Large varieties of pumpkins: description, characteristics, photos

Large areas are needed to grow melons. But if you choose the right variety, then from one or two seeds planted in the spring you can get a huge harvest, which will be enough for the whole season, even for a large family. There are record-breaking varieties that produce huge fruits. If you consider that this vegetable stores well, you can understand why, if you have a limited space, it is so important to choose a variety with large fruits. To choose the perfect option, you should familiarize yourself with the 7 varieties that produce the largest pumpkins.

hundred pound

Large-fruited variety that can produce fruits weighing up to 15 kg. To harvest such a harvest, you will have to work hard. But most often, pumpkins are not lifted, but rolled to the place of loading or storage.

The pulp is very juicy, so it is used to make purees, smoothies, and add to fresh salads. Plus, 100 pounds is recommended to saturate the diet with vitamins and microelements.

Hybrids

Hybrid vegetable crops are the result of the painstaking work of breeders. They are characterized by increased resistance to adverse conditions and other improved characteristics.

Pumpkin is an annual vegetable. Seeds for annual planting are not collected from hybrid forms - they do not germinate.

Matilda

Elongated pear-shaped pumpkins up to 2-3 kg. The hybrid is very sweet and juicy, there are few seeds. Good yield - up to 9 fruits are harvested from one bush.

Hazelnut

Miniature hybrid - fruits weighing up to 1.5 kg. Round pumpkins with a rich reddish skin and very sweet flesh with a nutty aroma.

Merchant's wife

The maximum size of this pumpkin is 24 kg. Such parameters are possible under good conditions, but even if they are not ideal, the fruits will be at least 10 kg.

The merchant's wife has an excellent presentation, the peel is yellow-orange in color, but despite its large size, it is very thin. This results in minimal waste during cleaning. The variety has excellent shelf life, it transports well and even after scratches appear on the surface it does not deteriorate.

Manyunya

The Manyunya variety has been grown since 2015, but gardeners have already managed to appreciate it. Vegetables are planted on melon fields. They tolerate machine cleaning well. Duration of storage at home is 120 days.

More on the topic: What kind of care does the Miracle Yudo pumpkin require?

Technical ripeness of vegetables occurs after 85 days. To obtain seeds, vegetables are left to ripen for another 3 weeks:

the fruit has a round shape. There are small grooves on the surface that divide the vegetable into segments. Pumpkins are small in size, 1-3 kg. The culture is portioned and is in demand among chefs;
The skin of young fruits is green. Closer to the ripening period, yellow stripes appear on the surface. Ripe vegetables are orange in color;
the flesh is orange. It contains a high level of provitamin A. The texture is medium density, low in juiciness.

Pumpkin can suffer from bacteriosis. On the leaves, the infection manifests itself in the form of brown, oily spots. They move onto the stems. Lumps with black dots may appear on the fruits. There are no external manifestations of the disease on the peel, but bacteria cause rotting of the pulp.

As a preventive measure against bacteriosis, a solution of boric acid is used. Spraying of bushes and fruits is carried out during the growing season. Vegetables are processed before storing for the winter.

Big Max

An impressive variety, since such pumpkins have been recorded to grow up to 40 kg. The pulp has a soft pink color, which is partially preserved even after heat treatment.

How to Prepare Pumpkin Seeds for Food

Big Max has high nutritional value: it contains a lot of carotene, vitamins and other useful substances. Very easy to digest, making it ideal for people with digestive problems.

Beneficial features

Vegetables are a valuable food product. It has the same calorie content as cauliflower. The nutritional value is 26 kcal per 100 g of vegetable. The pulp contains:

minerals;
dry substances – 5–25%;
pectin;
fat – up to 15%;
carotene;
starch – up to 20%;
fiber – 0.7–0.9%;
vitamins: E, niacin, B1, B3, B6, B2, B9.

Pumpkin flowers and foliage contain up to 620 mg% ascorbic acid. The chemical composition of the seeds includes fatty oil, organic acids, and resins.

Hard-bark pumpkin is famous for its medicinal properties and serves for:

improving visual acuity;
normalization of water-salt balance;
regulation of the gastrointestinal tract;
lowering blood pressure;
cleansing of intestinal waste and toxins;
strengthening vascular walls;
reducing the acidity of gastric juice;
sleep stabilization;
charging with vital energy;
increasing immunity;
weakening swelling, removing excess fluid from the body;
enhancing metabolism;
cell renewal, improvement of tissue repair;
fight against worms.

Raw pumpkin pulp has a laxative effect. Pumpkin juice, raw, boiled, baked vegetables have a choleretic and diuretic effect.

The fruits benefit men's and women's health. In men, pumpkin has a beneficial effect on the prostate; in women, it helps preserve youth and the beauty of nail plates and hair.

Mother-in-law

A large-fruited variety with very strong branching. Bright orange fruits with loose pulp that contains plant sugars. The weight of these pumpkins reaches 20 kg.

Gardeners value Teschenka because it is resistant to many melon and melon pests. Moreover, the crop grows well even in poor soils with low organic matter content. The main thing is that the soil is permeable and does not retain water.

Description

Hard-barked pumpkin (in Latin Cucurbita pepo. var. pero) belongs to herbaceous annuals from the pumpkin family. Mexico is considered the birthplace of the common pumpkin, or vegetable pumpkin. The vegetable became widespread before the birth of Christ on the North American continent in the Missouri and Mississippi river valleys. The culture came to European countries in the 16th century thanks to Spanish sailors. Records for growing vegetables belong to the Middle Kingdom, India, and Russia.

Distinctive features of the annual crop:

root power;
wide foliage;
length of strong shoots.

The central root penetrates 3 m deep into the soil, lateral layers spread along the surface up to 4 m in search of water and food. The stem of the pumpkin is directed away from the base by 7 m.

There are varieties of pumpkin that are grown in the form of a bush and are distinguished by short vines.

The large leaves of hard-barked pumpkin are 5-lobed, long-petiolate, heart-shaped, intensely green in color, rough to the touch. In the leaf axils there are spiral tendrils.

The flowers are orange or dark yellow with pointed petals, unisexual. The thick peduncle is pubescent. In female flowers it is short, in male flowers it is long. Flowers are pollinated by bees. Flowering dates occur at the beginning and middle of summer.

After the pumpkin has flowered, fruit ovaries form on the stems, starting from the 9th leaf. Characteristic features of the fruit: roundness or ovality, ribbed surface, orange-yellow color. Pumpkin bark differs in density, only in some species it is soft.

The pulp is hidden under the shell: fibrous, sugary, aromatic, with numerous oval seeds of cream or light yellow color. The seeds with a rim on the edge reach a length of up to 3 cm. Inside, the compacted shell is filmy, grayish-green.

Fruit ripening occurs in August or with the arrival of autumn. The peak of pumpkin decorativeness is from June to September.

The vegetable likes it warm; it is not characterized by winter hardiness. Hard-barked pumpkin is afraid of cold weather and does not tolerate dampness.

The optimal temperature for germination and development of pumpkin is up to +25 ° C. Low temperatures have a negative effect on the growth of the crop. Temperature +10 °C or less - seeds may die.

The plant likes moisture, which has a positive effect on the formation of large-fruited ovaries. When there is heat and drought during the flowering period, the flowers fall off and the ovaries do not appear.

Titanium

The fruits of this variety are not just large, they are gigantic. Provided there are enough sunny days, Titan pumpkins grow up to 50 kg, and they have the correct spherical shape. The first harvest can be harvested 4 months after sowing.

The main nuance that gardeners should know for growing Titan is self-pollination of flowers. Insects will not help in this matter, so you need to pollinate with a cotton swab, otherwise the ovary will not appear.

The variety has a very powerful root system, which is why pumpkins grow so large: they accumulate nutrients from a large area. In order for the potential to fully manifest itself, you need to avoid thickening the planting.

Large-fruited pumpkin: how to grow

Large-fruited pumpkin varieties are considered the most unpretentious among gardeners because they tolerate cold best. In this case, the fruits can grow to gigantic sizes. The culture does not require any special skills when growing. But there are general rules, without which you will definitely not be able to grow a rich harvest. Are we watching?

Growing rules

Choosing the right variety

. Pumpkin must be zoned in your region.

Seed preparation

. It is necessary to calibrate the seeds, disinfect and soak them:

We calibrate by hand, selecting the largest and healthiest seeds.
Disinfect in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 - 30 minutes.
Soak in damp gauze for 1 - 2 days in a warm place.

Preparation of large-fruited pumpkin seeds and more.

Planting seeds for seedlings

usually produced in separate pots of 2 seeds, and all because large-fruited pumpkin does not tolerate transplantation well. Planting depth 2 cm.

Seedling care

. Before germination, the temperature should be 25 °C. After germination, we set it at 18 °C during the daytime, and 12 °C at night. And so on for 7 days, and then we raise the temperature. Water moderately. Be sure to harden it before planting.

Planting seedlings in the garden

. We plant the seedlings in the garden at the age of 20 - 25 days.

All about growing large-fruited pumpkins and more.

Caring for crops in the garden

We water regularly. It is especially often necessary to water during flowering and when fruits are forming. One plant uses an average of 5 - 7 liters of warm water (20 °C). Water as it dries.
We feed the pumpkin 2 times during the season. The first time
when the 5th true leaf is formed.
Second time
: when the ovaries are formed. Both organic and mineral fertilizers are suitable for feeding. They can be alternated with each other.
Sprinkling of lashes is needed to provide the plant with additional nutrition. Sprinkle after 30 cm - 40 cm.
Prevention from diseases lies primarily in preparing the seeds and soil for planting; it is also important to observe crop rotation. It will also be useful if you promptly treat the planted seedlings with biofungicides. It is important to remember that it is easier to prevent a disease than to treat it.

Centner

This variety is most often grown to produce high-quality and large seeds: there are about 800 seeds in the core. Centner pumpkins under favorable weather conditions grow up to 100 kg, but the average weight is 50-60 kg. Such large fruits are rarely used in cooking, except in public catering establishments.

Cleaning and storing pumpkins

Miniature varieties

Miniature pumpkins are ideal for culinary and decorative purposes. Sometimes they are called portioned - it is convenient to bake the fruits whole, without lengthy peeling and slicing.

A selection of dwarf varieties:

Amazon - hard-barked pumpkins weighing no more than 1 kg.
Baby - gray or bluish round pumpkins up to 1-3 kg. The peel is very dense, the flesh is dry, but sweet, and tastes like melon. It becomes very hard from long-term storage.
Golden pear - mini pumpkin up to 1.5 kg. Both the peel and the pulp are dense, there is little sugar, but the vegetable is quite tasty.
Candy or caramel is a fruit with a yellow-red skin with green splashes. Despite the sweet name, this variety cannot be described as sugary. It is better to prepare the candy with the addition of sugar or honey.
Freckle is a vegetable from the hard-barked group, weighing 0.7-1.2 kg. An early ripening miniature variety, quite cold-resistant, therefore it is successfully grown in the northern regions.

Atlant

When it comes to large pumpkins, people immediately think of Atlanta. This is the absolute record holder for fruit weight: a pumpkin weighing 150 kg is officially registered. Of course, this is an exceptional case, but even the average weight is 30-60 kg. In fact, this advantage can also turn into a disadvantage, since when harvesting it is not always possible to load such giants or move them to a storage location. In addition, it is impossible to eat such a large pumpkin at one time, so they are grown for industrial purposes or for feeding livestock. Good results are only possible when planting using seedlings.

Uses of orange fruit

The range of uses for pumpkin is very wide . Traditionally it is used to prepare various dishes. In addition, “fat” helps to defeat many diseases or significantly reduce their manifestations. Pumpkin masks have excellent anti-inflammatory and anti-aging effects.

Kitchen treasure

The pumpkin menu is very varied . Vegetable porridges with water or milk are popular (rice or millet are most often used). Pies and pancakes are prepared with grated “fatty”. Pumpkin is baked in the oven alone or with the addition of other fruits, nuts and honey. They even prepare salads and desserts from raw vegetables.

Fried pumpkin!!! Tasty!!! Fast!!!

Cures many diseases

To treat diseases, both the raw vegetable and medicines based on it are used . There are recipes with seeds, flowers, leaves. Pumpkin is used to cleanse and renew the liver and the entire body. Yellow “fat” helps with inflammation of the genitourinary tract and small stones in the gall bladder, perfectly dilutes bile, and alleviates the condition of cirrhosis and fatty hepatosis.

An excellent restorative, cleansing and restorative remedy , beneficial both for the liver and for the entire body as a whole, is pumpkin honey. You can prepare it yourself :

Remove seeds from a small pumpkin;
fill with honey;
close the pumpkin lid with the stem cut off and cover with cotton cloth on top;
put in a cool place for 7-10 days;
A syrup is formed inside - this is the healing agent.

For youth and beauty

Masks with pumpkin do an excellent job of treating skin inflammation and smoothing it out. If you eat a little raw pumpkin regularly, not only the condition of your skin but also your hair improves: dandruff disappears, curls become silky.
Masks with vegetables, when used regularly, are akin to salon care, because they have an excellent lifting effect . So, it is useful to mix the boiled pulp with an egg, honey and heavy cream. This product is applied for 15-20 minutes. 1-2 times a week. After the procedure, you should rinse off the remaining product with warm water and lubricate the skin with your favorite cream. To prepare the mask you will need :

boiled pumpkin pulp – 50 g;
chicken egg – 1 piece;
honey – 1/2 tsp;
heavy cream – 2 tbsp. l.

For a slim figure

Pumpkin is not only low-calorie, and therefore used in dietary nutrition . If you eat the vegetable daily, it helps to activate the metabolism and normalize the digestion process. Thanks to it, heavy foods are digested faster and better. For those who eat pumpkin regularly, portions are significantly reduced, because its natural fiber allows you to feel full faster.

Pumpkin is a natural energy drink . It fills the body with vigor, and an increase in physical activity certainly has a positive effect on weight. An excellent way to lose weight is fasting days with pumpkin. There are many pumpkin diets. Continuing to use “fat fat” after achieving the desired result, it is much easier to maintain normal weight.

Chit

Pumpkin Kroshka is a mid-season variety with a vegetative period of 115–125 days.

The following characteristics are most often given in seed descriptions:

the fruits weigh only 1–2 kg;
have a round, slightly flattened shape;
its skin is almost white, greenish and dense;
The pulp is bright orange, sweet, slightly juicy, with a pleasant nutty aroma.

Pumpkin seeds, whose taste resembles a nut, are highly valued.

To grow an excellent harvest, Kroshka should be planted in May, in a greenhouse, for which pre-soaked pumpkin seeds are buried in the soil with the blunt tip down. After the first two leaves appear, the plant can be transplanted into moist open ground. If there is a possibility of frost, the seedlings are protected from above with caps made from plastic 5-liter bottles with the bottom cut off. When Baby grows up, the bottles can be removed and the soil around the plants can be covered with grass. After 2 or 3 ovaries appear, the lashes should be pinned. These plants are distinguished by the fact that they do not require special care: weeding, watering, and fertilizing with organic fertilizers will make it possible to reap a decent harvest in the fall.

Sweetie

The fruits of the mid-season variety Konfetki are loved by gardeners for their exquisite sweet taste and the fact that long-term storage does not harm them at all, but, on the contrary, makes them even softer, sweeter and tasty.

The pumpkin description includes the following benefits:

High yield.
Unpretentiousness.
Excellent taste.
High percentage of carotene and vitamin C.

Candy pumpkin can be used to prepare first and second courses, or add raw to salads. Juices made from fruits are especially useful; they contain large amounts of pectin, which has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract.

To plant this pumpkin, you will need a spacious area illuminated by the sun, since the lashes it produces can reach 2 meters. The best soil for Candy are light and medium loamy soils. Before planting, the ground should be dug up and manure or rotted compost should be added to it (7 kg per 1 m2).

In warm regions, Candy is planted with seeds, in cold regions - with seedlings.

When growing pumpkin seeds, follow these steps:

Check the seeds for germination by wrapping them in a damp cloth for a day.
Disinfect by placing in a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Perform hardening: soak in heated water and leave in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

For planting, you need holes 8 cm deep: the distance between adjacent holes is at least 90 cm. Each one must be moistened and 3-4 seeds placed in it. When sprouts appear, you should leave only one, the strongest one.

For growing seedlings and ease of subsequent care, you can use any container 8 cm deep. It is filled with turf soil with the addition of peat and humus, the seeds are planted in holes 5 cm deep and the container is placed in a cool, well-lit place. After 2 weeks, the pumpkin sprouts should be carefully tilted and covered with soil. A few days before planting, the seedlings are taken outside every day for several hours for the purpose of hardening.

Feeding, watering and loosening are carried out no earlier than 10 days after planting. The best fertilizer for this variety of pumpkin is a solution of chicken manure (1 part to 20 parts water). As for mineral supplements, Sweetie loves ammonium nitrate. Sprinkling the lashes with earth allows you to strengthen the root system.

With proper care, each vine usually bears from 6 to 8 fruits, which, when ripe, reach an average weight of 3 kg. If you want to get larger fruits, pinch the main stem of the pumpkin (after 3-4 ovaries).

Paris gold

This type of pumpkin does not require frequent, abundant watering and mulching, but loves warmth, so it will be the best option for residents of hot, arid regions.

The Parisian gold variety has the following characteristics:

fruits are bright golden in color, in the shape of a flattened ball and with weak segmentation;
the weight of a ripe pumpkin is from 4 to 10 kg, but when planted on fertile soils it reaches 16 kg;
the skin is thick, lumpy, the flesh is bright orange, tasty, juicy, making this variety ideal for juices, soups and baby food.

Parisian gold can be stored for a year without losing its taste. The variety is an early ripening variety, loves sandy and loamy soils, as well as sunny and warm areas. It can be planted by seeds, but to increase productivity it is better to grow seedlings. Sowing of seedlings is carried out in May; transplanting into open ground is possible after the ground has warmed up to a temperature of 10–12 °C. The ideal place for growth is the middle zone.

When planting seeds (May-June), they are buried 1.5 cm into the soil, 2 grains are placed in each hole, and when shoots appear, the weaker sprout is removed. The distance between the holes is at least 60 cm.

You can increase the yield of Parisian golden pumpkin by:

Pinching the main stem and side shoots after several ovaries appear on them.
Timely watering, loosening, weeding.
Fertilizing with organic fertilizers (chicken manure).
Mulching the soil with peat or dry humus.
Hilling up plants with damp soil (to strengthen the root system).

The vegetative period is approximately 100 days, fruit harvesting occurs in August-September.