Astra Polka

Season Overview

Description

"Astra Polka" (Cucurbita pepo) is an annual plant that develops a bushy growth habit. One of the advantages of this early, very productive variety is its high resistance to downy mildew. It develops elongated, club-shaped, dark green and glossy fruits that are highly valued for their excellent taste. Its flesh is crunchy, firm and creamy white. The fruits contain large amounts of vitamins C, B1, B2, PP and provitamin A and are also an important source of fiber and minerals. The young, 18-22 cm long zucchini fruits in particular are becoming increasingly popular due to their great taste.

Growing tips

Zucchini can be grown from direct sowing in the field or from seedlings grown earlier. Growing from seedlings allows for earlier harvesting. Transplant the seedlings to the target location in the second half of May, when the risk of frost has passed. At this time, direct sowing of zucchini seeds is also possible. "Astra Polka" produces fruit from July until the first frosts in the fall. Zucchinis grow very quickly. However, apart from their high water and nutrient requirements, they are quite undemanding. A lack of water or nutrients and other stress factors lead to the increased formation of male flowers, which cannot form fruit. In order to form fruit, the female flowers must be fertilized. The first fruits should be harvested relatively small. In combination with regular harvesting, this will stimulate flower and therefore fruit formation. Cool and wet weather sometimes leads to poor fruit formation, which is due to a lack of pollination under these weather conditions. The plants are also susceptible to mildew under these conditions. In cooler weather, the plants prefer to produce male flowers.

Details

Light requirement

Sunny

Water requirement

Very humid

Soil

Light (sandy)

Nutrient requirement

High

Seeding distance

100 cm

Row spacing

100 cm

Seeding depth

2 cm