For growing cucumbers, a balcony oriented to the east or southeast is suitable. On the north side of the house, the plants will be dark. If the house is located in a windy place, and the balcony is not glazed, it is better to part with the idea of ββuXNUMXbuXNUMXbgrowing cucumbers – cucumbers cannot stand drafts.
What you need to prepare for growing cucumbers on the balcony
Cucumber seeds for planting on the balcony
In the early 2000s, cucumber hybrids for growing at home began to appear in the State Register. At first, the choice was small, but ten years later, breeding companies swung up and filled the market with interesting new products. Before buying seeds, be sure to look at the description on the back of the package. It should say that this variety / hybrid of cucumbers is suitable for growing on a balcony or at home, shade-tolerant, forms compact fruits, creepers have short internodes, the hybrid does not require pollination (parthenocarpic): F1 City Gherkin, F1 Balcony, F1 Balagan, F1 Berendey, F1 Courage, F1 Manul.
young seedlings of cucumbers
Container for growing cucumbers indoors
For growing cucumbers, it is advisable to choose a tall pot, a voluminous balcony box with drainage holes at the bottom and a stand for water drainage, a 7-liter plastic trash can is also perfect. It is best to choose a light-colored container so that it does not overheat in the sun. So everyoneβs favorite cropped containers from under the water for growing cucumbers on the balcony are not suitable – the soil dries out very quickly, and the powerful cucumber root system is cramped in them.
For planting cucumbers, you can use 8 liter water bottles. But before planting, they need to make drainage holes.
Universal soil for vegetables and the necessary little things for growing cucumbers
Universal primer. Generally, all-purpose vegetable soil contains high-moor peat mixed with perlite. If the soil is free of leavening agents, add perlite to your list. Vermiculite acidifies the substrate, so it is not suitable for growing cucumbers.Β
Bottle of liquid fertilizer for vegetables (1 l).
Sprayer (1l).
Clothesline holder.
A skein of clothesline or twine.
Sowing seeds and growing seedlings of cucumbers
Cucumber seeds can be sown in the second half of April – early May, on a long day, when it is no longer necessary to illuminate the seedlings. If you plant cucumbers earlier, budding will coincide with the stay of plants in the apartment, some of the ovaries will fall off, the vines themselves will stretch greatly, because it is dark in the room, and it is too early to take the plants out onto the balcony. Modern hybrids, as a rule, are early ripening – 45-50 days pass from germination to fruiting.
Seeds can be sown immediately in a container, or you can first grow seedlings and transplant already grown plants into a container. The choice of method depends on your availability of space in a warm room: seedlings in cells take up less space.
1. How to prepare the soil for sowing cucumbers
Cucumbers love light fertile soil. It is best to get garden soil or rotted compost, and mix with ready-made commercial soil for vegetables, adding perlite (4: 1: 1) If this is not possible, use ready-made universal soil for growing vegetables with a pH of 6,3-6,8, eight. In order for cucumber vines to fully develop, soil consumption should be about 7-8 liters per plant.
(!) To grow seedlings, you do not need to bother with the soil. Take any, as you will still quickly transplant the plants into permanent containers.
2. How to sow cucumber seeds
It is desirable to sow cucumbers for seedlings in the tenth of May. Seedlings of cucumbers are fragile, it is difficult to sow germinated seeds, so it is preferable to sow dry seeds hardened for 2 days in the refrigerator. Large producers supply seeds already treated against diseases and pests, so if the seeds have a colored shell, they do not need to be disinfected before sowing.Β
Cucumbers can be sown in any seedling container
In the center of the seedling container, retreating from the walls to 15 cm, make holes at a distance of 30 cm from each other. For safety net against possible non-germination, sow two seeds per hole. It is not necessary to plant the seeds deep, 1,5-2 cm is enough. Cover the crops with a film, a plastic bag and keep the container on a warm, light windowsill at a temperature of + 24 … + 26 Β° Π‘. Can be sown in individual seedling pots 6×6 cm, check if there is a hole in the bottom for water to drain.
3. Growing cucumber seedlings at home
If all cucumber seeds germinate, remove the weakest seedling in each hole by cutting it off at the soil surface with a sharp knife, but without pulling it out. As the top layer dries, evenly moisten the soil with room temperature water from a spray bottle (so that the seeds do not drag deep into the soil). Shoots should appear on the 4-6th day, then the film can be removed. After that, it is desirable to maintain the air temperature at + 20 … + 24 ΒΊΠ‘, and the soil + 18 … + 20 Β° Π‘, so that the plants do not stretch. Until the onset of stable +15 Β° C, keep the plants at home on the brightest window, water as the top layer of soil dries up.
After 10-20 days in the phase of 2-3 true leaves, the plants are ready for transplanting to a permanent place of residence. Cucumbers do not like deepening, so try to land them carefully and at the same height.
As soon as a stable positive temperature is established on the street, cucumbers can be left during the day under an open window at noon in calm weather, accustomed to direct sunlight, starting from the warm morning hours – about 10-11 in the morning.
You can move the plants to the balcony when the threat of frost has passed, or carefully monitor the weather reports in order to bring the plants into the house in time. When plants have 5 true leaves, they can be fed once a week with a solution of liquid complex fertilizer for seedlings or a solution of fertilizer for cucumbers in half concentration until the soil is completely wetted, but not less than 250 ml per plant.
If you are growing cucumbers in a seedling container, then transplant them into a permanent container after the first leaves appear. The sooner you transplant cucumbers, the better they will take root.
4. How to tie cucumber lashes
In the 5-leaf phase, without support, it is already difficult for plants. To prevent them from breaking under their own weight, as a temporary measure, you can install a plastic trellis for indoor climbing plants in each container.
Flowering of container cucumbers in a room near the window
The appearance of 6-8 leaves is a signal that the vine needs to be tied to tight ropes. At a height of about 2,5 m (above the raised arm), drill holes in the wall, put a clothesline holder on the screws, tie the ropes, leaving one end free about 1,5 m long (it will come in handy to tie the vines when they grow up), wrap the vines around the stretched ropes and strengthen with a weak loop.
Secrets of caring for cucumbers on the balcony or on the window in the room
In hot weather (above + 30 Β° C) plants need to be shaded from direct sunlight so that the leaves do not burn. You can increase the humidity if you put a bucket of water next to the plants on the balcony, mulch the soil with wet sphagnum, spray the leaves in the evening and water daily – cucumbers use a lot of water.Β
Harvest of balcony cucumbers
When the creepers grow above the place of the garter, they can be lowered a little by untying the ropes from the support, and tied to a new length. It is not necessary to pinch balcony hybrids, but if they grow strongly, you can pinch 10-12 leaves in the phase.
In early August (with Elijah the Prophet) at night, it is already necessary to wrap the containers with burlap or spunbond (with a density of 60 g / m2) so that the roots do not get supercooled, since the difference between day and night temperatures will already be significant. After the end of fruiting (the development cycle of a cucumber is about 90 days), the vines can be cut off, the rhizome can be dug up. Remove the soil from the boxes in plastic bags – it can be used as a base for the next year (only replace half of the volume with new soil), containers and ropes need to be washed, rinsed in a solution of “Whiteness” and removed until the next season.Β
Fruiting cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers at room conditions
