Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia Occidentalis)

How to Grow Fluted Pumpkin- Growing Fluted Pumpkin Seeds & Plants (Telfairia occidentalis)

Fluted Pumpkin, also known as Telfairia occidentalis, is the tropical vine which is grown within West Africa. It is a leafy vegetable used as edible seeds whose common names are Ugu, Fluted Pumpkin and Fluted Gourd. This plant is a delicious and drought-tolerant perennial which is normally grown trellised. The young leaves and roots of a male plant can be the important ingredients for edikang ikong, the Nigerian soup. Its seed, which is 5.5 centimeters and dark-red, full of protein and fat, could be eaten and ground towards powder in favor of another soup. This plant fruit is big and weighs thirteen kilograms, yet it is inedible.

How to grow Fluted pumpkin – Step by step guides Fluted pumpkin growing

·         Purchase pumpkin plants or seeds at any garden nursery. If not, begin seeds indoors approximately 25 days prior to the final expected frost. If your planting season is warm and long, spread the seeds right away within the garden while the soil heat has reached for 65 degree F.

·         Select a plot where gets full sunlight and contains the soil under PH 6.5 to 7. The pumpkins require enough light, very fertile soil which drains best. Dig in big amounts of cured manure and compost to ensure right combination.

·         Cultivate the pumpkin patch wide and deep – both vines and roots can sow for 16 feet within all directions.

·         Harden your seedlings, make sure how it is homegrown or store-bought, and transplant them into your garden while all frost dander frost has passed. Plant or grow them within hills, adjust them for the depth level the same as they are planted within the pots. Spacing can be changeable in accordance with the variety, yet normally allow 5 or 6 feet apart between the plants within each direction.

·         Use the organic matter and mulch to cover the plant when they are produced to keep deter weeds and moisture, and use row covers and cloches to prevent immature plants from the chilly winds. Be sure your plants must get water from1.5 to 2.5 inches every week, particularly once they are getting fruit and flowering.

·         Use seaweed extract or compost tea to sow on the plants every three weeks. Vines must be pinched back in order to fix their growth when their fruits come out. Pumpkins should be rotated one time in a while for keeping them symmetrical, yet try to move the plants a little bit at any time to escape from breaking your brittle vines.

·         Put boards beneath large pumpkins to conserve them out of rotting. Orange pumpkins could be harvested after your vines have developed and died, before the initial hard freeze. Trim white varieties once their skins remain streaked the green color.

As a result, to know how to grow Fluted pumpkin well, try to read the above details studiously.

Nutrition or benefit – Why growing Fluted pumpkin

If you are aware of how to grow Fluted pumpkin, you will get a lot of benefits as follows:
For foods, Fluted pumpkin is used as leaf vegetables. Its seed can be eaten without poison. Its roots and leaves are invented as main ingredients for making Nigerian soup whose name is “Edikang Ikong.” But, its fruit is inedible. Other foods made of Fluted pumpkins are Slow Food, Butternut Squash, Lettuce Wraps, Luxurious Lasagna, Fish Tacos, Vegetable Gratin, Pastor Burgers, Pastor Burgers, Onion Soup and so on. Furthermore, it is also created as some sweets such as Pumpkin Pie, Cupcake Cones, Lava Cakes, Chicken Sliders, Cupcake Toppers, Bento Love, Black Bean, Churro Cupcakes, Pumpkin Roll, Cooked Pumpkin and so on. Exponentially, some drinks are produced of Fluted pumpkin as well like Tom Collins, Fall Beers, Pumpkin Syrup … etc. Also, it contains several vitamins, for instance, vitamin C, B1, B2, B3, E and K. Even better, it is comprises of some minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, iron, Zinc, Sodium, Phosphorus and so on.