Some gardeners believe that planting pumpkin is easy: you just need to stick a seed into the ground and you can get a good harvest.
But this plant, like other crops, requires proper care.
Agronomist Anastasia Kovrizhnykh explained what mistakes can cause pumpkins to grow grassy and watery.
Selecting a variety and seeds
The taste of the pumpkin may depend on its variety. For example, it is impossible to grow sweet pumpkin from forage varieties.
Late-season squash can also be watery and tasteless if cut into too early.
Therefore, you should not cut it right away at the beginning of autumn. If the fruits lie for a month or two, they will become sweeter.
It is also important to pay attention to the quality of the seeds.
When collecting seeds yourself, you need to take into account that varieties can cross-pollinate, including with other crops.
Therefore, it is unlikely that you will be able to harvest a good crop.
Lighting and power supply
Pumpkin needs good lighting to grow, so don't plant it in deep shade.
Planting in places where the shade will be light is allowed. In addition, the fruits also need to be exposed to the sun, removing overhanging leaves from them.
Pumpkin also needs a lot of nutrients. This plant grows very quickly, and therefore it requires nitrogen fertilization. Pumpkin also needs potassium.
But you need to apply fertilizers before the fruits become as big as possible and stop growing. Otherwise, the pulp will be grassy.
Earlier we talked about how to protect your garden from Colorado beetles.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
