All gardeners grow cucumbers on their plots, but not everyone knows how to tie cucumbers on the balcony and how to grow them at home. This tasty vegetable grows well both in greenhouses and in open areas of land. At home on the windowsill it can produce crops all year round. Now let’s look at how they are grown, cared for, and most importantly, how they are tied.
Who grows vegetables on the balcony
If you don’t have your own plot for sowing cucumbers, but you want to eat homemade cucumbers, amateur gardeners plant vegetables on the balcony or windowsill.In the second case, cucumbers produce a harvest even in winter, since the room temperature remains between 18 and 25 degrees all year round. It’s so convenient to go out onto the balcony and pick a couple of fresh, delicious cucumbers for a salad! But not only cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers are grown at home; parsley and dill also produce a good harvest. This makes preparing a fresh, healthy salad of vegetables and herbs in winter as easy as shelling pears.
Growing methods
Where to plant cucumber seedlings? This question is asked by all lovers of fresh vegetables.
- In plastic bottles.
- In flower pots.
- Pots.
- Specially sold plastic seedling boxes.
- Cake lids.
A prerequisite for these containers is the presence of drainage holes at the bottom and sufficient space for the root system. So, to grow 3 bushes in one container you need a space of 6 liters. To moisten the soil from below, containers are placed in dishes so that excess liquid flows into it and is then absorbed back. It is better to use light-colored containers, this will protect the plant from overheating.
The choice of location is an important factor in a good harvest at home. The balcony located on the north side is not suitable for plant growth. It is better to plant cucumbers on a windowsill or balcony facing the southeast and east. The balcony or loggia is glazed, but in hot weather the doors are open for air exchange. It is advisable to exclude the presence of drafts. The cucumber does not tolerate them, so it may die.
Strong scorching sunlight is also harmful to plants, so in sultry heat it is better to shade them.
Landing
Here, each gardener decides for himself: either plant cucumber seedlings on the balcony as seedlings, or seeds directly to the main place of growth.Seedlings are grown in March on the windowsill, and then transplanted into large containers for further growth.
Planting seeds on balconies occurs in late April - early May; it is not advisable to plant earlier. The plant will die from temperature changes. The composition of the soil also plays an important role in the development of seedlings. You can grow vegetables on the windowsill all year round. You just need to provide enough light for the plant to ripen and grow.
To do this, you will need land with an acidity level of 6.3 to 6.8. Also mix garden soil with purchased soil in a ratio of 4 to 1, and add perlite. Peat, humus and garden soil in equal proportions are also an excellent basis for the future harvest. To get rid of larvae and other pests, the soil is heated in the oven and disinfected.
Seed selection
For planting at home, you need to choose seeds intended specifically for these purposes. The most suitable varieties of cucumbers for growing at home:
- Ant.
- Brawler.
- Olympics.
- Marathon.
- Balcony.
These are varieties of cucumbers that are ideal for home use.
The ant is famous for its rapid ripening; cucumbers are formed on the 38th day after seed germination. Does not require pollination and produces a yield of 10 kilograms of cucumbers.
Buyan also does not require pollination, cucumbers appear 45 days after germination. Productivity is not high - up to 5 kilograms per square meter.
Olimpiada is a super-yielding variety of cucumbers, well suited for growing at home in a window; with the right care, it produces 45 kilograms of vegetables per meter.
Marathon is suitable for home cultivation due to its short vine, yield up to 25 kilograms.
Balcony was specially bred by breeders for growing at home. Requires careful care and watering.Gives up to 11 kilograms of yield.
Height
So, we have chosen the soil and seeds, now let’s move on to planting.
Before planting in the ground, seeds must be soaked for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then planted in boxes or flowerpots. If they are colored, it means they have been processed, so these seeds are immediately planted in the ground. Some gardeners germinate before planting. This is done in order to make sure whether it will grow or not.
Drainage made of expanded clay or other materials is poured into the container by 1 quarter, then the prepared soil is poured, a 2-centimeter depression is made with your finger, water is spilled, a seed or seedling is planted, and sprinkled with earth. Before the first shoots of cucumbers on the balcony, the soil is covered with a film and, as it dries, it is sprayed with a spray bottle, preventing the soil from drying out. If the soil dries out during this growing period, the seedling will die.
When the sprout emerges from the ground, the film is removed and root watering is carried out approximately once every two days. This depends on weather conditions and how quickly the soil dries out. Neither excess moisture nor drying out of the soil should be allowed. During the growth of the plant, once every two weeks it is fed with fertilizers dissolved in water. As the fruits ripen, they are removed, which makes it possible for new ovaries to grow. In case of strong scorching sun, the plant is shaded, otherwise the rays will scorch the leaves and the plant will die. To ensure sufficient humidity in the room, place a container of water next to the plants, it evaporates and humidifies the air. Spraying the leaves is necessary to moisten the plant. If you follow all the rules, you will get an excellent harvest of tasty and healthy vegetables.
How to tie cucumbers on a windowsill
While the cucumbers are growing, you need to think about what and how to tie them up. For this you will need:
- Trellis.
- Clothesline.
- Net for climbing plants.
- Pins.
- Metal wire.
When the plant has 7-8 leaves and tendrils appear, the cucumbers need to be tied up for better growth and access of sunlight to all leaves. To do this, stretch a horizontal rope at a height of 1.5 meters from the standing boxes. How to properly tie cucumbers on the loggia and windowsill?
- Garter on a trellis.
- Garter with ropes.
- Figured garter.
- Garter on a rod.
Tie a trellis to a horizontal clothesline, secure the bottom with pins and insert it into the ground where cucumbers grow. Wind the mustache onto the mesh and form the further direction of growth.
The ropes are tied to a horizontal guide at one end, the other end is attached to the borage trunk at the very bottom. Wind the tendrils around a vertical rope.
A figured garter is made as follows: a rigid wire is taken, which can be given the desired shape. We give it the shape of a circle, oval or spiral, insert the opposite ends into the ground, and wind the mustache. This is how the cucumbers located on the windowsills are gartered. In this way, the borage is even given the shape of a ball by inserting several rods in the shape of a ball into the flowerpot and braiding them with the plant.
There are many figural design schemes; the beauty of a bush depends on the gardener’s flight of fancy.
Gartering cucumbers on the windowsill is done in the same way as on the balcony. A trellis or rope is attached to the cornice. If it is possible to tighten the screws, then they are screwed into the sides of the window sill at a height of 2 meters and a rope is tied. Ropes or a trellis are tied vertically and the borage is guided.
There are gardeners who insert a cutting into the ground and wrap it around a vine or tie it in several places for stability.
Why are cucumbers tied?
Borage staking is done for better plant growth.
- Sunlight reaches all the leaves, the fruits ripen faster.
- Convenient to water, vegetation does not interfere.
- It looks neat, a borage wall is formed.
- It is easy to reach ripened fruits, otherwise the leaves will close and they may become overripe.
Getting a healthy harvest depends on how the cucumbers are tied on the balcony. The tied branch grows upward, reaching 2 meters, then begins to go down, shading the main plant. Because of this, it does not receive the required amount of light and the fruits do not ripen well. Therefore, the plant is pruned when it reaches the length of the topmost rope. Side shoots should be tied to separate ropes so that they do not entwine the main bush, inhibiting the growth of the plant.
Harvesting
As the cucumbers ripen, the fruits are removed from the plant. When the last cucumber is picked, the plant is removed from the ground along with the roots. The remaining land is used to sow new seeds. Thus, cucumbers can be grown at home almost all year round, enjoying the process of plant growth and a tasty harvest. And with fresh herbs you will get a tasty and healthy vitamin salad.
