How easy it is to grow and care for a pumpkin on your balcony at home
Growing vegetables at home is a challenge for creative gardeners. They do not have a plot of land, but they want to grow and receive fresh herbs, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins and even watermelons for their table.
Enthusiasm for urban summer residents is not lacking. They study special literature, select planting material, study the properties of planting soils, get acquainted with organic fertilizers and mineral complexes. People are ready to give the lightest window sill and favorite balcony to the plants.
Producers strive to meet the needs of gardeners. The companies produce series of seeds of the "balcony miracle" category. Varieties and hybrids are selected taking into account growth in specific conditions: insufficient light, high air dryness, limited nutrition.
The results of joint activities are impressive. Gardeners are proud of zucchini, eggplant, pumpkins. Self-grown products please with ecological cleanliness and taste. The experience is passed on to friends and acquaintances.
What does a pumpkin like?
Before planting pumpkins on the balcony, it is recommended to study the preferences of the melon culture. The plant requires:
- Large pot (45 liters or more will do). It is recommended to check for holes for water drainage during watering and place a pallet under the container.
- Nutrient soil (pH about 6.0). Soil mixture for pumpkin seedlings should be enriched with mature compost (2 parts) and sand (1 part). You can compose the earth yourself (garden soil: humus: peat: sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1).
- Supports. Pumpkins grow quickly. The green mass requires uniform illumination. Culture should be provided with the ability to braid pre-prepared structures.
- Illumination. It is required to put a pot of pumpkin on the southeast, southwest, east or west side of the apartment. On the northern balcony, the plant sets fruit reluctantly.
It is necessary to provide for the possibility of regular humidification of the air: it is necessary for a pumpkin on a glazed balcony.
The choice of planting material
The gardener decided on the choice of location, purchased planting containers, and made up the soil. It's time to go to the store for pumpkin seeds. You should be careful: the harvest depends on a successful choice.
Some urban summer residents do it simply: they use seeds from pumpkin purchased at the market. I liked the taste, why be wise? But the mother plant has matured on a melon in the open field. Climatic conditions made it possible to withstand a long vegetation period. It is unlikely that you will be able to repeat the same on the loggia.
Pay attention to whether the variety or hybrid was purchased. In the latter case, the pumpkin seeds will not transfer the properties of the parents.The gardener will spend a lot of energy, and at the exit he will receive something unintelligible.
It makes more sense to go to the store. Sellers arrange a special shelf with seeds for urban summer residents. It is there that you should look for the necessary planting material.
If it is not possible to buy seeds of the "balcony miracle" series, it is recommended to stop at early ripening varieties or hybrids of bush pumpkins. They do not require formation and normalization and take up less space.
How to plant correctly?
Home-grown pumpkin has benefits. A glazed balcony or loggia shifts the planting dates: there is no need to wait for the establishment of stable warm weather.
Forcing the seedlings will further shorten the time to fruit. It is recommended to sow the seeds of the plant 2-3 weeks before the intended planting in a large planter. When placed in a permanent location, the pumpkin should have 1–2 true leaves.
The pumpkin seed should be deepened by 1.5–2 cm. Placed horizontally (preferably flat). It is recommended to cover the container with a foil with holes and place it in a warm place. After the appearance of the cotyledon leaves, remove the film.
Pumpkins don't like transplants. Seedlings should be handled. When using peat pots, the plants are not injured. Before transplanting, it is recommended to put the pot in a container with water until it is completely wet.
How to care?
Growing pumpkin seeds indoors requires compliance with certain rules. To get a good harvest, it is recommended:
- Water containers with plants regularly. The ground must be moist.
- Monitor the humidity of the air. In the early morning or evening (after sunset), spray the plant with warm water.
- Nice to combine spraying pumpkin with foliar feeding. Before fruit setting, the use of a urea solution is effective.
- The pumpkin should be fed every 10 days. It is recommended to use organic fertilizers before flowering. A solution of poultry or cow manure is suitable. Then the mineral complex should be added (according to the manufacturer's instructions). Stop feeding two weeks before harvest.
- Artificial pollination may be needed. It is produced in the morning until 11:00. Use a soft brush or cotton swab. Pollen is collected from the male flower and carefully applied to the female pistil.
- Time-consuming manual pollination can be avoided by planting nearby-spicy aromatic plants (basil, hyssop, mint). They will attract bees and bumblebees.
- It is not recommended to allow the temperature to rise above 30 degrees Celsius. The pollen of the plant is sterilized: it will not be possible to pollinate the female flowers.
- The pumpkin should be regularly ventilated. This measure will help reduce temperatures and provide access for pollinating insects.
- When placing a container with a pumpkin on the northeast or northwest windowsill, you will need lighting. It is better to use an agrolamp.
Normalization should not be neglected. Sometimes an exhausted plant will drop green pumpkins. Removing excess fruit makes it possible to preserve the main crop.
It is necessary to grow pumpkins at home with insufficient lighting and limited nutrition. To obtain marketable fruits, it is recommended to remove excess lateral lashes from the plant.
Reviews
After the gardeners have planted a pumpkin at home and grown it, it's time to share their impressions. Summer residents note the direct dependence of the quality of the resulting crop on the selected material. Some of them managed to collect fruits of late varieties: glazing creates the effect of a greenhouse. I like the taste and marketability of the products. But the price of soil, planting tanks and fertilizers is disappointing.
Failures were only among those who were irresponsible in the preparatory work (selection of seeds, preparation of seedlings) and did not follow the rules for caring for the plant.
