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Many people dislike pumpkin for its insipid taste and aroma, and most of all, for its sometimes gigantic size. After growing or buying such a colossus, it is necessary to immediately determine what dishes to cook from it, because it is not stored in the opened state for long. Already marinades, preserves, and candied fruits are ready, but the pulp of the pumpkin is still not over. Pumpkin Tiny will not cause such problems. It fully justifies its name. In addition, it has a very attractive pulp color and inviting aroma.
Description of pumpkin crumb
The pumpkin variety Kroshka was obtained by specialists from the All-Russian Research Institute of Irrigated Vegetable and Melon Growing, located in the Astrakhan region, back in the 80s of the last century. The variety was entered into the State Register of Russia only in 1996 with recommendations for cultivation in the Lower Volga and Far Eastern regions. Despite this, the Kroshka pumpkin has successfully taken root in many Russian regions and pleases summer residents with its unpretentiousness both in the south and in central Russia, and its photos and reviews about it attract the attention of an increasing number of gardeners.
Plants of the Kroshka variety are classified as climbing pumpkin varieties. Although, according to their external habit, they cannot be classified as particularly powerful. The main lash is distinguished by the greatest length, it can reach three or more meters.
The side shoots are not that long. In general, the plants of this pumpkin are rather compactly located, which allows them to be placed in a very small area. The leaves are large, deep green, kidney-shaped, almost not dissected. They cover the earth with a solid carpet in the form of huge bowls. Therefore, when the fruits ripen, they need a little thinning so that the pumpkin fruits get more solar heat and light.
Description of fruits
The fruits of the Kroshka variety, surprisingly, belong to the group of large-fruited pumpkins. Still, they are rather large compared to other vegetables, from 20 to 40 cm in diameter. Although in the pumpkin family, of course, they can be considered babies. The fruits have a flat-round neat shape, with rather pronounced lobules and a smooth skin. Usually they grow even in size, the weight of one pumpkin can vary insignificantly, from 2.5 to 3.5 kg.
The color is predominantly light gray, sometimes almost white, with barely noticeable dark greenish stripes along the lobes. Sometimes there are vague pinkish spots on the fruits.
At the same time, the pulp of the pumpkin variety Kroshka is very bright, intense orange in color, as in the photo, although according to some descriptions it has a yellowish tint.
The pulp takes up most of the fruit's volume.
Differs in special sweetness, density, but at the same time it breaks down quite easily. No fibers. Different tasters evaluate taste qualities as good and excellent. The aroma is incomparable, reminiscent of a melon. Pumpkin Fruit Crumb contains about 16% of dry matter, 9.2% of sugars and 12 mg of carotene per 100 g of raw matter.
The bark of fruits is of medium thickness, woody type. It may not be very convenient when cutting, but pumpkins are excellently preserved in normal room conditions.Judging by the description of the variety, pumpkin crumb also perfectly tolerate transportation over any distance.
The seed nest is small and dense in texture. The placentas, in the amount of three, are located closer to the walls. The seeds are rather large, have an elongated-oval shape and a smooth shell-like skin. They are characterized by a yellow color. 1000 seeds weigh 368 g. Seeds make up only 1.2% of the total volume of one pumpkin.
The fruits are suitable for any culinary treatment. Their dense flesh makes them ideal for making candied fruits and cold preserves. But porridge and mashed soups are also very good. Pickled pumpkin pieces will remain crisp for a long time. And for baking pancakes, pancakes, almost any pumpkin variety is suitable.
Interestingly, the pumpkin variety Crumb has a lot in common with another variety of this vegetable with a similar name - Honey Crumb. All characteristics of the fruits of these two varieties are very similar to each other. Pumpkins of the Honey Crumb variety only have a more pronounced honey taste and aroma, as well as a greenish peel.
Well, the main difference between them is that the Kroshka variety belongs to climbing pumpkin varieties, and the Honey Crumb variety belongs to bush varieties. The rest of the varieties are so similar that even manufacturers of planting material confuse them with each other and are sometimes called the same variety. But the honey crumb pumpkin is not listed in the State Register and is sold only by the Siberian Garden company, on the seed packages of which you can see its description. This suggests that it was bred by local Siberian breeders for cultivation in the vast Trans-Ural territories.
Characteristics of the variety
Pumpkin variety Kroshka is usually referred to as mid-season, although in some descriptions it is called mid-late. In any case, the pumpkins have time to ripen even in the weather conditions of the middle lane, though only on condition that the seedling growing method is used. The period of full ripening is from 120 to 130 days from the moment of full germination.
The yield of the Kroshka variety is stable regardless of weather conditions. About 5-8 kg of vegetables are harvested from a square meter. According to reviews and descriptions of gardeners, from one bush, on average, 3 to 4 pumpkin fruits are harvested Crumb, weighing about 3 kg. The Kroshka variety is famous for its cold resistance, the fruits ripen well even in the open ground of the Leningrad region.
Pest and disease resistance
The Kroshka variety shows resistance to such an unpleasant fungal disease as anthracnose, which manifests itself in brown-yellow spots covering the leaves and fruits of plants.
But there is a susceptibility to powdery mildew, therefore, preventive and protective measures against this disease are required.
Advantages and disadvantages
The Kroshka variety has many worthy qualities, for which many gardeners fell in love with it:
- excellent taste and aroma;
- stable yield indicators;
- convenient size that allows you to use it at a time;
- cold resistance and resistance to other adverse weather conditions;
- good keeping quality and transportability;
- fruits are easily separated from the stalk;
- pumpkins are suitable for mechanized harvesting.
Disadvantages include its susceptibility to powdery mildew and the fact that it is difficult to use for decoration on holidays due to its small size.
Growing and caring for baby pumpkin
Pumpkin Crumb can be sown with soaked seeds directly into the ground, or you can grow it by seedling. Given the rather late terms of its ripening, it is preferable to first grow seedlings in the middle lane.
- To do this, at the end of April, the seeds are soaked for a day in warm water with the addition of growth stimulants.Comment! You can wait 2 to 4 days before sprouting and only then plant the seeds in the ground.
- Then the seeds are planted one at a time in pots filled with light planting mixture.They are covered with foil and placed in a warm place until the first shoots appear.
- When shoots appear, the film is removed, and the pots are moved to a bright place, trying to get sunlight on them at least a few hours a day.
- Seedlings are planted in the beds, usually at the end of May or at the beginning of June, when the threat of return frosts will go away. At this moment, 2-3 true leaves usually bloom on the plants.
Plant the pumpkin in a garden richly fertilized with organic matter, since these vegetables are very fond of nutrient-rich soils. If there was no organic matter at hand, then in a garden of 1 sq. m. you need to add:
- 30 g of ammonium nitrate;
- 60 g superphosphate;
- 30 g of potash fertilizers;
- 3 glasses of wood ash.
All applied fertilizers are thoroughly mixed with the ground.
The optimal planting scheme for seedlings is 60x60 cm.
Perhaps, in the first weeks after planting, pumpkin seedlings will need additional shelter from the bright sun or possible cold snaps. Typically, a film or non-woven material on arcs is used for this.
When growing pumpkin varieties Kroshka, an important stage is the formation of plants. The goal that the gardener wants to achieve is important here.
- If there is a desire to grow several fruits that are as large as possible, then in this case it is necessary to remove all sprouts and stepsons from the main shoot. And pinch him himself, leaving 4-6 leaves after the very last pumpkin.
- If you want to grow a larger number of fruits without chasing their size, then two of the strongest lateral shoots are left, and the main one is cut off, leaving 4 leaves after 3 pumpkins. One pumpkin is left on each side shoot. A large number of fruits are unlikely to have time to ripen.
They try to water the Kroshka pumpkin abundantly until the first buds appear, and the ground is completely covered with leaves. From the moment the ovaries are formed, watering is reduced, and as the fruits ripen, they stop altogether. If the land was thoroughly fertilized during planting, then the pumpkin Kroshka does not need additional feeding.
Conclusion
Pumpkin Crumb is a very convenient variety in all respects, both for growing and for eating in all possible dishes. He not only does not cause unnecessary trouble, but will delight you with honey taste and aroma.
