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Cucumbers are favorite vegetables for both adults and children. In addition to the fact that they delight with their unsurpassed taste in summer, it is also very pleasant to open a jar of pickles in winter.
Most gardeners, in regions with a stable climate, prefer to grow cucumbers in open ground. Greenhouse pickling varieties are taken to obtain an early harvest or under frequent adverse external conditions. The choice of variety should always be treated responsibly. The variety of modern types of pickled cucumbers can confuse even the most experienced. To correctly select the right seeds, you should read some recommendations.
Cucumbers are distinguished by the time of fruit ripening – early, mid-ripening and late. Some are suitable only for film shelters, some grow well in different conditions. Cucumbers are used for salads, preparations, salting. Not all varieties are suitable for winter consumption. In order not to make a mistake, you need to choose the right seeds. We will have to take into account not only the recommendations of the manufacturer, but also the characteristics (composition) of the soil, the possibilities for care (what will be the watering, etc.).
If the desired harvest time is known, the type of soil is selected (open in our case), all the nuances of agricultural technology and environmental conditions are taken into account, then the review of pickling varieties can begin. First of all, it must be borne in mind that all cucumbers are divided into four main categories:
- Salad. This category includes varieties with a short shelf life. Such cucumbers are good fresh and lightly salted. But they are not suitable for winter canning – they quickly lose color and become very soft.
- Universal. Fully justify their name. Suitable for all types of processing and good fresh.
- Canning. Used for original canned dishes or pickling. They have an unusual shape that attracts attention, and a thin peel. Most often, these are gherkin cucumbers.
- Dairy. These varieties are characterized by dense pulp, which easily passes salt. Pickling fruits very rarely grow to large sizes, the most optimal for them is medium.
Experienced gardeners can distinguish pickled cucumbers from other species even in appearance.
Distinctive features of vegetables for pickling
The most suitable cucumbers for pickling have external differences from other counterparts. Attention should be paid to:
- fruit surface. Salad cucumber is almost always smooth, pickling – tuberculate, with a pimply surface.
- The coloring of the thorns. White spikes are a sign that the fruit has a thick skin. Salt solution does not penetrate well through it, and the salting process is disturbed. The most suitable fruits for pickling are those with black thorns.
- pulp density. To determine it, you have to cut a couple of cucumbers. Pickling vegetables do not have internal voids, the pulp is uniform and dense, there are few seeds. Large-lumpy varieties are the most crispy in salting. This is due to the good development of transverse vascular bundles in the pulp of cucumbers.
- Fruit size. Specially bred varieties for pickling grow to a medium size that fits well in containers.
It must be borne in mind that the cucumbers selected for pickling must be preserved in a timely manner. Thin skin has its drawbacks. Pickled cucumbers quickly wither, do not tolerate storage and turn yellow.
What varieties to choose
Both varietal cucumbers and hybrids are suitable for pickling. Gardeners often prefer hybrids – gherkins, which grow well in open ground. They have tender skins, unripe seeds, and a high percentage of sugars. Fruiting is long, almost no barren flowers, not susceptible to disease. These are the best indicators for pickling varieties.
Another important factor to pay attention to is the method of pollination of cucumber flowers. Self-pollinated varieties are suitable for open ground.
Seed quality plays an important role in pickled cucumbers.
You can choose the best varieties according to the descriptions, but buy expired or “empty” seeds. In this case, all expectations for a filled cellar will remain unfulfilled. If not hybrids are chosen for salting, then you can soak the seeds in slightly salty water. They shouldn’t stick to the surface. Soaking seeds of hybrids is not recommended. They are treated at manufacturing companies with special substances, so water will wash away all layers.
The highest germination is observed in two-three-year-old seeds of pickled cucumbers. They retain their qualities for several years, but these are the most fruitful.
Breeders pay special attention to gardeners in bunch varieties of cucumbers. They are suitable for salting and canning, they form many ovaries on the bush, the fruits grow to the optimum size.
Universal varieties of cucumbers should not be avoided. They also retain their taste and nutritional qualities not only in salads, but also during canning. Such cucumbers do not have bitterness in fruits, are resistant to adverse climatic conditions, grow quickly and give a stable harvest.
Popular pickling varieties
Each pickled cucumber has:
- the average size;
- dense pulp;
- thin skin;
- tuberculate surface;
- dark spikes.
The best classic varieties grown in the open field and suitable for canning:
“Salting”
Bee-pollinated, mid-early, pickling cucumber. After the emergence of mass shoots before harvesting in the open field, 45 days are required. Dark green cucumbers with black spikes and large tubercles have a strong cucumber aroma. The pulp of the fruit is tender, juicy, absolutely without bitterness. In pickling, the cucumber behaves very stably – it retains its taste, crunch and hardness. Plants are planted with a frequency of no more than 4 pcs. per 1 sq. m of soil. Sowing depth 2 cm, time – the end of May. Demanding on soil fertility and aeration. Needs regular watering and fertilizing. For good development, the bush is pinched over 3-4 leaves.
“Nezhinskiy”
Probably the most famous pickling variety of cucumbers. Already familiar to several generations of gardeners who consider him the best in pickling. It belongs to the middle-late varieties of the beam type. Pickling cucumbers are large-tuberous, elongated-ovoid, grow up to 12 cm in length. Pulp of remarkable taste with refined crunch. It belongs to medium climbing species, but individual whips can reach a length of up to 2 meters. The advantages that made Nezhinsky a leader:
- good level of disease resistance;
- persistent aroma and juicy pulp;
- productivity;
- the possibility of preservation.
Ideal for open ground. Sow seeds in seedlings and immediately into the soil. Under the open sky, they are deepened by 2,5 cm and the sowing scheme is kept 50×10. The best way is in rows, several seeds per hole. In open ground, when the weather has not yet stabilized, it is recommended to cover seedlings at night. Thin out plants in the phase of the first strong leaves. The strongest should be left in the garden. The pickled cucumber of this species loves competent watering with warm water and nutrition. It is desirable to tie long lashes. Pluck the fruits in the morning and regularly. Frequent harvesting stimulates the appearance of new ovaries on the bushes.
“Phoenix”
Universal late variety for pickling. One of the most popular among pickled cucumbers with a late ripening period. Fruits with a thin skin, but strong and large. The taste is excellent, the flesh is dense and crispy. The weight of one pickled cucumber can reach up to 190 g. The bushes are very powerful, climbing. The stem grows up to three meters. The branches can give a lot, the ovaries of the fruits are bunched. It is highly resistant to major types of diseases. Up to 5 kg of excellent pickled cucumbers are removed from one square meter. It tolerates low temperatures well, fruiting continues until frost. Grown everywhere. Gardeners are very fond of planting this variety in the second half of summer in order to collect fresh fruits until late autumn. In order for the crop not to decrease during the cooling period, it is necessary to reduce watering. The plant is formed by pinching the shoot after the 5th leaf and correctly removing the lateral ovaries. Pickled cucumber is grown either by seedlings or by direct sowing into the soil. Seedlings are ready for transplanting in a month. This must be taken into account when choosing the timing.
Among the popular varieties for canning and salting, Cascade, Magnificent, Competitor, Era, Nezhenka, Erofey should be noted. Murom (tolerates lack of lighting), Parisian gherkin.
Hybrids for salting
«Movir F1»
The hybrid is early ripe, pickling, bee-pollinated. This means that it will grow very well outdoors. Cucumbers ripen in 40-55 days. Cucumbers are tuberculate, but the thorns are light. However, hybrids more closely match the described parameters. “Movir F1” belongs to the category of fruitful. pickling. The peel is dark green with light stripes, the fruits are small (10 cm) with crispy pulp. Gives a stable harvest, bears fruit abundantly and for a long time.
“Hector F1”
Amazing bee-pollinated pickling hybrid. Very early, with a guaranteed harvest, suitable for mechanized harvesting. The fruits are ready to eat after 35 days. The bush is compact with a female type of flowering. After 4 nodes, the first ovaries appear, of which there are a lot on the plant. Fruits all summer. Advantages:
the possibility of frequent landing due to compactness;
- does not require shaping;
- guaranteed harvest;
- excellent pickling taste;
- disease resistance.
Cucumbers are dark green in color, smooth, large-tuberous. The skin is thin with a characteristic wax coating. The yield is 4-5 kg per square meter. The hybrid enjoys well-deserved popularity for taste and technical parameters.
“Spring F1”
Mid-season hybrid from the category for open ground. The average ripening period is 50 days. The bush is tall, mostly with a female type of flowering. Forms good side shoots. The ovaries are formed in bundles. The yield reaches up to 7 kg per square meter of open ground. Very resistant to all types of cucumber diseases. Cucumbers are slightly tuberous, pickling, small in size. The length is 12 cm, and the average weight of one reaches 100 g. The pulp of pickled cucumbers is tender, not bitter, there are no voids. The hybrid does not require special conditions for growing. The only condition is proper watering. Moisture deficiency leads to bitterness, which reduces its taste. Sowing is carried out with selected seeds to a depth of 2 cm in May-June. Plants are thinned out, leaving no more than 3 bushes per meter. A distance of 35 cm is maintained between them. At first, seedlings are sheltered from low temperatures.
Conclusion
An excellent recommendation from gardeners was received by such hybrids as «Delpina F1», «Courage F1», «Opal F1», «Sparta F1».
In any case, you should carefully read the description of varieties and hybrids in order to choose the best for your site.