Time of planting cucumbers in open ground. How and when to plant cucumbers for seedlings Planting dates for cucumbers in the middle lane and the Moscow region
Vegetable growers want to get the first cucumbers as early as possible in early summer. It is not difficult to fulfill these dreams by planting seeds for seedlings in early spring in pots on the windowsills in the house, getting a run in time of about two to three weeks. But success largely depends on the conditions for the development of seedlings, on various factors that need to be taken into account when planting cucumber seeds and creating a favorable atmosphere for revealing the properties stated in the variety description and obtaining an early quality harvest.
Growing cucumber seedlings
In the southern regions of our country, cucumbers are sown with seeds immediately in the beds. Where the climate is cooler, only part of the seeds are sown early for seedlings. And they nurse her while it is cold, indoors. Planted in greenhouses to try the first cucumbers at the very beginning of summer. And with the onset of stable heat, the remaining seeds are sown in open ground. In cool regions with short summers, only the seedling method of sowing cucumbers is used, for growing them in greenhouses or under shelters in the beds. And the yield directly depends on the quality of the seedlings.
It is important to find a convenient place for containers with seedlings. As a rule, this is the window sill of a window facing south or southeast. If the windows of a house or apartment face other parts of the world, the seedlings will have to be illuminated with special lamps, otherwise it will be thin, stretched and pale. direct sun rays best avoided by lightly shading the plants during the hours of maximum sun exposure.
Selection of cucumber seeds for sowing
The timing of the onset of fruiting and the size of the crop depend on the quality of the seeds. You can not buy seeds from random sellers. There is a huge risk of buying low-quality, expired, unknown varieties. It is best to buy hybrids from trusted companies to avoid regrading. Seeds of varietal cucumbers for sowing are better to collect your own. It must be remembered that the seeds fully germinate and grow for 3–4 years of storage, and remain viable for up to 5–6 years. For sowing, full-weight seeds without damage are selected. Empty, broken, irregular shapes must be sorted and discarded.
The timing in which it is necessary to plant cucumbers for seedlings
The timing of planting seeds for seedlings depends on several factors:
- Region of residence.
- The quality of the greenhouse, the presence of covering material and arcs in open beds.
- Permanent presence on the site or only weekend visits, that is, the ability to protect planted plants during unexpected frosts.
When to sow greenhouse seeds
As a rule, in middle lane cucumber seeds are sown for seedlings in early or mid-April. From sowing to planting seedlings in the greenhouse should take 25-30 days. The planting date depends on the quality of the greenhouse (heated or not), the weather. Based on this, the day of sowing seeds is calculated. It is not recommended to keep seedlings indoors for more than a month. Overgrown plants do not take root well and will not be able to develop into a full-fledged plant.
If there is no greenhouse, seedlings are planted on a bed with installed arcs. They cover with agrospan, and on top of it, when it gets cold, they also throw a film. The shelter is folded when the temperature at night is not lower than 15 ° C.
Deadlines for open ground
In order to get seedlings in time for planting in open ground without shelter, the date of the end of late frosts and the establishment of warm (not lower than 15 ° C) nights in this region is determined, and seeds are sown 30 days before this date.
In order to stretch the fruiting of cucumbers for the whole summer until the cold weather, varieties are selected that are different in precocity, given that:
- In early ripe cucumbers, the first fruits are tied 32–45 days after sowing.
- In mid-season for 50-55 days.
- Late-ripening cucumbers are tied for 55–70 days.
Determination of time according to the lunar calendar
The days of sowing seeds for seedlings can be determined by the lunar calendar. It has been noticed that cucumbers grow best when sown in the growing moon. Or when she is in such zodiac constellations as Capricorn, Pisces, Taurus and Cancer. You need to check your actions with the lunar calendar and do not sow cucumber seeds in bad days. The time of day for sowing does not matter.
Preparation of seeds for sowing, germination
Preparation for sowing in hybrid and varietal seeds is different. Hybrid seeds go on sale already treated with various disinfectants. They also should not be warmed up, since high temperatures stimulate the development of female flowers on future plants, and in parthenocarpic hybrids they are already female.
Varietal seeds, especially those collected with your own hands, must be warmed up and disinfected before sowing. It is possible to warm up seeds wrapped from drying in a plastic bag on a central heating battery for 20–30 days.
There are many ways to disinfect. The simplest of them: hold the seeds for 15–20 minutes in a strong, dark purple solution of potassium permanganate, then rinse with cool water and dry.
The shorter the shelf life of varietal seeds (up to two years), the more they need to be warmed up to awaken and form female flowers. By heating them for 15–20 minutes in a thermos with water heated to 53 ° C, you not only stimulate germination, but also destroy pathogens such as bacteriosis and anthracnose.
To awaken the growth processes, seeds need oxygen, moisture and heat. It is optimal to provide future plants with this by soaking the seeds in cotton pads or napkins soaked in melt water. Seeds selected for sowing are placed between two such disks placed on a saucer. So that they do not dry out, the container is placed in a plastic bag and tied. The temperature in the house should be 23–26 ° C. Sprouted seeds should be planted immediately in moist soil.
How to plant everything right
What soil is best to grow in
The quality of seedlings directly depends on the composition of the soil in which it is planted. Soil can be bought ready-made, but it is better to prepare it yourself. Cucumbers grow well in light, loose, moisture-intensive soil. It should not be too nutritious so that the plants do not stretch. It is assembled from several components:
- Neutral peat - 1 part.
- Turf land - 1 part.
- Compost or humus - 1 part.
- Overripe sawdust (before laying scalded with boiling water) - 1 part.
- River sand -0.5 parts.
- Furnace ash of deciduous trees - 1 tbsp. l. per 1 liter of mixture.
If hydrogel is added to the soil for seedlings, 1 tablespoon of soaked granules per 0.5 l of earth, the number of waterings will be halved and the plants will be provided with constant moderate humidity.
Features of packaging and planting seeds
For cucumber seedlings, it is especially important to maintain the integrity of the root system. If, when transplanting grown seedlings, the tender suction roots that are not restored are damaged, the development of the ground part will stop until new roots grow. Therefore, plants planted later directly into the ground with seeds often outstrip seedlings in development and fruiting. Container for cucumber seedlings should ensure the integrity of the roots during transplantation. For this, peat-humus or paper pots are suitable, which, dissolving in the soil, enable the roots to continue their development after being transferred to a greenhouse or garden bed without delay in recovery.
The simplest and most affordable containers for seedlings can be made from old newspapers, folded in 3-4 layers, wrapped around a jar. The resulting container is filled with soil mixture by 2/3 and watered. A seed with a hatched root is very easy to damage. Therefore, they take it carefully, with tweezers, put it on a damp surface and sprinkle it with soil on top, deepening it by 1.5–2 cm. After that, water it again. Before germination, the temperature in the room should be at least 23 ° C.
Sowing cucumber seeds for seedlings - video
When transplanting finished seedlings into the ground, a paper or peat-humus pot is placed in a hole made according to its size and watered abundantly. The walls of the pot get wet, and the roots grow freely further.
Peat-humus pots are not always of high quality, they may turn out to be too strong, and the roots of the plant will not be able to develop. Therefore, before sowing seeds, you need to check the ability of the walls of the pot to soak by immersing it in water for several hours.
Necessary conditions for the growth of seedlings
You can grow good seedlings, observing certain conditions. The most important are light, a certain air temperature, moisture and nutrition.
Light mode
In April, when cucumber seeds are sown for seedlings, the day is still not long enough. And indoor conditions do not give plants the level of illumination that is required for normal plant growth. If the house is too warm, the seedlings will turn out to be elongated, pale, weak. She needs additional illumination with special lamps. Ordinary houses are not suitable for lighting, they have the wrong spectrum. For proper development, cucumber seedlings need LED bulbs with blue and red parts of the light spectrum. Plants need to be illuminated for at least 12 hours a day.
It should be remembered that plants need at least 6 hours of complete darkness for normal growth.
Temperature regime
After the emergence of shoots, so that the seedlings do not stretch, the temperature in the room should not be higher than 20–23 ° C during the day and not lower than 18 ° C at night. Cucumbers stop growing already at 15 o C, and at temperatures above 28 o C, seedlings are strongly drawn out, especially with a lack of light. The room in which the plants are located must be ventilated, given that drafts for cucumbers are detrimental. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is desirable that the bed warms up to 18 ° C, and night temperatures do not fall below 15 ° C.
Feeding and watering cucumber seedlings
Plants should be fertilized as soon as the first true leaf appears. nitrogen fertilizers can cause undesirable increased growth and elongation of seedlings. Cucumbers at this time it is better to give mineral dressings. Best suited infusion of wood ash. To make it, 0.5 cups of ash is poured into a glass of boiling water, insisted for a day, mixed with 5 liters of water, filtered and watered with this solution once a week. Top dressing is carried out on moist soil. Plants are watered in the evening and fed in the morning. Pour 0.5 cups of infusion into one pot. As a foliar top dressing, it is useful to spray seedlings with Humat EM. One such feeding is enough. Seedlings are watered regularly, only with settled warm water, avoiding strong waterlogging, but also preventing the soil from drying out. The leaves and the central shoot are not moistened to avoid diseases.
Care of young seedlings before planting
From germination to planting, seedlings grow 25–30 days. All this time, they monitor the air temperature and the illumination of plants. It is important to maintain a constant moderate soil moisture, feed the seedlings with fertilizers. During these 30 days, it is enough to carry out two or three root and one foliar top dressing of cucumbers. To prevent diseases, it is useful to spray the plants every week with a pink solution of potassium permanganate with the addition of boric acid (powder on the tip of a knife for 3 liters of solution).
How to save stretched seedlings - video
The future harvest of cucumbers depends on the quality of the seedlings. By following simple care rules, maintaining the right temperature, highlighting, watering and fertilizing their plants, vegetable growers lay the foundation for further abundant fruiting.
Cucumbers are plants native to the tropics, so they love warmth. Seedlings of cucumbers can be planted in the soil with a temperature not lower than + 15 ° C. Without measuring the temperature of the soil, the time of planting cucumbers can be determined by folk signs or other signs - when the air temperature at night does not drop below + 10 ° C during the week, or when dandelions bloom en masse.
In addition, cucumber varieties are selected according to the type of growth and fruit quality.
Terms of planting cucumbers in the middle lane and the Moscow region
In Moscow and the Moscow region, cucumbers are sown with germinated seeds in glass and film greenhouses in mid-May, under temporary film shelters - at the end of May, in open ground - until June 5. Ready seedlings in open ground can be planted after June 10. Or in the same period, film shelters are removed. Unfortunately, in the middle lane, cold weather can drag on until mid-June. Considering general recommendations Still, it's best to keep an eye on the weather.
Optimal planting dates for cucumbers in the Leningrad region: sowing for seedlings - the end of April-the first days of May, seedlings are planted in an unheated film or glass greenhouse on May 20-25, cucumbers are planted under film tunnel shelters on May 20-25. You can remove film shelters from cucumber plantations on June 10-15.
Sowing seeds of cucumbers for seedlings and in the ground
How to independently calculate the correct sowing time for cucumbers?
The optimal age of seedlings is 25-30 days. Quality seedlings should be at least 30 cm high, with 3 - 4 leaves. To calculate the time of the beginning of fruiting, it is necessary to take into account the early ripening of the variety. By early maturity, all varieties and hybrids of cucumbers are divided on the:
- Early ripe cucumbers bloom 32-45 days after sowing.
- Mid-ripening cucumbers bloom for 50-55 days.
- Late-ripening cucumbers bloom for 55-70 days.
Planting cucumbers in the Urals and Siberia
The favorable period for the growth and fruiting of cucumbers in the Urals, where the climate is harsh and rather cold, is very limited: frosts can be until the first decade of June, and sometimes until the end of the second decade of June, and already in the third decade of August they begin again. Therefore, in the northern regions, cucumbers are grown mainly in greenhouses and very often through seedlings. Seedlings are planted no earlier than the third decade of May. To quickly warm the soil in the beds, you can use the following method: immediately after the snow melts, the beds shed warm water and cover with a film or lutrasil.
Cucumber seedlings are planted in the Urals:
Cucumbers can be sown in open ground in the 20th of May in the presence of shelter.
Early ripe varieties of cucumbers (38-45 days after germination) can be planted in three terms: the first sowing on May 20, the second - on June 1-5 and the last sowing - on June 15. This will help stretch the fruiting period of cucumbers until September.
In the Urals and Siberia for planting cucumbers, it is better to select hybrids with increased resistance to adverse weather factors and diseases. The most productive in the conditions of the Far East are mid-early and mid-ripening varieties of cucumbers, for example, Far East-27 or Erofei selection of the Far Eastern Research Institute Agriculture. In addition, to increase the resistance of plants, it is useful to carry out pre-sowing preparation of seeds - hardening.
Planting cucumbers in the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine
In the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine cucumber seeds are sown directly in open ground from mid-April to early May. The optimal time for sowing seedlings is last days Martha.
In the Rostov region cucumber seeds can be sown in open ground as early as the end of April. In the same period, seedlings can be planted. When sowing cucumbers for seedlings, keep in mind that they do not tolerate transplanting well: it is better to sow cucumbers in separate peat pots.
Planting cucumbers in the Crimea
AT Crimea cucumber seeds are sown in open ground in early May, at the same time ready-made seedlings are planted, at the age of 25-30 days. For seedlings, seeds are sown in early to mid-March.
If the timing of planting cucumbers in the ground depends on the weather, then when growing cucumbers at home - on a balcony or on a windowsill, cucumbers can be sown much earlier. Walkthrough and photos of growing cucumbers at home:
Caring for cucumbers according to all the rules
Cucumbers require constant attention: they need to be watered, fed, constantly tied up and formed into whips.
Watering cucumbers
Cucumbers need constant watering. Especially during the period of active fruiting, about once every three days. With a lack of moisture, cucumbers begin to taste bitter, grow crooked or pear-shaped. But with watering, and even more so with sprinkling, you need to be very careful on dangerous days when the Moon falls under the influence of the sign of Libra and Gemini.
Top dressing, mulching and weeding cucumbers
Feed cucumbers 5-6 times during the entire growth period. Feed the first time when the second true leaf appears, the second - at the beginning of flowering; the third, fourth and fifth - during the formation of ovaries and fruiting, with a frequency of once every 2 weeks. After weeding, the soil can be mulched with mowed lawn grass, sawdust or humus.
Days of planting cucumbers and harvesting according to the folk calendar
May 19 (May 6, old style) - Job Goroshnik
First cucumber day of the year. On this day, cucumbers are planted in the beds: “If there is a lot of dew on Job, the day is clear, and the night is warm, there will be a big harvest, and if the night is cold, it will not be a cucumber year.”
May 27 (May 14, old style) - Sidor-borage or Sidor-Bokogrey
"If the day is clear on Sidor, expect a good harvest of cucumbers. If the weather is cold, then the whole summer is expected to be cold."
June 1 (May 19, old style) Ivan Dolgiy.
P continue to plant cucumbers. If it rains on Ivan the Long, then the whole month promises to be dry.
June 2 (May 20, old style) Falaley the borage or Timofey Gryadochnik.
Continue planting cucumbers in the beds. But in the Northern regions, cucumbers are just beginning to be planted on Timofey: "Timofey came - this cucumber soon." There is also a sign: if it rained on the first two days of June, the whole month will be dry.
June 5 (May 23, old style) Levon Ogorechnik, Levon Konoplyanik
Deadline for planting cucumbers. On Levon (Leontia) it was customary to plant cucumbers for pickling, because cucumbers planted during this period, according to popular beliefs, are the most crispy, strong and sweet. There is an interesting cucumber sign: the first row of cucumbers must be sown secretly, then the harvest will be great!
August 17 (August 4, old style) - Avdotya Malinovka, Cucumber, Senognoyka.
By this time, the last harvest was ripening in the beds. Now, in the presence of greenhouses and tunnel shelters, the cucumber season can be extended until September.
Cucumbers can be planted in greenhouses, hotbeds or in open ground in seedlings and seedlings.
Depending on the planting conditions, cucumbers can be planted from late April to early June.
- end of April - beginning of May - in greenhouses;
- middle - end of May - planting cucumber seeds in open ground;
- end of May - beginning of June - planting seedlings of cucumbers in open ground and greenhouses.
When to plant cucumbers in May? What conditions affect the choice of a specific date for planting cucumbers?
First of all, it is advisable to read the recommendations Lunar calendar gardener and gardener for the current year.
Since the night luminary affects all life on our planet, depending on the phase in which it is located, astrologers distinguish the most favorable and unfavorable days for sowing and planting seedlings of cucumbers.
Auspicious days for planting cucumbers in May 2019 according to the lunar calendar are as follows:
- 05/06 - 05/08 - the growing moon in Gemini.
- 09.05 - 10.05 - the growing Moon in Cancer.
- 11.05 - the growing moon in Leo.
- 12.05 - 14.05 - the growing moon in Virgo.
- 15.05 - 18.05 - the growing moon in Libra.
The most unfavorable days for planting cucumbers in May are the dates of the full moon and new moon, on which it is not recommended to carry out any work related to seeds and seedlings at all.
- 05.05 - New Moon.
- 19.05 - Full moon.
When familiarizing yourself with the recommendations of the Lunar calendar, you need to understand that they cannot be dispensed with alone, you must also take into account the weather conditions in the region where the garden plot. The main ones are the temperature of the earth and air.
Firstly, the soil should not only thaw, but also warm up well by the time of planting.
The air temperature when planting cucumber seedlings in a greenhouse should be at least 12 degrees at night and 15 degrees during the day inside it.
And already when the temperature rises to 20 degrees, you can start airing the plantings by opening the windows in the greenhouse.
For the normal development of seedlings of cucumbers in open ground, the temperature during the day should be at least 18 degrees Celsius.
At the end of May, return frosts are often observed, which can kill seedlings growing in unprotected ground. Therefore, very often, after planting, cucumbers are covered with a film, creating greenhouse conditions.
When the air temperature normalizes, they can be removed, but, for example, in the zones of the Urals and Siberia, cucumbers are simply opened for a day for ventilation, and in the evening they are again covered with protective material.
And now you have finally chosen a planting day for cucumbers in May, what to do next?
Planting cucumbers in open ground
The first step is to prepare the soil for planting. Usually this operation is performed in the fall.
Planting pits are dug in the open ground and filled with humus and compost to prepare warm pillow beds.
Rotted manure and compost are also introduced into the greenhouse ridges, and in the spring they only add mineral fertilizers, loosen and level.
Planting patterns in open ground and in greenhouse conditions are different, so they should be considered separately.
Planting cucumbers in open ground in May is carried out on beds in one, two lines, nests or on pillow beds.
- In the case of a single-line planting, cucumbers are planted at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, and a passage of at least a meter is made between the ridges.
- With a two-line planting, a passage of 1 m is left between the ridges, the distance between adjacent seedlings is 40 cm, and the row spacing is half a meter.
- The nest planting method is usually used when sowing seeds, preparing 10x10 cm holes and placing 6-7 seeds in them. Then the seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest and strongest in the amount of 4-5 pieces. In this case, the distance between adjacent holes is about 70 cm.
- When planting cucumbers on a warm cushion bed, which usually measures 50x50, about 4-5 seedlings or seeds are placed.
The optimal planting pattern in a greenhouse is a two-line one, observing the distance between adjacent seedlings of 35-40 cm and 50 cm between rows. In this case, the passages between the beds are usually at least 80 cm.
If a planting material a lot, then you can plant seedlings and seeds in a checkerboard pattern, which will significantly improve lighting conditions.
Sowing seeds is carried out to a depth of 1.5-2 cm, and when planting seedlings, it is recommended to plant cucumbers without deepening the root neck. It is best to plant seedlings by transshipment, without shaking off the earthen ball from the roots.
Care and protection from diseases and pests
Care for seedlings and seedlings of cucumbers is simple and implies:
- timely and regular watering, on which the yield and taste of cucumbers directly depend. In this case, the water should be warm (warmed up in the sun) and supplied drip irrigation or from a bucket. Watering cucumbers from a hose is highly undesirable;
- top dressing, the first of which is desirable two weeks after planting seedlings or emergence, for this you can use organic and mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen;
- loosening and weeding;
- tying, which concerns the vertical cultivation of cucumbers on a trellis;
- ventilation of the greenhouse or greenhouse. Too high humidity and high temperature provoke the occurrence of various diseases and pests on cucumbers.
Protection of cucumbers from diseases and pests
Most often, pests of cucumbers affect greenhouse plantings, and the most insatiable of them are spider mites, melon aphids and whiteflies, which are very difficult to get rid of.
If the seedlings are still young, and the harvest is still far away, it is better to use special chemicals to control pests of cucumbers.
Diseases of cucumbers often occur due to non-compliance with the rules of agricultural technology by the gardener himself.
For fungal diseases various types rot and powdery mildew) use natural and purchased fungicides, and when cucumbers are infected with infectious diseases (such as mosaics), it is recommended to remove diseased plants.
Like many other wonderful things, cucumbers came to us from India. This valuable food product is able to saturate the body with the necessary beneficial substances, and quench your thirst, and noticeably improved appearance, if applied to the skin of the face as a natural cosmetic product. Cucumbers purchased from retail chains, inferior in taste and energy qualities to those grown in their own country house. It's not that hard to grow them yourself.
Primary requirements
First of all, it is necessary to take care of protecting plants from spring cold snaps, because even if the soil temperature does not exceed ten degrees Celsius, the delicate root system is under serious stress and may die.
Among the people, the flowering is considered the best guide, giving good to the sowing of cucumber seeds in the ground. Traditionally, cucumbers are sown on May 15 on Athanasius, and folk omens they call this day Solovyin and claim that the great Sowers Boris and Gleb are going out into the field, setting a good example for us.
Cucumbers are unpleasant to sudden changes in humidity, so the soil must be constantly kept optimally moistened. It is better to water in the evening, using water heated in the sun, direct the jets to the ground under the plant.
While the plants have not yet grown much, it will be useful to loosen the soil around them.
Preparation for seasonal sowing should begin from the previous autumn, laying the beds slightly raised above the ground due to compost, plant residues, mowed grass, small twigs and coniferous needles, with the addition sawdust, shavings and straw manure. Fermentation processes in the bed in spring will give additional temperature from the inside, and the raised bed will bring the sown seeds closer to the spring sunshine.
Sowing preparation
If self-pollinating varieties, difficultly called parthenocarpic, are better suited for greenhouse cultivation, then for open ground you can take those that are pollinated by insects, because they are undoubtedly tastier and healthier. Hybrid varieties give a more generous harvest, but their seeds are more expensive. To improve germination and reduce empty flowers on the eve of sowing, the seeds are kept near the heating battery for the whole month.
The heated seed is washed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, rinsed in clean water and soaked for a day in an aqueous solution of sifted wood ash. Laid for a couple of days in a damp cloth and placed in a warm place, the seeds swell and hatch slightly. As a hardening procedure, they can be put in the lowest section of the refrigerator for another day, after which we proceed to sowing.
Growing seedlings
Hybrid varieties and seeds purchased in company stores do not need such preparation and preheating. They can be sown immediately peat tablets in such a way that three-week-old plants are planted in the ground by mid-May.
Cucumber seedlings, as a representative of pumpkin plants, are very sensitive to even minor damage to the roots, therefore, when transplanting, injury to the root system should not be allowed.
Cucumber seedlings are very sensitive to drafts, which must be kept in mind when protecting plants from sudden gusts of wind. As a natural fertilizer, you can use a fermented infusion prepared from a mixture of dandelions and nettles, aged for a week. Diluted with warm water, such top dressing will be gratefully received by plants.
Cucumbers can be sown in two streams: for salads and in-line use - in the month of May, and varieties for pickling and for canning - in the summer, when the soil warms up enough. The effort spent on growing cucumbers pays off with the pleasure and benefits derived from the use of this valuable food product.
Among other vegetable crops, this green vegetable is far from uncommon. It is grown and eaten in many countries around the world. All year round, he does not leave the shelves of shops and markets.
You can grow cucumbers continuously: in summer in open ground, and in winter in heated greenhouses. This vegetable is most often consumed fresh. Also, pickled and pickled cucumbers are prepared from cucumbers. The green vegetable is very popular among the population. As part of the ingredients of many salads, you can find fresh or pickled cucumbers.
When to plant cucumbers outdoors
Since this vegetable crop is quite thermophilic, the time of its cultivation in open ground falls on the summer period. in the middle lane, you can start in late spring, when the soil warms up well. Usually it is the second half of May.
Preparatory work before planting
Cucumbers are a vegetable crop that is demanding on lighting, moisture and soil fertility. For their successful cultivation, the site intended for planting is prepared in the fall. It is dug up and fertilized. To prevent diseases in future plantings vegetable crop the soil is treated with copper sulphate, superphosphate and ash are added. In the spring, having harrowed such a site, you can safely sow the prepared seeds.
What cucumber seeds are suitable for sowing
Do not sow fresh seeds that were harvested last year. The best cucumber seeds are harvested a few years ago. Such seed will certainly give excellent strong seedlings that will delight you with a bountiful harvest.
How to prepare seeds for sowing
Selected seeds can be simply sown without pre-treatment in the ground. But in order to get friendly shoots, it is better to prepare them. For this purpose, heating the seeds and soaking is suitable. Before processing, the seeds are sorted out, small and damaged ones are thrown away - they are unsuitable for sowing. The seeds are heated in water at a temperature of forty degrees for two hours. Then they are soaked for several days. During this time they hatch. Small shoots appear. In this form, the seeds are sown in moist soil.
When to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse
In the stationary, this heat-loving plant is grown all year round. When growing, you will need good lighting and watering. After the emergence of seedlings of plants, the soil is constantly loosened and the necessary top dressing is applied. Overgrown lashes are tied up vertically. Plant care consists in constant watering, fertilizing and treatments from pests and diseases.
Growing seedlings of cucumbers
In order to speed up the harvest, you can grow seedlings in advance. It is grown in heated greenhouses or at home. Two seeds are sown in small pots. Plants easily tolerate transplantation and take root well.
Plants are planted under film shelters at the end of April. Spring greenhouses are also great for this purpose. Seedlings grown in pots are planted without damaging root system, into moist soil. Properly planted plants do not get sick and quickly take root. When to plant cucumbers under film shelters, weather conditions will tell. If at the end of April the temperature is above zero, but there is a threat of frost on the soil, it is necessary to wait a little with planting seedlings. But you should not linger with planting, as overgrown plants do not take root well. Experienced vegetable growers can always determine exactly when to plant cucumbers.
How to choose the right plant varieties
When choosing varieties of cucumbers, you should carefully study the description attached to the seeds. In heated greenhouses, only self-pollinated varieties can be grown, and for open ground conditions, it is better to choose bee-pollinated varieties. You should also pay attention to the purpose of the selected vegetable crop. So, there are salad and pickling varieties of cucumbers.
