The Matilda pumpkin variety is a hybrid brought to our country from the Netherlands. Matilda was bred as a result of crossbreeding with other nutmeg varieties. As soon as this pumpkin was brought to Russia, Matilda was immediately entered into the State Register and all its characteristic features were indicated.
Matilda pumpkin pulp has a delicate taste
Pumpkin Matilda gives a good harvest
Pumpkin variety Matilda
Description and characteristics of Matilda pumpkin
Melon pumpkin belongs to mid-early plants. It is characterized by long wattle reaches up to 5-6 m in length. A huge number of female flowers appear on the wattle, some of which immediately disappear, and the rest grow and develop.
The main characteristics of the pumpkin:
- The fruits are not very segmented, the color is light yellow. Fruits of a white shade with a noticeable wax coating rarely appear.
- The shape is different, pear-shaped and cylindrical fruits are found.
- The peel is not thick, but during transportation the crop does not lose its presentable appearance.
- The fruit is not coarse, easily cut with a knife.
- The smell is characteristic of a pumpkin with a slice of watermelon aroma.
- The pulp is dense, has a delicate taste, is painted in an orange tint.
- A distinctive feature of the Matilda pumpkin variety is a small seed chamber located in the lower part of the fruit, the number of seeds is insignificant.
- Productivity is high. With proper care from one plant, you can get about 8-10 fruits, the weight of one is 2-4 kg. If you leave less ovaries on the bush, then the mass of 1 fruit will reach 5 kg.
The purpose of the fruit
Matilda fruits are suitable for cooking various dishes, the most common of which are cereals, soups and casseroles. Delicious sweets can be made from the pulp, pumpkin is suitable for filling, it can be added to the dough to give it a more piquant and extraordinary taste.
Crop rotation
Matilda pumpkin is very demanding on the soil in which it will grow, so you must strictly adhere to the rules of crop rotation. The best predecessors for pumpkin are potatoes, cabbage, onions, legumes and various root crops.
Gourds can not be planted after cucumbers, zucchini, squash, otherwise diseases and pests can not be avoided.
In some areas, it is customary to plant a pumpkin next to potatoes, it is believed that it acts as a sealant for gourds.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variety
Matilda, like other gourds, has several advantages and disadvantages, and they must be taken into account when growing plants.
Advantages of Matilda pumpkin:
- It brings a large crop, even with sharp changes in temperature;
- excellent taste and smell;
- drought tolerance;
- relatively early ripening;
- almost complete absence of seeds in the fruit;
- strong immunity.
Matilda under any weather conditions yields delicious fruits.
The variety has practically no drawbacks, but one can be distinguished - because of the hybrid origin, it is impossible to obtain seeds for independent pumpkin cultivation.
Planting pumpkins Matilda
In order to get a rich and healthy crop, it is necessary to adhere to agrotechnical rules, including timely planting, preparation of seed and soil.
Soil and place selection
You can not plant plants in unprepared soil. Dig the soil before planting, fertilize, use potassium, phosphorus, compost or manure.
When using purchased fertilizers, stop the choice on complex mixtures, as they enrich the soil more fully.
The option of fertilizing 1 sq. Km. m: humus (2 buckets) + sawdust (0.5 buckets) + ash (1 kg) + nitrophoska (1 glass). Dig the soil no deeper than 0.5 m; for additional disinfection, pour it with hot water.
The site for planting Matilda pumpkin is sunny and well-ventilated.
Preparing seeds for planting
Matilda pumpkin seeds do not need preplant planting. Hybrid seeds are sold already processed.
There are 2 ways to plant a pumpkin:
- Seedlings.
- Directly into the ground.
The first method is used by those who live in cold regions of the country. Residents of the southern territories can safely sow pumpkin seeds directly into the open ground.
For growing Matilda seedlings, it is necessary to take not deep pots of various sizes. Seeds begin to be planted at the end of April, but it all depends on climatic conditions and soil temperature.
The main rule for transplanting seedlings is that it must reach the age of 1 month, and the temperature of the earth should not be less than +14 degrees. It is important that at the time of transplanting seedlings, the frost does not return to the open soil, but if this is impossible to predict, then you can cover the sprouts with a film.
Planting seeds in open ground
The algorithm for planting seeds in open ground:
- Before directly sowing the grains, dig the soil well so that it gains as much oxygen as possible.
- Make holes with a distance of at least 150 cm.
- Place Matilda pumpkin seeds according to this pattern: 2 m by 1.5 m.
- On 1 ha of land, approximately 4 kg of seed must be planted.
- Deepen the seeds by 5 cm.
You can try to get high-quality hybrid pumpkin seeds, for this you need to pollinate female flowers with male inflorescences collected from one plant. After such pollination, the inflorescences are covered with gauze.
Care Features
Without competent and regular care, high yields cannot be achieved. First of all, it is necessary to provide care for Matilda pumpkin seedlings, it consists in watering and adequate lighting. Before transplanting seedlings into open soil, it is necessary to harden the sprouts a little.
You should not plant plants close to each other, otherwise the planting will be very thickened and the bushes will not get the useful components that they need.
How to water?
Planted seedlings or seeds must be immediately watered. The next water application is carried out after a week, this method allows the root system to quickly and more reliably gain a foothold in the soil. Then watering is carried out 1 time per week.
For 1 square. m. leaves 6 liters of water. Once the bushes have bloomed, it is necessary to water them every 4 days for 10 liters per 1 square. m
You can make a special furrow, and pour water into it, this will help moisture get to the root system of plants faster.
You can not pour water on leaves and flowers, watering make only under the root system.
Feeding
Planted pumpkin is fed twice a season. Use ash, mullein and various mineral fertilizers. The increase in fertilizing is justified only by the insufficient fertility of the earth.
Before the formation of flowers, the plant needs nitrogen fertilizers, after the formation of the ovaries - in phosphorus and potassium.
Too frequent feeding will negatively affect the development of the bush. Because of this, a large number of foliage will begin to grow on the plant, but there will be few ovaries and fruits.
Harvesting and storage
The first crop is most likely to be obtained in the southern regions - 3-3.5 months after emergence. After harvesting, the plant begins to set fruit again. In the middle lane, the fruits must be removed before the onset of the first frosts, otherwise they will freeze and will not be suitable for consumption.
The fruits should be harvested at the time of technical ripeness. They are not tasty at this time and the pulp contains a large amount of starch. Harvest kept in the basement until fully ripe. Pumpkins are stored at temperatures above +1 degrees. The fruits are not resistant to sudden changes in temperature, and can only lie for 4 months.
The biological maturity of the fruits comes quickly, but much depends on the conditions of cultivation, air temperature, daylight hours, soil moisture. The better the growing conditions, the faster the fruit will ripen.
Reviews about Matilda Pumpkin
Oksana, 35 years old, programmer, Mirgorod. The variety is very juicy and sweet. Pumpkins grow relatively quickly, are not afraid of winds and temporary cooling of air. Productivity is high. I especially like pumpkin porridge - it's just a mercy.
Tamara, 61 years old, pensioner, Astrakhan. I don’t like to especially grow melons, but this pumpkin variety was very interesting to me. I decided to try to grow it, and did not regret it. The fruits are tender, juicy and aromatic. They make excellent dishes.
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Pumpkin Matilda is one of the best varieties of this gourd. Differs in unpretentiousness in leaving, high productivity and tasty juicy fruits.