Pumpkin Baby – is it worth buying? Description, characteristics, variety yield, photos and reviews

When growing pumpkin in summer cottages, they usually give preference to varieties and hybrids with portion-sized fruits: a small pumpkin can be eaten or processed at one time, but large specimens have to be cut, after which they are poorly stored and do not last long. One of these pumpkins with medium-sized and very sweet fruits is the famous variety Kroshka.

The Kroshka pumpkin was bred in the early 2000s at the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable and Melon Growing, which is located in Astrakhan. Despite the fact that the variety is recommended for cultivation in the Lower Volga region, it can bear fruit well in the Siberian garden.

Features of the variety

Pumpkin Kroshka (a description of the variety and photos of rather large fruits are given later in the article) is a relatively compact climbing bush plant that does not require much space for growing, so it is suitable for a small garden plot.

The variety was obtained by Astrakhan breeders and entered into the State Register of Agricultural Crops at the end of the last century with recommendations for cultivation in the Lower Volga regions, but became more widespread geographically. The crop belongs to the category of mid-season pumpkins; for the fruits to fully ripen, a period of 100 to 130 days is required from the moment of planting.

Pumpkin Baby

When growing pumpkin in summer cottages, they usually give preference to varieties and hybrids with portion-sized fruits: a small pumpkin can be eaten or processed at one time, but large specimens have to be cut, after which they are poorly stored and do not last long. One of these pumpkins with medium-sized and very sweet fruits is the famous variety Kroshka.

The Kroshka pumpkin was bred in the early 2000s at the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable and Melon Growing, which is located in Astrakhan. Despite the fact that the variety is recommended for cultivation in the Lower Volga region, it can bear fruit well in the Siberian garden.

Advantages and disadvantages

Pumpkin Kroshka (the description of the variety and photographs illustrate the ease of cultivation, which makes this unpretentious vegetable especially attractive for beginning gardeners) has good immunity and high resistance to fungal and viral diseases, and pest attacks. The variety is cold-resistant and resistant to changes in weather conditions in the middle zone and even in some regions of Siberia.

Also, the advantages of this vegetable include:

• stable yield;
• uniform timing of fruit ripening;
• good ease and shelf life of fruits;
• excellent taste;
• high nutritional value;
• versatility of application.

Among the disadvantages, pumpkin lovers note the lack of a taste and characteristic smell specific to this culture, but this same property can serve as an advantage of the variety for those who do not really like this vegetable. Some gardeners also include the small size of pumpkin fruits as a disadvantage of the variety. It can also be noted that early harvesting of unripe fruits negatively affects the taste of the pulp, which does not ripen during storage and remains empty in taste.

The inconspicuous gray color of the peel makes this pumpkin variety not so beautiful, which does not allow it to be used for decoration and decorative compositions. During prolonged, lingering rains, pumpkin leaves and shoots can become infected with powdery mildew spores, which will inhibit plant growth and can also expose other neighboring plantings to the disease.

Characteristics of culture

Pumpkin Kroshka (a description of the variety and photographs of the fruit are given later in the article) is a versatile vegetable that is equally suitable for making soups and pies, side dishes and stews, as an additive to porridge or creating healthy desserts and confectionery. You can squeeze healthy juice from the tender, aromatic pulp, prepare fresh salads, boil, stew or bake.

Ripening period

Until the Kroshka pumpkin is fully ripened, it takes from 100 to 130 days from the moment the seeds are planted, depending on the size of the fruit. You can determine the complete ripeness of the fruit by its drying tail. When you tap on the hard, dense wall of the pumpkin, a characteristic ringing sound is heard.

You should also immediately remove the fruits when the leaves completely dry out or turn yellow, since the pumpkin no longer receives nutrients from the mother plant.

Drought resistance, frost resistance

The plant easily tolerates slight short-term drought, preferring to grow in a sunny place that is well-lit for a long time, without reacting to nighttime drops in temperature, and exhibits good resistance to changes in weather conditions. With severe, even short-term frosts, the vegetative part of the bush quickly dies, but the flesh of the fruit, protected by a dense peel, does not lose its taste.

Appearance of plant and fruit

The powerful main vine can reach a length of more than 3 m, and also produce additional shorter side shoots, abundantly covered with large, not dissected, lobed leaves, elongated in a rich green uniform color. Round in shape, slightly flattened in height with a thin peel of a gray-greenish tint, portioned fruits weigh from 2.5 to 3.5 and even 4 kg, reaching a diameter of about 40 cm.

Pumpkin Crumb round in shape, slightly flattened in height.

They are great for quick processing, since the pulp of a whole fruit is just enough for one good dish for a not very large family. The juicy, dense orange or rich yellow pulp has a pleasant sweetish taste with a rich fruity-honey aroma.

The large, thick, light beige seeds with a hard, glossy skin have a smooth surface, are suitable for consumption as an additional source of zinc and magnesium, and can also be dried and stored for later use for planting.

Productivity

From 1 sq. m. you can get from 3 to 4 kg of healthy sweetish pulp, which has a delicate, unobtrusive taste and melon-honey aroma.

On one properly formed bush, with sufficient nutrition and fertilizing, up to 3-4 fruits can ripen simultaneously.

Varieties

Note! Varieties of honey pumpkin are united only by an identical taste, and the fruits have different characteristics.

Openwork

The Azhur variety is drought-resistant and can be stored for a long time; it can be enjoyed throughout the year.

The fruits are gray, up to 9 kg. The sweet pulp is used in a wide variety of dishes:

• porridge,
• frying;
• baking, etc.

August

High-yielding variety. Cylindrical shape, green color. The center is crispy, flavorful, and full of carotenes and fiber. Pumpkin is very tasty both raw and in the form of porridges, as well as filling for pies.

Tokyo

The sweet variety of Tokyo F1 honey pumpkin is famous for its high percentage of carotene and stunning aroma. This species has two more varieties.

• Sugar is whitish in color with a light center.
• Honey green in color with an orange center, weighs about 4 kg.

The fruits are pureed and baked. The harvest is harvested after 4 months. The plants are climbing, the average yield is about 20 kg. The taste is amazing, spicy-sweet. Recommended for nutrition during diets.

Honey beauty

The harvest is obtained after 3 months. Weight approximately 5 kg. The characteristic is positive - sweetness and resistance to diseases make the variety tempting for many lovers of melons.

Chit

Pumpkin Honey Crumb is the only bush variety among similar varieties. It is round in shape, weighs 3 kg, and is ashy in color. The harvest has a long shelf life. Ripens in 4 months.

A disadvantage that is worth knowing about when cultivating is that the vegetable does not tolerate transplantation well.

Honey Princess

The beautifully named Honey Princess pumpkin is pale orange on the outside but very bright on the inside. The fruit is externally ribbed, while all the “folds” are the same size, even and neat. This makes the pumpkin very attractive.

Large-fruited variety. Weight up to 10 kg. The harvest ripens in 4 months. The culture is resistant to diseases.

Orange honey

The ripening of honey orange pumpkin lasts for 4 months. The weight of the melon crop is only about 2 kg. The plant grows, and the fruit has a unique sugary taste.

The downside of this variety is that it has a negative attitude towards changing the growing area.

Description of other types

• Fairy tale. Weight about 5 kg. Characteristic tart-sweet taste.
• Honey dessert. The bush is climbing and takes 3 months to mature. The fruits are huge, slightly flattened, and can reach 10 kg. Shelf life – 3 months.
• Guitar. Weight about 4 kg, elongated shape, size 70 cm. The middle is orange, juicy. It lasts for a long time without losing its taste.

Pumpkin shape may vary

Features of planting and growing

The description of the unpretentious variety Kroshka and photographs of the original appetizing fruits make the pumpkin very attractive among gardeners who, without much effort and expense, following the recommendations of this section, will be able to get a good harvest of a healthy vegetable on their plot.

The soil

To grow powerful greenery and set fruit, the plant requires a loose, fertile, light loamy or sandy loam form with a large amount of humic substances. It is advisable to dig up the ground under the planting site in advance, add a sufficient amount of organic fertilizers or humus and leaf litter, at the rate of at least 5-7 kg of fertile mixture per 1 square meter. m.

It is better to maintain the neutral acidity of the soil at a level of 6 to 7 pH, therefore, if the acidity is high, dolomite flour, crushed chalk or lime should be added to the pre-dug soil in the fall. When planting, you can add wood ash to each hole.

Poor soil will require additional mineral fertilizers for digging in the fall. Granulated superphosphate powder is suitable, which must be added in an amount of 20-25 g per 1 square meter. m.

It will not be possible to grow a healthy, strong pumpkin on swampy, poorly drying soil, so it is necessary to make a high bed under the plant or create an earthen mound at least 20-30 cm high to prevent flooding and stagnation of moisture at the roots. You can additionally make a peat-sand cushion, which will serve as a kind of drainage to remove excess liquid.

You can plant pumpkin on a compost heap, as well as on beds with fertile soil, after the following predecessor crops:

• cabbage;
• carrot;
• beet;
• peas;
• beans;
• all types of beans;
• onion.

Bad precursors for a healthy plant will be:

• all types of nightshades;
• melons;
• sunflower.

It is recommended to plant a pumpkin again in the same place no earlier than after 3 or 4 years. Since Kroshka is a cross-pollinated plant, it is not advisable to plant bushes next to related crops: zucchini or pumpkins of other varieties, otherwise you can get fruits with unpredictable taste.

Landing algorithm

To independently grow the Kroshka variety, you must carry out the following steps:

1. Seeds selected for planting or purchased from a trusted location must first be soaked in slightly heated water or a pink disinfectant solution of manganese, and any floating empty and damaged specimens must be removed as unsuitable for germination.

2. Drowned dense whole seeds should be transferred to a warm place, wrapped in a clean damp cloth for 1-2 days, for better awakening.
3. Then it is recommended to place the seeds in the refrigerator for the hardening procedure at a temperature of +4 degrees.
4. Hatched prepared seeds can be planted directly into the ground or placed in seedling peat cups with a volume of about 500 ml, filled with light, fertile, moist soil. It is necessary to bury the seeds 3-4 cm from the soil surface.
5. It is advisable to cover the plantings with transparent plastic film or a glass jar to create a wig effect.
6. After the green shoots appear, you should immediately remove the shelter, accustoming the young seedlings to natural temperature conditions. It is advisable to periodically take the seedlings out into the open air, gradually increasing the time spent in direct sunlight, so that the leaf plate does not burn during transplantation.
7. Seedlings with 3 true leaves should be planted in a permanent place depending on the climatic characteristics of the region, when the threat of return frosts has passed and the soil has warmed up to at least +12 degrees. It is advisable to choose a warm, cloudy day or carry out the procedure in the evening after sunset, shading the seedlings during the first 2-3 days for better adaptation.
8. The plant tolerates transplanting seedlings in peat cups, subject to all the above-described preliminary procedures, least painlessly; it is important to ensure timely watering, loosening and removal of weeds.

9. It is necessary to ensure sufficient distance between holes from 80 to 100 cm and about 2 m between rows of bushes, otherwise the adult plant will not have enough light and nutrition to grow fruit.
10. It is recommended to water the plantings abundantly and mulch the tree trunks with sawdust, perlite, straw or chopped grass.
11. You can additionally create an earthen border around the circumference of the plantings to retain moisture.

Trimming

The formation of a productive adult bush depends on the region where the pumpkin is grown:

The fewer ovaries left on the bush, the larger the pumpkin fruits grow. If you do not remove excess ovaries and lashes in time, the size of the fruit will be significantly smaller than possible. It is recommended to remove the top of the main stem with several leaves when it reaches a length of 150-180 cm, while simultaneously removing all the side branches.

In the future, you can form a bush based on the recommendations for the growing region, but taking into account that each ovary of a side shoot should have at least 4-6 leaves. To provide additional nutrition, you can sprinkle the side shoots with earth, which will stimulate the formation of the root system on the shoots, and in the future will provide larger fruits of the plant.

Care

During the growing season and active growth of green mass, the bushes are watered 1-2 times a week. For each plant you need to add about 5-6 liters of warm water. You cannot water with cold water from a well or well, as this can lead to the death of the root system. The liquid is applied directly under the roots of the plants, trying not to get the leaves and stems of the bush wet.

In rainy weather, moisture should be applied with caution, checking the soil at a depth of about 3-4 cm at the roots under the leaf mass. You can periodically water the bushes with an infusion of onion peels, which serves as additional nutrition and prevention against various pests in the soil.

Every 2-3 weeks it is recommended to additionally fertilize the plants, for which any complex mineral or organic fertilizer is suitable, but the nutrient solution must be applied at the root only in moist soil.

It is also necessary to periodically add an organic solution of a 10-day mullein infusion, taken at the rate of 1 liter per bucket of water. You can also use bird droppings. After watering, after 5 days, you can add sifted wood ash to the soil under the root of the plant. During the period of fruit ripening, watering is reduced to once every 14 days, and completely stopped before harvesting.

Diseases and pests

This unpretentious variety has good strong immunity and good resistance to many diseases, but you should carefully monitor the manifestations of the following unfavorable symptoms:

• The appearance of small insects, spider mites, can affect both leaves and young shoots, as well as the fruits of the plant. If detected, you must immediately spray the bush with a solution of wood ash with the addition of natural laundry or green soap. If this procedure does not help, the plant should be treated with Bordeaux mixture.
• In very warm, humid weather, you can observe the attack of slugs on pumpkin bushes, which feed on the sap of the plant, leading to drying out or wilting of the plant shoots. A small number of parasites can be collected by hand and destroyed. In case of massive damage, you will have to treat with a solution of copper sulfate or spray with a strong soap solution, and then powder with tobacco dust, mustard powder or ground red hot pepper.
• The appearance of small whitefly moths, the larvae of which can be found on the underside of the leaf blade, can lead to curling of the leaves and yellowing of the shoots. In the fight against this scourge, ordinary whey has proven itself well, which should be used to treat all leaves and stems, and you can also water the roots of the plant in a diluted form. You can also spray the bush with a solution of aloe juice, which not only serves as an effective prevention against various pests, but is also a natural growth stimulator.
• Late blight disease manifests itself in the form of brown, loose spots on leaf blades and young pumpkin fruits. When the first signs are detected, it is necessary to immediately remove the affected parts of the plant, and then carry out preventive treatment of all neighboring bushes with a solution of Bordeaux mixture or oxychome.

• Tobacco mosaic appears on the leaves in the form of large yellow spots, gradually merging and affecting the entire plant. For effective control, it is necessary to promptly spray the bushes with a pink raster of potassium manganese or treat them with the drug Maxim, according to the instructions on the package.
• When a white coating of powdery mildew appears on the leaves, the soil and neighboring plants should be treated with a solution of manganese or preparations such as: Topaz, Bayleton. The affected parts should be removed and burned, and the diseased bush should be watered with a solution of topsin, colloidal sulfur or sodium phosphate.

Harvesting

It is advisable to harvest the crop at the end of August or at the beginning of September, before the threat of frost occurs. It is necessary to carefully remove the fruit along with part of the dried stalk in order to increase the storage time of the vegetable.

Without a tail, a pumpkin can quickly begin to deteriorate, as infection and various pathogenic microbes get into the open wound on the peel. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to treat traces of mechanical damage with an alcohol solution of brilliant green or iodine, but you still should not expose the fruits to long-term storage, but try to quickly consume or process the pumpkins first.

Storage

Healthy fruits that are ripe and collected in time are perfectly stored for a long time even at room temperature, and can easily remain until April without losing their high taste properties and vitamin and mineral composition. It is important to ensure free circulation of fresh air around each fruit, spreading them loosely so that their sides do not touch. It is also advisable to place pumpkins in a dark place under the bed or in a closet.

This variety tolerates transportation well over long distances without creating special conditions due to its dense, strong peel.

Rules of care

The pumpkin is unpretentious and does not take up much space. However, it is worth creating supports for its weaving.

Watering

The plant loves water. She has strong roots and drinks a lot. Keep the soil moderately moist until flowering. Give her water often during her initial growth. When flowers appear, water as the soil dries.

Before watering, you need to remove weeds and loosen the soil.

Top dressing

Prepare mullein diluted with water and feed the crop:

• to the first leaves;
• when flowering;
• a couple more times.

Fertilizer made from ash is excellent (a glass per melon plant).

Weeding and loosening the soil

This procedure is carried out while simultaneously getting rid of weeds and thinning out seedlings.

The soil should always be kept loose and weed-free. Immediately after sowing, in order to avoid the appearance of an earthen crust, harrowing is done, often using a rake.

Bush formation

Leave 3 fruits on the shoot so that they grow larger.

An important detail is the powdering of the lashes. If they are over a meter long, they are covered with earth. The roots that feed the culture develop there.

No need to leave a lot of fruit

Growing regions

Pumpkin Kroshka, the description of the variety and photographs of which clearly illustrate the main features of planting and the secrets of care, is well suited for cultivation in various regions, subject to the following agricultural technology conditions.

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• In the southern regions, you can plant seeds directly in open ground at the beginning of May or at the end of April, when the soil has warmed up sufficiently. During the long period of growing season and fruiting, the plant needs additional regular feeding in order to grow all the fruits set.
• In the middle zone, you can plant seeds in the open ground of a warm bed at the end of May or beginning of June, providing the plant with additional shelter until the threat of return frosts passes. During the growth process, it is necessary to pinch the lashes correctly, leaving the specified number of ovaries.
• In Siberia and the northern regions, it is preferable to grow this variety of pumpkin in seedlings or in a greenhouse, forming lashes and removing excess ovaries so that the fruit has time to ripen.

Where to buy, how much it costs

When purchasing pumpkin seeds in a specialized store, it is advisable to give preference to branded packaging with a photograph of the fruit. The cost of high-quality seed material of this variety can range from 9 to 15 rubles. per package of 2 g. You can also purchase ready-made seedlings immediately before planting in the ground, but preference should be given to proven garden nurseries.

When receiving ripened fruits, you can harvest the seeds yourself by selecting the largest full seeds from the pulp, which must be washed and dried, and then placed in a paper bag and put in a cool place.

Colorful photographs of compact, beautiful bushes and fruits of the Kroshka pumpkin, as well as a detailed description of the features of growing this unpretentious variety, will allow even novice gardeners to achieve high yields of a sweet and healthy vegetable in a small garden plot.

Farmer reviews

To finally understand what the Kroshka variety is, or as gardeners call it, Krokha, let’s study several reviews about it.

Nikita, Orel: “Kroshka’s sweet pumpkins are my favorite. They grow small and even. The unusual color of the vegetable attracts attention, and the bright yellow flesh is always pleasing to the eye. I prepare marinated and fermented dishes from pumpkin.”

Maria, Sochi: “The Kroshka pumpkin was recommended to me by my neighbors in the garden. At first I didn't like the pale gray color of the fruit, but when I cut into one pumpkin, I was surprised. Sweet, juicy, soft flesh similar to melon, very tasty. I will grow more."

Irina, Volgograd: “I’ve heard a lot of praise about the Kroshka pumpkin. She hoped to grow a rich harvest and planned to make winter preparations. However, a month after planting, I noticed slugs on the bushes. I followed all the rules of agricultural technology, so I can’t understand the reason for their appearance. We managed to get rid of the pests, but the opinion of the variety has deteriorated.”