Description of the delicious and nutritious pumpkin Smile

Description of the variety

The pumpkin variety "Ulybka" was developed by Russian breeders at the All-Russian Institute of Seed and Plant Breeding just over fifteen years ago. This variety is one of the most successful adaptations of the crop to Russia's relatively harsh climate. According to the developers, one of the advantages of the variety is its cold tolerance.

This characteristic often comes with the added benefit of making the plant's fruits chalky and often not sweet. Nevertheless, pumpkins of this variety are loved for their juicy fruits with excellent flavor and transport characteristics. These qualities are realized thanks to the hard, durable, and fairly thick skin of this pumpkin variety.

Pumpkin seeds of this variety can be found among the products of the Sedek agricultural company. The fruits are small, reaching a weight of 1 kilogram. The variety is valued by Russian gardeners for its dietary nature, but despite this fact, it has a delicious, rich taste.

Main characteristics

The fruits are medium-sized, deep orange with whitish stripes. Round pumpkins are the most common. The flesh is warm, orange, fairly firm, with a light melon aroma and is quite sweet. The seeds are oval, white, and smooth. The plant itself is bushy and small, producing only six short stems no more than a meter long.

The leaves are large, with a pattern visible on the surface. The flowers are yellow or orange and deliciously fragrant. A single bush typically produces 10 to 15 small pumpkins.

Care and formation features

In general, caring for this crop is no different from caring for any other pumpkin. These plants are valued for their surprising undemanding nature – the most important thing is to choose the right variety.

Some gardeners prefer to use seedlings, which require regular watering, fertilizing, and loosening of the soil. If you decide to plant Ulybka from seeds, don't plant them too deeply. A depth of 5-6 centimeters is sufficient.

It is also important to remember that before sowing, the seeds must be soaked in a solution of fungicides and growth stimulants for 24 hours.

Pumpkins are planted in a 70 x 70 pattern in open ground when the latter has warmed up to a temperature of at least 12 degrees.

Since the Smile pumpkin is a bush plant, simply pinching or removing the apical bud is sufficient for care. This will encourage vigorous growth of lateral shoots.

Mulching is very beneficial for these pumpkins. This procedure can be applied immediately after planting.

It's important to keep the soil around young plants clean and free of weeds and pests. Once fruit has set, reduce watering or pinch back the bushes. Harvest immediately before frost in dry weather.

Video "Pumpkin Variety 'Smile'"

This video will tell you about the popular pumpkin variety Smile.