Early harvest of cucumbers in the greenhouse

Varieties of cucumbers for greenhouses

Cucumber varieties intended for greenhouses should have three qualities.

Parthenocarpic. Such varieties and hybrids form ovaries without the participation of bees. That is, without pollination. This is the main quality, because there are no bees in the greenhouse. Even if you open the doors and windows, there is very little chance that someone will fly in there. And another problem is that in bad weather, when it is cold and rainy, the bees do not fly at all. And parthenocarpics will provide you with a big harvest, regardless of the circumstances.

Shade tolerance. It would seem that the greenhouse has glass or polycarbonate on all sides, there should be plenty of light. But it only seems so – polycarbonate, for example, transmits about 86% of sunlight. That is if it is perfectly clean. But if it rained or wind with dust? It is unlikely that you will wash the glazing once a week during the summer. And the cucumber is photophilous (1), the lack of light will instantly affect the yield of cucumbers in the greenhouse – they will begin to greatly slow down their development. That is why shade-tolerant varieties are needed.

Disease resistance. In any greenhouse, humidity is always higher than in open ground. And where it is humid, fungal diseases instantly develop. It is almost impossible to cure cucumbers in greenhouses from powdery or downy mildew, so it is important to select resistant varieties and hybrids of cucumbers that will give an early harvest in the greenhouse.

There are few cucumbers that would meet three requirements at once, but quite enough to diversify the assortment. The most reliable of them: Barcelona, ​​Bobrik, Quadrille, Courage, Matrix, Caricature and Shchedryk (2). All of them are hybrids. They can be used both for salads and for preservation in the winter.

And experts advise planting varieties that differ in terms of ripening. The ratio is something like this:

• 20% early – they will yield a crop in early summer;
• 70% mid-season – they will become the basis of winter harvesting;
• 10% late – they will allow you to eat cucumbers in August.

Sowing cucumbers in a greenhouse

The temperature in the greenhouse allows you to grow cucumbers without seedlings – seeds can be sown in early May directly into the ground. But before that, you need to prepare.

Disinfect. Place cucumber seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 100 ml of water) and leave for 30 minutes. This procedure will help to destroy pathogens on the surface of the seeds. After disinfection, rinse the seeds with running water.

germinate. Seeds will sprout faster if they are allowed to hatch before sowing. Wrap them in a damp cloth and put them in a warm place with a temperature of 25 – 30 ° C. After 2 – 3 days, small roots will appear, which means it’s time to sow.

Cucumber seeds are sown to a depth of 1 – 2 cm. The distance between plants in the greenhouse (taking into account that the cucumbers will be tied to the trellises) is 35 – 40 cm.

Caring for cucumbers in a greenhouse

Watering. Cucumbers are still water-drinkers, so they need to be watered often. While young – once a week. When they begin to bloom and bear fruit – 1 times a week. Water consumption rate – 2 – 2 liters per 2,5 sq. m.

And when watering, it is important to follow 2 rules:

• watering strictly under the root – it is impossible to pour water on the leaves, especially from a hose with a sprayer, since wet leaves and high humidity will lead to an outbreak of diseases;
• water only with warm water – if you pour cucumbers with cold water, they will begin to shed their ovaries, or they may die altogether (3).

Feeding. During the season, greenhouse cucumbers will need 4 top dressings:

• 14 days after germination – 1 tbsp. a spoonful of ammonium nitrate and potassium sulfate, 1 matchbox of superphosphate per 10 liters of water, consumption rate – 1 liter per plant;
• as soon as the cucumbers bloom – 0,5 l of mullein (1:10 solution), 1 tbsp. spoon of nitrophoska, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of potassium sulfate, 0,5 g of boric acid and 0,3 g of manganese sulfate per 10 liters of water, the consumption rate is 3 liters per 1 sq. m;
• during the period of mass ripening of fruits – 2 tbsp. spoons of potassium nitrate, 5 tbsp. tablespoons of urea and 1 cup of ash per 10 liters of water, consumption rate – 1 liter per plant;
• 2 weeks after the third – 1 glass of ash per 10 liters of water, mix the solution well to get a homogeneous suspension of ash, and immediately water the cucumbers under the root.

Simultaneously with the fourth dressing under the root, it is also useful to carry out foliar feeding on the leaves – 1 matchbox of urea per 10 liters of water. Spray so that the leaves are completely moistened with the solution. And after that, the greenhouse must be ventilated – high humidity leads to the development of diseases. Foliar feeding is optional, but it will help prolong the fruiting of cucumbers.

Garter. In the greenhouse, cucumbers should grow vertically – so they will be better ventilated, less likely to get sick. Fasten a rope to the ceiling beam, and tie the lower end with a free loop to the stem (4). As the vine grows, carefully wind the rope around the stem, so that each coil captures a separate internode. Important: it is not the shoot that needs to be wound on the rope – this is how you break it, namely the rope around the shoot.

What can be planted in a greenhouse next to cucumbers

To occupy the entire area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe greenhouse with cucumbers alone is a wasteful idea. Plant some tomatoes there…

But experts do not advise doing this. The fact is that tomatoes and cucumbers have very different growing conditions. Cucumbers are watered more often, and if there are tomatoes nearby, one way or another they will get water too. And from an excess of moisture, their fruits will begin to crack. In addition, with high humidity, pollen sticks together in tomatoes and they may not harvest at all.

However, there are other crops that can be safely planted with cucumbers. For example, radishes, lettuce or watercress can be sown along the edge of the beds – these crops ripen very quickly and cucumbers will not interfere. In the “legs” you can attach Chinese cabbage to the cucumbers. And mustard will be the most ideal crop – you will get a crop of savory greens, and besides this, it will improve the soil.

Popular questions and answers

We talked about growing cucumbers in a greenhouse with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

Sources of

1. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 – 383 p.
2. State Register of Breeding Achievements, https://reestr.gossortrf.ru/
3. A group of authors, ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 – 208 p.
4. Shuin K.A., Zakraevskaya N.K., Ippolitova N.Ya. Garden from spring to autumn // Minsk, Uradzhay, 1990 – 256 p.