeds for planting
For landing take purchased material or prepared independently. Variety "Baby" is not a hybrid and, when propagated by seeds, retains its varietal properties.
Preparing seeds for planting:
- Select good seeds - you need even and thick specimens. Lay flat and deformed aside.
- Check the seeds for germination by placing them for 3-4 hours in water. Remove all pop-up specimens - they are not suitable for sowing.
- Soak the seeds so that shoots after sowing appear faster. Otherwise, the sprouts will hatch only after a few weeks. Seeds are placed in warm (+40 ° C) water for 1-2 hours.
- Soak the seeds for 20 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate (100 ml of water - 1 g of the substance). Rinse with clean running water.
- Wrap in wet cloth. Wet periodically with room temperature water.
- When the seeds hatch, send them for 3-4 days in the refrigerator - for hardening. But note that the temperature should not be lower than +2 ° C.
Sowing seeds for seedlings
The seedling method of growing pumpkins is common in regions where there is a threat of spring frost. Sow seeds for seedlings in early April. But you need to focus on the local climate. About a month should pass from sowing to planting in the ground.
Seedlings can be grown on a windowsill, in a greenhouse or in a greenhouse.
The procedure for growing seedlings at home:
- Pour a drainage layer at the bottom of the landing tanks - approximately 4 cm.
- Fill the pots, with a capacity of 0.5 l or more, with soil or a universal substrate. Peat tablets and glasses for pumpkin seedlings may be small - the roots of the seedlings will sprout quickly and will dry out. Take larger peat pots.
- Dig the germinated seeds into the soil - about 2-3 cm. If you plant them 3.5-4 cm deep, the seedlings will germinate twice as long.
- Place containers with seedlings on the windowsill. Keep the daytime temperature at +25 ° C, and the nighttime temperature at +15 ° C. In 4-5 days shoots will appear.
- When sprouts appear, gradually lower the temperature so that the seedlings do not stretch. 10 days after germination, increase the temperature to the previous level. Such tactics will help to grow strong seedlings.
- Watering plantings regularly, avoid waterlogging.
- Apply fertilizer one week after emergence. It can be organic - for example, 300 ml of mullein solution (1:10), or mineral fertilizer - nitrofoska will go (for 10 l of water - 10 g of substance).
- When the seedlings appear 3-4 leaves, they are ready for transplantation into the open ground.
Transplanting seedlings
Pumpkin is a heat-loving culture, so do not rush to plant seedlings. It is necessary to wait for steady heat:
- Daytime temperature should be set at +18 ° C.
- Nighttime temperatures should not drop below +10 ° C.
In the middle lane, seedlings are usually planted from the second half of May to early June.
The procedure for transplanting seedlings into the soil:
- A few days before planting, cover the dug and fertilized area with a film to warm the soil.
- Plant seedlings at + 13- + 15 ° C, in cloudy weather or in the evening.
- Dig holes and sprinkle a little organic matter (compost or humus) mixed with fertile soil. Leave a gap of 80 cm between the holes. The distance between the rows is 1.5-2 m. This planting pattern corresponds to medium-braided varieties.
- Water the seedlings the day before planting so that it is easily removed from the ground. If seedlings were grown in peat pots, you do not need to extract it - put seedlings in the holes with the “container”.
- Generously water the seedlings and sprinkle the roots with soil.
- Mulch the soil with sawdust, hay, and straw.
- Near each hole, make earthen bumpers so that water does not pour out.
Planting seeds in open ground
Sowing seeds in open ground, bypassing the stage of growing seedlings, grow pumpkin mainly in the southern regions. This method is used in areas where the air temperature in July does not fall below +18 ° C.
Before planting seeds in the ground, ask if there is a risk of frost. You can start sowing when the daytime temperature rises to +18 ° C, and the soil warms up to + 12- + 13 ° C. In the middle lane, the landing is carried out approximately from May 15.
Sowing order:
- Water the soil before sowing. Wait - let it settle.
- Dig holes according to the 60x60 cm pattern. Depth - up to 10 cm, no more.
- In each well, put 2-3 seeds - down with a sharp end.
- Sprinkle with soil and pour warm water.
- Mulch the crops with sawdust, hay, straw.
Experienced gardeners are advised to cover the crops with film. You can also cover each planting hole with a plastic bottle to protect the seedlings from frost and cold rains.
When shoots appear, the extra sprouts are removed, leaving the strongest. If the climate is unstable, and there is a threat of frost, do not rush to thin out the plantings.
How to care for pumpkin Baby?
Growing “Baby” does not bring any special trouble. Like all garden crops, she needs watering, weeding and top dressing. The only nuance that distinguishes it from many other cultures is the need to form a bush.
Watering a plant
“Baby” needs regular watering - every 4-6 days. But you need to make adjustments for the weather - on rainy days, the amount of watering is reduced to once a week.
Features of watering:
- Periodically, instead of water, use a solution of onion peel infusion - so you will not only pour pumpkin, but also carry out pest prevention.
- Water the plants under the root, trying not to get on the stems and leaves, so that fungal and viral diseases do not develop.
- Use warm water, not lower than +20 ° С.
- It is not recommended to water the pumpkin in the heat, it is advisable to do it in the evening.
- Irrigation rate - 5-6 liters per plant.
Feeding
Features of fertilizer varieties Crumb:
- The first top dressing is made a week after transplanting seedlings.
- Top dressing is applied every 15-20 days.
- During the flowering period, it is advisable to make mineral dressings.
- Fertilize after irrigation or rain to prevent possible root burns.
What and when to feed the pumpkin:
- After landing. Between the introduction of mineral and organic dressing take a break. Fertilize:
- Mineral 10 g of urea is diluted in 10 l of water. You can also add superphosphate, ammophoska, potassium sulfate - 20 g per bucket of water. The solution is applied under the root.
- Organic A solution is prepared from manure and water (1:10), 2 tbsp are added to it. l wood ash. Shaking the mixture thoroughly, water the plant under the root.
- Before flowering. It is recommended to introduce a single-component fertilizer - to accelerate budding.
- During flowering. Suitable organics (4-5 kg per 1 sq. M) and potassium top dressing 20 g per bucket).
- During the formation of the fruit. Apply complex solutions. Approximate composition:
- potassium chloride - 20 g;
- superphosphate - 15 g;
- water - 10 l.
Loosening and weeding
The beds after watering are loosened - this procedure contributes to the saturation of the earth with oxygen. During loosening, weed vegetation is simultaneously removed.
Features of loosening and weeding:
- The earth is loosened to a depth of 6-8 cm. It is impossible to loosen deeper - roots can be damaged.
- Weeds located near the stem are removed by hand so as not to damage the plant.
- The first loosening is carried out after the first fertilizer application.
Bush formation
Formation is necessary to obtain large fruits. If you do not remove the extra whips in time, too many ovaries will form on one plant and pumpkins will grow small.
Rules for pinching varieties of crumbs:
- When the central lash grows to 1.5 m, pinch the side shoots on it - remove extra ovaries.
- On each side shoot, no more than 2-3 ovaries and 3-4 leaves should remain.
Protection against diseases and pests
Diseases and insect pests can cause significant damage to the crop. They damage both the plant itself and its fruits.
The emergence of diseases and pests contributes to:
- poor, not disinfected soil;
- improper care;
- adverse weather conditions.
Pumpkin Pests Baby and Control Measures:
Pest | Signs of defeat | How to fight? |
Spider mite | A small insect, reaching 1 cm in length, affects the green part of the plant and fruits. Disguised as the color of the medium. | Compliance with crop rotation. Moderate application of mineral fertilizers. Spraying with Bordeaux liquid, applying wood ash. |
Whitefly | Small white moths gather on the back of the leaves. Size - 0.5 cm. Leaves curl, turn yellow. | Spraying with a solution prepared from aloe juice. Whey can also help. |
Slug | Appear in hot and humid weather. Drink nutrients from stems and leaves, cause wilting and death of the plant. | Spraying with copper sulfate and soap solution. |
Pre-sowing preparation of seeds and soil disinfection helps to prevent many diseases.
Common Pumpkin Diseases Baby and Control:
Disease | Symptoms | How to fight? |
Tobacco mosaic | On the leaves - large yellow spots. Over time, yellow patterns grow throughout the plant. | Spraying with the drug "Maxim". Spraying with potassium permanganate. |
Late blight | Brown spots on leaves and fruits. It leads to the death of the plant. | Prevention - spraying with Bordeaux fluid and Oxychome. |
Powdery mildew | Leaves are covered with white coating. | Deep autumn digging. Soil cultivation "Topaz", "Bayleton". Spraying with potassium permanganate (10 l - 3 g). Treatment of diseased plants with Topsin, sodium phosphate, colloidal sulfur. |
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting begins no earlier than the end of August. Features of the collection and storage of fruits in winter "Crumbs":
- It is necessary to remove pumpkins from the site before the start of frosts. If the fruits have not ripened, it does not matter - they ripen in the basement.
- Harvested fruits are sorted. Damaged ones are put off - they should be used as soon as possible. Whole and unripe pumpkins are sent to the basement.
- When collecting, it is important not to tear the stalk, without it, the fruit will rot during storage.
- Pumpkins are stored for 50-70 days. Unripe fruits ripen, forming seeds suitable for planting.
- In the basement should be moderate temperature and humidity. Cold and damp are the main enemies of pumpkin fruits.
Tips from experienced gardeners
Experienced gardeners advise to adhere to the following rules when growing “Baby”:
- Watering the soil with boiling water before planting will destroy insects and their larvae.
- Water the beds with pumpkins in the mornings and evenings.
- Use rainwater for irrigation.
- When growing seedlings in greenhouses, ventilate the room every day.
- Always observe the dosage of fertilizers indicated on the packaging.
Farmer's feedback on Baby Pumpkin
Tamara, 28 years old, amateur gardener, Armavir. Planted for the first time on the advice of sellers - they offered seeds in the store. The “Baby” has rather large fruits, but the bush is small, plus I pinch the whips - as a result, the plant takes up little space. This is very valuable for my small site. On one lash - 1-2 fruits. Interestingly, if you cut the pumpkin - it smells like melon!
Konstantin, 40 years old, summer resident, Kursk region The variety is good for stable crops and long-term storage of fruits - they can be stored for several months without losing any taste or appearance. I transfer part of the fruits to the apartment - they are perfectly stored even in room conditions. Suitable for any dishes, even make candied fruits from it, add to the minced meat.
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“Baby” is a profitable variety in all respects. This pumpkin is easy to grow, its fruits are tasty, well stored and transported - it can be grown, both for your own needs and for sale.
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Russia. City Novosibirsk
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