Contents
If you decide to grow cucumbers in open beds, you should pay attention to whether the chosen variety can feel comfortable in the weather conditions of the region. So, heat-loving varieties will not be able to provide a good harvest in the northern latitudes. Therefore, experienced gardeners select those options that can comfortably grow and produce fruits in appropriate weather conditions.
The most famous varieties of cucumbers that feel great in the open field include: parthenocarpic, gherkins, Dutch and early ones.
Parthenocarpic varieties do not require the intervention of insects in the pollination process, as they have both pistil and stamens, and are characterized by a high level of productivity. Such cucumbers do not have bitterness, their plant successfully tolerates cold, rains and rarely becomes infected with diseases. Currently, this variety is considered a real find for gardeners, as natural pollinators are becoming less and less. Their resistance to temperature changes is also considered a useful feature, since during flowering in open ground this factor often has a negative effect. The self-pollinating cucumbers that are most common include:
- Alliance;
- Zador;
- Cuckoo;
- Orpheus;
- Lapland F1.
Gherkins are known for their miniature size and “crispy” properties. However, they love soil enriched with calcium, the gardener should take care of providing this factor in advance. Gherkins also require care, so to get a good harvest, you have to tinker with them. But the resulting cucumbers have excellent taste and are considered the best for pickling.
Dutch varieties are the most popular in Our Country, as they tolerate the climatic conditions of most regions well and are resistant to diseases. Depending on the purpose of cucumbers, choose the appropriate varieties. Barion is suitable for salting, Pioneer F1 is suitable for raw consumption.
Early varieties are especially popular, because you want to get delicious cucumbers early. The most famous variety of early cucumber grown in the open field is Murom, which has high yields. The first ripe fruits appear already on the 32-40th day after germination, while mid-ripening cucumbers begin to yield on the 45th-50th day.
Varieties of early cucumbers, how they differ
According to the speed of ripening, cucumbers are divided into:
- ultra-early – fruiting occurs 33-39 days after the appearance of sprouts;
- early ripening – fruiting in 42-52 days;
- mid-season – fruiting in 47-55 days;
- late-ripening – fruiting in 50-56 days.
Mid-season and late-ripening cucumbers are less popular with gardeners. Most prefer ultra-early and early maturing varieties. The ultra-early ones include: Malysh, Altai early 166, Masha F1, Herman F1. Early maturing varieties: Advance F1, Zyatek F1, Orlik F1, Benefis F1. However, early varieties are more likely to become infected with diseases, and their fruiting periods are shorter than those of later ones. Therefore, you should carefully approach the choice of cucumbers, and take those that are least susceptible to infection. In central Our Country, cucumber diseases such as powdery mildew (true and false), bacteriosis, cucumber mosaic virus, and olive spot are found.
When choosing vegetables, it is important to consider their future purpose. So, if you want to pickle them, then you should make sure that the selected variety is suitable for this. There are three groups of cucumbers, which differ in purpose:
- salad;
- salting;
- universal.
Everyone chooses the option that suits their needs. It is advisable to plant 2 or 3 species in open ground at once, for example, 50% salad and 50% pickling or 50% universal, 25% pickling and 25% salad.
April F1
This variety belongs to the early ripe universal hybrids, the fruits of which grow in open ground 46-51 days after germination. April F1 is characterized by the ability to regulate branching, so it is used for planting not only in open ground, but also in balcony boxes. A ripe cucumber has the shape of a cylinder and weighs 210-260 grams, its length is about 23 cm. The advantages of this variety are: unpretentious care, resistance to cold, lack of bitterness. All this allows him to give a decent harvest.
The F1 Ant
Ultra-early, self-pollinating hybrid variety, fruiting begins 34-38 days after germination. The bush has a small number of side shoots. Fruits with large tubercles, have the shape of a cylinder, their average length is 11 cm. The plant is resistant to olive blotch and powdery mildew.
German F1
An ultra-early, self-pollinating hybrid with a beam type of flowering, fruits appear in 36-40 days. It brings a rich harvest under favorable growing conditions. The fruits are short, large-tuberous, without bitterness. This hybrid is resistant to temperature extremes and most diseases of cucumbers. It is well suited for use in salads and for preservation.
Masha F1
An ultra-early, self-pollinating hybrid, fruiting begins 34-39 days after seedling germination. This variety brings a decent harvest in the open field and has a long fruiting period. The hybrid is characterized by flowering of the beam type. The fruit is a large tubercular gherkin in the form of a cylinder, it is devoid of bitterness in a genetic way, and has excellent taste characteristics. Such a cucumber is suitable for eating fresh and for pickling. The variety easily tolerates bad weather and is resistant to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus.
Competitor
An early maturing variety suitable for conservation. It is characterized by good yield, fruits appear after 44-52 days. They have the shape of a cylinder and are covered with small tubercles, the length of the cucumbers is small – up to 12 cm, weight -90-150 gr. The variety is resistant to infection with powdery mildew or bacterial spotting.
Moscow dude F1
An early maturing hybrid, its fruits are harvested 41-47 days after germination. Pollination occurs with the help of insects in open beds. Plants are characterized by an average ability to grow shoots. The fruit is characterized by a green color with stripes and whitish small spikes, its length is usually 9-13 cm, weight – 110 g. This hybrid is resistant to bacteriosis and olive blotch. From the garden in 1 square. m you can collect up to 14 kg of cucumbers under favorable growth conditions.
Most garden crops like sunny areas, but often the garden is not so large that the beds illuminated by the sun are enough to plant all the desired vegetables. In this case, it is advisable to use varieties of cucumbers that can feel comfortable in partial shade. The best of them are: The secret of the company F1, Podmoskovnye evenings F1, Muromsky 36.
The secret of F1
An early maturing, self-pollinating hybrid that can be used both raw and for pickling. You can get a harvest already 38-44 days after the appearance of sprouts. A plant of average branching in basically female type of blossoming. The fruit weighing up to 123 g has a cylindrical shape.
Moscow evenings F1
Early maturing hybrid variety, pollinated independently, has a female-type flowering. Fruits of a dark green hue appear on the 44-50th day, have tubercles and white fluff, their length is 10-14 cm. They are characterized by good pickling and taste qualities. The plant is usually densely hung with cucumbers. The variety is resistant to the negative effects of weather, cucumber mosaic virus and powdery mildew.
Murom 36
An early maturing variety suitable for pickling. The fruits ripen 35-47 days after germination, they grow 8-11 cm in length, have a light green hue and an oval shape. This variety easily perceives a drop in temperature for a short time. A feature of the variety is that after ripening, cucumbers quickly turn yellow, so they should be harvested on time.
If you’re planning to grow cucumbers from your own seeds rather than buying new ones every year, it’s best to choose non-hybrid varieties that have performed well for many years. If the harvest is successful, their seeds are quite suitable for planting next year. To choose the best variety that will take root better in your area, you should sow several varieties of cucumber. But just do not plant them side by side, so that their crossing does not occur.
Altai early 166
This variety appeared in 1958 and to this day is considered one of the earliest and high-yielding. The fruits are small-tuberous appear on the 36-39th day, have the shape of an egg and a light green tint. The plant is resistant to fungal diseases and cold. Cucumber reaches a length of 8-10 cm, and their weight reaches 100 grams.
Zozulya
An early maturing variety, appeared in 1977. The first fruits ripen on the 49th day after the appearance of sprouts. The variety is known for its high yield: from 1 sq. m of open ground with good care, you can collect up to 18 kg of cucumbers. The fruits are rarely tuberculate, have a white fluff, are 17-23 cm long, their weight is from 210 to 310 g. The plant is characterized by resistance to yellowing and olive spotting.
Cascade
Early maturing variety, appeared in 1982. Its tuberculate fruits are very juicy and crispy, their length is 13-18 cm, weight is not more than 160 g. This variety is very fond of moist soil, and with a lack of moisture, cucumbers take on a curved shape.
finger
Versatile, early maturing variety, pollinated by bees. Fruits appear on the 41-47th day. The plant has mostly female-type flowers, medium-branched. The fruits ripen dark in color, they have the shape of a cylinder with rare large tubercles. The length of a ripe cucumber is 11-14 cm with a weight of 100-125 gr. This variety is resistant to powdery mildew, its feature is a long fruiting period – up to two months.
Shrub
An early ripe variety that has mostly female flowers. It has an ovoid-elongated fruit of a dark green hue weighing about 80-95 g, which reaches a length of about 12 cm. The plant is characterized by compact size and weak branching. From 1 sq. m plot of open ground receive 9-11 kg of cucumbers.
Conclusion
This is not the whole list of varieties of early cucumbers that can be planted in open ground. Breeders are constantly working on the production of new varieties that would be more resistant to diseases and adverse conditions than previous ones. Seeds should be chosen carefully, based on many of the factors described above. But properly selected cucumbers will delight with a decent harvest and require a minimum of care.