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Planting season for pumpkins


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Knowing when to plant pumpkins is important as they have a long growing season. You need to prepare well ahead for the fall arrival of plump, orange pumpkins, ready to carve for Jack O’Lanterns, or varieties to roast for pies, add to stews and soups and many other culinary uses. 

Pumpkins are a member of the gourd family, Cucurbitacae, and are actually considered a berry. Cucurbita pepo is the type of pumpkin used to make the jack-o-lanterns seen on Halloween, but there are many different sizes, shapes, colors and flavors.

Once you know how to grow pumpkins you can try many different varieties that you won't generally be able to find at the grocery store.

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When to plant pumpkins 

Because they have a long growing season, it is important to plant pumpkins as early as possible as part of your vegetable garden ideas.

'It is best to wait about 2-3 weeks after the last average frost date in your area, or until soil has reliably warmed to 70 °F,' says Shannie McCabe, horticulturist for Baker Creek Seeds based in Mansfield, Missouri.

Since there are a range of frost dates depending on where you live 'it is best to get online and research the average last frost date for your region,' Shannie adds. 

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What is the best month to plant pumpkins?

The best month for planting pumpkins depends on whether you live in a warmer or colder region, and the hardiness zone for that area. 

Check the seed packet for the suggested planting time for your zone. You can also  look for frost dates in your region in the US by zip code on the Old Farmer’s Almanac .

For many regions the best time to plant pumpkins will be between April and June, but it will also depend on the variety and the time it takes for them to mature ready for harvest and there are various ways to know when to pick a pumpkin off the vine.

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When to plant pumpkin seeds outside?

'Pumpkin seeds are ideal for planting directly outside once the danger of frost has passed,' says Matthew Stevens, Agriculture Extension Agent at NC State University Extension-Nash County Center in North Carolina. 

'Pumpkin seeds are large enough and germinate quickly enough that they can be direct seeded into the soil with great success,' Matthew says. 

'Growing pie pumpkins and carving pumpkins is very similar, as each likes the same types of soil and environmental conditions,' he adds. The timing for when to plant pumpkins of both varieties is essentially the same.

When is it too late to plant pumpkins?

When it is too late to plant pumpkins depends on the growing time for that variety, and also where you live. 

'You can most certainly make later succession plantings as long as you do the math comparing the average days to maturity of the variety – listed on the back of the seed packet – and how many frost free days you have left until the average first frost date in your region,' explains Shannie McCabe.

'Add on two additional weeks of buffer to account for the slower growing habit after the summer solstice,' she advises. 'At Baker Creek, we like to plant pumpkins in mid June to avoid the peak of squash bug season, which happens in late May to early June in the Missouri Ozarks.'

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When to plant pumpkins indoors

If you want to give the pumpkin plants a bit of a head start, you could seed them indoors when planning greenhouse crops, 'but they will be ready to be transplanted after just a few weeks,' explains Matthew.

Chris Rusch, member of the Douglas County Master Gardeners program at Oregon State University, advises to start your plants in early April in a greenhouse or cold frame for transplanting out in May. 'Keep only the strongest plants,' he adds.

If you plant pumpkin seeds indoors, it is important to transplant them outside 'before they are three weeks old, as they will become stunted from being even the slightest bit pot bound,' says Shannie McCabe.

How long does it take pumpkins to grow?

It takes pumpkins approximately 75 to 100 days without frost to grow, which is why it is so important to know when to plant pumpkins, so that you get them started early enough to guarantee a fall harvest.

Check the seed packet for that pumpkin variety’s growing time in days. Then count backwards from the time you would like to have pumpkins available. Plant your pumpkin crop before or near that planting date, but after the last frost.

If your pumpkin has a growing season of 100 days, for instance, you will have to plant seeds in mid-July, at the latest, to have pumpkins ready for Halloween.

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Do pumpkins like sun or shade?

'Pumpkins love fertile soil and full sun,' advises Chris Rusch. 

'Before planting, spade the soil about a foot deep, and mix in some homemade compost, manure and well-balanced fertilizer,' he adds.

How much space do pumpkins need?

Pumpkins need lots of space to trail their thick vines. Rows should be at least six feet apart. If you're planning a kitchen garden, planting pumpkins at the outer edge of the garden allows you to train the vines away from other plants. 

Pumpkins can be even be grown in a city garden, provided they have enough space and adequate soil. 

'Pumpkins are vines that spread into rather large plants, meaning you need a good deal of space to grow even one pumpkin plant. Gardeners should plan to provide a bare minimum of six square feet of growing space per plant. Many typical pumpkin varieties can grow vines as much as 10 to 30 feet long, although there are some that are more compact,' explains Matthew Stevens.

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Will pumpkin seeds overwinter in the garden and come up in the spring?

'Anyone with a compost pile knows that pumpkin seeds will survive the winter and regrow in the summer – it is all too common to find a random pumpkin growing out of your compost pile in the spring,' explains Shannie McCabe.

However, pumpkin seeds are quite cold sensitive so it is not guaranteed that they will overwinter. 'Most likely pumpkin seeds survive in a compost pile because of the heat that is generated from the pile. A pumpkin seed sown into a regular garden bed does not have a great chance of surviving a hard winter,' she adds.

'Also consider that a fall sown pumpkin seed may germinate with the first warm days of spring, only to be killed with a late frost.'

How long do pumpkins need to grow? 

Pumpkins needs quite a long time to grow. While some kitchen garden ideas (including radishes and salad leaves) can grow in as little as 25 days, pumpkins need notably longer to mature and can take between 80 and 120 days.

When to plant pumpkins for fall

Thoughts of when to plant pumpkins for fall may seem premature following midsummer – but this process is surprisingly more timely than it initially seems. Despite being synonymous with fall, pumpkins are sensitive to the cold, so it is essential to plant your pumpkins no later than early summer –  for a healthy harvest for Halloween.  

'Late spring to early summer is the best time to plant most pumpkins from seed, but it will depend on two things: the last frost of the season and the variety of pumpkin,' says garden expert and chef Sylvia Fountaine, the CEO and founder of Feasting at Home .  

Is September too late to plant pumpkins?

Yes, sadly, it is too late to plant pumpkins in September. This is because the soil temperature is likely to fall under the ideal growing conditions, and they will not have matured before the end of the fall. 

‘Pumpkin seed usually germinates in warm weather conditions, so you must sow them when the soil temperature is above 65°F(18°C),’ adds Richa Kedia, CEO of Nursery Lady . ‘So, the pumpkin seed needs to be planted before Mid July if you want to harvest that in the fall.’

Can you winter sow pumpkins? 

No, it is not possible to sow winter pumpkins. As the experts suggest, at the latest, you should only plant between mid-May and mid-July. However, if you’re looking for some winter-friendly garden ideas, there are other options to consider. These include grapefruit, Mandarin oranges, and kiwi fruit.  

R.W.Williams is a freelance writer who lives in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Her work has been seen in print and online publications for decades, and she continues to learn and grow every day in the industry. Over the years, she has written about lifestyle, gardening, pets, agriculture, sustainability, retirement, budgeting, celebrities, and more. 

When to Plant Pumpkins For Halloween

The fall season is jam-packed with things to look forward to, from the respite of cooler weather to the resurgence of various spiced Starbucks drinks. Food-wise, if you're interested in gardening, harvesting plants in time for a Halloween celebration or Thanksgiving dinner is another memorable experience you and your family can look forward to.

Having your own little pumpkin garden can be particularly satisfying, especially if you are pumpkin obsessed or just love anything to do with fall time. Plus, this seasonal gourd is just so iconic, it's tempting to take a stab at growing your own! Whether you have children or not, save yourself some drive time and feel free to forgo the annual trip to the pumpkin patch this fall season. Instead, try planting your very own personal supply of pumpkins for eating, carving, and decorating. You're sure to find that growing the food you eat is not only a more rewarding experience but a really fun opportunity, too.

Not sure when is the right time to be planting pumpkins? Before you head out in a mad dash for some last-minute supplies and seeds to plant pumpkins just weeks before Halloween, read ahead for our rundown on all the need-to-know tips for cultivating and planting pumpkins.

— Additional reporting by Melissa Santoyo

When to Plant Pumpkins

When you should plant your pumpkins largely depends on what you plan on using them for. If you want to use your pumpkins for carving and pies, you should plant them in late spring or early summer, after the last frost. If your goal is to grow the biggest pumpkin possible, you should plant your seeds indoors two weeks before the last frost.

Planting Pumpkins: Consider Your Climate

Pumpkins generally need to be planted outside after the last chance of frost has passed. However, pumpkins grow more quickly in warm weather, so if you live in a warmer climate, you can plant pumpkin seeds as late as mid-July. If you live in a cooler climate, the earlier you plant the seeds, the better (i.e., from late May).

Planting Pumpkins: Plant From Seeds When Possible

Although it's possible to transplant your pumpkin seedlings after starting them indoors, the best way to ensure healthy pumpkin plants is to plant them directly into the ground. Pumpkin seedlings can be a bit picky, but if you really have to start them indoors, you can harden them off before planting them in the ground, which should help them adjust better to the change when it comes to planting them.

Planting Pumpkins: Pay Attention to Soil Temperature

Pumpkins are sensitive to the cold and grow faster in warmer conditions, so it's worth your while to make sure they're planted in the warmest soil possible. If you can, wait until the soil is at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and plant the seeds in mounds of soil. Having the soil raised will help the soil get warmer as well as help with drainage and pests.

Planting Pumpkins: Keep Your Pumpkins Well-Fed

Pumpkins need rich soil, full sun, and lots of space to grow. Make sure that in addition to a good-quality soil, you add a mixture of compost and manure to the ground before planting. Feed them regularly by topping up the compost. Pumpkins also do well with regular fertilizing, especially when the plants are about a foot tall and just before they bloom.

Planting Pumpkins: Focus Your Plants

Like with other vine plants, pumpkin plants will continue to put out vines and get longer and longer if you don't cut them back. Cutting them back won't just help keep your plant contained, but it will also help your pumpkin plant focus on producing fruits. Instead of wasting energy growing the vines, it will concentrate its energy on the vines it has left and the pumpkins themselves. You can encourage this even further by removing all but a couple of pumpkin fruits if your goal is size.

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How and when to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground in 2022

Pumpkin is loved by both adults and children, its delicate, amazing taste and beneficial properties can leave few people indifferent. At the same time, the abundance of recipes is striking, according to which it is possible to cook the fruit in an interesting way. Growing a crop in a garden is not particularly difficult, however, in order to get strong and strong plants, and subsequently a good harvest, you need to properly plant pumpkin seeds in open ground.

Please note! The rules for site preparation, site selection also apply to planting seedlings in the garden.

Content

When to plant pumpkin seeds in open ground

Pumpkin and other members of the Cucurbitaceae family (zucchini, cucumbers, melons) are heat-loving crops, so it is very important to choose the most suitable time for sowing in the garden. If the crop is planted too early, very unfavorable phenomena can occur: the seeds may rot in cold soil, or the seeds will germinate for a long time and unfriendly, the seedlings may die in the event of frost.

When is the best time to plant pumpkin seeds outdoors in order to get friendly and strong seedlings? Planting can only be done after the risk of returning frosts has passed in spring . Any decrease in temperature is very dangerous for the culture; at t below -1 ° C, the plants will easily die.

The most important criterion when choosing the timing is the temperature of the soil and air. You can sow pumpkin seeds after soil temperature (first 10 cm) reaches +13-15°C. A stable positive air temperature should also be established: daytime t should be above 15 degrees, but at night the temperature should be consistently above 8 degrees Celsius.

It is difficult to name the exact month and ten days of sowing (spring or early summer) due to the fact that the weather and climatic conditions of different regions are very different. Conventionally, the following dates for planting pumpkins in open ground can be distinguished:

Pumpkin has a long growing season (120-140 days). For this reason, in cold regions (Moscow region, Siberia, Ural, Leningrad region), it is better to first grow pumpkin seedlings, and then plant them in open ground. Pumpkin seedlings should be planted 25-30 days before planting in open ground.

Without seedlings in such regions it is desirable to plant early maturing varieties.

Dates for planting pumpkins in open ground according to the Lunar calendar of 2022

When choosing more accurate planting dates, you can take the cycles of the moon as the main reference. It is believed that with their help you can identify the best and least suitable time. So, we can distinguish the following dates for planting pumpkin seeds in open ground according to the Lunar calendar of 2022:

Popular types and varieties of pumpkin0003
  • Large-fruited - the most cold-resistant species, characterized by large fruits, suitable for long-term storage, but ripens later than the hard-barked variety. Popular varieties of large-fruited species are "Khutoryanka", "Sweet Pie", "Gribovskaya Winter".
  • Hardbark is the earliest maturing, unpretentious, hardy pumpkin, it tolerates temperature changes well. The fruits themselves are small in size, have a hard, woody crust, and are well stored for a long time. Has good taste. Popular varieties: Bush Orange, Golosemyanka, Spaghetti, Altai.
  • Muscat is the most heat-loving type of pumpkin, it has the longest ripening period (i.e. late ripening), in cold regions (Siberia, the Urals, the Moscow region) it has time to ripen only when grown through seedlings. It is believed that they are the most delicious. Varieties of nutmeg pumpkin: "Pearl", "Provencal", "Guitar", "Cello".

Where to plant pumpkins on the plot: choosing the right place But this does not mean that you can plant a crop on any garden bed in your dacha or plot of a private house. A place for planting a pumpkin must be sunny, plants should be well lit during the day. In shady locations, the size of the fruit will be small, and the taste will be worse (they will grow low in sugar).

If you decide to grow climbing pumpkins, then it is best to plant them near the building, fence, gazebo, trellis on the south side, so that later on the building to direct the whips up. In addition to saving space when growing pumpkins vertically, you will also decorate the yard.

Plot must be protected from cold wind and drafts . Also, bed should not be waterlogged (this can happen when the groundwater is high, or when the bed is in a lowland where moisture accumulates).

Tip! It is not recommended to plant other cucurbits next to the squash. In close proximity, cross-pollination can occur, because of this, the shape, color and taste of the fruits may differ from the declared characteristics of the variety.

Then plant a pumpkin: good and bad predecessors

An important point in choosing a bed for planting any vegetable crop is following the rules of crop rotation, that is, crop rotation.

The best predecessors for pumpkin: cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, legumes, onions, garlic, green manure, eggplants, beets, carrots, peppers.

After what you can not plant pumpkins? The worst predecessors of are representatives of the Pumpkin family (melon, zucchini, watermelon, cucumbers, squash, and of course, the pumpkin itself). It can be planted after the listed crops only after 4 years.

How to prepare the garden and soil for planting pumpkins

Pumpkins produce the best crops on fertile, loose, neutral soil . But the culture does not like heavy, dense, clayey or damp soil! Sandy, light and medium loamy soils that meet the above requirements are excellent.

Therefore, the task of the gardener before planting seeds is to prepare a bed in the chosen place, this can be done as follows:

  • Dig the garden bed onto a shovel bayonet.
  • Apply organic fertilizers for digging: compost or humus (5 kilograms per 1 square meter).

  • Mineral fertilizers should also be added for digging. For spring application, the complex fertilizer Nitroammophoska (30 g per 1 sq. m.) is excellent. If you are preparing the beds in the fall, then you can add 1 sq.m. superphosphate (30 g), potassium sulfate (20 g), and in the spring to apply nitrogen fertilizer - ammonium nitrate (15 g).
  • If the soil is acidic, then wood ash or dolomite flour should be added at a rate of 200-300 grams per sq.m.
  • If the soil in your garden plot is clayey, heavy, then it is also necessary to add non-acidic peat and sand for digging (one bucket of each substance per 1 sq.m.).
  • Loosen the soil well with a rake.

Tip! 1-1.5 weeks before sowing, it is recommended to lay a film or agrofiber on the bed, the material will additionally warm the area.

Instead of preparing a large area of ​​the bed, you can prepare individual planting holes. Thus, the preparation procedure will become less laborious. Hole preparation should be done 2-3 weeks before sowing, or at least 7 days in advance:

  • Make a hole 45 centimeters deep. In this case, the distance between the holes should be 60-90 centimeters.
  • Half fill the hole with humus or semi-decomposed manure, mix with crushed weeds. You can also add superphosphate (50 grams) and wood ash (half a glass).
  • Fill the top with a layer of ordinary fertile earth 15-20 cm thick.
  • Water the hole liberally. After plain water, it is useful to pour Fitosporin solution to prevent fungal diseases.

The presence of semi-rotted manure and weeds in the hole will allow you to create a warm bed, heat will be released due to fermentation processes (and the culture is known to be thermophilic).

How to prepare pumpkin seeds for outdoor planting

Carefully inspect pumpkin seeds before sowing. Damaged, moldy, rotten specimens or seeds of a crooked, irregular shape are best discarded. After calibration, it is useful to start preparing pumpkin seeds for planting in open ground, pre-sowing treatment improves germination.

Please note! Dry seeds can also be planted without any treatment, but shoots will appear 5-7 days later.

There are several simple and effective ways to prepare:

  • Hot water soak. To do this, fill the seeds with water at a temperature of 50-55 degrees, leave for 1-2 hours.

  • Warm water soak. Wrap the seeds in gauze or cotton cloth, moisten the material moderately with warm water and leave to soak for 12 hours. By the way, you can soak in a solution of wood ash, for this you need to dilute 2 tbsp. ash in 1 liter of hot water, wait until cool.
  • Decontamination. If you doubt the quality of the seeds (for example, collected them yourself or took them from friends) and suspect that they may contain pathogens, then you can decontaminate them. For example, soak in a solution of Fitosporin biofungicide (according to instructions) or in Chlorhexidine 0. 05% (30 minutes). Then be sure to rinse them in clean water.
  • Germination. Perhaps this method of presowing treatment of pumpkin seeds can be called one of the most effective. It helps to significantly speed up the emergence of seedlings after sowing in open ground, and also allows you to immediately find out which seeds are viable and which are not (they will not germinate, they do not need to be sown). For germination, you need to cover the pumpkin seeds with a cloth or cotton pads on both sides, moisten with water, place in a bag and put in a warm place (temperature about + 24-27 degrees). Then you should check the seeds every day, they should germinate in 2-4 days, immediately after germination, you need to plant them in the garden! Please note that the fabric or discs must not dry out!

  • Germination in sawdust. The method is similar to the above, but in this case you need to pour sawdust into a glass jar or plastic bowl, pour a little boiling water over it and cover with a lid. When the water has cooled, you need to put the seeds in the sawdust, tie the jar or container itself in a bag and put it in a dark place until germination.

Please note! Sow seeds in open ground immediately after pre-sowing treatment.

Scheme of planting pumpkin seeds in open ground

Sowing seeds of this crop is a fairly simple procedure. If you have completed all the above procedures, then the matter remains small. You can plant pumpkin seeds in open ground according to the following scheme:

  • Make planting holes. The depth of the holes is 5 cm, the distance between them is 60-90 cm. The gap depends on the variety, more detailed information should be indicated on the package with seeds.
  • Water generously with warm water, wait until the water is completely absorbed.
  • Sow, according to the size of the holes, the seeds are sown to a depth of 5 cm. Germinated seeds should be sown sprout down.

Tip! If you have done pre-sowing preparation, then it is better to plant 2-3 seeds in one hole. If some specimens do not germinate, you will definitely get seedlings. If 2 or 3 seeds germinate, then you will need to remove them, leaving 1 strongest plant.

  • Backfill holes with earth.
  • Water them moderately.
  • Mulch the area around with humus (however, nothing should lie on the hole itself, so as not to prevent seedlings from growing).
  • Cover the bed with foil or covering material (spunbond, lutrasil). After germination, the material must be removed.

The aftercare of the pumpkin after planting in open ground consists in weeding, loosening the soil, watering, fertilizing, pinching lashes, protection from pests and diseases. When the pumpkins are formed, you need to put cardboard under them to protect them from the ground.

favorable days according to the lunar calendar

Favorable days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse

In the south and the middle lane, pumpkins have time to ripen, even if seeds are sown immediately in the garden on May 20-25 (1). But if the summer is short, and even cool, they may not have enough heat - the seedling method is better there.

Pumpkin seedlings can be planted at 20 days old, so it is easy to calculate when to sow the seeds.

Pumpkin loves warmth, does not tolerate frost, so it is more reliable to plant seedlings in the middle lane after June 5th. So, you need to sow around May 15th.

If you are ready to cover young plants for the first time, then pumpkins can be planted in the garden after May 10th. And seeds for seedlings should be sown on April 20.

Auspicious days for planting seedlings at home or in a greenhouse: April 21-22.

Auspicious days for planting seedlings in open ground

If you decide to plant a pumpkin in the beds early, after May 10, you will need to cover it with non-woven fabric. If there is no desire to mess with shelter, then the landing date should be postponed to the beginning of June, when the threat of sub-zero temperatures has passed. In the middle lane, this is about the 5th number.

The area where the pumpkin will grow should be as lighted as possible from morning to evening - it is very photophilous. And the soil must be fertile. If the soil is poor, clay or peat, pour half a bucket of humus into the hole during planting - it will be enough for the pumpkin for the whole summer. In addition, organic matter will make the soil loose, just like a pumpkin loves.

The best predecessors are potatoes, legumes (peas, beans), root crops and onions. And after related plants (zucchini and squash, watermelons and melons, cucumbers), pumpkin cannot be planted - they have common diseases.

Harden off seedlings a week before planting. This is easy to do - you need to take it out to fresh air. For example, on the balcony. The first couple of days - for 2 - 3 hours. Then you can send "walking" for the whole day. The main thing is that she does not stand in the scorching sun - there should be a light shadow.

Photo: globallookpress.com

Seedlings should be planted in the beds carefully so that the clod of earth does not collapse - if the roots are exposed, the plants will be sick for a long time, and may even die. After planting, the pumpkin must be watered - about 0.5 liters of water per hole.

If the weather is hot outside, the first few days the planted seedlings should be shaded from the sun at noon, when it is the hottest.

Favorable days for planting seedlings in open ground: May 1-15, May 31, June 1-12.

How to determine the timing of planting in your region

It is important that the pumpkin is not killed by frost, so you need to focus on the weather.

In the south, seedlings can be sent to the garden at the end of May. In the middle lane - in early June, and with shelter - after the May holidays. And in the greenhouse it can be planted in early May.

Tips for caring for pumpkin seedlings

Pumpkin seedlings hate transplanting - if the roots break, they get sick for a long time, and may even die. Because it has huge leaves that evaporate a lot of moisture. And damaged roots simply will not be able to provide plants with water. Therefore, it is better to sow the seeds immediately in separate cups - plastic ones with a volume of 0.5 liters are suitable - to a depth of 3 - 4 cm (2). The cups are placed in a warm place with a temperature of 25 - 30 ° C - in such conditions, the seeds germinate on days 5 - 6 (3). After the shoots appear, it is better to transfer the seedlings to a cooler place, where it will be 15 - 17 ° C during the day, and 11 - 14 ° C at night. And, of course, the place for seedlings should be very bright. In such conditions, she will grow strong and stocky.

Seedlings should be watered very carefully and rarely, so that the soil dries out completely between waterings. Pumpkin does not tolerate excess moisture! And be careful not to get water on the leaves - they can rot or get sunburned.

Seedlings do not need to be fertilized - before planting in the garden, they will have enough nutrients that are in the soil.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing pumpkins with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

How to choose a pumpkin variety?

There are 3 types of pumpkins that differ in taste, size and shelf life. The largest fruits grow in large-fruited pumpkins, and they are stored the longest - up to 175 days. The sweetest are nutmeg pumpkins, but they are stored a little less - up to 140 days. The most unpretentious are hard-skinned pumpkins, but they are stored less than others - about 100 days.

Can I sow my own pumpkin seeds?

Pumpkins cross-pollinate very easily, not only with all types of pumpkins, but also with marrows and squash. In order for the variety to retain its characteristics, it is important that there are no other varieties and related crops next to it within a radius of 800 m.

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