A pumpkin, stored during the winter time, can give us when the cold comes, the sensations of summer, and even relieve depression. Bright color pleases the eye, the taste will not leave anyone indifferent, and the abundance of dishes that can be cooked sometimes even surprises.
Organizing the storage of this vegetable in winter is not difficult, because even in an apartment the pumpkin shows high keeping quality.
In this article we will talk about whether the pumpkin is afraid of autumn frosts, when to start harvesting and what rules for storing the crop should be followed.
Is the pumpkin afraid of frost?
It’s definitely not worth waiting until the frosts begin - frostbitten pumpkin starts to rot in the place of damage. If not prepared storage space, and small frosts are expected, you can hide the vegetables right on the garden. To do this, use the usual plastic film.
It should be harvested over the whole area of pumpkin growth. However, the difficulty lies in the fact that usually this vegetable spreads its lash very widely, and the specimens are at a great distance from each other.
Basic cleaning rules
When to clean the pumpkin and how to store? For cleaning pumpkins choose dry sunny days, when the humidity is low. Collected in such weather vegetables will be stored longer without loss of consumer qualities.
If the weather is rainy, but frosts are expected soon, then it is still necessary to start cleaning the pumpkin. But before laying the storage of vegetables will need to be thoroughly dried. For this, pumpkins are put in small slides, and then removed for permanent storage.
Dried gourds for 10-15 days outside in dry weather and indoors in a ventilated room in rainy.
Very often you can hear the question: when, in what time do you need to collect pumpkins for storage? To determine the readiness of the pumpkin for cleaning can be a visual method:
- If the crust hardens and makes a dull sound when tapping;
- Stoning and drying of the stem has occurred;
- When pressing the nail on the crust, no traces of bursting remain.
Some novice gardeners do not know how to cut a pumpkin from the garden correctly. For harvesting pumpkins you need to use special equipment. This may be a sharp knife or pruner, which will provide a good even cut of the stem without breaking it. Left stalk should be no shorter than 5-6 cm.
Collected pumpkins must be sorted - frozen and damaged fruits, as well as those without a stem, must be immediately recycled. Such pumpkins can:
- to freeze;
- dry;
- set down;
- conserve;
- recycle into juice.
When processing a pumpkin, do not forget to select its healthy and tasty seeds that can be dried for a treat.
If there is a slight mechanical damage, you should lubricate these places on the bark of pumpkin with brilliant green.
You can also apply a method such as sticking small scratches with a bactericidal plaster. It is desirable to withstand the pumpkin as long as possible at the place of its growth, so that it can gain full maturity.
Storage organization
If you plan to organize storage of pumpkins in the cellar, then you should properly prepare the place and place the vegetables. The basic rules are:
- the room should be warm enough - from +5 down to +10 degrees;
- the room must be dry - the pumpkin is stored at a humidity of 75-80%;
- the placement of the pumpkin is organized on wooden shelves;
- racks must be covered with straw from 10 to 15 cm thick, on top of which vegetables are placed;
- avoid contact of vegetables with each other;
- pumpkins are placed a stem up;
- storage should be dark;
- in the basement of the pumpkin is additionally covered with hay or straw - for insulation.
If the cold increases, and the temperature in the basement, where pumpkins are stored, decreases, the best solution would be to cover the pumpkin with straw, hay, and other suitable materials.
Due to the fact that pumpkins can withstand, due to their hard crust, which is a kind of shell, high enough temperatures, you can easily organize the storage of pumpkins for the winter at home.
To do this, choose cool, from the point of view of a person, places - these are glazed balconies, balconies, storerooms.
Placing vegetables in residential premises is no different from placing in the basement - it should be warm enough, dry, dark. It is necessary to orient the pumpkin with the preserved stem up.
Pumpkins should be constantly inspected - as soon as the upper part of the stalk appeared to rot or on the side of the pumpkin due to mechanical damage, signs of spoilage appeared, such vegetables should be mercilessly immediately recycled.
If you had to collect pumpkins before full maturity with the threat of frost, then such specimens will not be stored for long - it is most susceptible to rotting. Organization of storage of pumpkin is not difficult. The main thing is to follow the technology of collecting vegetables and their storage conditions.
When to remove a pumpkin for storage? You can learn about the harvesting and storage of pumpkins from the video:
