Many gardeners do not have heated greenhouses and greenhouses, so they are forced to use window sills, loggias and other unsuitable places to obtain seedlings. We asked Svetlana SHIRYAEV, an agronomist at the Research Institute of Protected Soil Vegetable Growing, to tell us how cucumber seedlings can be grown in such conditions.
You can start growing cucumber seedlings if the windows face the south, or at least the south-east or south-west. High and long-lasting illumination is the basis for obtaining high-quality planting material. But if your windows face north, then it is better to abandon such an idea, or you will have to provide good lighting.
BY SEED AND FRUIT
Once the grower has chosen the desired variety or hybrid, his attention should focus on the seeds. Popular wisdom says: “from the seed comes the fruit.” Remember that the size of the harvest and the timing of its arrival on the table depend on the quality of the seeds, so choose only the best. Before sowing, the seeds must be sorted, selecting large, full-bodied, undamaged ones, and discarding puny, broken and ugly ones.
In general, cucumber seeds remain viable for 5-6 years; 3-4 year olds are most productive. Next, you need to determine the required number of seeds. It depends on the planting density: in a greenhouse for bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids there are 2.5-3.5 plants per 1 square meter. meter, for parthenocarpics – 2.5-3.0, in open ground– 3-4. For insurance, it is advisable to sow 10-15% more seeds.
NEW CUCUMBER
F 1– valued for the duration and stability of fruiting.Ideal for gherkins and pickles! Cold-resistant, parthenocarpic hybrid with complex disease resistance. Up to eight cylindrical white-thorned fruits weighing 100 g in one node! Genetic absence of bitterness.
Lilliput F 1 - the smallest cucumberwith a bouquet of 10 fruits in each node! The fruits are dark green, often tuberculate. The hybrid has complex disease resistance. Its peculiarity: to obtain pickles and gherkins, harvesting should be done daily.
Mumu F 1 – the easiest to grow, minimum shaping, unique pickling qualities! There are 4-6 black-thorned greenies in one node. The fruits have unique pickling qualities: crispy, aromatic, tasty, and do not lose their properties when canned. The hybrid is resistant to powdery mildew, olive spot, relatively resistant to downy mildew and root rot. Productivity – 6-7 kg per plant.
Berendey F 1 – completely universal! Early ripening, 3-4 fruits per node, dense crispy aromatic pulp, dark green color of the fruits. The fruits are used universally (salting, pickling, preparing fresh salads). It has unique shade tolerance and is perfect for growing on a windowsill, balcony, or loggia. From one plant you can get a bucket (about 8 kg!) of magnificent crispy cucumbers .
red mullet F 1 – friendly harvest yield, universal use! Early ripening parthenocarpic hybrid predominantly female type flowering. The uniform yield of the harvest produces up to 8-10 fruits at the nodes on the main shoot. The fruits are used universally (fresh, for pickling, pickling). The yield of one plant is 6.0-7.0 kg.
WHEN TO SOW
To obtain early production, you cannot do without seedlings. It is very important to correctly calculate the time for sowing seeds. The time for sowing cucumber seedlings should be counted from the date of its intended planting in open ground or in a greenhouse. Late sowing leads to a delay in development and the forced use of undergrown plants, while too early sowing leads to elongated ones.
The optimal age of cucumber seedlings is 20-25 days from germination. Usually in the Yaroslavl region it is planted in open ground when the threat of frost has passed, that is, in early June. Therefore, cucumber seeds should be sown for seedlings no earlier than the beginning of May.
But if you plan to grow this crop in a film greenhouse or in a greenhouse under non-woven material, then the planting dates are shifted to mid-May. This means that sowing should begin in the second or third decade of April.
HOW TO SOW
Cucumbers do not tolerate transplantation well, so prepared seeds, preferably germinated, are sown directly into glasses filled with peat humus - plastic, made of thick film without a bottom with a diameter of 8-10 cm and the same height, but 6-7 cm is possible. The nutrient mixture is poured into pots 1 cm below the edge. You can buy it at the store or make it yourself.
Mixtures of the following compositions are used (components are given in parts):
- lowland peat – 5-7, humus – 3;
- humus – 1, turf or garden soil – 2;
- peat – 5, humus – 1, sawdust – 1;
- humus – 4, turf soil – 2, sawdust – 1;
- peat – 6, turf or garden soil – 1, humus – 1, mullein – 1;
- low-lying peat – 3, turf soil – 2, rotted compost from household waste, plant residues and waste – 4, sawdust or coarse sand – 1.
Then the mixture is poured with warm water, a dimple of 1.5-2.0 cm is made in the center of the glass and two sprouted or dry seeds are placed in it and covered with earth. After sowing, the pots are watered again, but carefully so as not to wash the seeds. Cover with film and maintain the temperature at 25-28°C; when shoots appear, remove the cover and reduce the temperature to 18-20°C. Further, the temperature regime is as follows: in sunny weather during the day up to 22-25°C, on cloudy days and at night up to 20-22°C.
During the growing of seedlings, add soil or a nutrient mixture under the plants once or twice. The first feeding is carried out during the formation of the second true leaf (5-10 g of ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water). To increase the cold resistance of seedlings, a second feeding should be done before planting (15-30 g of potassium sulfate and 40-60 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water). 5-7 days before planting, the plants begin to harden by taking them out into the open air (for example, a balcony) or ventilating the room.
The seedlings must be leveled, which will ensure uniform growth and development of plants after planting and make it easier to care for the crop. Weak, ugly plants, specimens with a weak root system are discarded. Standard seedlings should be squat, with short internodes, 25-30 cm high, with 5-6 true dark green leaves and a well-developed root system. It is recommended to plant cucumber seedlings vertically, which can only be done with standard seedlings. Planting is carried out carefully, since seedlings are very sensitive to damage.
Do you think it is possible to grow early cucumbers in a greenhouse without additional heating? So that in May you can eat your own cucumbers, and at the same time zucchini? Perhaps many will answer that this is very doubtful, especially in our region. I also used to think that it is necessary to plant cucumber seedlings in an unheated greenhouse no earlier than mid-May, because pumpkins cannot tolerate low temperatures and greatly slow down their development already at +15⁰С.
But last year my opinion on this matter changed! My baby daughter was growing up, it was necessary to introduce complementary foods to her, and zucchini (the best food for first complementary feeding) from the supermarket, although it looked appetizing, did not inspire confidence. Who knows what chemical they were filled with? We also really wanted fresh, crispy cucumbers, especially for our eldest daughter, who accompanied every trip to the store with a song: “Mom, why do they sell cucumbers in the store, but they don’t grow in yours yet?” Really, why?
And I decided on another garden experiment, the goal of which was to get early cucumbers and zucchini in an unheated greenhouse by May. I’ll say right away that my experiment was a success: we triumphantly ate the first cucumber on May 9, and a week later the first zucchini arrived! And although I planted only 5 cucumber plants and 6 zucchini plants this way (exactly in one 5-meter narrow bed), this was quite enough to feed my family, treat my neighbors, and even sell something!
Moreover, in the fall, when the zucchini in the open ground had already withered away, the greenhouse experimental bed continued to bear fruit! And if I had covered it during the first frost, I could have enjoyed the harvest for a long time! But, to be honest, I no longer had the desire or strength to tinker with it! Everything has its time!
This year I definitely want to consolidate my positive experience; I have already sowed cucumbers and zucchini seedlings! And you, dear readers, I invite you to join me, especially since it’s not too late to do so!
In the meantime, I’ll describe in detail how I grew early cucumbers and zucchini in an unheated greenhouse last year.
We grow seedlings of cucumbers and zucchini
For growing in an unheated greenhouse, it is better to select varieties and hybrids that are resistant to temperature fluctuations. Last year I had cucumbers Othello F1 and Erica F1 and bush zucchini Beloplodny, Anchor and Roller. I planted the seeds for seedlings in mid-March, after soaking them in a damp cloth for a couple of days.
This year I will try to grow cucumbers Othello F1, Kurazh F1, Khutorok F1, as well as the frost-resistant variety Kholod-25 selected by Pavel Saraev. From zucchini - varieties Belukha and Yakor. Before planting these seeds as seedlings, I solved them: for 5 days I placed the seeds in a damp cloth in the refrigerator overnight and took them out in the morning. On March 22, I planted them for seedlings, each seed in a separate pot. On March 25 I already admired the first shoots!
Preparing a warm bed for cucumbers and zucchini in the greenhouse
This year's bed is in progress: we put manure on a layer of hay As soon as the snow melts, you can begin making a warm bed in the greenhouse. Last year it was early April, this year the snow melted early, and my hardworking husband made the bed at the end of March.
So, from the selected bed we carefully remove the soil about 2 shovels deep. In our greenhouse, the beds are initially raised, so 2 bayonets are just below the soil level. If your beds are made at ground level, then you need to dig a trench 1 bayonet deep.
We line the bottom of the trench with last year's dry grass, or straw - it will cut off the cold coming from the ground to the roots.
A narrow warm bed from last year after completion. Now we have to wait 2 weeks. Then we add fresh manure, which will warm our bed. For 5 meters of a narrow bed, one large wheelbarrow is enough for us. cow dung. If there is no manure, you can use food scraps from the kitchen and, for those who are not squeamish, the contents of a composting toilet, but they heat less.
Then we return the soil to its place and water the bed well with Baikal EM-1 solution (1:100). For 5 meters of a narrow bed we need 36 liters of solution (3 large watering cans). After this, the bed should stand for at least 2 weeks. You can cover it on top with black film. Last year my garden bed was uncovered.
Planting seedlings
On the day of planting seedlings (mid-April), you need to thoroughly water the bed again with warm water, then cover it with black perforated film or black lutrasil (spunbond).
We cover our bed with double black mulching GRI film produced by Polymer-DV. GRI film is the development of Khabarovsk scientists. During its manufacture, a component with 8Hz vibration is added, which normalizes biological processes. GRI - generation of rational radiation, suppresses the development of pathogenic microorganisms in the soil, causes acceleration of plant growth, an increase in their weight and yield, and increases the shelf life of products.
After the black film has been secured to the bed, we make cross-shaped cuts on the film. We make holes under them with our hands, pour another 1 liter of warm water into them and plant the seedlings.
Then we install arcs over the seedlings and cover them with spunbond. Last year I used white and red spunbond from Agrotex with a density of 60 g/m2. He looks rather pink color, and the light that reaches plants through it is spectrally similar to the light from . Pink light is very beneficial for plants; it has a beneficial effect on root formation and the process of photosynthesis.
If you don’t have red and white spunbond, you can use just white. In any case, it serves as good protection against low temperatures, especially when used in 2 folds.
We also place 2-liter dark kvass bottles filled with water between the plants; they additionally accumulate heat. This year, instead of bottles, I came up with the idea of making a “gut” from a small thick black film along the length of the bed, filling it with water and laying it on both sides of the plants. Let's see what happens!
Further care of plantings
Last year all further care it boiled down to the fact that every morning I threw back the spunbond, it still seemed to me that the plants were hot, and in the evening I returned it to the arches. On cloudy days I did not remove the spunbond. From May 20, the shelter was completely removed, and a net was hung over the cucumbers, along which the grown lashes were spread.
Male squash flower: one stamen with pollen visible From the moment the plants bloomed, I hand-pollinated the zucchini in the mornings, since insects were not very good. Hybrid cucumbers managed on their own, but this year I planned to plant varietal cucumbers, and I will also pollinate them myself.
Female squash flower: the twisted stigma of the pistil is visible The pollination process is not complicated: you pick the male flower, carefully tear off the petals (you don’t have to tear off the petals on cucumbers) so that only one stamen with pollen remains, and touch it to the pistil female flower, leaving pollen on it. One stamen can treat 2-3 female flowers.
Sometimes I watered the plantings, doing it directly on the film. But it would be more correct, of course, to organize drip irrigation I hope my husband will install it for me this year.
That's it!
By mid-June, the zucchini had grown greatly and partially blocked the passages between the beds, and in July I no longer even tried to use these passages! 
After my experiment last year, I realized that growing early cucumbers and zucchini in an unheated greenhouse is not so difficult! Try it too! 
Instructions
In order for the seeds to sprout faster, they must first be soaked. This can be done at the end of March or beginning of April. To do this, soak gauze or a piece of cloth in warm water, squeeze it lightly, and then wrap the seeds in it overnight. In the morning they will be ready to plant. You can wait until the seeds sprout; to do this, you will need to wet the fabric several more times as it dries. In this case, the seeds require special care in handling.
Pour pre-prepared soil into the box, on which place the seeds at a distance of several centimeters from each other, so that later the seedlings are not crowded. You can immediately plant one seed at a time in a small peat pot and, in this form, subsequently plant the seedlings in the ground. Cover the seeds with soil, but not too much, otherwise it will be difficult for the sprouts to emerge. Water the soil with water and place it in a warm and bright place.
When the sprouts grow and the last frosts pass, plant them in the ground. Plant the sprouts in a greenhouse, as under normal conditions they will not be warm enough to grow and bear fruit faster. You can plant cucumber seeds immediately in the greenhouse, at the end of April or beginning of May, but then their growth will take longer than in the case of planting seedlings.
Water as the soil dries. When the cucumbers grow and have several large leaves, tie them to a trellis or separate threads. If the bushes are not tied down, they may break under their own weight. Periodically feed cucumbers with minerals and organic fertilizers, then already in early June you can taste the first fruits.
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Please note
How to grow early cucumbers in open ground. On a flat area you can artificially achieve similar favorable conditions for growing early cucumbers in open ground. To do this, cut a high ridge in the area where the cucumber bed used to be, and make a gentle slope on the south side.
Growing tomatoes and cucumbers. Secrets of growing cucumbers. How to increase the yield of cucumbers. 1. It is necessary to loosen the top layer of soil after each watering or rain. Loosening begins as soon as the soil above dries. Seedlings grown with additional lighting at the age of 4-5 true leaves can be planted on the windowsill from January 1, preferably on windows of southern and south-eastern orientation. Without the use of electrical supplementary lighting, sow cucumbers at the latitude of Moscow no earlier than February 20-25.
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An excellent harvest of cucumbers can be obtained not only in a greenhouse; the plants grow and bear fruit quite well even in open ground. To do this, you need to take into account several simple rules when growing crops.
Preparing a cucumber bed
To grow an excellent harvest of cucumbers in open ground, you need to take care of a place for planting them in advance, in the fall. Choose a sunny location, protected from winds. The best precursors for this crop are legumes (beans, peas or beans), tomatoes, potatoes, and cabbage.
Prepare the garden bed. Dig up the soil, carefully picking out the roots of the weeds. Add sawdust, peat, compost, humus and manure to the soil. Leave it like this until spring.
When the snow melts, cover the bed with black film. This will help the soil warm up much faster. In addition, weeds will sprout, which can be easily removed before planting cucumbers in open ground.
Preparation of planting material
To get an early harvest, you should grow seedlings. Soak the plant seeds for 2-3 days. After they hatch, plant them in peat pots filled with compost-based soil, or in ones that need to be pre-soaked. Cucumbers do not tolerate transplantation very well, and seedlings grown in these containers can be planted in the ground directly in cups.
Caring for cucumber seedlings involves timely watering and loosening the soil. After 2-3 true leaves appear, they can be planted in open ground.
When planting cucumbers outdoors, sort the quality ones from the “empty” ones. To do this, perform a simple test. Pour into a glass of water at room temperature planting material. Healthy seeds will sink to the bottom, and bad seeds will float to the surface. Collect them from the surface of the water and throw them away, and dry the seeds that have sunk to the bottom and put them in a linen bag.
2-3 days before planting, treat the planting material in a solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect them from possible diseases. Keep them in the pink solution for 2-3 hours, then rinse thoroughly under running water and place on a saucer with a damp cotton cloth to sprout.
Features of planting and caring for cucumbers in open ground
When positive daytime temperature(after approximately May 10), plant cucumbers. Dig up the bed and make holes in it at a distance of 50 cm from each other. Water them thoroughly and allow the water to soak into the soil. Plant 2-3 seeds or one seedling in each hole. Water the plantings again with warm water.
In May and early June there is a possibility of frost, and night temperatures are still low, so it is best to protect cucumber plantings in open ground. Place the arcs and stretch the film. This design will protect the cucumbers from unfavorable weather.
Before the first tendrils appear, thin out the seedlings. Cut off excess cucumber bushes at the root. Loosen and water the surface of the bed.
When the first tendrils appear, it is necessary to tie up the cucumber lashes. Place pegs along the edges of the bed and attach a crossbar to them. Stretch thin ropes to it, tie them to small pegs and stick them into the ground near each bush.
In order for the fruiting of cucumbers in open ground to be more abundant, it is necessary to carry out the “blinding” procedure. Pinch off the first flower of each bush. Subsequent ovaries will be much more powerful and abundant.
Caring for cucumbers in open ground means abundant daily watering in dry weather. Since this crop has a large green mass, it requires large number water.
When the first ovaries appear, carry out the first fertilizing with slurry, apply fertilizer approximately 3 times per season every 3 weeks. Foliar fertilizing with vermicompost has a very effective effect on plant development and fruiting. It must be diluted according to the instructions and sprayed on cucumbers in cool, cloudy weather.
Related article
Recently, greenhouses made of cellular polycarbonate have become quite popular. However, they have a minus - a high price. You can grow cucumbers without expensive structures, using a regular film greenhouse with bioheating.
Make a bed for cucumbers 1 - 1.1 meters wide, level the soil with a rake, and let the soil dry a little (about half an hour). Along its entire length, in the center, they dig a groove as wide and as deep as the bayonet of a shovel, placing the soil on the sides of the bed. Freshly cut grass is laid at half the depth of the trench, a small layer of straw (maybe hay) is placed on top of it and compacted tightly. Another similar “sandwich” of straw is placed on top and compacted as well. Even better is to lay down three layers of grass and straw.
Cover the compacted grass and straw with soil so that there is a 7-9 cm layer of soil above the trench. It is advisable to pour 4-5 large handfuls of soft peat over this layer onto a 10-meter bed and mix with the soil.
Make a furrow in the center of the bed over compacted grass, water it with warm or hot water and place dry cucumber seeds every 3-5 cm. There is no need to germinate them. The seeds are covered with good soil in a layer of 2-3 cm and watered with warm water from a watering can.
Grass and straw rot and release heat to the roots. This results in bioheating. The best temperature for them is 27-29 degrees. Immediately place the arcs and cover with film. Every day for 4-5 days, water the bed twice a day: in the evening and during the day, so that the seeds do not dry out. On the third or fourth day, the cucumbers sprout together. Approximately 7 days after germination, they are thinned out, leaving the plants at a distance of 10-12 cm.
When the cucumbers grow up, cover them with soil taken from the side bed. After unfolding 5-7 true leaves (not counting the first cotyledons), the tops are pinched. This causes accelerated development of the lateral branches, on which female flowers mainly develop.
Also, to increase the yield, it is necessary to cover the beds with cucumbers with film during rains - they are often acidic. Only the furrow with cucumbers should be watered. This saves water and worsens the conditions for weed development, since the sides of the bed are not watered. You should not forget to remove the film from the arcs for pollination on a warm day, and cover the bed with film again at night.
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Tip 4: Greenhouse for cucumbers: how to properly grow delicious fruits
Cucumbers are a very heat-loving crop; if the temperature is below 25°C, then they produce a poor harvest. Thanks to this feature, in most of Russia they are grown in special greenhouses. With their help, you can maintain a comfortable temperature and microclimate necessary for the plant.
How to build a greenhouse
To get a great harvest, you need to work hard. Cucumbers love fertile and warm soil, so an ordinary garden bed is not suitable for growing them. In the fall, make a wooden box and start preparing the bed. Place branches, sawdust and bark at the bottom of the container; they will serve as drainage. Place plant debris on top of them: mowed grass, tops, leaves, and so on. During the autumn-winter period, this mass will begin to rot and turn into compost.
Only plant residues are not enough for the cucumbers to receive heat from below; place fresh manure on the prepared pillow. It will rot, releasing heat. In such a bed, cucumbers will grow very comfortably; they will receive a sufficient amount of nutrients. Place a layer of fertile soil on top and make holes.
Now you can move on to constructing the greenhouse. There are several forms, but the most common (due to ease of installation and operation) is a semicircular greenhouse. On the sides wooden box stick pieces of metal rods into the ground at a distance of about 1 m from each other. Put special arches on them. To prevent them from sagging, make a support from boards and attach arcs to it using wire.
Cover the greenhouse with film and leave for several days. This is necessary so that the ground warms up and the weeds germinate. Water them and start planting cucumbers in mid-May.
How to grow delicious cucumbers
Before planting, make holes and water them with warm water. Plant 2-3 sprouted seeds in each. You can also plant cucumbers through seedlings. It needs to be planted in cups in mid-April and when planting, seedlings with two or three true leaves should be transferred into prepared holes.
For cucumbers to be truly tasty, they should be watered generously. Do this daily in the morning or evening, and in the hottest time - 2 times a day. The water should be warm and settled. Due to untimely watering and lack of moisture, greens can become bitter.
Fertilize throughout the growing season. Once a week - root and once a month - foliar. So-called “green” fertilizers are very effective. Chop the nettles and place them in the tank. Fill with water and let ferment. Once no foam is released, the fertilizer is ready. Dilute it in a ratio of 1:10 and water the cucumbers under the bush.
Gardeners are interested in getting an early harvest of vegetables on their plots. Cucumber is one of the crops that is responsive to various methods of growing early produce.
Growing cucumber seedlings
The seedling method of growing early cucumbers has proven itself well. The final result depends on the quality of the seedlings, so it is important to get strong, healthy seedlings. The key to good seedlings is compliance with light and temperature conditions.
It is convenient to grow seedlings in cups, or even better - in cups, this will allow the seedlings to be planted in a permanent place without damaging the roots. Advantages of growing in tablets:
No need to dive, just pinch off the extra sprouts;
Seedlings do not need feeding;
The root system is not damaged.
Sowing is carried out with prepared seeds in soaked peat tablets or boxes filled with sawdust, followed by picking seedlings at 2-3 days of age into 10x10 cm plastic cups filled with soil. Soil for cucumbers is prepared from garden soil, humus and sawdust in a ratio of 1:1:2. During seed germination, the temperature is maintained at 25-30°C; with the emergence of seedlings, it is lowered to 18°C.
15-20-day-old seedlings are planted under a film cover on manure beds or in temporary unheated greenhouses. Approximate planting dates are May 18-20. After planting the seedlings, the greenhouses and beds are regularly ventilated, the film is opened (according to the weather) at 8-9 a.m. and closed at night at 7-8 p.m. Cucumbers are kept under the film until the threat of frost has passed.
Varieties of early cucumbers
To get an early harvest, it is important to choose the right varieties. Domestic hybrids performed well:
Chop F – mid-early, cold-resistant, large-tubercular, disease-resistant, with high pickling qualities;
Nightingale F – early, bee-pollinated, for open ground, with excellent taste qualities, without bitterness;
Moscow Evenings F - high-yielding, up to 7-10 kg per plant, bears fruit even in cool weather.
Along with hybrids, the following varieties are popular: Altai Early 166, it was bred in 1958 and still remains one of the favorite varieties among summer residents; Muromsky 36 is one of the earliest varieties; Zozulya - the first cucumbers appear 48 days after germination; Abundant fruiting begins after 40 days, the fruits are large-tubercular, without bitterness. Of course, this is a small fraction of early varieties. Breeders annually produce new interesting varieties and hybrids.
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Tip 6: How to grow cucumbers in middle lane without a greenhouse or greenhouse
Early aromatic cucumbers that grow not under the film, but under open air, very easy to grow!
In spring, night frosts can continue until the end of April and beginning of May. Therefore, growing heat-loving crops, even in a polycarbonate greenhouse, is not always possible. These plants include cucumbers. But there is a way that allows you to plant this crop in your greenhouse at the end of April.
To do this, you need to start preparing in the autumn after harvesting. Two trenches up to 50 cm deep are dug in the greenhouse on different sides. In the future, these will be warm beds, allowing you to speed up the time for harvesting cucumbers. Also, in the fall, hay or straw is prepared for them. The soil from the trenches is stored inside the greenhouse.
In early spring, a small layer of cardboard is placed on the bottom of future beds. It will protect the garden bed from frozen ground. For this you can use ordinary cardboard boxes. Then fresh manure, hay, straw, and household waste are poured into the trenches. This mixture is poured with hot water and covered with film. This will allow the fermentation process to begin. After a couple of weeks, thawed soil is poured on top with a layer of 15-20 cm. This thickness of soil will allow oxygen to penetrate inside and support the fermentation process. This will generate the heat necessary for future cucumbers.
The most difficult thing in the process of growing cucumbers is waiting for the first harvest. And in this matter, special technologies for obtaining fruits in the shortest possible time come to the rescue. How to grow early cucumbers, features of early sowing and technology for proper cultivation - our article is devoted to all this issue.
So, how to get an early harvest of cucumbers? You can use one of two options - sowing seeds for cucumber seedlings or using a greenhouse.
Growing cucumber seedlings at home
This method, although very common, is not very effective. The initial sowing of cucumbers at home makes the plants vulnerable for negative external factors, as they get used to comfortable temperatures and lighting. Finding itself after this in real conditions different from those to which the cucumber seedlings have already managed to adapt, it can either freeze even in the presence of temperatures quite acceptable for development, or, on the contrary, it may not be ready for the bright, scorching rays of the sun. You can plant a certain number of bushes in this way, but you should not count on seedlings to the full extent.
Sowing in a greenhouse
Early planting of cucumbers in a greenhouse allows you to obtain plants adapted to sunlight and other climates. However, in this case we will encounter difficulties of a different type. The point is to achieve the required level of productivity at the desired time, you need to plant early cucumbers no later than second half of April. Very often, if not always, the soil is cold at this time, and in some places it is not thawed. Placing plants in such conditions means knowingly dooming them to death.
Early cucumbers in an unheated greenhouse can only grow if both the room and the seeds are prepared for this in advance. The choice of variety should also be given special attention.
What you should pay special attention to when sowing cucumbers early
We list several procedures that must be followed.
Increased cold resistance
Early planting of any variety of cucumbers requires preliminary seed preparation. The seeds need to be hardened. This happens as follows. They are placed unsprouted in the refrigerator for 2 days, first wrapped in a damp cloth; the humidity should be checked regularly. The danger lies in the fact that under no circumstances should cucumber seeds subjected to such a procedure be allowed to germinate, nor should the temperature in the refrigerator be allowed to drop below 0C. In both cases you will lose seeds. If all conditions are met, such hardening will bring a very noticeable effect in the future.
One more effective means The preliminary preparation of cucumber seeds is to soak them in a growth stimulant (for example, Krezacin or Epin), the same drug can later be used for regular spraying.
So that cucumber seedlings are not afraid of cold weather, it is necessary to plant them on warm beds. The video below shows how to do it correctly. We only note that the special design of such beds allows you to warm up root system using heat generated as a result of decay of the organic component. For this reason, possible changes in temperature in the atmosphere will have a less detrimental effect on the condition of the seedlings.
Greenhouse preparation
Growing early cucumbers also requires early preparation, which should ideally be carried out in autumn. First of all, you need to remove all the soil. If the plants were not sick last season, it is allowed to get rid of only the upper part. The gaps between the piles formed by the earth are filled with organic matter - grass, tops, straw; it is better if the raw materials are varied.
It is the leaves that have the greatest heat transfer, so it is recommended to fill 2/3 of the free spaces with this particular raw material. But, since the leaves are prone to oxidation, it is recommended to add a little lime to them before use.
As soon as March comes, the entire surface must be covered with a layer of snow 15-20 cm thick. When it melts with the first rays of spring, the soil will be sufficiently saturated with moisture. A couple of weeks after this, you can cover the ground with a film folded in half, thanks to which the soil will simultaneously thaw and moisten.
When the organic matter mixed with peat residues is completely defrosted, you can begin to fertilize with manure. The manure is sprinkled with sawdust, and this entire mass, along with organic residues, is carefully mixed using a fork. After this, the organic matter is doused with very hot water and covered with fresh soil prepared six months ago. The soil with the remains of frozen soil is covered with film for a week (the cover can be removed earlier if you feel that the soil is ready).
A few days before planting in the greenhouse, cucumber seeds should be planted in pots or cassettes.
In this case, the surface of the greenhouse prepared for planting must be covered with film. The edges of the film are embedded in the soil, which allows for optimal heating of the soil. In the locations of future plantings, holes are cut, the edges of which are covered with soil.
In addition to the above activities, you need install arcs, which will serve as a frame for additional shelter for early cucumbers in the greenhouse. The shelter is formed from thick material; the layer between the surface of the greenhouse and the covering of the additional greenhouse creates the effect of a thermos, significantly increasing the temperature of the surrounding air of our seedlings.
After these steps, you can plant early cucumbers in the greenhouse. The arcs are removed no earlier than mid-to-late June, and the film structures covering the soil are removed with the onset of the first hot days. This must be done very carefully, having first cut the film in several places.
Mulching
This is a mandatory procedure that should not be neglected. Cucumbers love slightly acidic or neutral soils with high level air permeability, compaction of surfaces is detrimental to them. However, loosen the beds even after protective film removed can be very problematic due to the close location of the roots to the surface. Many people advise abandoning these procedures altogether in order to avoid possible damage to cucumber plants. Instead, mulch the surface with a 3-5 cm layer of humus, and add leaves collected in the fall on top.
Recently, the method of growing cucumbers has become widespread. under agrofibre. This technique eliminates the need to weed seedlings and almost completely prevents the formation of fungal diseases. In addition, the harvest of cucumbers in greenhouses using this material can be obtained 2 weeks earlier.
Fertilizers
For sowing early type cucumbers, as a rule, choose hybrids. A feature of growing such varieties is the need for feeding. Cucumbers should be fed regularly, so you can go one of two ways:
- frequent fractional soil fertilization;
- introduction of “long-lasting” fertilizing options.
Fractional soil fertilization is carried out once a week using complex preparations. Additionally, in cloudy times and at low air temperatures, it is necessary to add urea and potassium sulfate.
Some use slurry as an alternative; this is allowed, but with great caution, since the slightest excess in such watering can provoke root rot of cucumbers.
Formation of bushes
It is necessary to remove side shoots and ovaries from the first 4 leaves, this contributes to the formation of high-quality vegetative mass, which is the key to a good harvest. Subsequently, each side lash is pinched over the 2nd or 3rd leaf. Fruit ovaries will subsequently form on both the main stem and the lateral ones.
As the shoots grow, it becomes necessary to tie them up. Gartering cucumbers is needed, first of all, so that the top of the bush receives maximum lighting. If this fact is neglected, then the plant pollen will be sterile, and therefore big harvest such bushes will not yield.
Removing dried and yellowed cucumber leaves is another necessary procedure. If the process of formation of ovaries in the cane is completed, there is no need to preserve it. Moreover, the absorption of nutrients entering through the root system by the essentially useless part of the plant prevents the full development of those shoots that bear fruit.
Prevention of cucumber diseases
During the entire growing season, cucumbers can encounter many diseases, which are much easier to prevent than to treat. To prevent root rot of cucumbers under film, it is recommended to add trichodermin. If the weather is cold and humid, it makes sense to sprinkle the root collar with crushed coal.
In order to prevent the appearance powdery mildew spraying with Immunocytophyte and Gamair is used on cucumbers. It is better to treat aphids before the fruits begin to appear with insecticides, starting from the moment of appearance - with Fitoverm.
Conclusion
Now you know how to get an early harvest of cucumbers. IN greenhouse conditions Growing early cucumbers is not a problem. Naturally, significant efforts will be required from you in order to provide the plants with favorable and comfortable growing conditions. However, most of these efforts occur during the period of planting and the appearance of the first leaves, when natural climatic conditions are still far from acceptable. Subsequently, caring for cucumber plants is no different from any other standard option used for growing vegetable crops.
The appearance of early cucumbers on the table is an excellent incentive to overcome all the difficulties that, if they arise, will only be due to the fact that some part of the care program was not fully completed or was missed. Read the recommendations carefully again and go for it!