How to grow balcony cucumbers at home?

Growing cucumbers on the balcony is an enjoyable and entertaining experience. If you do not have a garden plot, you can easily, following the recommendations, create a green vegetable garden on the loggia.

Basic rules for growing

Before getting down to work, you need to consider the location of the balcony, because cucumbers, like all plants, love sunlight. The north side is not suitable for planting this crop; it is better to choose the southeast or east. In addition, the shoots do not like drafts, so a glazed balcony is suitable for them.

The cultivation process begins with the selection of seeds, because not all varieties are suitable for this purpose.

You need to pay attention to the following factors:

• the size of the fruits obtained;
• shade tolerance;
• no need for pollination;
• a note on the possibility of growing in a city apartment.

For growing cucumbers at home, hybrid varieties have been bred that adapt to balcony conditions:

• F1 "Balcony Miracle";
• F1 "Courage";
• F1 "Balagan";
• F1 "Claudia";
• F1 "City gherkin".

Sowing seeds for the summer period should be in late April - early May. If you start the germination process early, the stems can stretch out a lot due to insufficient supply of sunlight. Also, the formation of buds will occur before the establishment of warm, suitable weather, and they can dry out and fall off.

In the cold season, you need to provide plants with certain conditions.

1. Add additional light sources to increase daylight hours, which are shorter in winter.
2. Additionally, insulate the balcony or loggia with special materials.
3. Install heaters to maintain the optimum growing temperature, and also to avoid freezing the plant at night.
4. Provide good ventilation for draft-free fresh air.

Growing technology

To get a good harvest and delicious cucumbers in an apartment, you must follow the technology of growing a vegetable step by step. It includes:

• soil preparation;
• planting seeds;
• creating conditions for the development of seedlings;
• picking seedlings and moving them into larger pots;
• mineral dressing;
• leaving until the last cucumber is picked.

Soil preparation

The soil, saturated with trace elements and nutrients, is the key to intensive, healthy growth of all sown seeds. It is prepared by mixing several ingredients in a certain proportion.

1 way

It is the most time consuming, because the soil is made from 5 different components, which are taken in the same amount - half of a 10-liter bucket.

You will need:

• turf;
• compost;
• peat;
• ash;
• sawdust.

They need to be poured into a large container or into a film spread on the ground, mixed and moistened with a solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the soil.

If it is not possible to prepare the soil yourself at home, you can purchase it in a specialized store.

2 way

This cooking method uses the same ingredients, for 1 bucket of which you need to add:

• 10 - 15 g of nitrophoska;
• 8 - 10 g of urea.

Thorough mixing contributes to an even distribution of substances throughout the entire mass of the prepared soil.

3 way

Take:

• turf and compost - half a 10-liter bucket each;
• ash - 400 g;
• lime - 50 g;
• fertilizer complex - 15 g.

Stir these ingredients until a homogeneous mass is obtained, transfer the resulting mixture to a bag and bury it at a shallow depth. After 7-10 days, the decayed mass will become crumbly and suitable for planting.

For the prevention of viral and infectious diseases affecting plants, the resulting soil should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. You need to dilute it, following the recommendations on the package.

How to sow seeds correctly

The choice of seeds is not the main stage in the cultivation of cucumbers, it is more important to sow them correctly.

1 way - germination.

1. Place the seeds in a pinkish potassium permanganate solution and let sit for 15–20 minutes.
2. Fold the cheesecloth soaked in warm water in several layers and put the seeds in it.
3. Place the hatched specimens in prepared containers.

Method 2 - planting dry seeds.

1. Make small indentations in prepared pots (in elongated containers, holes are made at a distance of 30–35 cm from each other).
2. Place 2 seeds in each one to get germination exactly.
3. Deepen the seeds by 1.5 cm.
4. Moisten the soil slightly and cover with foil.

Advice

For seedlings, it is necessary to purchase special containers that have a double bottom, which prevents the accumulation of moisture and rotting of the roots, and drainage holes. Such a container for growing cucumbers on the windowsill can be made at home on your own.

The recommended temperature is 23-25 ​​° C, at which the plant grows within normal limits. If, when planting dry seeds, 2 sprouts appeared at once, cut the weakest of them with a sharp knife.

The soil in pots should not remain dry, the surface should be regularly moistened (it is more convenient to do this with a spray bottle once a day).
After 3 full-fledged leaves appear, you can proceed to the stage of seedling hardening. It takes place in several stages.

1. Removing the film for several hours.
2. Sunbathing near the open window in the pre-lunch hours.
3. Carrying out to the balcony after the end of frost.

Top dressing of seedlings is done twice before transplanting:

• 14 days after germination;
• 7-10 days after 1 treatment.

The soil is completely moistened with a mineral solution after the appearance of 2-3 leaves, 1 glass of diluted fertilizer is spent on 1 plant.

Transplanting seedlings

At this stage of growing cucumbers at home, you need to purchase long plastic containers measuring 60 × 30 × 20. The prepared soil is poured into each of them with a 7-centimeter layer.

If the sprouts have sprouted in peat pots, then the seedlings should be placed in a box without removing them from them. Cover with soil, lightly tamp and moisten the surface.

Seedlings, sown in plastic cells, are transplanted with an earthy clod. To do this, fill the plant with warm water, push a clod of earth through the drainage hole with your index finger and carefully pull out the sprout. Distribute seedlings on the container at a distance of 35–40 cm from each other.

A long stage begins when proper care for cucumbers allows you to harvest a rich harvest.

Leaving means:

1. pinching to form a cucumber lash;
2. antennae removal once every 10 days;
3. maintaining optimal humidity by spraying dried soil;
4. loosening the soil around the plant;
5. systematic feeding with potash and phosphorus fertilizers (once every 2 weeks);
6. foliar processing of shoots for the prevention of diseases and pests (once every 2 weeks);
7. a lash tie to prevent brittleness.

Growing cucumbers in the cold season

Many people consider the cultivation of cucumbers in winter almost a miracle, but the technology for germinating and planting seeds is the same for any time of the year. The differences are only in the conditions of detention.

• Indoor plants need additional moisture during the heating period. Growing cucumbers on a windowsill involves daily watering. To humidify the air around the cucumbers, place a container of water next to it.
• Provide additional lighting because cloudy days predominate and plants lack light.
• In the absence of frost, you can open the window to ventilate the room.

How to grow cucumbers in plastic bottles

This option is recognized as the most economical, since no one has a shortage of plastic containers. You can sow seedlings in one and a half liter and five liter bottles. For such purposes there are special varieties - F1 "Khrustyk" and F1 "Shchedryk", which ripen quickly and are distinguished by high yields.

The 1.5 liter containers take up less space and provide optimal moisture for the sprout.

1. Cut the bottle in half.
2. Pour soil into the upper part without closing the neck with a lid.
3. Plant a seed.
4. Pour water into the bottom.
5. Insert half of the earth into the water tank so that the water covers the neck.

With this method, the water is changed daily.

In 5-liter plastic bottles, pre-cut in half lengthwise, holes are made to drain excess liquid when watering.

Care for the cucumber seedlings grown on the window follows a familiar pattern.

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill and on the loggia is not a bit of a hassle, but the result is worth it. You can plant vegetables both in winter and in summer, observing the conditions of detention, because indoor cucumbers require additional lighting and moisture.

For planting, flower pots and containers are used, and cucumbers can also grow in plastic bottles and wooden boxes equipped with good drainage.

There is not a single person who does not like such a dish as a cucumber-based salad. It is especially pleasant if the cultivation of zelents was carried out step by step on the windowsill or on the balcony with your own hands. There is a category of gardeners that is not limited to the cultivation of tasty and healthy fruits in summer cottages, balcony cucumber - the pride of any specialist.

Is it possible to dream about growing cucumbers on the windowsill or on the balcony

Cucumbers on the windowsill

It may seem impossible for many novice gardeners to grow cucumbers on the windowsill, but this is quite real. Of course, you have to work hard to get the harvest, but for those who like to show their talent in agricultural technology, this process is a real pleasure. In addition, such an activity can become a family hobby.
There are no restrictions on the timing of disembarkation. But planting is one thing, and looking after - following a step-by-step plan of events, especially in winter - is quite another. The conditions for success are the installation of a lamp with daylight near an impromptu bed from November to February, proper watering, attention to flowering, pinching and garter. Insufficient illumination negatively affects the growing season.

Due to the absence of time limits, it is possible to plant and harvest fruits at any time of the year.

The best varieties to grow on a windowsill

It's easy to get lost in the abundance of varieties

The main rule of how to grow greens in a room is the correct choice of seeds.Which variety to use for planting? If you take the first variety that comes to hand for cultivation, the development of seedlings will be slowed down, which, most likely, will lead to the death of the seedling.
The following varieties are suitable for cultivating cucumbers on the windowsill.

Balcony

An unpretentious early ripe variety with a fruit ripening period of 40-42 days from the moment of germination. The yield per square meter is 8-11 kg. To successfully grow this variety and get a large harvest, the main thing is to water it correctly according to the instructions.

Buyan

The variety that does not require pollination has a long fruiting period. Zelentsy ripen 44-48 days after the first shoots appear. The average yield is 3.5-5 kg ​​per m2.

Ant

The characteristic quality of the variety is ultra early ripening, the fruits appear 37-38 days after the mass germination of seeds. Pollination is not required for the plant. 10-12 kg can be removed from 1 m2 with proper care.

Marathon

A hybrid requiring pollination is distinguished by a high yield (over 25 kg per 1 m2). Ideal for window growing due to its compact lash size and high disease resistance.

Olympiad

The plant, although it has a long lash, adapts well to the home environment. Fruits ripen 47-49 days after seed germination on the surface of the soil. When grown in a greenhouse in compliance with technology, up to 45 kg are removed from 1 m2, at home it is also noted high yield - over 24 kg per 1 m2.

Basic rules for growing

Cover with a lid to protect the seedlings

The key to obtaining a good harvest of cucumbers will be the inviolable fulfillment of the basic rules of agricultural technology:

• Plant only varieties suitable for window cultivation.
• Conduct disinfection of soil and seeds.
• Observe the temperature regime typical for each stage.
• Eliminate drafts.
• Control the degree of moisture in the soil and air, as well as the level of lighting.
• Timely transplant and garter, introduce fertilizers and top dressing
• To manually pollinate flowers of those varieties that require it.
• Loosen the soil periodically to provide access to the roots of oxygen.

When to plant cucumbers at home?

Seedlings sprout and gain strength in pots

More often, the sowing of seeds for seedlings is done step by step in March. A month later, the matured seedlings are transferred to separate pots. This decision is due to the appropriate time of the year, when there will simply not be a shortage of good lighting.

What is the most suitable time for planting according to the technology?

You can start sowing in January, this is also practiced quite often. There are no strict restrictions on the timing of planting on the street; when determining the period, one should be guided by the opportunity to create favorable conditions for the growing season of the plant.

The right soil for growing early varieties in a pot

For growing cucumbers, loose fertile soil is used. A ready-made universal substrate or a self-prepared mixture of equal parts is suitable: fertile soil, humus, sand, ash, rotten sawdust. Why shouldn't you do this at home? For aesthetic reasons, you shouldn't fill your home with these scents.
To disinfect the substrate, it is necessary to warm it up in the oven. With the help of this procedure, it will be possible to get rid of various larvae and spores, which can subsequently become infected with young shoots.

Preparing seeds for planting

The preparation process for sowing on the balcony does not differ significantly from the usual procedures that are used when growing crops in the open field or in a greenhouse. In addition to disinfection, carried out in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, you need to sort out the highest quality seeds. A feature of home cultivation is the pre-germination of seeds. This must be done in order to determine the exact number of bushes that fit in the box. In the cold season, there is nowhere to transplant adult seedlings, and it is sacrilegious to throw out the developing shoots.Forcing all windows with cucumbers is not a way out, therefore it is better to sow exclusively sprouted specimens.

To accelerate germination of seedlings, it is recommended to treat the seed with a growth stimulator before sowing.

How to plant and transplant at home

Growing cucumbers on warm windowsills

Sowing is conveniently done in wooden boxes or separate pots. You can also use plastic cups, it is important that there is a hole on the bottom to release excess moisture. After germination, the seeds are buried in moist soil by 1.5 cm. Until the emergence of shoots on the surface of the soil, the container should be covered with glass or plastic wrap to create a greenhouse effect. The temperature regime at this stage is at least 25 °. After 2-3 days, it will be possible to observe how green dots make their way through the soil. After the shoots appear, you need to remove the shelter and reduce the room temperature to 20 °.
It is necessary to transplant mature seedlings with 3-4 leaves in more capacious pots, where up to 5 liters of soil are placed. Also, some owners use boxes where 3-4 bushes are planted per 1 m2.

Shoots are transferred to a new place carefully along with the soil, so that the weak root system is not damaged.

Care for the first shoots and seedlings in the apartment

Caring for seedlings is distinguished by trepidation, it is at this stage that it is important to help the shoots get stronger, which will play a positive role in further development.

Lighting in spring and summer

Cucumbers need a lot of light, therefore, it is better to choose a window sill or loggia for a garden bed on the south or southeast side. On cloudy days and in spring, you need to compensate for the lack of lighting by installing fluorescent lamps. To prevent the plant from drying out in the summer from the sun's rays in the apartment, the glass is tinted with thin tulle. Light shading will protect the whip from ultraviolet radiation.

Additional lighting can be created using mirrors, foil and other reflectors that will redirect sunlight to the bushes.

Lamp for lengthening daylight

Watering indoor cucumbers

Seedlings are moistened by spraying. For this, it is better to use a spray bottle. It should be filled only with settled heated water.

Top dressing of seedlings

After sowing, the seedlings are kept in a warmed place with a temperature of at least 23 ° for 25-28 days. During this time, it is necessary to introduce several dressings: the first time 15 days after germination and another 10 days later. It is recommended to use complex fertilizers as a nutritional composition.

Garter of grown lashes

Garter is a prerequisite for plant development

The growing lash needs help - to tie it up.

For the garter, a trellis net is used, which is easier to wrap in a semicircle. After immersing it in the ground and fixing it, you should run the stem on the formed wall. Then he himself will wrap around the net. You can correct it, but do it carefully so as not to damage the plant. Excess antennae are removed.
The garter is also organized with a cord, which is fixed on a specially made frame made of slats. The sequence of the process is as follows:

• a cord is attached to the top of the frame (from natural fibers);
• the end of the cord goes down to the root zone of the bush, turns (not tight!) several times around the stem and
• returns to the top rail;
• both ends of the cord are tied together.

When and how to pinch?

To increase the yield, it is necessary to form a cucumber bush... Often, the plant lays male shoots on the stem, the so-called barren flowers. To prevent their formation, it is necessary to remove the lateral shoots from the lower part after tying the lash. Next, 6-8 leaves are passed along the stem and pinched (cut off the edge). This procedure provokes the formation of lateral branches, on which the greens are well tied.

Watering and feeding

The soil is well moistened

Only warm water is used for irrigation, the cold liquid inhibits root development and reduces the formation of ovaries in the sinuses. You need to irrigate the bushes once a week. In the summer, the intensity of hydration, if necessary, is increased up to 2-3 times a week. You can also spray the whips throughout the day using warm, clean water.
You need to introduce fertilizer into the soil regularly, about 1 time in 10 days. The first time this should be done 2 weeks after sowing. For these purposes, ready-made mixtures of minerals or organic-based solutions are used:

• mullein and water (1:10);
• bird droppings and water (1:15);
• infusion on onion peel, etc.

How to pollinate correctly

How to manually pollinate cucumbers

When choosing pollinated varieties, artificial pollination must be ensured, in open ground conditions, this function is performed by bees.
Before you carry it out, you need to learn how to distinguish between barren flowers and female flowers. The female inflorescence is formed on a green seal that looks like a mini-cucumber. The pollination process involves transferring pollen from a male flower to a fertile one. To do this, they pluck the barren flower and open the stamens as much as possible, removing all the petals. All that remains is to touch the stamens of the female flower, repeating the procedure several times (to be sure). This should be done carefully so as not to damage the delicate inflorescence.
How to successfully grow cucumbers on a windowsill? The secret lies in the systematic care of the plants, which will certainly be rewarded with a generous harvest.

Growing cucumbers on the balcony is a reality today. Not everyone has their own summer cottage, therefore, to translate their agricultural talents into reality, they use a balcony or loggia. Let's talk about how to grow cucumbers on the balcony of a typical city apartment.

Types of cucumbers for the balcony

What types of cucumbers are suitable for the balcony? When choosing cucumber varieties for a balcony window sill, take your time, because there is no wind or bees in this room, so not even all varieties are suitable.

Advice! Balcony cucumbers can be grown in plastic bottles. Of the varieties, professionals recommend Bianka, Masha, Gribovchanka, Aprelsky, Zozulya, Debut.

Experienced gardeners are trying to grow on their balconies and cucumbers that need pollination: Frigate, Marathon, Northern Lights, Pallas' cat.

Attention! In order for the efforts spent on growing seedlings and caring for plants not to be in vain, self-pollinating plants with pollinated bees should be planted in a ratio of 5 to 1.

In this case, you are guaranteed to get a good and stable result, you will enjoy the harvest of balcony cucumbers.

When choosing varieties of cucumbers for your home, you can purchase the following hybrids: Claudia F1, Hercules, Marinda F1.

Features of growing cucumbers on the balcony

One desire for growing a high-quality and stable harvest of cucumbers on a loggia or balcony will not be enough. Growing cucumbers in a plastic bottle on the balcony is a real art, it takes patience and requires the creation of certain conditions. For example, seedlings must be protected from drafts.

To begin with, you will have to spend time re-equipping a loggia or balcony, installing additional lighting, a heating element, and ventilation. Such actions will help to increase the length of daylight hours, will have a positive effect on the development of seedlings.

Advice! For work related to the arrangement of heating and ventilation, it is better to invite a real professional. In this case, you will receive a guaranteed microclimate in which the seedlings will quickly develop and bear fruit.

Professionals warn those homeowners who decide to plant cucumbers on open balconies against the fact that the seedlings will die during the first frost.

There is a certain step-by-step technology, following which will reward you with an excellent and stable harvest.

To plant cucumbers in plastic bottles on the balcony, you first need to sow the seeds, prepare the soil composition, take care of the planted seedlings, and form cucumber lashes.

Let's analyze step by step all the steps related to planting cucumber seeds, caring for them.

Planting cucumber seeds on the balcony

This step is an important and responsible stage, it involves several different actions at once. Before proceeding to planting plants, it is necessary to think over the timing of planting seeds, as well as the harvest period. For those property owners who plan to pick cucumbers from early spring, professionals recommend preparing the seeds for planting in the winter.

You will need to make a weak solution of potassium permanganate (9 potassium permanganate), soak the seeds in it for 15-20 minutes. Then they are filtered, the seeds are spread on a damp gauze cloth, which is folded in several layers.

After the seeds have cracked and sprout, they can be planted in plastic dark bottles or small flower pots.

Attention! The container for cucumber seedlings should not be transparent, otherwise ultraviolet rays will have a negative effect on the root system of a young plant, causing the formation of various diseases.

Container for seedlings of cucumbers on the balcony

It should be borne in mind that to protect the root system from decay processes, the container or pots used for planting cucumbers must have a double bottom. Cucumbers are considered a moisture-resistant crop, so you need to take care of abundant watering. The top bottom requires drainage holes through which water and excess moisture will enter the bottom pan.

Advice! Select pots to hold 2.5 liters. Avoid metal containers as they corrode and can kill cucumber plants.

Specificity of soil preparation

Before you start planting seeds, take care of preparing the soil composition to guarantee the growth of seedlings, to prevent the soil from drying out.

Professionals recommend several mix options that can be used for cucumber seedlings. For example, you can mix in the same ratio sod soil, compost, sawdust, ash, peat. A similar composition can be made by hand, or purchased in a store for summer residents and gardeners.

As an alternative to the first variant of the mixture, a mixture of urea with nitrophos can be considered. Also, for growing cucumber seedlings, independent harvesting of summer cottage (sod) land, wood ash, slaked lime, nitrogen, potash, phosphorus fertilizers is suitable. After thoroughly mixing all the components, they are placed in a plastic bag.

Next, you can dig a hole in the summer cottage, place a bag with a ready-made soil composition in it, fill it with earth on top. After a short time, the mixture will rot, and will be loose, ideal for growing cucumbers at home.

Advice! Before planting seeds directly into the prepared soil, it is necessary to process the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, protecting the plant from numerous diseases.

High-quality soil preparation increases the chances of getting a decent weapon of balcony cucumbers.

Features of growing cucumber seeds on the balcony

For those who decide to grow cucumbers on their balcony or loggia, we recommend taking into account the advice and recommendations of professional gardeners.

When creating favorable conditions for growing seedlings, there will be no special problems, and you will become the happy owner of an excellent harvest.

The balcony should have a constant temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius. With a lower value, there is a risk of inhibition of the development of seedlings, or their death.Before planting cucumber seeds in the soil, professionals recommend treating the pot or bottle itself with a solution of potassium permanganate in order to prevent the appearance of various diseases. For seeds in the ground, it is necessary to make special depressions of 2-3 centimeters. They put pots with seedlings on the balcony, prepared in advance for cucumber seedlings: insulated, equipped with ventilation, high-quality lighting.

Three weeks after planting the seeds in the ground, you will receive the first shoots. They need to be fed twice. First, two weeks after the emergence of shoots, then after 8-10 days.

Attention! Young plants should not be exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun.

Watering cucumber seedlings is carried out daily using water heated to room temperature.

Planting cucumber seedlings on the balcony

After the appearance of seedlings, you can proceed to the second stage of growing cucumbers. For transplanting seedlings, boxes with a double bottom or old plastic bottles will be required. In order to prevent the soil from drying out in the selected containers, it is necessary to select such bottles that are about twenty centimeters high and about 30 cm wide.If you prefer to use boxes, then their length should not be less than 60 centimeters.

Before transplanting young seedlings of cucumbers, first the pots are filled with a soil mixture for one part, the soil is watered with a warm solution of potassium permanganate. After 15-20 minutes, the seedlings themselves are placed in a box or bottle, and the soil is added. Watering is carried out at least once a day.

If the weather is warm outside, you can arrange pots or bottles with transplanted seedlings, even if there is no glazing. At the same time, professionals recommend choosing such a place on the balcony or loggia for installing the pots, where gusts of wind are least felt.

The transplant is carried out one month after planting the seeds in the ground.

Features of feeding cucumbers

When creating ideal conditions for growing cucumbers on the balcony, there are no problems with the development of seedlings, it does not need special additional care, watering. Two weeks after transplanting seedlings, you can start feeding young plants.

The first feeding is carried out by preparing a mixture of potash, ammonium nitrate, magnesium sulfate, superphosphate. For 10 liters, take from 5 to 20 grams of these minerals.

After about a week, you can carry out a second feeding of cucumber plants using potassium sulfate, superphosphate, rotted bird droppings.

At the stage of forming the lashes of plants, the pinching operation is performed. It is carried out after the third leaf appears on the cucumber seedlings. By removing the axillary buds, you help the seedlings to strengthen and form powerful whips. Professionals consider plucking to be a mandatory action; the quality of the harvest directly depends on the quality of its implementation.

Given that these plants are climbing, it is necessary to tie up the emerging cucumber seedlings. You need to pull the wire about 1.5 meters from the soil. A strong rope or thread is lowered down from its top, carefully tied to the stem of the plant. As it develops, the stem is gently wrapped around the thread. Without damaging the stem, you will receive quality support for the growing cucumber seedlings. Subject to all the recommendations offered by professional farmers, the right choice of varieties, you will become the happy owners of a good harvest of vegetables on your balcony or loggia.

• Flower shelves on the balcony
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• Sauna on the balcony with your own hands
• Do-it-yourself balcony insulation

Kikimora

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Cucumbers on the open balcony

The absence of a summer residence does not mean at all that even in season you will have to buy fresh vegetables in the store. If you wish, you can get a good harvest by growing them on a windowsill or loggia.For example, my grandmother mastered the cultivation of cucumbers on the balcony in 5 liter plastic bottles with a cut neck.

But this was a forced measure, since her balcony was miniature. In general, these plants require space and a large amount of land.

With those who want to turn their balcony into a mini-garden, I can share my and my grandmother's experience. True, mine is associated with growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, but the difference is small.

From seed to seedling

The first stage, which is to grow seedlings, takes place at home. And it begins long before the establishment of truly warm weather, when the plants will no longer be threatened by night frosts. So, cucumbers on the balcony: growing step by step.

Step 1 - choosing a variety

You need special balcony cucumber seeds. How are they different from ordinary ones?

1. Firstly, they should be self-pollinated... In an enclosed space, and even in a city on high floors, you are unlikely to find bees or other insects carrying pollen from flower to flower. Such varieties are called parthenocarpic. Although there are semi-partenocarpic ones, for which wind is enough for pollination, the movement of air masses.

One of the most popular semi-partenocarpic early maturing varieties - Zozulya F1

2. Secondly, these should be compact plants with smaller leaves than garden cucumbers, since they will have to grow in a rather limited area.
3. Thirdly, zelentsy should not outgrow. It is best to opt for gherkin varieties. But again, keep in mind that not all of them are self-pollinating. For example, a Parisian gherkin without bees will not give ovaries. Of course, you can do pollination yourself, picking one flower and transferring pollen from it to the rest. But why, when there are special varieties?

If you originally planted a non-parthenocarpic variety, hand pollination remains the only way to harvest.

The name of some varieties directly indicates that they can be grown indoors. This, for example, Balcony, Balcony miracle, City gherkin. But there are many others. The seed bags always contain instructions for growing and information on whether it is possible to grow this variety on a balcony or in an apartment.

Another balcony hybrid

Hummingbirds, Courage and Barnaulets grew up pretty well at my grandmother's, and in my greenhouse Boy-with-finger and the Son of the Regiment.

Step 2 - soil preparation

Cucumbers will grow well and bear fruit only in fertile and loose soil.... Purchased soil is not very suitable for them, it can only be an integral part of the soil mixture. But if there are no other options, buy a universal soil with a pH level of 6.4-6.8.

Purchased land is almost pure peat

Ideal would be a substrate prepared from equal parts:

• peat (the same purchased soil);
• humus;
• turf land;
• and small sawdust

If you manage to get birch ash - excellent (but not more than 0.5 liters per 10 liters of the mixture). And for looseness, you can add a little baking powder - vermiculite, perlite, or at least sand.

All this must be thoroughly mixed by adding a teaspoon of superphosphate and potassium sulfate to a bucket (10 l) of soil substrate.

Step 3 - sowing seeds

If you have already chosen the best varieties of cucumbers, prepared the soil, then now look at the calendar and figure out when it is best to start sowing:

• you can do this at the end of February, but only if you have a glazed and well-insulated balcony, and you live in the southern regions, where warm weather sets in in April;
• the optimal landing time for central Russia is late March - early April, if the balcony is open, then not earlier than mid-April.

In general, be guided by the weather forecast and your conditions. The main thing is that by the time of relocation to a permanent place (25-30 days after the emergence of shoots) the air temperature on the balcony does not fall below 15-17 degrees.

Before sowing, the seeds need to be prepared.The step-by-step instructions on how to do this are as follows:

1. First, they are dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 10 minutes. True, if the seeds in your bags are not white, but colored, it means that they have already undergone a similar treatment, and this stage, like soaking, can be skipped.

Seeds in a water-soluble shell with disinfecting and growth-regulating properties

2. Then they are washed in clean water and laid out on a saucer with a wet gauze napkin. Water must be added periodically so that the napkin is always damp. Thus, the seeds are soaked for about 2 days at a temperature of 22-24 degrees.
3. A few hours before planting, a growth stimulator solution is poured into a saucer (2 drops of Zircon or 3 drops of Epin per glass of water).

During this time, the seeds will swell and may even hatch, so the seedlings will appear earlier. They can also be sown dry if you are afraid to risk damaging the sprouts, but it will take more time to germinate.

Sprouted seeds

You can sow seeds in any small container. Most of all, I like simple disposable cups, from which it is easy to get seedlings for transplanting.

Of course, holes need to be made in the bottom for excess water. The advertised peat cups did not impress me: they decompose in the ground for quite a long time after transplanting, the roots become cramped.

The cups are filled up to the top with the prepared soil substrate, without compaction. Following the example of my grandmother, I always water it with very hot water 10 minutes before planting. Then the seed is placed on the settled ground and sprinkled on top with a layer of soil 1.5-2 cm. From above it is moistened with a spray bottle.

You can plant 2 seeds at a time, cutting off the weaker ones after shoots after they appear

It is best to germinate seeds on a window at a temperature of about 25 degrees, and when shoots appear, it can be slightly reduced.

Step 3 - growing seedlings

After the seedlings emerge, you need to provide good lighting, so the seedlings are placed on the sunniest window, and if necessary illuminate at least up to 16 hours a day.

The soil should always be moist, and the air temperature should be at least 20 degrees. It is advisable to avoid drafts. Water for irrigation is used warm, settled.

When the second true leaf appears, the plants need to be fed. You can use liquid complex mineral fertilizers or prepare a urea solution with your own hands (1 teaspoon per three-liter jar). After about a week, when the next leaf appears, the feeding is repeated.

At this age, seedlings are fed for the first time.

In total, growing seedlings will take about 25 days. It is not only not necessary to dive, but even dangerous, since cucumbers are very painful to tolerate root damage... Therefore, the seeds must immediately be planted in cups of normal volume (and not tiny ones, as from under Rastishka), so that the roots develop normally.

From seedling to harvest

Now you can talk about how to grow cucumbers on the balcony, because while they were growing in an apartment. Of course, they will grow best on the sunny side, but if you live on the north side of the house, it doesn't matter either - in case of a lack of light, special phytolamps for illumination save.

Step 4 - transplant

If you want to get the first cucumbers as early as possible, do not delay transplanting seedlings into a permanent container, even if the air temperature on the balcony is not yet high enough. They can be left at home for now or brought in at night.

Somehow I dragged on until the flowers and ovaries appeared, and after transplanting they dried up and fell off.

Disembarkation rules:

• The pot size should be quite large, as cucumbers have a strong root system. Volume not less than 5 liters (preferably more), height not less than 25 cm, diameter not less than 30 cm.

Large, dense garbage bags can be used instead of pots.

• At the same time, no more than three plants should fall on one square meter of area, otherwise they will shade each other.
• The pots are filled two-thirds with the same potting mix as for the seedlings. They must have holes in the bottom, and so that excess water does not flow onto the floor, they are installed on a pallet.
• Before transplanting, the soil in pots is poured abundantly with warm water and a hole is made in it.
• It is important to know how to properly transplant seedlings to a permanent place without damaging the roots. To do this, the seedlings in cups are also well watered 10-15 minutes before transshipment, then they press on the bottom and take out the plant along with a lump of earth, immediately placing it in the prepared hole... Sprinkle on top with dry soil and watered again so that it compresses and joins with a lump.

Immediately after transplanting, you can install trellises in the pots in the form of wire arcs along which cucumber vines will crawl up. I do not like this method - it is too unreliable, moreover, temporary - very soon you will still have to come up with more serious and higher supports.

Step 5 - the actual cultivation

It is best to install seedling pots against the walls so that overgrown plants do not interfere. They, like seedlings, need to be watered regularly, without waiting for the soil to dry.

But this is not enough, it is necessary to humidify the air as well. To do this, it is enough to keep a full bucket of water on the loggia, and spray the leaves from a spray bottle in the evening.

And it is convenient to water and spray with water from a bucket, which has settled and warmed up over a day, and fill it with fresh.

In addition to watering and spraying, caring for cucumbers also includes the following activities:

1. Top dressing. It is carried out a couple of times a month, watering the plants with liquid fertilizer such as Ovary or Fertika-Lux. Granny preferred a slurry solution that she prepared in the basement. An excellent natural fertilizer, but in an apartment I would not dare to use it because of its specific smell.

Top dressing is carried out strictly at the root, the solution should not fall on the leaves

2. Loosening. The roots need air, so the potted soil should not be allowed to become too compacted. And if it settles, the soil mixture can be poured. This will allow the plants to grow additional roots.
3. Shading. Cucumbers love heat, but do not tolerate direct sunlight and extreme heat... Therefore, in the hot summer, they need to be shaded by covering the windows on the balcony with dense tulle or mosquito netting.
4. Tying. Cucumber lashes definitely need support, otherwise they will intertwine on the floor and will not receive enough light and air. As trellises on the balcony, you can use high lattices made of wire or thin slats installed on the floor behind the pots, frames with a strong garden mesh stretched over them, etc.

We acted easier: a block was fixed under the ceiling, several screws were screwed into it, and twine was tied to them, the lower end of which was twisted around the stem.

A simple mesh without a rigid frame, as in the photo, will only support the weight of young and not yet fruiting plants

When the lashes reach the ceiling, they need to be pinched so that they do not grow further... Lateral shoots are also pinched to a length of 30-40 cm, so that new ovaries do not form on them and do not take away food from existing ones.

And in general, too dense thickets do not contribute to a good harvest - the plants should receive plenty of light and air.

Conclusion

That's all I can tell you about the technology of growing cucumbers on the balcony. She never let us down: within one and a half to two months after the emergence of shoots, we picked the first fruit, and all summer we enjoyed the taste of fresh and juicy green leaves.

However, in this case it is difficult to come up with something new, which is confirmed by the video in this article. But if you have your own know-how, please share it in the comments.

September 14, 2016

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