How to grow pumpkin on the balcony

I want to plant some pumpkins on the balcony after the Chinese New Year, which is more convenient to eat. How should I plant them?

Pumpkin-seedling cultivation

Generally, the seedling transplanting method is used. When the temperature is low, warm water can be used to soak the seeds for a while, and the film can be covered to keep them warm.

① The commonly used spot sowing method is 2 to 3 seeds per hole, with the seed tip facing down, covered with 2 to 3 cm of soil, and watered thoroughly. It will germinate in about 1 to 2 weeks at 25 to 30 oc.

② When there are 3 to 5 true leaves, select healthy and pest-free seedlings for planting on a sunny afternoon, one plant per pot, and plant them at a depth that the cotyledons are flush with the soil surface, and water them thoroughly. If direct seeding is used, sick and weak seedlings need to be removed, leaving one seedling per hole.

Pumpkin-Daily Management

① About 10 days after planting, spray a thin organic fertilizer, mainly nitrogen fertilizer. The plant grows rapidly after it starts to climb, and the first topping is done when there are 8 to 10 true leaves to promote the sprouting of more side vines. At this time, the support can be set up in advance.

② When the side vines are more than 50 cm long, you can collect the tender stem tips and petioles for consumption. Be careful to keep about 5 leaves, and use a slightly larger piece of soil to press the remaining stems to promote the germination of aerial roots. Spray once with a thin, decomposed organic fertilizer mainly composed of nitrogen fertilizer after each picking.

③ When the vine has circled the pot on the soil surface, you can pull the stem to climb the support so that the leaves are evenly distributed and the branches do not block each other.

④ After growing to a certain stage, the plant enters the flowering period. In the early stage, male flowers are mainly produced. The male flowers and peduncles can be picked together in the morning when the flowers are about to open, and they can be eaten.

⑤ When the female flowers begin to grow, the topdressing of decomposed organic fertilizers should be mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and the harvesting of tender stem tips should be reduced or stopped. Artificial pollination should be carried out if necessary, and it must be done before 8 am. Usually, 3 to 5 melons per plant can grow normally (1 to 2 large melons should be kept, and the number of micro melons can be appropriately increased, depending on the growth of the plant). Excessive young melons or female flowers should be thinned out, and the stems and vines should be appropriately topped to avoid insufficient nutrient supply. Larger melons can be covered with a net bag and hung in a firm place. Melons close to the ground can be padded with foam plastic or wooden boards to isolate them from the soil.

⑥ If you do not collect the tender stem tips for consumption in the early stage, you should control the water content. After the melons begin to form, ensure that there is sufficient water, avoid drought, and pay attention to removing old and diseased leaves to ensure good ventilation.

Pumpkin-harvest

When the lateral vines are more than 50 cm long, the tender stem tips and petioles can be collected for consumption. For edible young melons, they can be harvested 10 to 15 days after flowering;

For edible old melons, they should be harvested about 5-7N after flowering, when the skin is hard and difficult to scratch and the fruit stems are woody. The seeds in fully mature melons can be kept for sowing next year. Select plump seeds without diseases and insect pests, wash them, dry them in a cool place, and then store them.