Hokkaido pumpkin varieties were bred by Japanese breeders. There are 2 hybrid varieties: Ishiki Kuri and Orange. The crops are early and unpretentious. They are grown in all climatic conditions. On the Black Sea coast, in the Lower Volga region, they use the method of sowing in open ground.
Hokkaido pumpkin
In Siberia and the Far East, the crop is grown by seedlings. Despite the early ripening period, vegetables are stored for the winter. They have good shelf life and can be stored for up to 9 months. What is the description of Japanese pumpkin? How difficult is it to care for her?
Japanese Hokkaido pumpkin: variety description
Hokkaido pumpkin: photo of variety
Pumpkin is a very tasty, healthy and beautiful vegetable. You can prepare a huge number of dishes from it, to the delight of your household. But from the many existing varieties, how to choose the one that is ideal for growing in your region. And so that the taste pleases your taste buds, and the abundance of the harvest pleases your eye.
The Hokkaido variety was bred by Japanese breeders, so it is best known in Japan. By the way, the French also grow a variety of it called Potimaron.
In Russia you can only find seeds of the hybrid of the main variety - Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1. It is included in the Belarusian catalog of varieties, but is not noted in the achievements of domestic breeders.
The hybrid has a rich orange color. The shape resembles a pear, good yield level. The hybrid variety is recommended for use in the fall. The fruits are stored for no more than six months.
The longer the fruit is stored, the worse its taste becomes. It becomes more bland and begins to deteriorate.
Hokkaido pumpkin has large fruits with a pronounced round stalk. The inflorescences are large, there are a lot of them, with a rich yellow color. The foliage of this variety is large, heart-shaped and green.
The growing season from the appearance of the first shoots to the moment of ripening is 90 days. The plant belongs to the early ripening varieties. Hokkaido can be stored for quite a long time - about 9-10 months. At the same time, it does not lose its taste characteristics.
The Hokkaido hybrid is unpretentious to natural conditions; it tolerates drought with dignity. Ideal for warm to moderately warm regions.
Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 has a high level of productivity, several fruits are set on one shoot. You can remove a dozen small pumpkins from one plant.
The seeds have average growth vigor. In the southern regions, pumpkins are planted directly in open ground in May, while in other regions pumpkins are grown in seedlings. For the fruits to fully ripen, it is necessary to stop the growth of stems; vegetables ripen in late summer - early autumn.
Harvesting must be done when the fruits are fully ripe, otherwise the taste will be bland.
Very often, Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is grown for decorative purposes, for example, on fences. In this case, pumpkins are grown vertically; ripe orange pumpkins look very beautiful against green foliage.
Planting and care
During the growing season, Hokkaido pumpkin does not differ from varieties bred in Russia. It is easy to care for and grows even in regions with a temperate climate.
A few tips from experienced gardeners will help you get a good harvest.
- For early shoots, the seedling method is used. 3-4 weeks before planting, the seeds are immersed in water at room temperature, and then transferred to a damp cloth, where they are left until the first shoots appear.
- To prevent the buds from drying out, constantly check the fabric - it should remain slightly damp. To wet it, you can use potassium permanganate - this is an excellent protection against rot and bacteria.
- The “hatched” seeds are poured into small pots - a separate container is used for each of them and buried about 4 cm.
- After disembarking, some rules are followed. Hokkaido loves warmth, so they plant the vegetable in warm soil and in a sunny area of the garden.
- Loosening the soil, regular watering and monitoring the number of vegetables on the vine are also necessary. This pumpkin produces good fruit, but you need to leave 7-8 vegetables on the branch. Thanks to this, you can get big fruits at the earliest possible time.
- The variety's vines grow and take up a lot of space. So that this does not interfere with the growth of other crops in the garden, Hokkaido is planted in high containers. This will reduce the size of the plant and add originality to the design.
Japanese Hokkaido pumpkin: main characteristics of the fruit
- Hokkaido fruits have elastic skin and tasty juicy pulp. At the ripening stage, the pumpkin acquires not only the rich orange or yellow tint we are accustomed to, but also the ripe fruits may have a gray or green color.
- The shape of the pumpkin fruit resembles a flattened ball or droplet-shaped. The appearance is very beautiful. Some gardeners also grow this variety for decorative purposes.
- The pulp of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is dense, without a fibrous feeling. During heat treatment, the pulp acquires a paste-like state. The pulp contains a minimal amount of water and sugar, so it is not sweet. Many even note a certain blandness.
- The peel of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 pumpkin is thin, there are no clearly visible ridges. In order to cut a pumpkin, you need to work hard. The peel softens only during heat treatment.
- The fruits of Ishiki Kuri have an average weight of 1.5 to 2 kg, with a diameter of approximately 15 cm. As mentioned earlier, they stand out for their decorative effect. They have an elongated neck and a protruding stalk; the peel is sometimes deformed.
Features of the vegetable
Hokkaido pumpkin - in Japan, potimarron (chestnut pumpkin) - in France, "winter" - in England, Hokkaido - in Russia - this is the name of this compact, sweetish taste, eye-catching representative of melons with its bright color and unusual shape.
Mature Hokkaido is most often a small fruit (its weight can range from 800 g to 2.5 (less often 3) kg, pear-shaped or slightly flattened. There are also larger relatives of this Japanese vegetable, which are still inferior in popularity to the portioned pumpkin ( Hokkaido is sometimes called this because of its small size).
The color of this pumpkin is varied: from sunny orange and bright red to grayish or green. Because of this, questions sometimes arise as to whether the green part of the Hokkaido pumpkin is poisonous. All doubters can be confidently answered: no, it is not poisonous. Green Hokkaido pumpkin can be safely cooked and tastes just as good as orange or reddish ones. At the same time, the pulp of the vegetable will be just as tender, with a clear chestnut or nutty flavor characteristic of this particular pumpkin variety.
The Japanese vegetable is good in all respects. Thus, the undoubted advantages of the Hokkaido pumpkin - reviews of housewives and world chefs confirm this - include its rapid ripening (the growing season averages 3 to 3.5 months from the moment the seeds are sown), the ability to be stored for a long time (the pumpkin can lie in the basement or just in a cool place, safe and sound almost all winter), thin peel (when hot processed, the skin becomes very soft, so it is often eaten along with the pulp). Let's add to this a delicate taste, usually associated with sweet chestnut or potato, as well as nut or nutmeg - after all, Hokkaido refers specifically to the nutmeg varieties of this crop.
Hokkaido pumpkin variety. Advantages and disadvantages
This variety, like its other relatives, contains a great variety of vitamins, microelements and beneficial amino acids. An excellent product for people on a diet and maintaining a healthy, proper diet.
The fruits of Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 are eaten raw, and also together with the peel - this is considered to be the uniqueness of the species.
A variety of dishes can be prepared from pumpkin fruits. There are many recipes with Hokkaido pumpkin in cookbooks. For example, you can fry it like potatoes; bake, prepare cream soups. Very often, pumpkin fruits are used as pots for stuffing various desserts and other dishes.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the taste and aroma of the fruits of the Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 variety is specific and does not resemble the characteristic taste qualities of other varieties of pumpkins.
The downside , as gardeners note, is that candied fruits cannot be made from this variety, and the seeds are not suitable for consumption.
Hokkaido as part of main courses
The simplest and most famous recipe in this category is milk porridge with pumpkin. To prepare it, the Hokkaido pulp is cut into cubes or grated on a coarse grater, then mixed with cereal (rice, millet, oatmeal, corn or semolina are suitable) and poured with milk. Next - everything that the cook’s imagination allows: you can, for example, add dried fruits, nuts, apples, butter. Sugar will completely replace honey, and cinnamon will add a special taste and aroma.
Pumpkin porridge can be boiled in a regular saucepan or baked in the oven - depending on your preference. So, you can pre-bake the pumpkin, pour boiling water over the cereal and leave for 10 minutes to swell. Then place the pumpkin and cereal in layers in a baking dish, pour milk over everything - it should cover the top layer by a couple of centimeters. Drizzle honey or sprinkle sugar on top. Pieces of butter will not be superfluous - it will give the porridge a special taste and aroma. Now you can cover the pan with foil and put it in the oven. In about an hour, a delicious and nutritious dish for breakfast or dinner that both adults and children will enjoy will be ready.
Vegetarians will love pilaf with pumpkin, apple and quince. For pasta lovers - spaghetti with ham, pumpkin and cream sauce, generously sprinkled with cheese and herbs. Meat or vegetable manti and cutlets, to which Hokkaido pulp is added, will definitely satisfy the taste of any gourmet.
Hokkaido pumpkin: agricultural technology varieties
Hokkaido pumpkin prefers a warm location with plenty of light. Accordingly, you should choose a site where it is exposed to the sun throughout the day. To grow the variety, pegs, huts or cones are most often used. The reason for this is the very branched bushes.
Also note that Hokkaido pumpkin requires nutrients to grow. The plant responds positively to fertile soils. Preferable for chernozem, light loamy and sandy loam soils.
Before planting, the area is cleared of weeds and fertilizers are applied. To do this, use humus or mullein - at the rate of 6 kg per square meter. After which the area is dug up. For good heating, it is recommended to make a high ridge.
Hokkaido pumpkin planting
You can plant Hokkaido pumpkin either as seedlings or directly in open ground. But the choice of one method or another directly depends on the growing region. Since even minimal frosts are dangerous for Hokkaido, in cool regions they resort to the seedling method.
Pumpkin seedlings are planted at the end of April. It is recommended to do this in peat pots.
You can sow 2 seeds in each, but no more, since the root system develops very quickly. And this is done in order to eliminate picking in the future, since damage to the roots during picking cannot be avoided. And this will further negatively affect productivity.
The depth of the hole, respectively, and the depth of planting the seed, should be about 10 cm. After the shoots appear, we leave the strongest and strongest stem. But do not pull out those seedlings that are less strong, but carefully cut them off so as not to disturb the root system of a healthy plant.
After 5 leaves appear on the plants, the pumpkin can be moved to open ground. At the time of transplantation, ash (150 grams), sawdust (100 grams) and superphosphate (50 grams) are poured into each hole.
The distance between plantings should be about one meter, since pumpkin reacts negatively to crowded spaces. Immediately after transplanting, the pumpkin bushes should be watered with any stimulant. This will help the plant take root more easily.
When planting pumpkin seeds by direct sowing in open ground, at first, the seedlings need shelter. To do this, you can cover it with film or build a greenhouse.
Seeds germinate at temperatures above +15 degrees, but the ideal temperature for growth is considered to be +19...+25 degrees, then the first shoots appear after 7 days.
How to care for Hokkaido pumpkin
After planting, the plant requires a simple operation. This is required in order to collect the maximum, tasty harvest. Maintenance includes watering, loosening, removing weeds and fertilizing.
After five leaves appear on the bushes, they are formed. To do this, the stem is pinched. This is done so that the pumpkin produces side shoots. They produce more fruits, that is, this is done to increase productivity.
Hokkaido, although a drought-resistant variety, nevertheless watering . The plant must be watered with warm water once a week. At the same time, water consumption per square meter is about 30 liters of water. During the flowering phase, the pumpkin needs more moisture, that is, it is recommended to water it more often;
After each watering, it is recommended to loosen and weed the soil; this is very beneficial for the plant;
fed several times . Both mineral and organic fertilizers, in dry and liquid states, are ideal for this. It is best to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers.
Nitrogen fertilizers are applied at the time of planting; they activate plant growth. Phosphorus fertilizers are used at the moment of formation of ovaries. Potassium fertilizers are applied during the active flowering phase of the pumpkin.
If you are using liquid fertilizer, be careful not to apply it to the foliage or stems.
be collected immediately as they ripen - we do not recommend over-exposure. The entire harvest must be harvested before the onset of autumn frosts. Carefully cut the pumpkin, leaving the length of the stalk about 9 cm.
to store the crop in a dark room at an air temperature of +5 to +16 degrees. It is very important that the fruits do not touch each other. Variety Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 can be stored for no more than 6 months. Then the taste and quality characteristics are lost.
Hokkaido as part of main courses
The simplest and most famous recipe in this category is milk porridge with pumpkin. To prepare it, the Hokkaido pulp is cut into cubes or grated on a coarse grater, then mixed with cereal (rice, millet, oatmeal, corn or semolina are suitable) and poured with milk. Next - everything that the cook’s imagination allows: you can, for example, add dried fruits, nuts, apples, butter. Sugar will completely replace honey, and cinnamon will add a special taste and aroma.
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Pumpkin porridge can be boiled in a regular saucepan or baked in the oven - depending on your preference. So, you can pre-bake the pumpkin, pour boiling water over the cereal and leave for 10 minutes to swell. Then place the pumpkin and cereal in layers in a baking dish, pour milk over everything - it should cover the top layer by a couple of centimeters. Drizzle honey or sprinkle sugar on top. Pieces of butter will not be superfluous - it will give the porridge a special taste and aroma. Now you can cover the pan with foil and put it in the oven. In about an hour, a delicious and nutritious dish for breakfast or dinner that both adults and children will enjoy will be ready.
Vegetarians will love pilaf with pumpkin, apple and quince. For pasta lovers - spaghetti with ham, pumpkin and cream sauce, generously sprinkled with cheese and herbs. Meat or vegetable manti and cutlets, to which Hokkaido pulp is added, will definitely satisfy the taste of any gourmet.
Diseases and pests, how to deal with them
Pumpkin variety Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1 is quite resistant to most common diseases inherent in other “pumpkin” crops. Bushes can become infected with fungal diseases or be affected by aphids if plants are planted in the shade and in a wetland.
Therefore, when choosing a site, give preference to a sunny, well-ventilated place.
In order to reduce the risk of possible illnesses, it is necessary to follow the rules of crop rotation. Keep in mind that the worst predecessors for the site are pumpkins, cucumbers, and zucchini. Because they have the same ailments, which remain in the ground for more than one year.
The best predecessors are cabbage and legumes.
As a preventative measure, it is recommended to use special medications that are sold in stores. They should be used according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Butternut squash Pearl
Butternut pumpkins of this variety ripen in 120–130 days. The average weight of cylindrical or oval fruits formed on powerful plants reaches 3–6 kg. Pumpkins are covered with a thin orange bark, under which lies a thick, sweet, dark orange pulp containing a lot of sugar and carotene, which is beneficial for humans.
The variety shows high stable yield and good taste. Butternut squash, as in the photo, can withstand drought, but requires heat, can be used in dietary and baby food, delicious healthy juice is obtained from the fruit and low-calorie delicacies are prepared.
Hokkaido pumpkin. Reviews about the variety
Olesya Bogomolova, 34 years old, Moscow
I don’t grow pumpkins myself, but friends often bring the harvest of the “Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1” variety for storage and as a gift. I really like the way it looks, I make soups from it, bake it - and I do it all with the peel. The only thing is that they don’t last very long—maximum until the new year—so you have to freeze them. But in principle, the vegetable is tasty - and its taste characteristics are radically different from other pumpkins.
Irina Vorontsova, 37 years old, Boguchar
I really like how the plantings with the “Ishiki Kuri Hokkaido F1” pumpkin look, I look at these wonderful beds and rejoice. I don’t take any special care, the only thing I do is water it every weekend and loosen it. But I really like to eat pumpkin – one fruit is just enough to cook something. By the way, I cook it without peeling it, but my husband eats it completely raw. I like to stuff it, especially when the fruits are small - it looks very beautiful on the table.
Children's delicacy pumpkin
Hybrid mid-season variety. Well suited for batch cooking. You can bake it in the oven or in the oven, stuffed with various fillings.
Fruit ripening 4 months after sowing the seeds. The weight of the fruits is up to 3 kilograms, but there are quite a lot of them on each vine. From each plant you will collect at least 10 kilograms. Children's delicacy pumpkin is a very beautiful bright orange color. The shape is flattened.
The pulp is thick, very juicy and sweet, light yellow in color. Suitable for cooking various jams, preserves, for any preparations, as well as for fresh consumption. Not many seeds.
At home, it is stored on the floor for 3 months, in the underground for 14 months.
Desserts from Hokkaido
A traditional dessert made from this vegetable is pumpkin baked in the oven with sugar or honey and butter. Although some people prefer to bake Hokkaido slices, first pouring them with olive oil and sprinkling with salt, pepper, and spices - the result is original and non-standard.
However, it is much better to bake unusual cookies or pie from this vegetable.
Truly healthy Hokkaido pumpkin cookies are made using this recipe. Grind 200 g of pumpkin pulp to a puree and mix with 50 g of regular oatmeal, 90 g of sugar or honey, 50 ml of vegetable oil. Add salt and a teaspoon of slaked soda to the resulting homogeneous mass, then flour - as much as it takes to obtain a plastic dough. Roll out the finished dough into a thin layer and cut out cookies from it. Bake in the oven for about half an hour.
