Pumpkin is a healthy and tasty vegetable that grows equally well in Russia everywhere. There are many varieties with tender and sweet flesh. One of them is Candy pumpkin, very popular, judging by the description of the variety, photos and reviews.
Sometimes there is a synonymous name - Caramel. It was bred in Russia specifically for the Central non-chernozem zone. She is loved and appreciated for her high yields, undemanding care and nutritional properties.
Description of Pumpkin Candy
The variety is mid-season, cold-resistant, large-fruited, suitable for table use. By the middle of summer it gives several not very long lashes (about one and a half meters). Each can ripen up to six fruits. The largest specimens reach a weight of 50 kg. The period from planting to ripening is 120 days.
Pumpkin Candy has earned excellent reviews due to its taste. It is very sweet, the thickness of the pulp is on average 10 cm, the color is bright, red-orange.
Thanks to the thick skin, it is stored during the winter and does not lose its taste.
The seed zone is small, seeds are large, tasty, usually well poured. They can be dried and eaten.
Juice is made from pumpkin Sweetie, mashed for baby food. It is this variety that is used for cooking cereals with diet food, since when it is added, sugar is no longer required. Delicious, low-calorie caramel make desserts - mousses, puddings, jellies and souffles.
Zinc and vitamin A, which are contained in large quantities, help to improve vision, have a beneficial effect on the condition of the skin, nails and hair.
How to Grow Pumpkin Sweetie
According to the rules of crop rotation, the best precursors for pumpkins are: potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, beans, tomatoes. It will grow poorly after gourds: zucchini, watermelons, melons, cucumbers.
Favorable neighbors in the garden - potatoes, beans, cucumbers (for cross-pollination). But in the vicinity of cucumbers, seeds can lose the properties of the variety; they are not recommended to be used as planting material for the next year.
Pumpkin is undemanding in care, but loves warmth. It can be sown in open ground when the soil warms up well, or grown through seedlings. The second method is preferable in regions with a cold climate.
Seed preparation
In order for the seeds to sprout as quickly as possible, they need to be wrapped for several days in a soft, damp cloth and put in a warm place, for example, on a windowsill above the battery.
After the seeds hatch and seedlings appear, they need to be hardened in the refrigerator for 3-5 days.
Since the soil in spring provides a favorable environment for the development of fungi and bacteria, it is better to soak the seeds during germination for additional disinfection in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Growing seedlings
Pumpkin grows very fast. Planting seedlings in open ground is possible already 20 days after emergence. This circumstance must be taken into account and pre-calculated time of germination and planting time.
The root system of caramel pumpkin is very tender, so you need to plant the seeds in peat cups or tablets that are planted directly in the beds. Or in a tank without a bottom, it is easier to extract seedlings from them without damaging the delicate delicate roots.
For the same reason, drainage should be placed at the bottom of the seedling containers.
Seeding depth is 3-4 cm. 1 seed is planted in one container. If there is no confidence in one hundred percent germination, 2 seeds are laid, then one of them, weaker, is removed. When planting in a large box, they maintain a distance between the seeds of 5 cm.
The soil is prepared from a mixture of leafy earth, peat and humus in a ratio of 1: 1: 2.
Landings are covered in the traditional way - glass, plexiglass, transparent plastic or film. After emergence, no shelter is required.
More active seedling growth takes place in a warm, bright room. So get strong and resilient plants.
Planting seeds directly on the bed
Planting seeds in open ground is more applicable in regions with a hot climate and early spring.
Pre-garden, where it is supposed to plant a pumpkin well fertilized with manure or humus and dig.
Seeds are placed in holes with a depth of 8-10 cm. If frost is expected in the spring, or a pumpkin is planted with seeds in the northern latitudes. The embedment depth needs to be increased.
Several seeds are lowered into each hole in order to leave the strongest specimen during germination. The rest does not have to be pulled out, but nipped so as not to touch or damage the roots of the neighboring plant.
Planting pumpkin seedlings in the ground
Well-lit areas with loamy soil are suitable for Candy pumpkin. The earth should be loose, "breathing".
Seedlings are planted in the ground when the earth warms up to +13 ° C, and on the shoot there will be 2-3 well-formed leaves.
Each plant needs 1-1.5 m2 area. First you need to prepare the wells, spill them well with water. A handful of wood ash and a pinch of superphosphate are poured into each.
Outdoor Pumpkin Care
Pumpkin care consists in regular watering, weeding, and subsequently - removing dried leaves.
To get especially large fruits, it is necessary several times over the summer to water the pumpkin with infusion of cow manure or bird droppings.
On the palatability of the fruit, a fertilizing with a solution of nitrate - 50 g per watering can will have a beneficial effect.
Also, the formation of a bush is necessary - periodically you will have to pinch the stems, leaving no more than three processes. For strong lashes, from time to time it is necessary to loosen slightly and to spud the root part of the shoot.
How to keep the harvest
Proper storage contributes to the ripening of the fetus, which is why over time the pumpkin becomes even sugarier and softer.
Pumpkin is well stored at + 3 ... +15 ° C. A lower temperature will freeze the flesh and rot.
The recommended humidity in the room is 70-80%. At higher humidity, there is a high risk of mold and a musty taste.
Air circulation is important. If something went wrong and the pumpkin stocks began to deteriorate, the damaged fruits should be discarded, the room should be ventilated, if possible, sanitized, dried.
