Planting cucumbers in buckets: in a greenhouse, on the street, without a bottom in the ground, video, reviews

Growing cucumbers in a bucket is practiced both in the apartment and in the country. This approach involves less labor. Cucumbers are easier to water and feed, and you don’t need to loosen the soil at all. In this case, the yield will be less due to the minimum area. Although the fruits ripen earlier.

Pros and cons of the method

Growing cucumbers in buckets in the open field and in greenhouses is especially important in cases where there is little space in the summer cottage. This method of agricultural technology gives gardeners several tangible advantages:

1. Caring for cucumbers in buckets is not so difficult (less fertilizer is needed, weeding and loosening is much easier).
2. You can use fertile soil and apply not so much fertilizer.
3. Containers, if necessary, can be moved to any place to protect plants from cold weather, temperature changes, strong winds.
4. Cucumbers planted in buckets grow faster than those planted in the open field or in a greenhouse.
5. Seedlings are evenly illuminated from all sides, which ensures good yields.
6. Plants suffer less from diseases and pests.
7. Growing cucumbers in buckets is also possible at home: on the balcony, loggia.
8. Cucumbers remain clean even during rain (do not get dirty on the ground).
9. Cucumber lashes can be left after harvesting – they will give good fertilizer for the next season.

There are also disadvantages to this method:

1. The most significant disadvantage is that there is less space in the bucket than even in a small garden. Therefore, to get a big harvest in this way will not work.
2. The earth in the bucket is quickly depleted due to natural causes. Therefore, every year the soil needs to be changed, enriched with fertilizers.
3. This method of growing requires constant monitoring, so if you rarely visit the dacha, cucumbers may disappear.

You can grow cucumbers in a bucket on the street as an additional source of harvest. In fact, it will not be possible to completely replace the traditional method of cultivation. But in a city apartment, this option remains the only way to get your own crop.

Growing cucumbers in a bucket is possible both in open ground and in a greenhouse

What varieties to choose

Only specific varieties are suitable for this method. When planning landings, it is recommended to pay attention to several criteria:

1. Cucumber varieties should be bushy or medium climbing so that the stem does not take up too much space.
2. The root system is not too deep. You should choose varieties with fibrous roots (you can specify this in the description).
3. In a bucket, it is possible to grow only those varieties that are self-pollinating or parthenocarpic. This is especially true for the conditions of a city apartment.

You can choose from the following varieties of cucumbers: Pati, Cellar F1, Dasha F1, Stella, Korolek, April, Tomboy F1, Prestige, Moscow Delicacy F1.

Terms of sowing

When growing cucumbers in barrels, you can do without seedlings. Therefore, the planting date is shifted to the second half of May and even to the beginning of June. In this case, you need to focus on the climatic conditions of the region:

• southern regions – the end of April;
• middle lane – mid-May;
• Ural – last spring days;
• Siberia, Far East – the first decade of June.

If you grow cucumbers in buckets in a city apartment, you can plan planting in April (if the balcony is insulated). Cucumbers do not need additional illumination – in spring, seedlings develop normally even in sunlight. But if the window is north, you will need to install fitolamps.

How to plant cucumbers in buckets in the greenhouse and on the street

You can grow cucumbers in buckets both in the greenhouse and on the street. In general, the terms of care are similar to the standard rules, although there are several differences. For example, before growing, you need to especially carefully prepare the container and soil.

Choosing and preparing a bucket

For planting cucumbers, it is optimal to choose a standard bucket of 10 liters. The minimum allowable volume is 5 liters, but in such a container it may be crowded for seedlings, due to which the yield will decrease. Growing can also be done in barrels, and even an old container without a bottom will do if it is not planned to be transferred to another place.

The material of the container does not really matter. Here you need to focus on practicality. So, plastic containers are much lighter than metal ones and are not subject to corrosion. It is easier to make the necessary holes in them.

The optimal capacity in which it is possible to grow cucumbers is 10 liters

Before planting, the bucket must be prepared:

1. Rinse thoroughly with water and in a 2% solution of potassium permanganate (then rinse with water and air dry).
2. Make several drainage holes not only at the bottom, but also on the sides over the entire surface of the container so that the soil and roots do not become waterlogged.
3. Lay a layer of pebbles, expanded clay and other small stones (at least 5 cm high) on the bottom.
4. Determine the place in advance, level the surface, if necessary, lay bricks so that the container is level.

Soil Preparation

It is easier to make the soil yourself than to buy it in a store. A sufficiently large layer of dry foliage, sawdust, branches is laid out on the surface of small stones – they will rot, providing the soil with nutrients and preventing it from becoming too compact.

Garden soil is taken as the main mixture and mixed with humus (or compost) in a ratio of 2: 1. If the soil contains too much clay, you can also take river sand (1 part). For the safe cultivation of cucumbers, the soil is shed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or placed in the freezer for several days.

Seed preparation

Before you start growing cucumbers in a bucket, you must first prepare the seeds:

• put in salted water and discard those that come up;
• pickle in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or fungicide (if the manufacturer has already done this, then this item is skipped);
• soak overnight in a growth stimulator solution – you can use Zircon, Epin or other means.

When growing, you can do without first obtaining sprouts. It is enough to soak the seeds and start planting in a day.

Sowing cucumbers

To grow cucumbers in a barrel, the soil surface is leveled and a hole 1-2 cm deep is marked. 4-5 seeds are planted at a distance of 5 cm. Then they are sprayed with water from a spray bottle and covered with a film.

Shoots of cucumbers appear 10-12 days after planting

They are waiting for the appearance of sprouts, then they act in this way:

1. If all the seeds have sprouted, the seedlings are immediately transplanted. An interval of 10 cm is maintained between adjacent specimens.
2. If some part did not sprout, other seedlings can be planted in the bucket so that the sown area does not disappear.

Growing cucumbers is carried out at a moderately warm temperature (22-25 degrees). If necessary, buckets are placed in a greenhouse (if there is a threat of return frosts).

Care for cucumbers

To ensure the harvest of healthy and large cucumbers, as in the photo, when grown in a bucket, you need to take care of all the basic conditions: regular watering and top dressing. It is easier to do this than when growing in the traditional way, since the area is small, and in this case you do not need to bend over.

Harvest in greenhouse conditions can be harvested all year round

Watering

Watering is carried out in the “automatic” mode. To do this, a bottle with holes on the sides and bottom is placed in the center of the barrel. Then you need to pour water into it, which will gradually moisten the soil. Thanks to this, growing cucumbers in a bucket will be much easier.

Additional fertilizing

To get a good harvest, you will need regular top dressing – up to 3-4 times per season:

1. When forming the ovaries, complex fertilizer is used (according to the instructions) or wood ash (100 g per 1 liter).
2. Two weeks later, they give organic matter – an infusion of cut grass, mullein (1:10) or chicken droppings (1:20).
3. After 14 days, you can again apply complex fertilizer.
4. After 2-3 weeks, give the same composition or liquid organic matter.

Shrub formation

To carry out the proper cultivation of cucumbers, special attention should be paid to the formation of bushes – they must be compact and take up a minimum of space. To do this, after the formation of 5-6 sheets, a mini-trellis (wooden, plastic or metal) is installed in the bucket. Cucumbers will cling to it with their antennae, and when the stem reaches the desired height, it is tied to a support.

To fix the bush, a trellis is installed

To avoid this stage of care, it is better to choose varieties that do not need pinching, for example, Prestige, Detinets, Style, Bouquet and many others.

Possible problems

In general, the technology of growing cucumbers in a bucket is not so complicated, since in this case the plants really need less care. However, gardeners may face some problems:

1. Due to insufficiently rapid drainage of water, the soil will receive excess moisture, and the roots of the cucumbers will rot. To prevent this, many drainage holes must be made in the container, including on the sides.
2. When grown in a bucket, cucumbers can suffer from diseases and pests. Therefore, preventive treatment with folk remedies and periodic inspection are necessary.
3. It is extremely important for cucumbers to provide uniform lighting. If you grow them in an apartment, you should choose the southern and eastern windows.
4. It is impossible to apply fertilizers in large quantities, especially if the soil is fertile, and organic matter (sawdust, needles, leaves) is laid on the bottom. The container has a small volume, so you need to take not standard dosages according to the instructions, but reduced ones.
5. You should not choose too heavy barrels if you plan to periodically put them in a greenhouse or elsewhere.

Conclusion

Growing cucumbers in a bucket is a fairly simple technology that is used in cases where there is little space on the site. Also, growing in a container is suitable as an additional source of crop. To get rid of unnecessary difficulties, you need to choose the right variety – it should be compact and not give stepchildren. How to grow cucumbers in buckets in the country can be found in the video.

Reviews about growing cucumbers in buckets