Honey varieties of pumpkins stand apart from the other varieties of this culture, as they have a unique honey taste. But, unfortunately, few gardeners are familiar with this plant, and if they have heard from friends, they don’t know how to take care of it, so we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the information below about the features of this culture and the nuances of growing it.

Species characteristics

Existing honey pumpkins are difficult to combine into one group, since among all the characteristics there is only one thing in common - the honey taste of pulp. Outwardly, the fruits are very different from each other.

Existing honey varieties:

1. "Baby." Maturation is 118–128 days. It produces fruits of approximately the same size (from 2.8 kg to 3.5 kg) of rounded shape and ash color. Sometimes they can be covered with pale pink spots. Slices are weakly expressed. The pulp is bright yellow-orange. It is a universal fruit in cooking.

2. "Orange." Compact fruits weighing 1.9–2.1 kg ripen for about 120 days. They are painted yellow-orange with green stripes along the ribs. Also a universal product.

3. "Guitar".The most unusual representative of honey varieties. It has a shape similar to the shape of a guitar (length up to 70 cm, diameter - up to 12 cm). The fruit ripens 110-120 days. The pulp is yellow-orange, occupies 90% of the total volume of the fruit. The rest are seeds that are located in a wide part of the pumpkin. The pulp is so tender and juicy that it can be eaten raw.

4. "Princess". Roundedly flattened fruit ripens 110-120 days. Grows in weight from 3 to 10 kilograms.

5. "Dessert". The earliest of all varieties. Matures in 90 days. The fruit gives large (5-6.3 kg), rounded, slightly flattened. Ribs (lobules) are well defined. The peel is orange with a pinkish tint. The pulp is also orange. It has dietary properties.

6. "Story". Its appearance is very similar to the variety "Dessert", it only weighs less - 2.8-4.2 kg and the color is uniform, without a pink hue. The pulp is light yellow, very sweet. The growth and maturation of the fetus takes about 120 days.

Advantages and disadvantages

• All honey varieties have such advantages over the others:
• pronounced honey taste;
• average size of 3-4 kg;
• unpretentious in cultivation;
• resistant to low temperatures;
• the flesh is very sweet and juicy.

• But there are also disadvantages:
• most varieties are long-braided;
• They don’t like it when they are exposed to direct sunlight;
• poorly tolerated transplant.

Did you know? Among perennial pumpkin species, there is a species called «Smelly pumpkin». Its fruits can be consumed only unripe and boiled. When they ripen, they become hard (peel) and poisonous. Then they make musical instruments.

Features of growing varieties

Honey pumpkins grow well in any climate zone, they only give a different number of fruits, and in the north they are best grown in seedlings.

Suitable conditions

Pumpkins are very fond of the sun, but the area for planting them needs to be selected so that direct rays do not fall on it. Also, the bed should be protected from the wind. In cold regions, it is better to form a bed on a small hill (20–25 cm) so that the soil warms up faster.In order for the pumpkin to grow and develop well, the temperature should not fall below +14 ° С and rise above +25 ° С.

Soil and seed preparation

Seeds of honey pumpkins can be stored without loss of germination for more than one year, but it is still better to select the freshest for planting. Before planting, they must be warmed well at a temperature of +40 ° C for nine hours. After this, it should be soaked for 12 hours in an aqueous solution of ash (2 tbsp. Per 1 liter of boiling water).

This procedure will accelerate the emergence of seedlings, especially if planting seeds is planned in open ground.

If you plan to sow seeds in the garden, then you need to prepare the soil. It is best that it is not clay. To saturate the earth with nutrients, compost is introduced into it. To do this, dig holes 40x40x40 cm, and the earth extracted from the pit in equal proportions is mixed with compost. Then return the soil to the place.

For planting seeds on seedlings, fertile soil is purchased at the store.

Planting seeds

In the southern regions, seeds can be sown immediately in open ground, in the rest - for seedlings in cups.

In open ground

Heated and soaked seeds begin to plant in the soil. At the time of planting, the soil should be warmed up to +12 ... + 14 degrees.

1. On the selected bed, the seeds are planted in holes (30x30 cm) in any order to a depth of 3-4 cm, if the soil is clay, and 5-6 cm, if sandy. Between the holes should be 60-100 cm.
2. The hole is watered, and three seeds are placed in it at different angles.
3. Sprinkle the seeds with soil and cover them with seed wrap before seedling.
4. As soon as a crust appears on the surface of the soil, it must be broken.
5. After the emergence of seedlings, the film is removed, and 1-2 the strongest seedlings are left in the hole. The rest pinch. If two seedlings are left in the hole, then their shoots are sent in opposite directions.

In pots for seedlings

Sowing seeds for seedlings is carried out closer to the end of April. More precisely, each gardener must determine the date himself, since by the time the seedlings are planted in the soil, he should warm up to +12 ° C to a depth of 10 cm, and by this time the seedlings should be no more than 25-30 days.

1. Sowing of seeds is carried out in a container with a volume of 0.5 l.
2. The tank is filled with fertile soil, and the seed goes deeper into it to a depth of 5-6 cm. From above it is sprinkled with earth, covered with a film and put away in a warm place until emergence.
3. Over the entire period of growth, seedlings are fed several times with mineral fertilizers. It is watered regularly.
4. Landing in the open ground is made in the first half of May. The scheme for planting seedlings is similar to the scheme for sowing seeds on the bed.

Important! Pumpkin seedlings react very poorly to transplantation, so it is better to sow them one at a time in a glass, so that later they can be transplanted into the hole together with the ground.

Care Features

Unpretentious plant care requires compliance with the minimum rules for the care of garden crops.

Watering and feeding

Abundant watering is carried out mainly before flowering. There is so much water that the soil is constantly wet. With the appearance of the first color, the frequency of irrigation is reduced. Now, under the bush, the ground should dry before being irrigated the next time. When the fruits complete their ripening, watering ceases.

With top dressing, you do not need to be wise. Honey pumpkin varieties respond perfectly to a simple nutritious mixture of water and mullein (1 liter per bucket of water). The first top dressing is done seven days after the first leaflets appear.

The next time they fertilize when the pumpkin begins to bloom, and again - after ten days. The remaining dressings are carried out twice or thrice a month. Fertilizers need to be under the root.

Weeding and loosening the soil

Until the pumpkin begins to spread along the ground, covering it with its foliage, after each watering, the earth needs to be loosened. Regular cultivation is required and row-spacing. Weeds are harvested as needed.

Bush formation

A lot of ovaries form on long-climbing bushes. But if its quantity is not regulated, then the fruit will grow small, therefore, to get a full-fledged vegetable, up to 3-4 ovaries should be left on the shoot.

So that new fruits do not form over existing ones, they pinch the shoot for the fifth leaf.Those shoots that are without ovary are removed completely.

Important! The amount of fruit left on the bush depends on the region. The farther it is north, the fewer fruits will have time to ripen.

Diseases and Pests

All honey pumpkin varieties are resistant to popular diseases and pests. But as a prophylaxis during plant growth, it must be treated with fungicides according to the instructions on the packaging.

Harvest Dates

If seeds are planted in May, and pumpkins ripen for 3-4 months, then harvesting can be carried out in August-September. The fruit ripens ripe with the stem. It helps extend shelf life.

The ideal storage temperature for pumpkins is +5 ... + 15 ° С. The room where the crop is stored should have good ventilation. Under such conditions, honey pumpkin can lie for 5-7 months.

Cooking recommendations

Porridge, juices, pancakes are made from honey pumpkin. It is fried in pieces, added to baking, dried, dried.

She is capable of:

• establish digestion;
• improve metabolism;
• strengthen immunity;
• help cope with insomnia, depression.

Not only pulp is useful, but also seeds. Possessing dietary properties, it is perfect as a food for infants.

Some useful tips for cooking vegetables:

1. To make the pumpkin softer, it is better to steam it, and not on water.
2. If you bake a pumpkin, then it will make a fragrant soup.
3. Such seasonings as cumin, pepper, oriental seasonings will well shade the aroma and taste of pumpkin.

Did you know? The Guinness Book of Records in 2016 included a pumpkin grown by Belgian Matthias Willemans. She weighed 1,190.5 kg. It was a new world record.

As you can see, growing a sweet, juicy honey pumpkin is absolutely not difficult. Even if you have already distributed the plot for other vegetables, you can plant it along the contour of the plot. The main thing is that the place is sunny.