In areas north of Voronezh and Tambov, it is better to grow cucumbers in greenhouses or greenhouses. However, if you want to get an early, May harvest of cucumbers, then you will have to acquire a greenhouse even in Rostov-on-Don.
First, let’s define the terminology. We will call greenhouses more or less capital structures: glass or polycarbonate non-collapsible greenhouses, greenhouses – temporary structures covered with a film or non-woven covering material.
1. Capital greenhouses: glass or polycarbonate
Now polycarbonate greenhouses are the easiest and most common option for planting cucumbers. In such greenhouses, cucumbers can be planted with seedlings or sown directly in the beds already in the first days of May. If you use additional shelters and warm up the soil in advance (you can cover the beds with black non-woven material or ordinary film in advance), then even earlier. Of course, for the early planting of cucumbers, the greenhouse must be additionally insulated from below: i.e. it is placed on the foundation or the bottom is insulated by some other method, for example, by laying roofing material or rubber along the bottom.
As it is not surprising, the problem with a warm greenhouse may not arise in spring or autumn, when heat is needed, but in SUMMER! When the temperature outside rises above +25 degrees and the sun is scorching, then overheating can occur in an overheated greenhouse. To avoid this, initially the possibility of ventilation should be included in the design of greenhouses. For example, in a greenhouse measuring 3 by 4 meters, on the one hand, they make a door for entry and exit, and on the other hand, a technical window-door for ventilation. In spring and early autumn, it is kept closed, and in summer it is opened and aired.
Beds in the greenhouse, the optimal width and quantity, read in our other material>>>
Glass greenhouses are COOLER than polycarbonate greenhouses, but LIGHTER. And, oddly enough, if you do not break glass, then it is more durable than polycarbonate ones. As a rule, polycarbonate has to be changed every 4-5 years.
2. Light film shelters
These are used when there is no space for installing large greenhouses and in the regions south of Voronezh and Tambov. In the southern regions, glass or polycarbonate greenhouses are needed only in one case, if you want to get the first crop of cucumbers in late May – early June. With normal cultivation, light cover is enough for you.
What can not be said about the zone of the Moscow region, the Leningrad region and to the north, in this case one cannot do without shelter. And, if there is no place to install a full-fledged greenhouse, then you can make a temporary greenhouse.
Temporary shelters from old plastic pipes.
For its construction, you can buy a finished frame. They are sold in stores for summer residents and come in different shapes and made of different materials. And you can make a homemade one: from wood, plastic old hoops (suitable for those who are connected with gymnastics and can get old plastic hoops for children for free), or from cold water pipes. They can be cut into pieces of the desired size and made into a greenhouse.
Technology for collecting a greenhouse from water pipes
1. Fittings. You will need fittings (10 mm is enough) and polypropylene pipes for cold water.
The cost of fittings is 180-200 rubles per 3 meters. You will need 2 pieces of reinforcement per 1 linear meter of the greenhouse. Those. if you want to cover a bed 4 meters long, then you will need 10 pieces of reinforcement 1 meter each, about a thousand rubles. It is better to ask for the armature to be cut into the necessary pieces immediately.
2. Polypropylene pipes sold in lengths of 2 meters. The cheapest option starts from 75 rubles. And you will need 7 of these pipes, i.e. about 600-700 rubles.
3. Film and or non-woven covering material. For a bed of 4 meters, you will need 7 meters of a film 3 meters wide or covering material: this is 4 meters – the length of the bed + 2 meters – allowances along the edges + 1 meter for fixers on pipes and stock.
So, we drive in reinforcement with a distance of 1 meter along the perimeter of the beds, leaving pieces about 20-40 cm long at the top. We put pipes on these pieces and connect them from above with another pipe. 2 pipes of 2 meters will hold the arcs and prevent them from living their lives. You can do without this additional fixer if you put the arches more often, for example, every half a meter. This is another +4 arcs per 4 meter bed.
We stretch the film from above, fix it along the bottom and enjoy life. In summer, during the hot period, the film can be removed completely or thrown into a free side passage in order to stretch it again in August.
Homemade options for temporary greenhouses
wooden greenhouse
Do you have a greenhouse for cucumbers in the country?
