Cultivation of cucumbers in open ground ⋆ 👨‍🌾 Farmer-online ⋆

Almost all gardeners grow cucumbers in the country. Caring for this culture is quite simple. Therefore, even owners of small plots can get a good harvest of green cucumbers.

The necessary conditions

The technology for growing these plants in an open field garden is quite simple. First of all, the gardener needs to choose a suitable place for planting vegetables. In this case, you need to focus on some criteria.

The soil. In order for cucumbers to develop well, they need to be planted on fertile soil. The beds are recommended to be prepared in the fall. To do this, the site is cleared of plant residues. Manure or chicken manure is added to the soil. The latter should only be used on very poor soils. After fertilizing, the soil is well dug up. In the spring, the beds are loosened again. Only after that the gardener can start planting cucumbers.
Illumination. Cucumbers are light-loving plants, so planting them in the shade is not recommended. It is also important that the bushes are not constantly in direct sunlight. This leads to the fact that the foliage becomes stiff and prickly, and the lashes dry out and break off. Therefore, plants need to be shaded. Usually, a small mosquito net canopy is built next to the bushes.
predecessors and neighbors. Legumes and root crops can be good predecessors for cucumbers. In addition, they can be grown where onions and garlic used to grow. Bad predecessors for cucumbers are pumpkin. If we talk about the neighborhood, plants are not recommended to be planted next to tomatoes. This leads to the fact that cultures get sick more often. Good neighbors for cucumbers will be onions. In hot regions, corn can be planted next to this crop, which will protect the bushes from the scorching sun.

Before planting cucumbers, it is very important to wait for warming. In the Moscow region and the middle lane, planting seeds can be done in May, in cold regions – in early June. Departure dates usually depend on weather conditions. Some gardeners, when choosing the right time for planting, also focus on the lunar calendar.

Ways of planting

You can plant cucumbers on the street as seedlings or seeds. Each method has its own characteristics.

Seedlings

Seedling seedlings are usually grown in the northern regions of the country. This allows you to get a good harvest even if the summer is very short.

Seeds should be tested for germination before planting. First you need to sort them manually. After that, the seeds are dipped in saline for a few minutes. Those grains that have surfaced must be removed. The rest – rinse under running water and dry.

Planting material must also be disinfected. For this, a weak solution of potassium permanganate is usually used. This helps protect cucumbers from fungal diseases. The use of growth stimulants helps to accelerate the growth of seedlings. Such products must be used following the instructions on the packaging.

You can plant seeds for seedlings both in containers and in separate cups or pots. Fill them with a mixture of fertile soil, peat and humus. Mix these products in equal proportions.

Seeds should not be placed too deep in the soil. After planting, planting material must be watered. Water for this should be used warm. After the first sprouts appear in containers or cups, you can feed the greens. It is recommended to store containers with plants on the windowsill or on the balcony. They need to get enough sunlight.

The technological map for growing cucumbers indicates that seedlings can be planted in open ground in 2-3 weeks.

Before planting seedlings, the beds need to be fertilized with manure mixed with wood ash. The soil should be dug up well.

Transplant green seedlings need to carefully. To begin with, the plants must be watered abundantly. After that, each seedling must be carefully removed from the container or pot along with a clod of earth. Next, the plants should be placed in the prepared holes and watered abundantly.

Seeds

When planting cucumber seeds in open ground, they are not germinated. But they still need to be calibrated and disinfected. After that, you can start planting seeds. In this case, it is worth adhering to some rules.

Sow seeds only in well-warmed soil. Otherwise, they may die.
Don’t plant the seeds too deep. The average depth of the furrows is 2-3 centimeters. The distance between individual rows should be within 30 centimeters.
Water the rows before sowing the seeds. If you do this after, they can be pulled deep into the soil. Because of this, they will not be able to germinate.
It is not worth tamping the beds after planting the seeds. It is enough just to sprinkle them with previously loosened soil.

If the weather becomes colder after planting the seeds, the beds should be covered. Cucumbers will definitely not die under a film or agrofibre. In this case, it will be necessary to remove the shelter after the first sprouts appear on the beds.

Care

In order for cucumbers planted in open ground to grow and develop normally, all the rules of agricultural technology must be observed.

Weeding

It is not recommended to loosen the soil for the first time after germination. After all, in this way you can damage the roots of young plants. When the seedlings grow up, the soil will need to be loosened regularly. This is usually done after weeding.

Cucumbers growing in open ground are useful to spud, twice a season is enough. This procedure will help the plants to strengthen the roots. Instead of hilling the beds, they can be mulched. This procedure not only protects the roots of plants, but also allows you to retain moisture in the soil longer.

As mulch, you can use hay, plant waste, peat or compost.

Watering

Regular watering will also help increase the yield of cucumbers. You need to do this several times a week. On hot days, water cucumbers daily. To prevent cucumbers from getting sick, it is recommended to water them with warm settled water. It is best to carry out this procedure in the early morning or late evening, when there is no scorching sun.

Fertilizer

To increase the yield of plants, they also need to be fed regularly. On average, gardeners fertilize bushes 2-3 times per season.

First feeding. For the first time, fertilizers are applied to the soil 10-12 days after germination. To do this, use organic top dressing. It can be mullein or chicken manure. Products are diluted in warm water. Ready solution is used for watering plants under the root. If the beds were fed before planting cucumbers, and the soil on the site is not too poor, you can skip the first top dressing.
The second. The second time you can feed the cucumbers in a week or two. For this, fertilizers are used, which contain a lot of nitrogen. Such top dressing allows you to accelerate the growth of greenery. You can use mineral products or an ash solution to fertilize the bushes. The use of herbal tea also affects the development of plants.
Third feeding. The third time you can spray the plants on the leaf. At the beginning of fruiting, fertilizing with a high content of potassium is usually applied to the soil. This contributes to the growth of large and tasty fruits.

It is especially important to feed cucumbers of hybrid varieties. To get a good harvest, fertilizers should be applied to the soil more often. To feed cucumbers, you can use not only purchased products, but also such folk remedies as hydrogen peroxide, wood ash or plant waste.

Fertilization is best combined with soil cultivation. Thanks to this, nutrients will flow to the roots faster.

Prishchip

To stimulate the growth of side shoots, a large bush must be properly pinched. This procedure should be carried out after the appearance of several main leaves on the main stem. You need to form both ordinary cucumbers and hybrids. The step-by-step process of forming bushes consists of several steps.

First you need to remove all the greens up to the fifth leaf. This should be done with a sharp pruner or garden shears.
Next, you need to pinch all the side shoots. This will need to continue to be done in the process of further growth of the bushes.
The main stem is carefully cut. Thanks to this, the bush has more lateral shoots with female flowers.

Leaves and shoots should be removed as close as possible to the base of the stem.

Garter

Cucumbers growing in open ground are recommended to be tied up. In this case, the fruits develop better. In addition, it becomes easier to care for the bushes. The same can be said about the collection of fruits. Plants are usually tied to simple do-it-yourself trellises. They can be made from metal pipes or wooden posts. A plastic or metal mesh is fixed between these supports.

Such a trellis is installed even before planting cucumbers. In the future, the gardener carefully directs the shoots in the right direction. Cucumbers quickly braid it and turn it into a green wall. Such a vertical structure must be stable. Otherwise, the support will simply break under the weight of the fruit.

If there is no time for the construction of such trellises, it is recommended to plant cucumbers next to trees or some buildings. On each wall, you can fix a metal or nylon mesh, along which cucumbers will trail.

Diseases and pests

Having decided to grow cucumbers in your area, it is important to immediately understand what diseases and pests pose a danger to them. First we need to talk about common diseases.

Powdery mildew. This is the most common disease that affects not only cucumbers, but also other plants planted in the neighborhood. The foliage of diseased bushes is covered with a dense white coating. Over time, the plant weakens and dies. To prevent the spread of the disease, damaged foliage must be removed. Next, the plants must be sprayed with a solution of copper oxychloride.

Root rot. This disease also destroys plants quickly enough. At the same time, gardeners usually notice it very late. To avoid the development of fungal diseases, the stems of cucumbers must be opened. After all, such diseases usually develop in conditions of high humidity, when water accumulates under cucumber foliage.

Gray rot. The disease develops during the rainy season. The affected foliage is covered with a gray bloom, and then turns yellow and dries. It is very difficult to fight this disease, so infected plants are usually simply removed.

Insects, such as aphids, spider mites or sprout flies, can also harm cucumbers.

To prevent their appearance on the site, the beds should be regularly dug up, weeded and cleaned of plant debris. If necessary, they are treated with fungicides.

Harvesting and storage of crops

Both young and mature cucumbers are considered suitable for consumption. It is recommended to collect fruits from the beds as often as possible. In this case, new ovaries will appear on the lashes. It is best to do this in the early morning or late evening. It is necessary to collect the fruits carefully, trying not to damage the whip.

Cucumber crops can be stored in a variety of ways.

Conservation. Most often, green fruits are preserved. Jars with canned cucumbers are perfectly stored both in the cellar or in the basement, and in the usual pantry or on the balcony.
Frost. Frozen cucumbers in winter can be used to make salads, okroshka or pickles. Before freezing, vegetables are usually cut and placed in tight plastic bags. Cucumbers can be stored in the freezer for several months. Before use, vegetables are thawed for several minutes at room temperature.
Cold storage. Cucumbers do not have a long shelf life. Therefore, you can put them in the refrigerator for a short time. Store cucumbers in the vegetable compartment.