Ⅰ. Product Details

Variety Characteristics

Green Baby Pumpkin is a miniature pumpkin variety of the Cucurbitaceae family with a growth cycle of 90-110 days. The plant is a climbing vine with strong branching ability, producing small fruits of 8-12cm in diameter and 200-300g in weight, with dark green skin with light green stripes and bright orange flesh. It has strong adaptability and is suitable for both open field and protected cultivation.

Quality Advantages

• Flesh is dense and sweet with high starch content (15-20%), rich in β-carotene, vitamin C, vitamin E, dietary fiber and minerals, with functions of improving eyesight and enhancing immunity.
• Dual-purpose for food and ornamentation: Small and exquisite fruits are not only delicious for cooking, but also can be used as ornamental plants, with high commercial value.
• Excellent storage performance: Mature fruits can be stored in a cool and dry place for 3-6 months, with good preservation of taste and nutritional value.

High-Yield Characteristics

Under proper cultivation management, each plant can bear 8-15 fruits, with yield per mu reaching 1500-2000kg. The variety has strong disease resistance to powdery mildew and downy mildew, and is suitable for multiple cropping and intercropping.

Application Scenarios

• Fresh food market: Sold as a high-grade vegetable, popular in supermarkets and restaurants for steaming, boiling, baking and soup cooking;
• Processing industry: Suitable for making pumpkin puree, pumpkin powder, pumpkin pie and canned products;
• Ornamental market: Used for indoor decoration, holiday gifts and gardening landscaping, with broad market prospects;
• Urban agriculture: Suitable for balcony and courtyard planting, as both edible and ornamental plants.

Selection & Storage Suggestions

• Selection skills: Choose fruits with intact skin, uniform color, hard texture and dry stems, avoid fruits with soft spots or damage;
• Storage method: Store in a cool, dry and ventilated place with temperature of 10-15℃ and relative humidity of 50-70%, avoid direct sunlight and moisture.

Ⅱ. Planting Methods

Planting Preparation

1. Soil Selection

Green Baby Pumpkin prefers fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam or loam with pH value of 6.0-7.5. The soil should be rich in organic matter, deep plow 25-30cm before planting, apply base fertilizer: 3000-4000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 50kg of compound fertilizer and 20kg of potassium sulfate per mu. Mix evenly and make ridges with width of 1.5-2m.

2. Seed Treatment

• Seed selection: Choose full, plump seeds with high germination rate, with seed consumption of 200-300g per mu;
• Seed soaking and germination: Soak seeds in 55℃ warm water for 15 minutes (stir continuously), then soak in 25-30℃ water for 6-8 hours. Wrap with wet gauze and germinate at 25-30℃, and sow when seeds show white buds (about 2-3 days).

Seedling Raising & Transplanting

1. Seedling Raising Time

• Spring cultivation: Seedling raising in late March to early April, transplanting in late April to early May;
• Autumn cultivation: Seedling raising in mid-July to early August, transplanting in late August to early September.

2. Seedling Raising Methods

Use 50-hole seedling trays filled with nutrient soil (peat soil: vermiculite: perlite = 3:1:1). Sow 1 seed per hole, cover with 1-2cm fine soil, water thoroughly and keep temperature at 25-30℃. After emergence, control temperature at 20-25℃ during the day and 15-20℃ at night to prevent leggy seedlings.

3. Transplanting Requirements

Transplant when seedlings have 3-4 true leaves and a height of 10-15cm (about 20-25 days after sowing). The planting density is 60cm × 80cm, with 1000-1200 plants per mu. Water thoroughly after transplanting and cover with mulch to keep warm and retain moisture.

Field Management

1. Water Management

• Seedling recovery period: Keep soil moist to promote root development;
• Vine growth period: Control watering properly to promote root down growth;
• Flowering and fruiting period: Ensure adequate water supply, water once every 7-10 days, keep soil moisture stable to improve fruit setting rate;
• Fruit ripening period: Reduce watering appropriately to improve fruit quality and storage resistance.

2. Fertilizer Management

• Seedling fertilizer: Apply 10kg of urea per mu 10 days after transplanting to promote seedling growth;
• Vine fertilizer: Apply 15kg of compound fertilizer per mu at vigorous vine growth stage;
• Fruiting fertilizer: Apply 20-25kg of compound fertilizer + 15kg of potassium sulfate per mu at initial fruit setting stage, and spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution on leaves for 1-2 times every 10 days to promote fruit development.

3. Vine Pruning & Pollination

• Keep 2-3 main vines per plant, remove lateral vines and tendrils properly to concentrate nutrients for fruit growth;
• When vines grow to 50-60cm length, guide vines to climb along trellises or let them crawl on the ground, keep 1-2 fruits per vine;
• Artificial pollination in early morning (8-10 am) during flowering period to improve fruit setting rate, especially in protected cultivation.

4. Disease & Pest Control

• Powdery mildew and downy mildew: Spray with 25% triadimefon wettable powder 1000x solution or 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 600x solution;
• Anthracnose and blight: Use 50% carbendazim wettable powder 800x solution or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder 1000x solution for spray control;
• Aphids and whiteflies: Control with 10% imidacloprid wettable powder 1500x solution or yellow sticky traps;
• Cucumber beetles and squash bugs: Use 2.5% deltamethrin emulsifiable concentrate 2000x solution for spray control.

Harvesting

• Harvest time: Harvest when fruits are fully mature, skin color turns dark green with obvious stripes, and stems become dry (about 40-50 days after fruit setting);
• Harvesting method: Cut fruits with 2-3cm stems with a knife, handle carefully to avoid damaging skin, harvest in batches according to maturity;
• Post-harvest treatment: Dry fruits in the sun for 7-10 days, sort by size, remove damaged fruits, and store or sell in time. For ornamental use, keep stems intact and pack carefully.