How to grow pumpkins at home on the balcony or windowsill

The

• he needs the necessary conditions. Pumpkin does not need a lot of light and heat. Better if the balcony faces south, southeast.

  For planting, you can use ready-made soil with an acidity not higher than 6.5 PH.You can prepare the soil yourself. Prepare:

  • 1 part sand;
  • 4 parts of peat;
  • 1 piece of land;
  • 4 pieces of humus;
  • 1 part sawdust.

  Add 3-4 tbsp to the bucket of the soil mixture.wood ash and mix everything thoroughly.

  Pumpkin on the balcony

  Planting seeds in a pot

  How to prepare seeds for planting?

  1. Soak in warm water for 3 hours.
  2. Pour with 30% saline solution, discard the surfaced seeds.
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  3. Place the remaining seeds on wet sawdust, cloth or gauze.
  4. Perform tempering by placing them in a cool place for 4 hours.

  Prepared pumpkin seeds are sown in the middle of May.2-3 seeds sunk into the hole to a depth of 2-3 cm, watered. The box is tightly covered with a film, which, after the appearance of sprouts, is cut, bringing the stems out. The soil warms up better, and the plant is actively growing, spreading along the film. As they grow, pumpkin whip is tied to a trellis, forming a decorative green screen.

  Pumpkin in a pot

  Growing seedlings

  2-3 weeks before planting early plants( at the end of April), prepare seedlings. It is better to use peat pots, so as not to injure the root system of the plant during transplantation. The pots are filled with a mixture of humus and turf, mixed with river sand( 1: 1: 0.5).In addition, 15 g of NPK and 30 g of lime are added to 10 kg of the mixture. Placing 2-3 seeds in the ground, they are poured over with warm water and the tray with peat container is placed on a brightly lit window-sill. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain the temperature:

  • until germination of the seedlings is 20-25 ° C during the day, 15-18 ° C at night;
  • after germination 15-20 ° C during the day, 13-15 ° C at night.

  This mode is adhered to for 7 days so that the formation of the seedlings is not strongly stretched. Then the temperature on the loggia rises again.

  When the sprout has 2-3 fully formed leaves( end of May - beginning of June), it can be planted in a container.

  Pumpkin Seedlings

  Vegetable Care

  10-15 days after planting, fertilize plants with a nutrient solution. To do this, 10 liters of water is recommended to dissolve:

  • 10 g of urea;
  • 1/4 part of the tablet of Riga microfertilizer;
  • 10 g potassium sulphate;
  • 20 g of superphosphate.

  You can use ready-made complex fertilizers, presented in specialized stores. Further feeding is carried out every 5-10 days, using 2-3 l of fertilizer per plant. In the same volume( 2-3 liters per plant) is carried out daily watering. Loosen the soil regularly.

  When the vegetative period is over, the pumpkin stems are cut, the ground is thrown away, the containers and the trellis are disinfected.

  Pollination process

  In order to receive the fruits, the owner of the green oasis must independently carry out the pollination procedure, as bees and bumblebees practically do not fly into the balcony.

  A single large, bright orange-yellow flower is evenly spaced on a pumpkin whip. Male flowers have long pedicels. The rudiments of the ovary are formed inside the female flower. Self-pollination in this culture does not occur, then you need to help the plant. A soft brush collects pollen from the stamens of a male flower and transfers it to the female pistil.

  This procedure is performed several times. Usually male colors are much larger. Excess must be removed so that the plant does not waste strength on empty flowering. Inspect flowers every day so as not to miss the moment when the male and female specimens will bloom simultaneously.

  When the ovary rapidly grows in size, it will become clear that pollination was successful. Otherwise, the ovary will turn yellow and disappear.

  Artificial pollinating an

  gourd Balcony gourd varieties

  Decorative balcony gourds come in two types:

  • with a long woven stem;
  • with a short stem;
  • bush type.

  Plants with a long stem may well form on the loggia a green wall of bright green leaves, large yellow flowers. Over time, pumpkins of various sizes, colors and shapes will appear. But this type requires a large amount of soil. Therefore, it is best to grow such pumpkins on spacious balconies.

  If the cultivation goal is to decorate the balcony, then small-fruited pumpkin varieties are best suited.
  Variety Kleine Bicolor Orange Variety Sweet Dumpling Variety Baby Boo

  Small-fruited varieties

  1. "Orange".Fruit weight 250g. Fruits are bright orange, round or slightly flattened.
  2. "Baby Boo".Spherical fruits with white skin, diameter - 10 cm.
  3. "Kleine Bicolor".The fruits are similar to a pear, the upper part of which is colored bright yellow, and the lower part has a dark green color with a light stripe. Fruit length up to 12 cm.
  4. "Sweet Dumpling".Fruit weight - 500 gr. The gaps between the light yellow segments are filled with dark green stripes with white patches.
  The fruits of almost all varieties of decorative pumpkin are not suitable for food. The exceptions are the turbid varieties, the Baby Boo variety.

  These pumpkins are edible only in the inaccessible form. Ripened, they lose their nutritional and taste value. The fruits do not become poisonous, but acquire a specific taste, the flesh becomes hard, its juiciness is lost.

  Pumpkins with a short stem( up to 1 m) and bush varieties are very compact. The stems grow upward, providing airing of the soil, which allows to avoid rotting of the fruit. They are formed and grow in the root zone, compact.

  When selecting seeds for planting container gourds, preference is given to hard-skinned varieties - they ripen faster, are stored longer and sweeter in taste.

  Pumpkin Amazon Shrub Orange Medical Grade Pumpkin Smile

  Shrub

  1. "Amazon".Early variety. From the emergence of seedlings to full maturity 80-85 days. The shape of the fruit is flat, the weight reaches 1.5 kg. Bark dark orange color. Dense, bright orange, sweet flesh.
  2. "Barn".Mid-season variety. Fruit weight 2-2.5 kg. The bark is dark green with black patches. Sweet, bright orange flesh.
  3. "Spray Orange".Early maturing variety with thin bark of orange color. The mass of the fetus reaches 4 kg. Round or cylindrical shape. The flesh is yellow.
  4. "Medical".Early variety. Fruit weight 3-4 kg, bark thin, light gray with intermittent stripes. Orange, sweet, juicy flesh.
  5. "Smile".Early variety. Fruits are round, slightly flattened, weighing up to 1-1.5 kg. The bark is orange, smooth or slightly segmented. The flesh is very sweet, has a melon flavor.
  For the cultivation of one plant you need a tub with a volume of at least 50 liters. The tank is filled 1/3 with drainage material of a large fraction( expanded clay, small pebbles, birch coal) - the stagnation of water will adversely affect the plant.

  The flowerpot, in which the balcony gourd grows, is placed on a well-lit window sill. As the vines grow, you can put the pot on the floor. The main thing - the green part of the plant and the fruit should be well lit by the sun.

  Cultivating a pumpkin on the balcony for some is an empty occupation, which entails only unjustified expenses. Others get a harvest, albeit a small one, and along with it - positive emotions, a charge of inspiration for new achievements.