The Ornamental Gourd 'Delicata' is a unique annual plant that delights with both its appearance and taste. Its fruits are slender and elongated, with a delicate creamy skin adorned with dark green stripes. The flesh of the Delicata gourd is exceptionally sweet with a subtle nutty hint, making it ideal for baking and cooking. Moreover, the fruits can be eaten with the skin on, enhancing their appeal. Thanks to its versatile culinary uses and decorative qualities, the Delicata gourd is becoming increasingly popular among enthusiasts of ornamental and practical plants. It is worth introducing it to your garden to enjoy both its beauty and flavour.
Sowing
The Delicata gourd thrives best when seeds are placed in well-prepared soil. It is important to ensure the soil has a suitable structure before sowing, which should be fertile and well-draining. Regular watering will provide the seeds with the necessary moisture to promote proper germination.
Sowing Depth
The seeds of the Delicata gourd should be placed at a depth of 2-3 cm. This depth ensures adequate protection from varying weather conditions while allowing easy germination. It is important to note that sowing too shallowly may lead to growth problems.
Direct Sowing Period
When to sow Delicata gourd seeds directly into the ground? The best time for direct sowing is in May. During this period, the soil is adequately warmed, creating ideal conditions for germination and plant growth. However, attention should be paid to local weather conditions to ensure that frost does not damage the delicate seedlings.
Sowing Period Under Cover
When to sow Delicata gourd seeds under cover? The best time for sowing under cover is in April. Early sowing allows for the development of stronger seedlings, which can be transplanted into the ground after the frost has passed. This approach increases the chances of a bountiful harvest.
Planting Time
The best time to plant the Delicata gourd is in May. During this period, the soil is sufficiently warmed, promoting rapid establishment of the plant. Planting at this time also minimizes the risk of frost damage.
Plant Spacing
When planting Delicata gourds, it is advisable to maintain a spacing of 100-150 cm between plants. This distance provides each plant with adequate space for growth and development. As a result, the gourds will have access to sufficient light and nutrients, which translates to healthy growth.
Harvest Period
The Delicata gourd is ready for harvest in September and October. During this period, the fruits reach their full flavour and decorative potential. Regular harvesting prevents the fruits from overripening and ensures the highest quality.
Usage
Thanks to its flavourful qualities, the Delicata gourd has a wide range of culinary uses. It can be baked, cooked, or even grilled. Its sweet flesh pairs well with both meat and vegetarian dishes. Additionally, the decorative fruits are perfect for use in autumn floral arrangements.
Why Buy from Garden Seeds Market
Shopping at Garden Seeds Market guarantees the highest quality seeds. The offered seeds are carefully selected and subjected to rigorous quality testing, ensuring high germination rates. With fast delivery and professional service, shopping becomes a pure delight. Furthermore, numerous positive reviews from satisfied customers confirm the store's reliability. Choosing Garden Seeds Market is an investment in certainty and satisfaction from cultivation.
The package contains 1.5 g of seeds. Information regarding cultivation guidelines and sowing expiry date is provided on the packaging.
GardenSeedsMarket - has been in business for more than a decade and from the very beginning we have made the quality of our products the top priority. Throughout the years we have delivered the best quality goods to tens of thousands of customers from all over the world. Their satisfaction proves that we had chosen the right way.
All seeds we sell are subject to a multi-level quality control checks and only then are carefully packed and dispatched. Our products have been awarded numerous certificates and comply with the highest standards of the European Union. Our employees are experienced gardeners who are more than happy to answer your every question.
Where do our seeds come from?
All of the seeds sold in our shop come from the best producers from across the European Union. Thanks to a long-standing cooperation with them we were able to develop the most adequate storing and dispatch conditions, guaranteeing that you always receive fresh and carefully tested batches of seeds. Exclusion of the middlemen from the whole process not only makes it possible for us to avoid sending out-of-date seeds that might have been lying too long on a warehouse shelf, but also ensures the most attractive price for top quality products.
The quality control process
All our seeds must pass a four-stage quality control process.
Stage one begins with a careful selection of the suppliers. Than we proceed with controlling their crops, foreign producers are not excluded from the quality control process. Plants are checked at every stage of their development: when they start to grow, during blooming and when they start bearing fruit (seeds). At this stage the most important thing is to ensure proper spacing of the plants. Thanks to that obtaining the desired morphological characteristics of each particular species or variety, such as colour, height and shape, can be ensured.
Stage two consists of a detailed verification tests in laboratory conditions. With the use of the highest quality equipment by the highly qualified staff, our suppliers perform more than 30 000 quality checks annually. The seeds that do not meet our requirements are subject to technological refining processes, including drying, cleaning, upgrading and testing again.
Stage three starts with sowing seeds in selected control plots. That way we obtain valuable, exact information concerning their germination that must be maintained at an appropriate level. Simultaneously, the varietal identity of each species is checked at this stage.
Stage four takes place in our warehouses and consists of eliminating seeds that have been stored for too long on our shelves and replacing them with new batches. Each package is stamped with a unique batch number and also with the sow-by-date.
All four stages combined allow us to state with confidence that the seeds we deliver comply with the highest standards and have completed all required control stages with flying colours.
Prizes and awards
The seeds we sell are widely recognized for their quality and have won many awards. Our seeds won numerous gold medals and distinctions for their high quality. The World of Flowers was also honoured for its innovative approach.
Among those awards there were: TOP INNOVATION (June 2015), GOLD MEDAL AT THE POZNAN INTERNATIONAL FAIR (2015), CONSUMER QUALITY LEADER (2014), FARMER OF THE YEAR (2014).
In addition, we have also been awarded the “IDEAL BUSINESS” certificate for two years in a row.
Germination
We are committed to selling only the highest quality seeds. Taking into consideration the efforts we make daily, please also note that plants are living organisms and their germination and growth depends on many factors, such as temperature, soil type, humidity and the frequency with that they are watered, sowing time and conditions, use of fertilizers and plant protection agents (pesticides), as well as weather and climate conditions. We provide help by sharing the accurate and up-to-date sowing and growing information, however, we cannot bear any responsibility for the plants that were not cultivated in conditions appropriate for given species.
