Pumpkin Muscat pearl: the secrets of planting and care. Description of the fragrant nutmeg gourd of the pearl variety

Pumpkin is useful and beautiful garden culture. Fruits contain many useful substances, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fiber. There are several varieties of vegetables grown on garden beds. Today we will talk about the description butternut squash, the sweetest and most delicious. Let's compare its two varieties: Vitamin and Pearl.

Plants form lashes of considerable length - up to 6 meters, on which fruits are tied, usually 2-3. Planted with seeds of 2-3 pieces per hole, planting to a depth of 10 centimeters, or seedlings. In the middle lane, it is guaranteed to ripen if it is grown in seedlings. This culture loves the sun and heat. It is recommended to plant in rows.

The best soil for this pumpkin is light loamy and sandy loam.

Care includes pinching off side branches and the main stem. It also requires a full range of agrotechnical measures, consisting of watering, loosening, weeding, regular fertilizing with mineral fertilizer. Harvested in September-October. The crop must be harvested before the first frost.

Pumpkin vitamin close-up

Pumpkin Vitamin - late-ripening grade. Large, slightly ribbed, slightly elongated fruits ripen approximately 130 days after planting. The size of the fruit reaches a weight of 7 kilograms, and 5-kilogram specimens are common. Fruits are characterized by satisfactory keeping quality and transportability.

Light orange or yellowish thin bark hides crispy flesh of a dense, but delicate texture of rich orange color. The layer of fibrous pulp under the crust reaches 10 centimeters. Ripe fruits in large quantities contain carotene and sugar, and therefore they are used in baby food and therapeutic diets. Juice, mashed potatoes, pastries, and other vitamin dishes are prepared from the pulp. High palatability allows you to use the pulp in its raw form.

Description and characteristics of the variety Pearl

Plants are distinguished by powerful growth, each gives up to 6 shoots, on each of which a fruit is formed. Fruit weight oval cylindrical shape can reach 6, sometimes 8 kilograms, but not less than 3 kilograms.

The bark is smooth, thin, orange in color. Under it is a thick layer of dark orange pulp. A small seed nest is formed in the upper third of the fruit, the rest is occupied by the pulp.

The dense fibrous pulp contains a lot of sugars and carotene, useful for growth and vision.

Pumpkin pearl in a cut close-up

Agrotechnics of cultivation is the same as for other nutmeg pumpkins. The only remark, the name means the formation of a powerful bush, it is recommended to leave a space between plants of at least 60 cm. It tolerates temperature drops well. The crop ripens in 100-120 days - this is a mid-season variety.

Pumpkin is well stored and even improves taste during ripening, however, after six months of storage, the quality of the fruit begins to deteriorate. From the pulp, rich in carbohydrates, carotene, vitamins and useful micro and macro elements, dishes are prepared for baby food, delicious low calorie diet meals and drinks.

Comparison of two varieties of butternut squash

To compare two varieties - Vitamin and Pearl - we will compile a visual table

Comparison of nutmeg pumpkin Vitamin and Pearl did not reveal a striking advantage of one species over the other. If the Pearl and ripens a little earlier, then the Vitamin wins somewhat in taste. The pearl keeps better and longer.

As for productivity and transportability, these indicators are almost the same for both varieties. Plants of both varieties require the same growing and care conditions, they are thermophilic. Only the shape of the fruit and their size differ.

Butternut squash is distinguished by juicy fibrous orange flesh with a characteristic pleasant flavor accent. Among cucurbits, musky varieties are especially distinguished high level sugar content. Thanks to these undeniable merits nutmeg pumpkin has gained popularity among gardeners.

The shape of the fruit can be very different, reaching large sizes, but the taste of the fruit invariably remains on top. Both the Vitamin Musk Gourd and the Pearl can be successfully grown, both for personal consumption and for sale.

A wide variety of musk varieties makes it difficult to choose, and therefore the analysis of features and advantages carried out in this article, comparing them with each other, will allow you to decide for the new season.

A variety of pumpkin, which is least likely to be found in gardens middle lane and in Siberia - nutmeg gourd. The reason is simple - nutmeg varieties are all late-ripening and love heat very much.

Most gardeners are afraid that Muscat pumpkins will not ripen in a short summer. Fears are justified, but it can be grown in seedlings. The result will please, because nutmeg pumpkin is the queen of taste and a storehouse of useful substances.

Butternut squash - annual cultivated plant from South America. The beginning of flowering is June. Large flowers are arranged singly or in bunches.

The fruits are large. The shape depends on the variety. An elongated, oval shape is common, spherical varieties are found. A lot of seeds are formed, they make up 10% of the total mass of the fetus. Outside, the seeds are yellow- white color, gray-green inside. The seeds are oily and sweet in taste.

The pulp is fragrant, juicy, tasty and very useful. It contains many useful substances for the human body, such as:

1. Sugar.
2. Carotene.
3. Vitamin C.
4. A nicotinic acid.
5. Vitamins B1, B2.

You need to know the features of nutmeg pumpkins. This is a late fruit ripening period. Commodity ripeness comes in four months from emergence of shoots. TO characteristic feature can also be attributed to the absence bush varieties. All varieties are climbing.

The benefits of growing butternut squash are tangible. The fruits are very long-lived, they can be stored without spoiling for a whole year. For a whole year you can eat dietary pulp, if you are not too lazy and plant a nutmeg pumpkin in your garden. It is especially useful to use pumpkins of this type for people with eye and stomach problems. Pumpkin seeds are a proven remedy for worms.

Common varieties

Lots of output interesting varieties. A brief acquaintance with the most popular varieties will help you make the right choice.

Consider only proven varieties:

1. Muscat.
2. Vitamin.
3. Marble.
4. Candied.
5. Pearl.
6. Prikubanskaya.
7. Palav Kadu.
8. Muscat de Provence.
9. Arabatskaya.

Muscat

The variety is late-ripening, long-branched. Fruits in a state of technical ripeness are covered with an orange peel, weighing almost 7 kg. The fruits have an elongated shape, expanding towards the end.

Orange pulp has a dense structure, juicy. Not many seeds are produced. It is better to grow this variety in seedlings.

Vitamin

The fruits are ribbed at the stalk, elongated (short-oval, short-cylindrical), with a dark green skin covered with orange spots over the entire area of ​​the fruit. The average fruit weight is 7 kg.

The pulp is very thick (10 cm), bright orange, juicy. The main purpose is the production of juices and purees from the pulp. For baby food, this is an ideal vegetable. The variety has an average susceptibility to anthracnose, may suffer from powdery mildew.

Marble

Marble gourd keeps well, ripens by the end of summer. The stated term before harvesting is 125 days. The fruits have round shape flattened above and below. A pronounced ribbing is visible. The peel is dark gray with a greenish tint, spotting is present.

The weight of large pumpkins can reach 10 kg, smaller ones weighing 6.7 kg are more common. Fruits are stored for a long time, keeping marketable condition. The pulp is good in freezing, it is usually used to make pumpkin puree and delicious cereals.

candied fruit

Mid-late variety, in which commercial ripeness occurs in 150 days. The color of an unripe pumpkin is green, but as it ripens, the peel changes color and, in a state of commercial ripeness, the peel of the Candied Pumpkin becomes light brown, and the flesh acquires Orange color. The fruits have the average size, round, slightly flattened shape.

Pearl

The fruits of the Pearl ripen at the end of summer. They have an oblong (cylindrical or pear-shaped) shape with a slight ribbing. The fruits are covered with a dark gray or grayish-green skin. The largest specimens weigh at least 7 kg. But usually the fruits are smaller and their weight ranges from 3 to 6 kg. The pulp has a rich orange color, bright. The taste is sweet, harmonious. The pulp is very juicy.

It is necessary to carefully collect the fruits and transport, to prevent damage to the peel. With this approach, they can be stored for a long time. Pumpkin is very demanding on heat, it tolerates drought well. Yields are consistently high. The pearl is recommended for the production of children's and diet food.

Prikubanskaya

The variety is interesting for its precocity. Use pumpkin for cooking various dishes possible in 100 days. The flesh of a beautiful orange-red color will please with its delicate taste any gourmet. The fruits are quite small, usually weighing 2 kg, less often 3 kg.

Pumpkin Prikubanskaya is convenient to use in home cooking. The thin peel, which is easy to cut, and the small size of the fruit make the Prikubanskaya pumpkin very convenient to use.

palav kadu

This variety is very popular in India. There, the fruits of Palav Kadu are used in medicinal purposes. From the aqueous extract, a medicine is prepared for patients with tuberculosis. We grow palav kadu for a variety of healthy foods and juices. Large fruits can weigh more than 10 kg. The pulp of a beautiful bright orange color contains a lot of juice. It has a good dessert taste. The fruits do not have good keeping quality. They cannot be stored for a long time. They lie no more than 4 months.

Muscat de Provence

Mid-late pumpkin Muscat de Provence ripens at 110-115 days. The fruits are not large, round, with grooves. The average weight is 3-4 kg. The pulp is orange, juicy, sweet, it contains a lot of carotene and sugars. Used in cooking. Most gardeners know this variety under a different name - "Muscat Provence".

Pumpkin tolerates transportation well. The lightness is excellent. The pumpkin owes its good taste to French breeders. Chemical composition pulp makes it a valuable food for people with stomach diseases.

Arabatskaya

This variety has interesting fruits. They have an elongated shape with a thickening at one end. The peel is a beautiful golden-orange color. The fruits ripen late.

Pumpkin Arabatskaya is one of the latest varieties in terms of harvesting and the most large-fruited - the largest fruits weigh 20 kg. Good keeping quality in fruits is present, provided that the pumpkin fruit did not receive mechanical damage during storage.

Conclusion

Butternut squash - perfect option for winter consumption. The fruits of this species do not lose their taste during storage. The pulp throughout the year retains density, juiciness, nutritional value.

For beginner gardeners, three varieties can be advised: Pearl, Prikubanskaya, Vitamin. These varieties require the least care.

What advice would you give to beginner gardeners?

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Pumpkin is one of the most healthy vegetables, which has a high content of vitamins, but the sweetest is nutmeg pumpkin. Among the many varieties, it is quite difficult to find it. What kind distinctive features she has? What sort of better fit for our conditions? Let's figure it out!

What are pumpkins?

The pumpkin fruit is a false berry and is called pumpkin, so we can say that these are the largest berries.

In nature, there are many different pumpkins. This includes and. All edible are combined into three types: hard-barked, large-fruited and nutmeg. They have various subspecies.

The most common hard-barked, which has many varieties and, it also includes zucchini and squash. It has mostly small fruits, but the maximum weight of individual specimens can reach 15 kg or more. The name of this species was given for a very dense bark, which allows you to keep the fruit for three or more months. Pumpkins have a color from pale to brown-orange with stripes.

This species has a subspecies gymnosperm, the seeds of which are edible without prior cleaning. The pulp of fruits of another subspecies heat treatment break down into fibers that look like boiled long pasta. They called it spaghetti squash.

large-fruited differs in the record size of fruits ( up to 500 kg!), but the taste of its pulp leaves much to be desired. It also has a thick, and sometimes very thick bark, and is stored almost until the next harvest. Due to its strong properties, it is used to obtain figures that are used on Halloween.

Muscat pumpkin has the most delicious fruits. Pumpkins have a mild nutmeg flavor. Native to Central America, southern Mexico, Colombia and Peru, where it is often found growing wild today. She accumulates a record amount of sugar ( up to 15%), which is felt by the stickiness of the pulp when cut, and a large number of carotene, coloring the flesh in shades of orange. Almost all have a fairly thin bark, which is easily peeled off with a knife. Pumpkins are almost completely filled with pulp with few seeds. Fruits range in size from small to fairly large, but the smaller they are, the better their taste. It has six subspecies, which differ in the shape of the fruit. The Turkmen subspecies has elongated fruits, the Colombian subspecies is pepper-shaped, the North American subspecies is flattened to cylindrical, the Indian subspecies is round or oval. The Japanese pumpkin is distinguished by wrinkled and warty fruits, the Mexican one has a woody bark and mealy sweet pulp. The term musk gourd is sometimes found, however, it is still the same nutmeg.

Beneficial features

It is one of the best diet foods that is easy to digest. It has a low calorie content: 100 g of pulp contains only 17-31 kcal. Because of this, it is used for weight loss and maintenance slim figure. It has a fairly high content of vitamins E, group B, PP, mineral salts, and provitamin A in the pulp is 2-3 times more than in carrots. With its regular use, the mass of adipose tissue decreases. It helps to remove harmful toxins from the human body, it is useful for improving immunity. It is also used for healing the kidneys and liver, having a laxative and weak choleretic property. Vitamin K contained in it, with regular consumption, helps slow down the aging process and improves blood clotting.

It has tropical roots, so it is very thermophilic and prefers open, well-lit places. In the southern regions, this crop easily has time to ripen and give a full-fledged harvest, and in the northern regions it is necessary to select early ripe varieties or grow it through seedlings.

The plant has a long taproot and long stems, so when planting, the distance between them is kept at least 0.5 m. more area nutrition, the larger the fruits can be.

Before planting, it is recommended to germinate the seeds, which will give additional time for the fruit to ripen. Seeds or seedlings are planted in the soil in the spring when the soil warms up at a depth of 10 cm above +10 degrees, while the possibility of return frosts should be excluded.

Until the plants have gained strength and formed lashes of at least one meter, weeds must be carefully controlled. After that, the leaves begin to cover the surface of the soil densely enough to prevent the emergence of new weeds, and the plant becomes so powerful that it suppresses the existing ones.

The plant spreads over a large area, and additional roots form at the points of contact of the leaf nodes with the soil, which increases drought resistance and crop yield. In this regard, it is not recommended to move the stems, especially during flowering, which can lead to the fall of flowers, and by moving the fruits, they may stop developing.

Responds well to irrigation with increased yields. It is recommended to water once a week until the first ovaries form. Then watering is reduced to once every 2 weeks, as this can cause cracking of pumpkins.

Harvesting is carried out in the autumn before frosts, when the temperature drops to +10 degrees at night. Cut pumpkins with secateurs with a stalk. Very well preserved in room conditions, but optimum temperature storage +10 ... +12 degrees, which allows you to save it until next summer.

Popular varieties

Pumpkin Muscat - variety is consonant with the name of the species. Its pumpkins resemble a bell with an elongated top. The variety is late, the fruits ripen 125-135 days after the appearance of the entrances. There are no fibers in the pulp. Pumpkins are smooth orange-yellow with an indistinct pattern. The flesh is orange-red, tasty and aromatic. Used for processing and fresh consumption. The variety is very valuable, as it has a high content of provitamin A. It is well suited for the preparation of baby food, juices and dietary products.

Muscat de Provence - pumpkin, which has an increased yield, is bred in France. Mid-season variety, fruits ripen 110-115 days after germination. It has a powerful plant that is resistant to diseases. Pumpkins of the original flat-rounded shape with pronounced slices. In bright orange pulp accumulates a high amount of sugars - up to 10%. The mass of fruits, depending on the density of planting, varies from 3-4 kg to 6-8 kg. Muscat de Provence pumpkin produces beautiful thick-walled pumpkins that are highly attractive when sold fresh on the market. They keep well and are also great for making purees and juices.

Pumpkin Vitamin. The variety is distinguished by cylindrical fruits of a cubic shape. It has a late ripening period of 125-130 days, but brown-brown pumpkins with a pink tint reach a size of 6-8 kg. Almost red pulp with a high content of carotene accumulates up to 11% sugars, very tasty, crispy. The fruits have a short shelf life, but are well suited for dietary nutrition and the preparation of children's juices and purees.

Butternut squash Pearl- an unusual variety that stands out among the long-climbing medium-late varieties with resistance to low temperatures and other adverse conditions cultivation. Cylindrical yellow-orange pumpkins reach a mass of 5-8 kg. The pulp is orange, dense, very tasty, excellent for diet food and juice preparation. Gourd Pearl is high yielding variety, the fruits of which have good transportability and long period keeping quality.

Butternut squash is an annual plant, with long leaves growing on stems that trail along the ground. This is one of the most delicious varieties, its fruits are sugary and juicy. Most of all, such a pumpkin is suitable for making desserts. Since it is very dependent on the sun, it is preferable to grow it in warm regions. Varieties of nutmeg pumpkin with a photo and the description presented on our website will help you grow this plant on your

Varieties of nutmeg pumpkin with photos and descriptions

Varieties of nutmeg pumpkin - what are they?

The benefits of nutmeg pumpkins:

• lack of cholesterol in the fruits of nutmeg pumpkin;
• low calorie;
• promotes excretion from the body harmful substances, has a diuretic effect;
• helps to increase immunity;
• the presence of carotene helps to strengthen visual function;
• potassium content, strengthens the organs of the cardiovascular system.

There are the following varieties of nutmeg pumpkin:

- the richest in carotene content (up to 16%) pumpkin variety. The appearance of the pumpkin is dark in color and ribbed in shape, its flesh is rich red, crispy and sweet. Fruits can reach a weight of seven kilograms. As a rule, she has a good yield, but sings for a long time - about one hundred and thirty days.

- This pumpkin is a favorite for softness and sweetness. Its fruits have an average weight (about 4 kilograms), ripen in early August (subject to sowing in April).

(walnut, nutmeg, squash) - has elongated shape kind of like a zucchini. The color both outside and inside is rich yellow. The internal structure is fibrous, juicy and sweet to taste.

- this is one of the new varieties, it has a very original shape - long, reminiscent of a pear. The pulp of such a pumpkin is juicy and very tasty. The period of its growth is about 130 days, the weight of the average fetus reaches 5 kilograms. The pearl variety of nutmeg gourd is very tasty both fresh and processed.

- this variety, as the name implies, was developed in France. It has a high yield, fully ripens in about four months. The pumpkin fruits of this variety are distinguished by their orange color and ribbed surface, its flesh is very dense, bright orange, and has excellent taste. Its main advantage and different from other varieties of nutmeg pumpkin is that this type of pumpkin is perfectly stored and tolerates transportation well.

- This is a variety bred by Japanese breeders. It has the shape of a pear, its taste is somewhat reminiscent of a chestnut - sweet and spicy. Pumpkins of this variety are not large, reaching about 2 kilograms.

- a variety that is characterized by high lightness. As the name implies, it has the shape of a guitar, and can reach a weight of four kilograms. As a rule, it ripens in early autumn.

There are a lot of varieties of nutmeg pumpkin, you can also note such as: candied (brown on top and orange inside), golden pear (tear-shaped, sweet and ripening early), matilda (with a wonderful honey aroma), augustina (resembling a spotted zucchini, with dense white pulp). The largest pumpkin of the Muscat variety is distinguished - Arbat, its weight can reach twenty kilograms. Among the pumpkins of this species, it ripens the latest, has the shape of a cylinder.

As a rule, nutmeg varieties are grown in the south, but breeders also bred several varieties for central Russia:

• Vita: used in both table and feed nutrition, the fruit is light brown in color and the flesh is orange.
• Pearl: used for food and preservation. Almost the entire fruit is filled with dense, sweet pulp. It is rich in carotene and gives a rich harvest.
• Prikubanskaya: mid-season variety (about a hundred days), with red-orange pulp, very juicy and sweet.

As a conclusion, it should be noted that the varieties of nutmeg pumpkin, with a photo and description on our website, it will not be difficult to grow even for beginner gardeners. It is grown by planting seedlings and direct sowing of seeds. It does not require very careful care, but always pleases with a sweet and juicy harvest.

Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family and is found throughout Central America, southern Mexico, Colombia and Peru. At present, many varieties obtained by foreign and domestic breeders are widely cultivated in most countries of Eurasia.

Characteristics and description of the best varieties

Butternut squash is annual plant with creeping stems. The leaves are long, petiolate, alternate, with pubescence. flowers yellow color. The fruits are multi-seeded false berries with a hard, smooth, pentagonal peduncle expanded at the base. The most popular among Russian gardeners are several varieties of nutmeg pumpkin.

Muscat pumpkin: features of the variety (video)

Variety "Pearl Muscat"

It belongs to new varieties of nutmeg pumpkin and has a very original form fetus. The description of the variety suggests the presence of juicy, with excellent palatability pulp. Ripe pulp is ideal not only for fresh consumption, but is also widely used for processing. Variety "Pearl Muscat" is mid-season, and the period from mass shoots to full ripening of the fruit is 116−135 days.

The plant is formed climbing and quite powerful. Fruits are smooth or slightly segmented. They are characterized by an elongated pear shape and an orange color. The average weight of a marketable fruit does not exceed 3.2-5.6 kg. Fully ripe flesh is dark orange in color, dense in texture, crispy, very sweet and juicy. Contains a significant amount of carotene. The intrasperm chamber is not large, therefore most of the fruit is filled with pulp.

Variety "Muscat de Provence"

Mid-season French variety with high yield. The fruits of "Muscat de Provence" fully ripen in about four months after germination. To many vegetable growers, this highly productive Muscat squash variety from the well-established French company Clause is known as the Muscat Provence squash.

The fruits are flat-round, with pronounced ribbing and an orange surface. The pulp has a dense texture, thick, bright orange, juicy and sweet. The plant is long and climbing, which implies the assignment of sufficiently large areas and allows you to grow high yield from each plant. The harvested crop compares favorably with the fruits of many nutmeg varieties by its transportability and excellent keeping quality.

Other varieties

Other well-known nutmeg varieties are less common in our country, but, nevertheless, in terms of their quality characteristics, they deserve the attention of gardeners.

Technology for growing Provencal pumpkin

You can grow nutmeg pumpkin both seedlings and in a reckless way:

• Seeds prepared for sowing should be planted in the first decade of May under a film cover. Sowing holes should be placed along the ridge at a distance of 80–90 cm at a depth of 5–6 cm. Two seeds should be sown in each planting hole, and after germination, the weakest plant should be removed.
• Many gardeners prefer to use seedlings to grow pumpkins. In this case, the prepared seed material is sown in separate seedling containers in April or May. Sowing containers should be placed on the south window, which will allow you to grow strong seedlings without additional illumination. Optimal temperature regime for growing seedlings is 25−27 ° C. Seedlings of nutmeg pumpkin at normal conditions cultivation appear approximately 6-7 days after planting. Plant seedlings in beds open ground recommended after the appearance of three true leaves. About a week before planting, the plants should be subjected to hardening measures, gradually reducing the temperature in the daytime to 15-16 ° C, and nighttime indicators should be 13-14 ° C.

For the cultivation of pumpkins, it is recommended to allocate areas where legumes, any types of cabbage, as well as tomatoes or potatoes were previously grown. The place for the pumpkin should be dry and warm, well lit by sunlight and without stagnant moisture. A good result is the cultivation of butternut squash on compost heaps. Seedling material must be planted in planting holes, into which a small amount of humus or compost is introduced.

For faster and trouble-free survival, it is necessary to carry out high-quality watering of plants in the first days, as well as to perform shading from sun rays. The main stem needs to be pinched when it reaches a length of 1.3–1.5 m. As a result of pinching, two side shoots should remain on each adult plant, the length of which does not exceed 0.6–0.7 m.

Care activities

At the stage of intensive growth vegetable crop should be watered at the rate of 15-20 liters of water for each square meter landing area. Before the beginning of the flowering period and in the fruiting phase, watering should be as plentiful as possible, using water at 20 ° C. After watering, a shallow loosening of the soil around the plants is necessarily carried out.

For getting high yield and improve the quality characteristics of fruits, vegetable crops need to be fed several times per season. The first top dressing is carried out with nitrophoska, carried out after the formation of the fifth true leaf on the plants. The second top dressing - with a solution of mullein in the weaving phase. good effect possesses watering plants with warm water with the addition of wood ash.

In order to protect nutmeg squash from pests and damage by many diseases, a variety of chemicals, as well as biological means. Judging by the reviews of vegetable growers and gardeners, cucurbits of this cultivar have sufficient resistance. However, the implementation of simple protective measures will increase productivity.

All about pumpkin (video)

Fully ripened nutmeg pumpkins should be cut along with the stalk, the length of which should be approximately 5-6 cm. If the optimum humidity and temperature are observed, the harvested crop is very well preserved until spring.