Cucumbers planted almost every summer resident. However, not everyone knows when and how to plant them properly in order to get the best possible harvest. And cucumber is a whimsical vegetable that puts forward a number of requirements for sowing and care. With optimal planting dates and proper attention, the plant can grow and bear fruit well both in greenhouses and in the open air. Tips when it is better to plant cucumbers in open ground, you will find in this material.
Features of planting cucumbers in open ground, the choice of a place for planting
When planting cucumbers should take into account a few points. First, it is necessary to choose a place taking into account the preferences of the plant. Secondly, you should follow the recommendations for planting dates. Third, the soil and seeds before sowing need to be properly prepared.
Cucumbers can be planted in two ways: seeds and seedlings. In this article we will focus on the first.
Did you know? Seedling method allows you to get the fruit two weeks earlier than the seed. Sowing on seedlings carried out in May. June 7-10 is the time when it is necessary to plant seedlings of cucumbers in open ground.Before planting, it is necessary to determine the method of planting cucumbers. They are two: horizontal and vertical.
Since cucumbers are very thermophilic plants, the area for them is necessary to choose a well-lit, warm, protected from cold winds, especially from the north. It is better if the bed will be located from north to south - so it will be under the sun throughout the day.
When sowing cucumbers in open ground, follow the rules of crop rotation. They can be planted in the place where cabbage, lettuce, peas, potatoes, and tomatoes were previously cultivated. Cannot be placed after cucumbers, beans, zucchini, carrots, melons, since all these crops have common diseases and pests.
Green vegetable demanding on the composition of the soil. The plant thanks to good yields if it is placed in fertile, loose soil with neutral acidity.
The soil for planting is prepared in advance - first in the fall, then in the spring, just before the cucumbers are sown in open ground. In the autumn period, a trench is dug 20-25 cm deep and 70 cm wide. A ditch 30-35 cm deep is made at its center. A 15-centimeter layer of leaves, peat, sawdust, straw, grass should be put on the bottom.
Right before sowing, the land will need to be fertilized with swollen manure, mullein or bird droppings. You can apply, for example, this method: in the trench, dug in the fall, in early May, poured a 25-centimeter layer of manure. Then the soil is disinfected with boiling water with manganese. For the next layer, 5-6 kg of humus per 1 meter of meter, one liter jar of ash, 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of potassium salt are introduced into the fertile soil. This layer is poured onto manure 20 cm high. Everything is mixed, poured over with a hot solution of manganese and covered with a film. In this state, the ground should warm up to the required temperature for landing.
Seeds also require preparation - for swelling for 10-12 hours they are placed in water (20-25 ° C). At the same time water is changed several times. It is also recommended two months before sowing to begin the procedure of their heating at a temperature above 20 degrees. Also, the seeds can be decontaminated by dipping in a solution of potassium permanganate, and treated with a growth enhancer.
Before sowing cucumbers in open ground, the furrow must be watered well. Even repeated watering is allowed. Then we spread the seeds in this furrow, leaving between 25-30 cm between each of them. The rows between rows should be 50 cm wide. Cucumbers grow very well on high beds of 25-30 cm, they are slightly warmer than usual ones. Sprinkle the seeds on top with soil, lightly tamp it with the palm of your hand and water it again.
Important! Sowing is best done during the day, in sunny weather. Planting seedlings - in the evening or on an overcast day.
To preserve the necessary moisture and temperature for planting, they must be covered with a film. You can directly cover the soil, but it is better to stretch the film on the arcs. Before the appearance of sprouts, watering is no longer necessary.When the shoots break through, the film will need to be periodically opened to allow oxygen to enter and not to provoke thermal burns. Shelter is completely removed when the first flowers appear.
When to plant cucumbers in open ground: weather conditions, planting dates, preparation of cucumbers
Planting dates for cucumbers will depend on the climate in which you live, on the weather conditions this spring and summer, and on the variety you choose.
Early sowing
Do not sow cucumbers too early. The earth should warm up well to at least 15 degrees at night. The most optimal temperature for the development of this vegetable crop is + 18 ... +26 ° С. If you are interested in how many planting cucumbers in open ground, then it is recommended to do this no earlier than June 5th. Although this date will depend on the climate of the region in which you live. If the soil manages to warm up earlier, and at the end of May - in June, no night frosts are observed, then the earliest sowing is possible from May 15 to 25.
Important! If cucumbers are planted at lower temperatures (10-15 ° C), they can stop growing and even die.
Another factor that confirms that the very first days of summer will be the best time for planting cucumbers, is that cucumber is a short day plant. For normal development, it needs only 10-12 hours of light. Thus, if you plant cucumbers, for example, at the end of June, then a long light day and high temperatures will not in the best way affect the growth, development and yield of the plant.If you want cucumbers to give a harvest early, in this case, you no longer have anything to do, either planting cucumbers in open ground with the help of seedlings or preferring cultivation in a greenhouse. Seedlings, as with seed planting, will need to be moved to the garden until June 10, but the harvest will be ready 2-4 weeks earlier - until mid-July.
Choosing early varieties, stop at the "Competitor", "Cascade", "Universal", etc. For planting during this period, you should not choose pickling species.
Average sowing
The second sowing of cucumbers, medium, carried out in June. Practically all varieties are suitable for medium sowing. May 25 - June 10 is the second period when you can plant cucumbers in open ground. When planting in June it will be possible to harvest from the beginning of August. Although these terms will differ depending on which variety you plant: early, medium or late ripening.
Late sowing
For late sowing choose specially designed for this variety, the best pickling. Early ripening varieties, the growing season of which lasts 45-50 days, are also good for him. Their harvest will coincide in time with the fruiting of tomatoes. The advantage of this crop is that fresh cucumbers will get on your table until the first frost.
When to plant cucumbers in open ground during summer sowing? Dates will depend on climatic conditions and the weather, which is observed in this season. However, definitely, it should be July.
In cool climates, you can resort to the seedling method. If the conditions are hot, the seeds are directly placed in the open ground, however, the plants will need to be tipped with larger crops or covered with agrofibre.
Popular varieties for planting in open ground
One of the keys to the success of high fruiting cucumbers in the open field is the selection of the most adapted varieties for such planting. Among them are undemanding and unpretentious, able to endure adverse weather conditions. These are, for example, "F1 Adam", "F1 Carolina", "F1 Christina", "F1 Sweetheart", "F1 Cappuccino", "F1 True Friends".
Important! When sowing cucumbers in open ground, also try to choose the varieties most resistant to diseases and parasites.
Small bushes, the absence of long lashes and thickets, the setting of a large number of fruits are different varieties "Kid", "Kustovoy", "F1 Puccini".Juicy and fragrant fruits will please "F1 Athos", "F1 Porthos", "F1 Murashka", "F1 Shchedryk", "F1 Southern Emerald".
If you like canned cucumbers, we advise you to pay attention to the "F1 Zodiac", "F1 Perseus", "F1 Nord". For salting are great "F1 Dasha", "F1 Spring", "F1 Crane", "Salting", "F1 Zanachka."
Did you know? Mark "F" in the title denotes the seeds of hybrids.
Basics of cucumber care in the open field
After planting in an open ground, cucumbers will require care in the form of regular watering, weeding, loosening the soil, mulching, hilling and fertilizer.
Cucumbers are demanding of moisture. If they are constantly not moistened and allowed to dry, then such plants can darken and become brittle leaves. When too abundant watering leaves lighten, lash cease to grow, fruit deterioration. If for a long time there will be sharp drops in moisture and temperatures, this can give bitterness to the fruits. The optimal humidity is 80%. A level of 30% and below will lead to a withering of the culture.
Recommended norms and frequency of irrigation:
- before flowering - 3-6 liters per 1 square. m in 5-7 days;
- with fruiting - 6-12 liters per 1 square. m in 2-3 days.
If during planting no organic fertilizer is applied, cucumbers should be fed throughout the entire period. The first feeding is carried out when the first 2-3 true leaves appear. Next, fertilize throughout the fruiting phase with intervals of 10-15 days. Bring in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It is best to alternate organic matter with mineral fertilizers.
A desirable procedure for the care of cucumbers is loosening the soil. Roots of cucumbers grow to a depth of 40 cm. However, their main mass is located close to the surface of the soil - about 5 cm. Therefore, loosening in the root zone should be carried out with special care so as not to harm the roots. You can replace this procedure with mulching.
Also, when the roots are exposed, cucumbers should be spudded. This will help protect them from fungal diseases and will allow them to grow new roots.
To appear side shoots, the plant pinch. This procedure is carried out on the main stem over the fifth or sixth leaf. This will help improve fruiting.
If you chose a vertical landing method, then when lashes reach a length of 30 cm, you must begin to tie them up. It is better to do this with wide strips of fabric so as not to damage the plant.
When cucumbers begin to bear fruit, it is important to collect them in a day or two days. The more often you do this, the more cucumbers you can get. After all, each uncleaned ripe cucumber delays the formation of new ovaries. It is better to collect in the morning, since the fruits harvested in the evening wither more quickly.
Important! Mature cucumbers must be trimmed with garden shears, since tearing and unscrewing them can damage the whip. In addition, whips do not like being turned and shifted from place to place.So, we told you how to plant cucumbers in open ground. If you successfully select a place and variety, follow the recommendations on agricultural equipment, you will certainly get an excellent and tasty harvest in the desired time frame.
