What is good about the "Shrub orange" pumpkin and why it is worth trying to grow it on your site

Orange bush pumpkin contains carotene, magnesium and phosphorus. Regular consumption of the vegetable improves immunity, and a glass of pumpkin juice at night relieves insomnia. Shrub orange is appreciated for its beneficial properties, sweet and juicy pulp. It is used for making soups, salads, side dishes.

In the article you will find a description and photo of the orange bush pumpkin.

Description of the variety

Grows Shrub orange without long lashes, a small shrub, for which it got its name. In the garden, compact bushes take up little space, thanks to which a rich harvest is obtained from a small area.

Features:

Mid-season variety: the crop is harvested in 95-105 days from the moment of planting. Grown in seedlings or seeds in open ground. Miniature bushes, medium-sized leaves, dark green. Bush orange is planted in the south or in central Russia.

Fruit characteristics and yield

Fruits are round and firm, covered with a slightly ribbed dark orange skin... The pulp is fleshy, the color is bright orange. Pumpkin weight: 4 to 7 kg. The taste is pleasant, due to which the vegetable is used in cooking. Stable yield: from 1 m² summer residents collect about 12-15 kg.

Interesting! The fruits of Bush Orange are used to make Jack's world-famous lamps - bright Halloween lanterns. This tradition originally appeared in Ireland and Scotland, but soon spread to other countries.

How to grow

In the southern regions, summer residents plant pumpkin seeds in open ground in early May; in the middle lane, seedlings are prepared in early April. Let's analyze the features of each method.

Seeds

For this, large and heavy seeds are selected.... They are dipped in a saline solution and left for 2 hours. Empty grains will remain on the surface of the water, which are not suitable for planting. Those that have sunk to the bottom are taken out of the jar and dried.

Important! An obligatory stage of seed preparation is disinfection. It is carried out by soaking in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or Bordeaux liquid. Disinfection strengthens the plant's immunity, protects against diseases and pests.

In the pumpkin garden, a mixture of loamy and sandy loam soils is chosen.... The vegetable loves warmth and sun, so it is planted in southern and hilly beds. Before planting, the soil is carefully dug up, river sand or sawdust is added as a natural baking powder: they make the earth lighter and more airy. If the soil has an increased level of acidity, liming is carried out: dry lime and wood ash are added to the beds in equal parts.

Planting scheme Shrub orange - 60x60... In the beds, grooves are made with a depth of 2-3 cm, disinfected seeds are placed in them. Sprinkle on top with loose soil and peat crumbs, slap, pour abundantly with warm water. In the first week, the plant is covered with a film to create a greenhouse effect, protection from wind and frost.

About other pumpkin varieties:

Meaty pumpkin "Pastila Champagne" with juicy pulp

Large-fruited and mid-season pumpkin variety "Volzhskaya gray"

French guest - pumpkin "Muscat de Provence"

Seedlings

Suitable containers will be needed for seedlings.... These can be thick plastic bags, cardboard boxes, even eggshells.Before use, the container is washed with warm water and soda, wiped dry with a clean napkin. The soil from the garden is used as a soil, previously disinfected with a solution of succinic acid. To save time and effort, a ready-made mixture of soil from a store is used: it is already disinfected and saturated with nutrients.

Important! So that the sprouts appear as quickly as possible, the seeds are germinated before planting. To do this, the disinfected material is wrapped in a damp warm cloth, removed to a sunny place. To accelerate development, add the drug "Zircon".

After germination, the seeds are placed in moist soil at a distance of 5–8 cm from each other. Daylight hours for cultivation should last at least 12 hours. Drafts are unacceptable, since the culture is sensitive to temperature conditions. Moisten the seedlings as the soil dries, once every 5-7 days. For irrigation use warm clean water. After 15 days from the moment of planting, the sprouts are fertilized with liquid mullein or bird droppings.

Care

Caring for Shrub orange consists of timely watering, fertilizing, loosening the earth:

1. Water the bushes in the early morning or evening so that the water does not evaporate in the sun. Use clean water at room temperature, once a week it is replaced with a solution of nettle or burdock to maintain immunity. On average, about 1.5 liters are consumed per plant, but if the summer is rainy, then the amount of water is reduced. It is convenient to moisturize the beds using a drip system: water goes directly under the root and is consumed sparingly.
2. Fertilize pumpkin with organic substances 2 weeks after planting in the ground. An excellent top dressing for a vegetable is compost or humus. Manure, plant tops, food waste, foliage are added to the beds before watering. Do not forget about mineral fertilizers. The quality of the fruit is improved by the preparations "Kemira" and "Magic Leica".
3. The soil is loosened once every 10 days. This improves the quality of the soil, prevents the appearance of diseases and pests. It is recommended to carry out the procedure after rains in order to retain moisture in the ground for as long as possible.

Features of cultivation and possible difficulties

In the process of growing, it is important to monitor the amount of dressings applied.... It is not recommended to simultaneously add fertilizers containing the same active substance - for example, ammonium nitrate and calcium nitrate. An excess of nitrogen leads to an increase in green mass, an excess of calcium leads to drying and yellowing of the fruit.

If the pumpkins have grown large and heavy, gardeners are building additional supports. These can be wooden planks, plywood sheets, or flat stones. The vegetable should not lie on the ground: this leads to the development of diseases and rotting of the fruit.

Growing tips from experienced gardeners

It is important to observe the regime of watering and feeding, not to forget about loosening. Experienced farmers advise:

• plant a pumpkin in the beds where legumes, cabbage or greens used to grow;
• for irrigation, use water with a temperature of at least +20 ° С;
• alternate organic and mineral fertilizing;
• during the fruiting period, reduce the number of watering by 2 times;
• when treating the beds with chemicals, use gloves and a respirator.

Diseases and pests

Although Bush orange is unpretentious in care, unwanted guests often appear on the beds - weeds and insect pests. The reasons for their occurrence lie in improper care, sudden changes in the weather, and contaminated land.

Pumpkin beds are prone to:

1. Peronosporosis, which manifests itself as brown and yellow spots on leaves and stems. The source of infection is insects or soil. To avoid the disease, it is recommended to follow the rules of crop rotation and disinfect the seeds. For treatment use drugs "HOM" or "Zircon".
2. Sclerotinia - white rot. It occurs due to high humidity, an excess of fertilizing. Most often found in greenhouses or hotbeds.The bushes are covered with a white bloom, which can be eliminated by spraying with Bordeaux liquid. For prevention, the culture is fertilized with zinc sulfate.
3. Bacteriosis - the fruits are deformed, lose their firmness, elasticity. Disease occurs due to contaminated soil, weeds. If signs are found, the fruits are plucked and buried away from the garden.

Of the pests, slugs and spider mites are noted... Insects disrupt the metabolism of plants, because of which they wither and deform. To prevent this from happening, the bushes are regularly examined, they are sprayed with a solution of milk serum and iodine.

Read also:

Large-fruited variety - pumpkin "Smile"

Description of common pumpkin (hard-bore, pepo)

Harvesting and application of the crop

Bush Orange is harvested in August-Septemberwhen the fruits are covered with a hard crust, they will take on a dark orange color. Pluck pumpkins together with the stalk.

After harvesting, vegetables are not washed, but wiped with a dry napkin: this way the harvest will retain its freshness, taste and benefits longer. Store fruits in a cellar or basement. The optimum humidity level is 80%.

Pumpkin is added to nutritious puree soups, vegetable salads, casseroles, and snacks... Low-calorie and healthy desserts are obtained from the pulp of Bush Orange: cakes, muffins, cheesecakes, mousses and sorbets. Accentuate the flavor of the product with mint, cinnamon or honey.

Interesting! 100 g of pumpkin contains more protein than 100 g of quail eggs. By the amount of carotene, pumpkin overtook carrots 5 times.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

The virtues of culture include juicy and sweet pulp taste, attractive marketable appearance, unpretentious care. The variety shows a stable high yield. The bushy orange does not need a garter or shaping, which makes it more attractive to novice gardeners.

Disadvantages of the variety - average immunity to pests and diseases. Also, gardeners note that Shrub orange is not suitable for growing in Siberia and the Urals.

Farmers reviews

Bush orange - a godsend for summer residents... Here's what gardeners from all over Russia say about the variety:

Maria, Moscow: “Shrub orange attracts me with its appearance. Large fruits look beautiful both on the garden bed and on the table. I cook pumpkin dishes in the oven and add them to milk porridge ".

Pavel, Rostov-on-Don: “This variety is one of my favorites. The taste is moderately sweet, the pulp is pleasant. A rich harvest always grows. For example, last year I collected 15 kg ".

Irina, Samara: “I planted Bush Orange in a greenhouse. A week after planting, I noticed small bugs - slugs behind the sprouts. We managed to get rid of them, but with difficulty. I think I will grow other varieties ".

Conclusion

Round fruits with a honey aroma were to the taste of many summer residents. Growing does not require special skills, the main thing is to follow the rules of disinfection and care. To obtain a rich harvest, vegetables are planted in seedlings. Care involves regular watering and feeding. Orange pumpkins grow large, 5-7 kg each. Harvest in August: some are used for cooking, some are taken to the basement for storage.