How to properly grow tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse?

The presence of only one greenhouse on the site forces gardeners to use it to the maximum, jointly growing cucumbers and tomatoes. As you know, experts do not recommend combining these vegetables, since they require the creation of different growing conditions, and current reviews demonstrate that their joint cultivation is quite possible. What are the pros and cons of cultivating cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse, this article will help you figure it out.

Features of growing tomatoes

Tomatoes grow well in polycarbonate greenhouses if they are provided with the following conditions:

1. Tomatoes prefer dry air and regular ventilation. With high humidity or lack of air circulation, flowers on tomato bushes are not pollinated, and, accordingly, the fruits are not tied.

Greenhouse tomatoes need dry air and ventilation

Attention! You can provide the air circulation necessary for tomatoes by creating a draft in the greenhouse. To do this, you should keep open not only the vents, but also both doors, without closing them even at night, if the nights are warm.

2. Optimum temperature - + 22-25 ° C.

3. Tomatoes need rare but abundant watering. The best time to water is in the morning. It is recommended to use only warm water for irrigation. Tomato bushes should be watered exclusively at the root, allowing the soil to get wet well to a depth of 25 cm. The optimal volume is 10 liters per 1 m2.

Attention! During watering, water is not allowed on the leaves; sprinkling is also contraindicated for tomatoes. Violation of these conditions leads to the development of fungal diseases, and waterlogging of the soil makes the taste of tomatoes watery and sour.

4. To reduce the amount of watering and protect tomato bushes from weeds and fungal diseases, it is recommended to cover the soil with compost, sawdust or newspapers.

A bed of cucumbers can be placed between two beds of tomatoes

5. To ensure maximum pollination of tomato flowers, it is recommended to regularly ventilate the greenhouse, and shake the tomato brushes by tapping on the stakes to which the bushes are tied. The treatment of blooming tomatoes with the "Ovary" preparation will ensure the abundant formation of the tomato ovary.

6. Tomatoes grown in the greenhouse are recommended to be fed at least 3 times per season. The first time - during the period of bud formation, using bird droppings or complex mineral fertilizers for this. The second time is when the second tomato brush blooms. The third time - when the third brush blooms.

Attention! When feeding, it is better to give preference to potash and phosphorus fertilizers, while it is better to underfeed tomatoes than to overfeed, otherwise the bushes will grow large and powerful, and the fruits will not fill well.

When grown together in a greenhouse, cucumbers and tomatoes are best tied up

Features of growing cucumbers

Cucumbers grow well both in film and polycarbonate greenhouses. You can get a high yield of cucumbers if you create the following conditions for plants in greenhouses:

1. Sprinkling and frequent watering - daily or every other day. On hot days, to increase humidity, you can also pour water over the walls of the greenhouse and paths, while closing the doors and vents for a couple of hours. This will create a greenhouse effect for cucumbers.

2. The optimum air humidity for cucumbers is 87-90%, the temperature is + 20-25 ° C, during the fruiting period it can rise to + 30 ° C.

Greenhouse cucumbers need frequent watering

3. Top dressing of cucumbers should be carried out up to 5 times per season. To feed them, at the stage of shoot development, preference should be given to nitrogen fertilizers, during flowering - phosphorus, and during fruiting - nitrogen-potassium. Like tomatoes, it is better not to feed cucumbers than to overfeed.

Attention! Cucumbers also respond well to organic and humic fertilization.

4. Airing for cucumbers should be minimized.

5. When the shoots reach a length of 30 cm, the cucumber bushes should be tucked up, and the shoots themselves should be pinned to stimulate the growth of lateral shoots. Over time, the shoots that have borne fruit are also subject to removal.

Another placement option is dividing the greenhouse in half.

6. You can increase the number of ovaries on cucumbers if you treat the plants with special preparations "Bud" and "Ovary".

Attention! When growing in a greenhouse bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids of cucumbers, in order to attract bees, you should open the doors and vents in the greenhouse and feed them with sugar syrup infused with the corollas of male cucumber flowers.

Features of co-location

When growing tomatoes and cucumbers together, it is important to place them in such a way in the greenhouse so that the most suitable conditions for each of the vegetable crops are created. For cucumbers - a warm and humid microclimate, for tomatoes - a well-ventilated, dry and warm microclimate. This can be done in two ways.

1. In the first version, 3 beds are broken in the greenhouse, at least 60 cm wide, between which passages should be arranged. The middle bed is reserved for cucumbers, so a trellis should be built on it from stakes and a special plastic net for climbing plants. The side beds are intended for tomatoes. In order to provide sufficient lighting for the plants with this method of joint cultivation in the greenhouse, it is recommended to use low-growing varieties and hybrids of tomatoes - determinant ones with different ripening periods. As tomato bushes grow, they can be tied to stakes.

When growing together, the yield of one of the crops will have to be sacrificed

The air humidity in the greenhouse should be kept at a compromise value for both plants - 70%, daytime temperature - at + 25 ° C, night - + 19 ° C.

2. In the second version, the greenhouse can be divided into 2 parts, fencing off between themselves with a double curtain made of film, and the vegetables can be planted on opposite beds. This technique will create optimal conditions for each type of vegetables separately. For the tomato half, it is better to choose a greenhouse area with a large number of vents and closer to the exit. By choosing this method of co-cultivation, tall tomatoes can be used for cultivation in a greenhouse.

The disadvantages of co-cultivation include the need to select a priority plant. When creating optimal conditions for tomatoes, cucumber fruits will have voids, their yield will be much lower. When creating optimal conditions for cucumbers, tomato bushes can be affected by late blight, flowers are poorly pollinated, and yields can decrease.

Cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse are prone to common diseases

When grown together, tomatoes and cucumbers can be affected by common pests and diseases:

• anthracnose;
• mosaic;
• tick;
• aphids;
• thrips;
• whitefly;
• cicadas.

As you can see, tomatoes and cucumbers are not the best neighbors to each other, as they have different growing conditions, but still their joint cultivation is quite possible if you create more or less suitable conditions for each plant, using specially arranged partitions with separate entrances for this.

Growing cucumbers and tomatoes in one greenhouse - video

Cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse - photo

The combination "cucumbers-tomatoes"For the vast majority of people, it is familiar and connected
with their frequent joint stay in fresh salads and winter preparations. It has already become a kind of "vegetable classic".

The question of whether it is possible to grow cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse worries many. Is there any benefit from the close proximity of these crops in gardening? How to be if the greenhouse is alone, and you want to get a harvest of both those and other vegetables?

…

Long road to popularity

In any living organism, be it a plant or an animal, nature has a certain genetic code that determines its properties and requirements for the environment.

Breeding work with seed material carried out for many decades has made it possible to change and improve the appearance and taste of vegetables.

But it is very rarely given the opportunity to change their requirements for the growing environment, although some plants can adapt to changing conditions in nature through mutational processes.

Hot India with high air humidity - homeland of cucumber... In the wild, it still grows in those places.

Images of a cucumber have been found on frescoes in Ancient Egypt and Greek temples. A vegetable known in such ancient times in other countries in Russia was first mentioned in printed sources in the 16th century.

Presumably, the cucumber came to us from East Asia, but it tasted amazingly and became a truly national product.

Bountiful harvests of cucumbers are grown in most of the country - in greenhouses and on the ground. And then, with love and diligence, cucumbers are harvested for eating all year round.

Wild tomatoes were first discovered in South America during the expedition of Christopher Columbus, and their seeds were brought to Europe because of the decorativeness of the bushes. At home, tomato thickets were found on dry and ventilated mountain slopes. The climate of those places was ideal for tomatoes - mild, temperate, with occasional heavy rains. The 24-hour temperature ranged from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.

REFERENCE: In Holland, France and Germany, tomatoes were grown in the greenhouses of wealthy people, landed for decoration in gardens and near gazebos. Their fruits were considered poisonous. And only in 1811, the German Botanical Dictionary posted on its pages information that tomatoes can be eaten.

Tomato seeds came to Russia under Catherine II, but only at the beginning of the 19th century they began to be grown in the southern regions of the country as edible crop and get good harvests.

Photo

In the photo below you can see cucumbers and tomatoes in one polycarbonate greenhouse:

Capricious neighbors

If there is only one greenhouse, but really want to get a harvest of those and other favorite vegetables, the desire to experiment often wins. Desperate summer residents and gardeners boldly divide the greenhouse area into two adjacent zones and plant tomato seedlings on one, and cucumber seedlings on the other. What is the compatibility of cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse? Let's try to answer this question.

During the summer, both crops in a polycarbonate greenhouse receive the same care and grow in the same microclimate with the same conditions. With special diligence, the owners do not remain without a crop, but they will not have to be called abundant.

The reason for this is all the same genetics that require different conditions for each type of vegetables close to those in which their distant wild relatives once grew.

For cucumbers the optimal conditions for favorable growth will be a hot atmosphere, with high humidity, up to 90-100%.

Drafts are detrimental to this culture. Moreover, wet "bath" procedures greatly increase the yield of cucumbers. To do this, in warm weather, the bushes are well shed under the root and over the leaves, the paths and walls of the greenhouse are abundantly watered.

Then the doors are tightly closed and withstand this mode for 1-1.5 hours, after which the greenhouse is opened for ventilation. The leaves of cucumbers are very large, such procedures allow them to safely cope with the evaporation of moisture, preventing drying out.

With insufficient moisture, cucumbers grow tasteless, ugly in shape.

Tomatoes feel better in a different microclimate. Like their cousins ​​in the wild, they prefer low humidity, 40 to 60%. They are very fond of airing.

Watering tomatoes is enough on average 2 times a week. In a too humid environment, the pollen in the flowers sticks together, the fruits in the brushes are not tied. The consequence of high humidity in the greenhouse is always the appearance of fungal and bacterial diseases of tomatoes.

The yield of vegetables decreases, the taste of the fruits deteriorates, and cracks appear on them.

With such different requirements, any compromise will mean a situation where both sides lose, so it is worth trying to change the conditions by setting up separate zones in capital greenhouses.

Divide living space: growing cucumbers and tomatoes in one greenhouse

Divide the greenhouse into two parts you can partitions from slate, plastic curtains, plywood. Cucumbers are planted in the far "room" where the window is located. Here they will be protected from drafts, it will be possible to provide them with high humidity.

Tomatoes will be planted in the square near the greenhouse door. It is possible by keeping the door open at all times to maintain a relatively low humidity and temperature in the greenhouse.

In order to prevent water from flowing from one section to another, it will be necessary to make a barrier to separate the soil to a depth.

Now you can pamper tomato bushes with good feeding, which they love very much. This is especially true for tall varieties of tomatoes.

For cucumbers in a personal "room" abundant water treatments and high humidity are provided without much harm to neighbors. And tomatoes - generous watering with warm water, strictly under the root, avoiding contact with the leaves.

For lovers of the process itself, working with plants, planting tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse will bring pleasure even if the vegetable harvest is not huge.

The most important thing is that with any method, there will be pimpled green cucumbers and poured raspberry tomatoes in the basket.

ATTENTION: Experienced gardeners, determined to get the best yield possible, will adhere to strict rules to create optimal conditions for each crop. They will grow all vegetables in a separate greenhouse, unless they need the same environment for growth. For example, the same cucumbers and bell peppers or melon. Or tomatoes and various green vegetables.

So, is it possible to plant cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse? The answer to the question of how to plant, when to plant, as well as the decision of which method of growing cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse to choose, whether it will be joint or not, remains the right of every gardener. If fussing in the garden is more desirable than the opportunity to get more harvest - experiments are just for you!

Useful video

A video about growing cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse, see below:

Of course, ideally, each crop should be under a separate defensive structure. But what to do if it is difficult? How can these different cultures be reconciled?

Should I plant cucumbers and tomatoes together?

Experienced gardeners believe that growing cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse is not the best option to reap a large harvest.

The point is that tomatoes and cucumbers are completely different crops with distinctive needs. The differences lie in the need for lighting, the level of humidity.

Planting cucumbers and tomatoes together can lead to a problematic situation. Summer residents strive to meet the needs of each crop, but this leads to a decrease in yield. By increasing the level of humidity in the greenhouse, the growth of tomatoes slows down and their immunity decreases, the risk of tomato damage by late blight increases. The pollen of the seedlings becomes wet, the inflorescences stop pollinating. As a result, new ovaries do not appear on the plants.

If, on the contrary, you create comfortable conditions for the tomato, then this will reduce the yield of cucumbers. Decreased air humidity, irregular watering, ventilation of the greenhouse can slow down the growth of lashes. Under such unfavorable conditions, the plant may die.

Comfortable conditions:

• Tomatoes: low air humidity, infrequent watering, frequent ventilation and drafts, application of fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium.
• Cucumbers: air humidity above 85%, frequent watering, air temperature not less than + 22 degrees, application of fertilizers with nitrogen content.

How to find a middle ground if there is no opportunity to grow two different vegetable crops separately? Tomatoes and cucumbers can still grow together in the same greenhouse. However, for this, several conditions must be met.

It is important to understand! It is necessary to take into account the characteristics of each culture. What atmosphere in the greenhouse is optimal for the growth of both tomatoes and cucumbers.

Conditions for growing crops

Cucumber growing technique

In a polycarbonate greenhouse:

• Fill in drainage from stones and expanded clay. Drainage is necessary so that excess water does not linger.
• To create soil in the greenhouse, you need to use peat and sawdust in a ratio of 10: 2. Next, 20 g of superphosphate and 10 g of potassium sulfate and nitrate are added to 10 kg of the mixture.
• After two weeks, this mixture must be moistened with water. Then the seeds are soaked in it for about 12 hours.
• The seeds should be planted in furrows approximately 1 cm deep. In winter, the seeds do not require germination. The first shoots, under favorable conditions, will appear after a short period of time.
• In a polycarbonate greenhouse, you must observe the watering regime. It is worth abandoning private irrigation of the beds. If such nuances are observed, the plants will have inflorescences, and, therefore, it is worth waiting for a good harvest.
• After the fruits appear, watering must be increased.

Tomato growing technique

For tomatoes, it is necessary to create completely opposite conditions. The lack of a ventilation system and high humidity will lead to late blight. A brown spot, gray rot appears on the plants. Such diseases are dangerous for seedlings.

Tomatoes are rarely watered, as they do not tolerate high humidity. The ideal frequency of soil moistening is once a week. It is important to follow the correct watering technique. The water should fall under the root, and not on the leaves and stems of the plant. This is necessary so that evaporation does not occur, and the water goes directly into the ground.

Tomatoes do not tolerate heat. If the air temperature exceeds +25 degrees, then the fruits stop developing and ripening. It is for this reason that the greenhouse needs to be opened during the day, or an artificial draft must be created using the vents.

Tomatoes do not require nitrogen-based fertilizers. On the contrary, it is worth giving preference to fertilizers that contain phosphorus and potassium.

Watch the video! How to grow cucumbers and tomatoes in the same greenhouse

The best varieties for co-cultivation

In order to jointly grow cucumbers and tomatoes in a greenhouse, it is necessary to correctly approach the choice of seed.

It is worth paying attention to such varieties of tomatoes that are resistant to high levels of humidity and phytophthora:

• "Dwarf";
• "New Year";
• "Dubok";
• "Lyubasha";
• Soyuz 8;
• "Lark";
• "Dubrava";
• "Blizzard".

These varieties are hybrids and specially bred by experienced agronomists. The varieties of tomatoes presented above have strong immunity and steadily tolerate diseases that tomatoes are susceptible to if there is high humidity in the greenhouse. Of course, the choice of such a hybrid crop variety does not completely minimize the occurrence of problems with joint cultivation. It should be understood that choosing only a special variety of tomatoes to get a good harvest is not enough, it is important to observe other conditions.

The choice of cold-resistant cucumber varieties should also be taken responsibly. If the temperature in the greenhouse does not meet the declared standards, then this leads to an increased risk of developing diseases in cucumbers. The most famous diseases among such a capricious culture are considered to be: powdery mildew, anthracosis and bacteriosis.

Important! Diseases to which cucumbers are susceptible can be transmitted to tomato crops. And this in turn can lead to the loss of crops like cucumbers and tomatoes.

Well-known agronomists were able to develop many varieties of cucumbers that are resistant to diseases and are suitable for growing in open ground:

• "Masha";
• "Benefit";
• "Herman F1";
• "Thumb Boy";
• "Sister Alyonushka".
• "Goosebump";
• "Crane";
• "Natalie".

By choosing one of the varieties presented above that are resistant to cold and diseases, you can not worry about creating special specific microclimate conditions. Such hybrid varieties tolerate airing and drafts, which are important for pollination of tomatoes.

Combination conditions

Professionals identify special conditions for a favorable neighborhood of tomatoes and cucumbers:

• Cucumber whips should not shade tomatoes;
• The ideal place for growing tomatoes is considered at the entrance to the greenhouse. It is there that ventilation is much more intense, which in turn reduces the level of humidity and the risk of diseases is less;
• It is worth paying attention to varieties that are resistant to late blight;
• It is important not to forget about additional pollination. To do this, you need to shake the flowering plants slightly;
• The cucumbers should be planted at the end of the greenhouse. It is there that there are no drafts that lead to a decrease in the level of humidity.

Option number 1 - Separation by film

It is worth starting by separating the beds from each other using film. The film must be stretched from the ground to the roof of the greenhouse. This method will help create a specific microclimate for each crop. The only condition is that it is necessary to take into account that a ventilation system is provided in that part of the greenhouse where the tomatoes grow. The entrance to the greenhouse zones should be separate from each end. In addition to the air fencing, the soil must also be shielded. It is important to leave a distance between the cucumber and tomato beds. If it suddenly turns out that the beds of tomatoes and cucumbers are too close, then you should use a metal sheet for the fence. This will allow, with abundant watering of cucumbers, not to create unfavorable conditions for tomatoes.

Option number 2 - Separate landing

There is an option without the use of film. To use this method, it is necessary to correctly distinguish between the beds with cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes.

The ideal option would be a competent division of the territory:

• Peppers should highlight the southern side of the greenhouse. This is due to the fact that such a culture is thermophilic;
• Tomato bushes will grow favorably in the center of the greenhouse, since this part is well ventilated. In addition, places near doors, windows may be suitable;
• Cucumbers should be planted from the north, as moisture from the plant evaporates much more slowly. Draft-protected corners of the greenhouse are not bad for growing cucumbers.

Soil preparation and top dressing

Humus, peat, sawdust, sand must be enriched with a teaspoon of sodium nitrate or urea, and 1 tablespoon of potassium and magnesia sulfate each, add 3 tablespoons of double superphosphate and 500 grams of wood ash. Next, fertilizing is scattered over the selected area and the soil is dug up.

Advice! Cucumbers should be fed every decade with nitrate in a proportion of 20 grams per bucket of water.

Tomatoes also need feeding every ten days:

• Option 1: dissolve 0.5 liters of liquid mullein + a tablespoon of nitrophoska in 10 liters of water. Each bush needs about 1 liter of solution;
• Option 2: dissolve a teaspoon of potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water, as well as a tablespoon of complete fertilizer (fertilize in a ratio of 5 liters per square meter);
• Option 3: in 10 liters of water you need to dissolve a couple of tablespoons of wood ash and a tablespoon of superphosphate (fertilize in a ratio of 6 liters per square meter).

Plants on which tomatoes have already formed must be fertilized with a solution of two tablespoons of superphosphate and one spoon of liquid sodium humate (5 l / sq. M). This type of fertilization will speed up the ripening of fruits.

Caring for shared cultures

Cucumber care

Cucumbers are moisture-loving plants that require abundant and frequent irrigation with warm water. Standing water is ideal for irrigation. The use of a leaf sprayer is recommended. The optimum humidity in the greenhouse is -85%. Subject to these rules, the yield of cucumbers will be high.

For even plant growth and the appearance of ovaries, the temperature should be at least 22 and not exceed 28 degrees. Cucumbers do not tolerate airing and natural drafts. Do not forget about regular feeding of seedlings.

Until the fruit of cucumbers appeared, water the seedlings often, but not abundantly. As a result, female flowers will form, which will allow for a good harvest. After the fruits have appeared, it is necessary to increase watering.

Tomato care

You need to grow tomatoes in polycarbonate structures.

• The correct bed should be 90 cm wide and 40 cm high. It is ideal to leave the passage between the seedlings about 60 cm. The passage between the bushes must be necessary for comfortable growth and ripening of fruits.
• Seedlings, the height of which does not exceed 30 cm, should be placed vertically in the ground.
• Add soil to the hole should be added two weeks after the seedlings take root.
• The first two weeks should refrain from abundant watering.
• After the stem is pulled out, it must be tied to the trellis. The most optimal is the ovary of seven brushes with inflorescences. The resulting extra stepsons need to be cut off.

Watch the video! How to water tomatoes and cucumbers in a greenhouse

 

Hydrogel - water substitute

Hydrogel is a salvation for many lovers of joint cultivation of tomatoes and cucumbers. This type of adsorbent ideally solves the problem of waterlogging of air and soil. Hydrogel crystals almost instantly absorb excess water during irrigation. And they pass it on to the roots of moisture-loving seedlings.

Since the hydrogel absorbs water, during watering, intensive evaporation of moisture does not occur into the air, and, therefore, the humidity in the greenhouse does not increase. The adsorbent does not lead to a decrease in the level of immunity in tomatoes, but on the contrary enriches the cucumbers with liquid. Thus, it is comfortable for two crops to grow side by side at the same time.

How to mark out a hydrogel? During planting of cucumber seedlings, 0.5 cups of hydrogel is introduced into the hole, then it is watered abundantly and the plant must be dug in.

The hydrogel is ideal not only for absorbing water, but also mineral fertilizers dissolved in them. If the granules are soaked before the first use in a fertilizer solution, then you can not worry about plant nutrition for a long time.

Moisture retention mulch

If it so happens that the cucumbers are already planted in the greenhouse without a hydrogel, then mulching is recommended. This will help to retain moisture at the roots of the plant and the evaporation process will be reduced.

Mulch use rules:

• Prepare cut grass or weeds.
• After the cucumber shoots appear, cover the soil around the shoots with a layer of mulch (about 10 centimeters).
• Continuously add a layer of mulch as it subsides.

Mulching will reduce the amount of watering. In addition, the layer of mulch gives off the heat that cucumbers love so much. Evaporation of moisture will occur under the mulch. The bottom layer of mulch, during gradual decomposition, releases heat and nutritious organic fertilizers, which are necessary for the growth of vegetable crops.

Conclusion

Cucumbers and tomatoes require completely opposite conditions for the growth and ripening of fruits. Cultivation of these two crops together is difficult, but possible. The main rule is to follow the planting scheme and create conditions for the comfortable development of plants. There are many photos and videos on the Internet that allow you to understand in more detail the technology of growing tomatoes and cucumbers in one greenhouse.

Watch the video! Tomatoes and cucumbers in one greenhouse

Content:

• Tomatoes and cucumbers - in the same greenhouse
• Cucumbers in the greenhouse: instead of frequent watering - hydrogel
• Greenhouse cucumber mulch
• How to plant tomatoes in the same greenhouse with cucumbers
• How to mulch the ground in a greenhouse under tomatoes

Can tomatoes and cucumbers grow in the same greenhouse? Do I need to partition it off, dividing it into zones, or can you just plant tomato and cucumber seedlings in different beds? This question worries many gardeners on the eve of the new summer cottage season. Indeed, on 6 acres it is difficult to place more than one standard size greenhouse. What to do?

I use my greenhouse to its fullest, as they say. In one greenhouse I grow cucumbers, peppers, eggplants, tomatoes, parsley, dill, onions, radishes, lettuce, basil, marjoram. In addition, in it I grow cabbage, beet, annual flowers seedlings, and even plant early carrots and beets in it.

Of course, I do not sow and plant all this at the same time, there is a kind of conveyor. It is best to do compact planting so that when the main plants have grown and they would need more space, the earlier crops would already be used by you in one way or another. In addition, when planting a greenhouse tightly, plant compatibility must be taken into account.

Today I will tell you about how tomatoes and cucumbers coexist in my greenhouse (arched 3 m wide and almost 6 m long).

To the content

Tomatoes and cucumbers - in the same greenhouse

All the books talk about the fact that cucumbers need moist air and moist soil, and tomatoes need dry air and moderately moist soil. I live in the North-West, and here the air humidity is almost always 70-80%, so tomatoes have to put up with this, and gardeners have to take some tricks to help them.

In addition, the books claim that cucumbers are afraid of drafts, they de cause stem rot disease. However, for cucumbers, it turns out, drafts are not so terrible as stagnant air. It is he who causes the disease with rot. Therefore, arrange through ventilation of the greenhouses, as required by tomatoes, and do not worry about cucumbers.

To the content

Cucumbers in the greenhouse: instead of frequent watering - hydrogel

Now about watering cucumbers. If you water them daily, moisture from the soil will evaporate intensively, increasing the already high humidity in the greenhouse. But this can be avoided by reducing the number of waterings. The hydrogel, which I have been using every year for almost 10 years, helps me with this.

This is a polymer crumb that swells 300 times when soaked in water! Having swollen, it retains moisture in itself, preventing it from evaporating from the surface of the soil and going deep into it, and therefore the moisture goes exclusively to the roots, which suck it as needed. After all, it is well known that when irrigated, plants manage to capture only 25% of the water poured under them, and the rest goes down or evaporates from the soil surface. That is, when watering, we are wasting time and energy by three quarters.Hydrogel, as a true polymer material, decomposes into carbon dioxide and water during oxidation, therefore, not only does it harm the soil, but, on the contrary, is very useful.

How to use the hydrogel - and not just in the greenhouse? In the evening, fill the crumb with water about 300 times more than the mass of the crumb itself. So, for 3 liters of water, you will need only 10 g (usually one sachet) of hydrogel. When planting for each plant, you will need about half a glass of ready-made gel (that is, 100 ml), so this bag will be enough for you to plant 30 plants.

If you grow cucumber seedlings, when planting it in a greenhouse, add half a glass of hydrogel directly to the hole and plant cucumber seedlings (or any other seedlings) on it. If you do not grow cucumber seedlings, and this is reasonable, then after adding the hydrogel to the well, sprinkle it with 4–5 cm of soil on top and then sow the seeds. The fact is that if you put the seeds directly into the hydrogel, it will be tantamount to putting them in water for 5-7 days - they can simply rot or suffocate due to lack of air.

The hydrogel can be dissolved not in water, but in a weak solution of mineral or organic fertilizers. In this case, you at the same time get rid of one more work - feeding the cucumbers. As an organic fertilizer (and at the same time healing the soil) I use a joint solution of Fitosporin and Gumi, and as a mineral fertilizer, either the organo-mineral fertilizer (OMU) of the Buisk plant of mineral fertilizers, or the powder fraction of the unique AVA fertilizer.

To the content

Greenhouse cucumber mulch

How else can you make your work easier when growing cucumbers in a greenhouse if you couldn't get a hydrogel? Immediately after germination, mulch (cover) the soil under the plants with mowed grass or weeds with a layer of 8-10 cm and regularly add this litter, because, when it dries, it settles heavily, but it is necessary that the mulch layer remains approximately the same thickness, that is, 8– 10 cm.

What happens then? Moisture does not evaporate from the soil, and therefore watering will have to be done much less often. In addition, the constantly decaying lower part of the mulch generates heat (and the roots of cucumbers, like all pumpkin crops, love warm soil) and gives the root system fresh food.

In addition, from the top layer of organic green mass, the water under the cucumbers will partially evaporate into the air directly under each plant and at the same time create the same humid microclimate that cucumbers love so much. But since this moisture is not enough to spread throughout the greenhouse, it will not be able to harm tomatoes growing in a neighboring garden, in which excessive air humidity contributes to the appearance of late blight, and even worse - harmful brown leaf spot.

To the content

How to plant tomatoes in the same greenhouse with cucumbers

And what to do with tomatoes? And do nothing. But when planting, 1 tablespoon of superphosphate must be added to the hole. It is known to be poorly soluble in water. So let it dissolve, enough for a long time. I also bring in a handful of feathers from an old feather pillow. What for? The fact is that feathers, down, wool, hair, horns and hooves are almost entirely made of silicon.

Sand, of course, is practically pure silicon, but unlike the above, it is very slowly processed by a small group of microorganisms - stone-eaters, and therefore silicon - sand - is practically not assimilated by plants. But down-feather and its relatives are famously processed by soil bacteria, so the plants receive silicon all season - starting almost from the moment of transplanting seedlings.

Silicon strengthens the walls of vascular vessels in plants. This makes them resistant to all kinds of damage, including those caused by pathogens, and the trunks and stems themselves are strong.It is interesting that by the end of the season there is not even a trace of these feathers, microorganisms are so willing to process them, and the silicon they release is absorbed by plants.

It is not required to add hydrogel under the tomatoes, because they can generally not be watered all season, regardless of the weather. If you don't believe it, check it out. But when planting, at least 5 liters of warm water must first be poured into each hole for tall varieties or hybrids and at least 3 liters for determinant undersized ones. Plant the seedlings immediately and immediately mulch the soil under the tomatoes with newspapers folded in several layers.

What does it do? The water, together with a part of the mineral fertilizer, will begin to go down. And in pursuit of them, the roots of tomatoes will begin to grow down. It is only necessary when picking - their first transplant - not to break off the tip of the central root, as is usually recommended by different authors.

The branching root grows in all directions in search of food and water, that is, it spreads close to the surface. Such a root system makes the plant dependent - dependent, it has to be watered often. But after all, the root system of a tomato, unlike the root system of a cucumber, is capable of deeply penetrating the soil (at least 1.5 m), and there is almost always moisture there (with the exception of sandy soils, but this is a special case).

So the tomato is able to take care of itself. And for this you do not need to cut off the tip of the central root from it. We do not need the root to branch, we need it to grow downward, and since the tips of the roots have a special property, say, a "scent" for food and water, the central root will grow down, where the water and food rushed, and branch will also gradually be there, in the depths, and not under the surface itself.

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How to mulch the ground in a greenhouse under tomatoes

What does newspaper mulching give? It blocks the possibility of moisture evaporation from the surface, thus, firstly, it retains moisture in the soil, and secondly, the air around each plant remains drier than when you mulch the soil with green organic matter. I was doing this experiment. When I mulched the soil with green organic matter in a humid summer, the tomatoes got sick with late blight, but literally nearby, mulched with newspapers, did not.

There is one more nuance here. The fact is that the causative agent of the fungal disease of tomato late blight lives in the soil, like most causative agents of plant diseases. Organic mulch, if it is less than 7–8 cm thick, is not an obstacle to the germination of fungal spores to the surface from which they scatter, falling on the leaves (you, of course, noticed that late blight primarily affects the lower leaves). And several layers of paper, laid on the soil, block the escape of the fungus spores.

I have been growing tomatoes in this way for many years, and even in the coldest and wettest summer my tomatoes do not get sick with late blight, although I do not do any special prophylaxis against it, except that I spill the soil well with a solution of Fitosporin and Gumi before planting. But I do this not only in the greenhouse, but also on all the beds and under all the plantings twice a year. In the spring, as soon as the soil allows for sowing and planting, and in the fall - immediately after harvesting.

We will tell you about how to grow peppers and eggplants in the same greenhouse next time.

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