Pumpkin is one of the most popular fruit crops. It contains many vitamins, minerals and other beneficial substances. The fruits are recommended to be included in the diet of children, as well as those who are losing weight and those suffering from vitamin deficiency. Pumpkin is stored for a long time and does not lose its beneficial properties throughout the winter.
When growing, novice gardeners are advised to give preference to proven varieties that are easy to care for. These include the Hundred Pound Pumpkin. It has been present in horticultural markets for decades. This representative of melon crops has gained popularity due not only to its excellent taste and ease of cultivation, but also to its impressive size.
Description of the pumpkin variety
The Stofuntovaya pumpkin variety was developed by domestic breeders. The exact name of its originator is unknown. This culture has been present in the markets for a very long time. Stofuntovaya was included in the State Register more than 50 years ago (in 1947). Recommended for cultivation in the central regions of our country.
Note! Hundred-pound pumpkin is a varietal pumpkin, so seeds from its fruits are used for planting. Planting material is collected only from pumpkins that have ripened on the bush.
Distinctive features
The main distinguishing feature of Stofuntova is the large size of the fruits. Each of them weighs at least 10 kg. There are specimens weighing up to 60 kg.
The fruits have a classic pumpkin taste. Not very sweet, tender and juicy, they are more suitable for preparing main courses than for desserts.
One of the positive properties of the Hundred Pumpkin is the large number of tasty and large seeds. They contain beneficial fatty acids and have an anthelmintic effect.
The product contains a lot of beta-carotene. Thanks to this, it has a positive effect on visual acuity, metabolism and immunity. Pumpkin helps remove harmful substances from the body and normalize liver function.
Main characteristics
The description will please both beginners and experienced gardeners. This proven variety will not let you down even in harsh weather conditions.
Characteristics of the Hundred Pumpkin:
| Options | Indicators |
| Bush type | The main stem is powerful, reaching a height of 0.7 m. Long curly vines grow from it. There are few of them, but the length of each exceeds 1 m. The side lashes are thin. The leaves are large and wide, green with lighter veins, not smooth, covered with a large number of irregularities. The peduncle is strong and medium in size. The central root goes deep underground, and a large number of small roots grow near the soil surface. |
| Fruit | Very large – in the range of 10–20 kg. Record specimens weigh 60 kg. Most pumpkins have a light orange rind color. The crust is thin but elastic. There are beige, grayish and yellow-green fruits. The shape is round or oval, slightly flattened at the base. There is ribbing over the entire area, but it is weakly expressed. The pulp is bright orange, loose and juicy. The thickness of the pulp reaches 5-6 cm. The taste has a slight sweetness. There are many seeds in the fruits. |
| Ripening time | Late ripening variety. From sowing the seeds to the ripening of the fruits, 120–140 days pass. |
| Transportability | High. The fruits are stored for more than six months. During transportation, a durable crust protects them from damage. |
| Productivity | For 1 sq. m 2-3 large fruits ripen. |
| Immunity | Pumpkin has average resistance to diseases. She is not affected by rot. |
Little Red Riding Hood
The ripe fruits of the Little Red Riding Hood pumpkin or turban pumpkin look like a mushroom with a red cap. Their weight can vary from 300 grams to 4 kg.
Among the advantages of the vegetable and what affects the favorable reasons for seed germination is the following:
- Early ripening: the vegetative period is about 100 days.
- High yield: one bush can produce 20 fruits.
- Cold resistance.
- Drought resistance.
- Immunity to powdery mildew.
But the main advantage that captivates many gardeners is the amazing taste of the bright orange pumpkin pulp: tender, crumbly, with a light melon aroma and devoid of the astringency characteristic of other large-fruited varieties. This variety is also attractive for its ability to ripen during storage, becoming sweeter and tastier by mid-winter.
Little Red Riding Hood can be grown by seeds (planting in May-June) or seedlings (planting in April-May). The vines of this plant are quite long (up to 3 meters), but if you create a support for it, the bush will grow upward and will not take up much space.
Planting pumpkins in open ground should be done by choosing a sufficiently lit area, avoiding places where pumpkins of other varieties or their “close relatives” such as cucumbers and zucchini previously grew. Neighborhood with other representatives of large-fruited pumpkins is also undesirable.
How to grow
Pumpkin is an unpretentious plant. It is grown in open ground in all regions of our country.
For cultivation, choose the most illuminated area of the garden. It is better to plant it on a hill. It is important that the chosen location does not flood during precipitation.
When choosing a location, preference is given to areas where melons, cabbage and cucumbers did not grow the year before. This plant is planted in beds after nightshade and root crops.
Pumpkin needs loose and fertile soil. To prepare the soil for planting, in the fall it is cleared of weeds and dug to the depth of a spade bayonet. To enrich the soil, rotted manure or humus is scattered over the selected area. For 1 sq. m apply 6–8 kg of fertilizer.
If the acidity of the soil is increased, add dry lime or ash. To make the soil lighter, it is mixed with sand.
Seed preparation
Pumpkin is grown by seedlings and seed methods. The seedless option is only suitable for regions with warm and long summers, since in this case the fruits ripen later.
Before sowing, the seeds are treated. This is done to accelerate germination and increase resistance to adverse environmental factors:
- For planting, use only dense, smooth seeds , without damage or dark spots.
- The seeds are heated: wrapped in several layers of gauze and placed on a radiator or in the sun. Another option is to keep it in the oven according to the following scheme: the first hour – +20 °C, the second – +30 °C, the third – +40 °C, the fourth – +50 °C, the fifth – +60 °C.
- Planting material is disinfected by soaking for half an hour in a light pink solution of potassium permanganate. Then the seeds are washed.
- Stimulate seed germination: place for 12 hours in an ash solution of 1 tbsp. water and 1 tbsp. l. ash. The temperature of the liquid should not fall below 40 °C. To do this, a container with planting material is placed on the battery.
- Hardening : soaked seeds are wrapped in cloth and placed in the refrigerator for 48 hours.
Seed method
In the southern regions, cultivation by seed is possible. It involves sowing planting material directly into the ground.
Seeds are sown when the soil warms up to 15 °C. The temperature is measured at a depth of 15 cm. In the southern regions, pumpkins are planted in early May.
In pre-prepared beds, holes are dug of different depths (6–10 cm). This will allow the seeds to grow even during return frosts. A distance of 1.4 m is maintained between the recesses. The width of the hole itself should be 20–30 cm.
Fertilizers are poured into the holes. For pumpkin, rotted manure, humus, or long-acting complex additives are used.
Two pumpkin seeds are planted in each hole at different edges of the recess. After this, the holes are covered with soil without compacting.
Advice . To protect seeds from frost, the beds with crops are sprinkled with peat or humus.
Plantings are watered with warm water. For 1 sq. m use 1-2 buckets of liquid.
The bed is covered with film. Every day it is opened slightly during the warm part of the day for several hours. In July, the greenhouse is dismantled.
Seedling method
To grow pumpkin seedlings, choose nutritious and light soil. The store sells universal soil substrates. Such compositions are also prepared independently. One option is to mix black soil, humus and sand in equal proportions.
The soil must be disinfected by watering it with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate.
Pumpkin does not like picking, so the seeds are sown immediately in individual containers. It is more convenient to use peat pots.
They begin to grow pumpkin seedlings in the second half of April. They are planted in a permanent place in the second decade of May.
Growing pumpkin seedlings:
- Drainage is poured into the bottom of the pot: broken ceramics, brick or expanded clay. Then the containers are filled with soil, which is moistened with a spray bottle.
- Sow 2 seeds in each pot, deepening them to 3 cm.
- Containers with seeds are placed in a well-lit place and covered with film. As the soil dries, moisten it.
- Pumpkin seedlings need 16 hours of daylight. The lack of natural light is compensated for by fluorescent lamps.
- When the seeds germinate and two true leaves appear on the plants, leave one pumpkin in each pot. The weaker stem is pinched.
- Water the pumpkin with warm, settled water. It is important to ensure that the liquid does not get on the above-ground part of the plant.
- During the entire growing period, seedlings are fed once - a week before planting in the ground. Chicken manure and water are diluted (1:10), complex mineral fertilizers or vermicompost are used.
- Two weeks before planting in open ground, the pumpkin begins to be hardened by taking it out into the fresh air.
When planting, the holes are placed at a distance of 1.4 m from each other. Mullein is poured into them. The plants are watered and covered with film for a week.
Basic rules of care
Growing Hundred Pound Pumpkins is not particularly difficult. This plant is easy to care for.
The beds on which the pumpkin grows are mulched - covered with humus, peat or straw.
Water the pumpkin 2-3 times a week. At least 2 liters of water are used for each plant. Use liquid only at room temperature. It is important that during flowering moisture does not fall on the above-ground part of the plant. Otherwise, the water will stick the pollen together and the flowers will not be pollinated.
After each watering, the beds are loosened and cleared of weeds.
The lashes must be pinched. Their growth is limited after the sixth leaf.
After the pumpkin reaches one month of age, it begins to be fed. Fertilizers are applied every two weeks. The following scheme is used:
- When the plant has 5 leaves, use dry nitrophoska: 10 g of product for 1 pumpkin.
- After two weeks, the plant is fed with mullein solution: 1 liter. manure is dissolved in 10 liters. water. For each root use 1 liter. mixtures.
- After another two weeks, phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied.
- When the first inflorescences appear on the pumpkins, fertilize the soil with an ash solution: 1 tbsp. spoon of ash dissolved in 1 liter. water, per plant.
- When the pumpkins ripen, mullein solution is poured under the bushes.
Features of cultivation and possible difficulties
Often in the process of growing pumpkins, gardeners face a number of difficulties. The list shows the most common:
- Yellowing of leaves. This problem occurs if the pumpkin grows in poor soil or produces too many fruits. The ground part also turns yellow if the pumpkin grows in a shaded area of the garden.
- The seeds do not germinate. This problem occurs if the soil or water used to water the crops is too cold.
- Pumpkin stems are thin and limp. The reason lies in poor soil. To correct the situation, a solution of mullein is added to the soil.
- Rotting of pumpkin roots after removing one of the plants from the hole. Pumpkin roots are damaged if the neighboring sprout is not pinched, but pulled out.
- Few ovaries. To cope with this problem, pumpkins are pollinated artificially. The male flowers are carefully cut off and placed with the stamens on the stigmas of the female flowers.
Growing tips from experienced gardeners
To get the maximum yield, experienced gardeners resort to some tricks when growing pumpkins:
- No more than three lashes are left on one plant. In one place, each is pressed to the ground to form additional roots.
- A piece of plywood is placed under pumpkins lying on the ground to protect the fruits from rotting.
- When the fruits ripen, watering is stopped. Then they will turn out sweeter.
Diseases and pests
Hundred Pound Pumpkin has average immunity to melon and melon diseases. With proper care, it does not suffer from root rot. But the risks of infection still exist:
- Bacteriosis. The leaves and fruits are covered first with dark green and then with dry brown spots. At the beginning of the development of the disease, the bushes are treated with Bordeaux mixture. Severely affected plants are pulled out and buried.
- Powdery mildew. The leaves become covered with white spots, which lead to the drying out of the above-ground part of the plant. At the first signs of disease, the pumpkin is sprayed with a solution prepared from 50 g of sodium phosphate and 10 liters of water.
- Spider mite. The plant becomes covered with cobwebs and yellow spots form on the leaves. To drive away the pest, the pumpkin is regularly sprayed with an infusion of onion peels (1 kg per 10 liters of water).
- Aphid. Insects attack the underside of leaves. This leads to curling of the greenery, shedding of ovaries and inflorescences. To cope with the pest, the bushes are sprayed with karbofos.
Zorka
It is considered the most delicious of large-fruited pumpkins, it has a record amount of sugar, and its pulp contains more carotene than carrots - for this reason, Zorka is often used in baby and medical nutrition.
The fruits of the Zorka pumpkin variety are round in shape, the skin is thin, dark green, sometimes with a gray coating, smooth, with yellow longitudinal stripes, the segmentation is weakly expressed. Zorka's weight can be 7 kg. The pulp is juicy, bright orange, dense, sweet, an ideal filling for pies and suitable for canning.
This pumpkin is a mid-early pumpkin; the period from germination to harvest is 110 days. The vegetable prefers sandy and loamy soils, loves warm, moderately moist, sunny areas. Zorka pumpkin should be sown no earlier than the end of May, when the soil warms up to 12 °C. It is also possible to grow seedlings.
After the harvest is harvested, it is necessary to ensure timely storage.
Harvesting and application
The fruits of the Hundred Pound Pumpkin turn out large and beautiful, as in the photo. They ripen at the end of August, but it is better to collect them in the second half of September. The longer the pumpkins hang on the bush, the sweeter their flesh will be.
The fruits are suitable for making pies, salads, casseroles, desserts and first courses. They make a lot of juice.
Pumpkin seeds are also edible. It is recommended to fry them before eating.
Pumpkins can be stored for more than six months. The seeds will lie in a dry place for several years.
Farmer reviews
Reviews from gardeners about the Hundred Pumpkin have been positive for several decades. This is a proven variety that is not inferior to the latest breeding achievements.
Irina, Tula: “My mother grew the hundred-pound plant. And this is not the first year I’ve been planting it. This is a truly large-fruited variety. Of course, it’s not very sweet, but it’s perfect for preparing main courses.”
Victor, Ryazan : “I have been growing Stifuntovaya for 8 years. I use this variety for preparing soups, meat dishes and cereals. For pies and desserts, I prefer sweeter varieties. The pumpkin doesn't get sick at all. I leave only two fruits on one plant. This makes them very large."
Features of care
Gymnospermous pumpkins require the same care as regular varieties:
- Watering. The culture needs regular watering. The soil must be moistened all the time. The pumpkin needs irrigation all the time while it is growing. It is recommended to irrigate pumpkin in the mornings, when there is a minimum temperature difference between the soil and water, then the roots of the plant will not be stressed.
- Loosening. The soil is regularly loosened to remove crust and improve aeration. Thanks to loosening, the roots are provided with oxygen.
- Mulching. To keep the soil loose and not dry out, as well as to prevent the growth of weeds, mulching is used. The soil is mulched with hay, sawdust, straw, and peat.
- Feeding. As soon as the seedlings take root in the beds, fertilizing begins. Fertilizers are applied for the first time 7-10 days after planting. Bird droppings, mullein, herbal infusions, ash, as well as mineral complex fertilizers are used for fertilizing. During the growing season, the pumpkin is fed 3-4 times. Fertilizing is combined with watering - water promotes the absorption of nutrients and prevents root burns.
