How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill. Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter. Varieties, planting, care. Transplanting cucumbers from a plastic cup into a large container

There is a gardener and gardener in every person. With the arrival of the first warmth of spring, everyone is drawn to the dacha, to the village, to the garden. It’s nice to dig into fresh soil, breathe in its aroma and throw the first seeds into the garden bed. But not everyone is lucky enough to welcome spring on their own piece of land. Many city dwellers do not have time to go to the garden or have their own garden bed. This can be fixed. If it is not possible to go to the garden, then you can build it at home on the balcony or. In small homemade beds you can grow, green onions, tomatoes cucumbers. The last vegetable requires special attention and worries. To get a rich harvest, you need to know what to do on the windowsill and balcony and not harm the plant. Due to inexperience, its tender sprouts can be destroyed within a few hours. But if you choose correctly soil mixture, capacity, grade, adhere temperature regime, then the green vine will thank you with tender, crispy cucumbers.

The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill

If you choose the right varieties of cucumbers, then on your windowsill you can get a harvest that is much richer than what your neighbor will grow in his dacha. Fans of home gardening should pay attention to the F1 group hybrids:

Natasha F1;
Marinda F1;
Masha F1;
Fontana F1.

The last variety can safely be called a cucumber masterpiece of Moldavian breeders. For several decades, it has successfully pleased its owners with generous fruiting and resistance to diseases.

From the usual varieties for indoor growing cucumbers are suitable:

Thumb Boy;
Mazay;
Stella.

They are photophilous and require cross pollination, but have high yields and resistance to diseases in closed spaces.

Parthenocarpic hybrids - the best varieties cucumbers for planting on the windowsill, since they set fruit regardless of weather, temperature fluctuations, sunlight, have a large number of female self-pollinating inflorescences, do not require special conditions content.

The main rules for healthy cucumber seedlings

The key to a rich harvest. In order for the seeds to germinate quickly, you must follow several important rules:

The soil for sowing should always be sterilized. You should not trust store-bought mixtures: they can be contaminated with bacteria and pests. The soil should have good air permeability and absorb moisture. It is good if the soil does not contain many microelements. At this stage, the plant does not need them in large quantities. River sand is also best suited for sowing cucumbers.
Freshly harvested cucumber seeds should not be planted. In such plants, male flowers predominate and do not set fruit. Five-year-old seeds produce the largest number of female inflorescences.
Seeds, covered with a special multi-colored shell, germinate much later and require constant moisture. If the soil is too dry or underwatered, the plant may die while still in the soil.
It is better to grow seedlings in small ones, and after the appearance of the third true leaf, transplant them into large capacity.
The optimal temperature for germination is 22 degrees with high air humidity. To achieve a similar effect, you need to spray the room three times a day, or keep a damp cloth under the cups with seedlings.
After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to slightly lower the room temperature, humidity, and increase the amount of sunlight.
To prevent young shoots from stretching, it is necessary fluorescent lamp. The help of lamps is also necessary before planting buds on cloudy days (hybrids can do without lighting).
Watering with warm, settled water will help the plant absorb moisture faster.

After the first true leaf appears, the seedlings can be fed with liquid. It is important to ensure that water and liquid with microelements do not get on the sheet in daytime. A drop of moisture may cause a burn.

Dishes for planting cucumbers

To grow cucumbers on a windowsill, you need to choose the right container. Then the plant will feel comfortable all season. Cucumber roots are located shallow from the soil surface and love to be warmed by the sun and irrigated by warm rain. A five-liter plastic bucket or pot will be enough for one plant. It is good if its width prevails over its height.

Rules of care

Even inexperienced gardeners can follow the rules for caring for cucumbers on the windowsill. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions and not rely on “maybe”:

Cucumbers love indirect sunlight. On the southern window, their leaves will burn from the heat, and on the western window, the stems will stretch out, most of the fruits will have a characteristic, pear-shaped shape.
It is better to water the plants after sunset or in cloudy weather at the root, along the edges of the pot.
The soil for adult plants can be similar to that used for sowing seeds, with the addition of potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen fertilizers, . When landing on permanent place, drainage should be constructed. If you don’t have expanded clay on hand, you can use regular pebbles or break regular foam into small pieces.
After the fifth leaf appears, the plant needs support. You can stretch a special mesh along the window or lash with ropes. The trellis net on the windowsill looks aesthetically pleasing and is a good support during fruiting.
In summer, the biggest problem when growing cucumbers on a windowsill is the heat: the percentage of humidity indoors and outdoors decreases, the soil mixture dries out quickly even with frequent watering. Mulching the soil in pots will help protect root system from overheating and will retain water. Chopped bark, straw, sphagnum moss, sawdust, and fresh grass are suitable for mulch.
When growing non-hybrid varieties, it is recommended to pinch off the top of the plant after 7–8 leaves. This technique will give impetus to the growth of side shoots, which contain a larger percentage of female flowers.
Proper care and cultivation of cucumbers is not only timely watering and fertilizers, but also regular harvesting. In order for the plant to bear fruit at full strength, it is necessary to collect greens every day. Then he will have the strength to abundant flowering and setting new fruits.

Problems during cultivation

It seems that the plants in the room are protected from all diseases and pests, but often gardeners are faced with problems against which even the best ones are powerless. effective drugs. In most cases, this is a violation of the rules of agricultural technology or a lack of microelements.

The most common question for many beginning gardeners is: why do the leaves of cucumbers on the windowsill turn yellow?
There are several reasons, but if there are no signs of infection powdery mildew, then this may be untimely watering, stagnation of moisture in the soil (appears bad smell black flies from the pot and shallows) or lack of nitrogen.

When you do everything correctly and follow the advice of experienced colleagues, it is difficult to understand why cucumbers start growing but don’t grow. Similar situation observed when the temperature drops below +16 or in extreme heat. Then the plant drops the fruits or slows down their growth in order to conserve strength.

Anyone can grow cucumbers on a windowsill. The main thing: do not be afraid to make mistakes and love the work you do. And the reward for your efforts will be new knowledge and crispy cucumbers for lunch.

Indoor plants on the windowsill look great, add comfort and coziness to your home, give a bit of warmth during the cold season, but over time they still become boring. There is an idea - to remove house flowers and grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter.

Do you think you can't handle it? Growing cucumbers at home is possible even for those who have never had a summer house and have so far seen cucumbers in the most “wild” conditions only at the market and in stores. The good idea is that this can become a real hobby for all family members.

It’s so interesting to watch the growth of plants, to note every day new changes in the growing seedlings and how great it is to eat in the winter New Year's celebration fresh cucumber, grown independently.

In which apartment will you be able to harvest cucumbers?

Growing cucumbers in winter requires a number of conditions that can practically be met in any city apartment. It is important to adhere to certain rules when building a home:

Placement – to grow cucumbers in an apartment, window sills are suitable, but only on the south side, the plants are very sensitive to heat and light. If there is a heated loggia or an insulated balcony, you can safely place boxes with cucumbers there.
Light - in the autumn-winter months it is necessary to increase the lighting of plants using fluorescent lamps to 15-16 hours a day. The maximum amount can also be obtained by using light reflectors, mirrors or plain foil. Place reflectors on the glass or place it so that as much light as possible hits the seedlings. You can expand the lighting area by tying up lashes, which will make the window sill green and aesthetically attractive.
Warmth – cucumbers are heat-loving plants, so when germinating their seedlings, temperatures of up to 25°C are required. After emergence of seedlings, the temperature must be reduced and maintained during cultivation within 20°C, but not lower.

It’s important to know if you decide to grow seedlings at home! Plant roots on a cold windowsill can reduce growth rates. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to place insulation under the boxes or pots. As insulation, you can take a board or foam rubber, or any other insulating material.

The best varieties of cucumbers to grow at home

The choice of seeds is one of the most important points when planting cucumbers on the windowsill. The quality of the harvest and the abundance of fruiting will largely depend on the correctly chosen variety.

To grow cucumbers at home on a windowsill, it is better to use self-pollinating, early-ripening and preferably productive varieties. Some gardeners use bee-pollinated varieties, but they will need to be pollinated artificially using cotton wool.

Nowadays, various agricultural companies offer a large list of varieties that can be used for growing at home. Here are just a few of them:

Shchedrik is an early ripening variety. Juicy green fruits ripen in 40-45 days. From a bush you can collect up to 20 pieces 12-14 cm long.
Masha F1 – ripening period 35-40 days. The variety is characterized by high yield; 5-7 cucumbers can be collected from each branch.
Prestige F1 is an early ripening variety, its peculiarity is long-term fruiting.
Marinda - pleases with an abundance of fruits that ripen at the same time.

Each gardener has his own favorite varieties of seeds that he wants to try in room conditions. Are varieties that bear fruit well in the country suitable for a garden on a windowsill? Everything is individual, you just need to read the instructions on each specific package very carefully.

Dishes for growing cucumbers on the windowsill

To grow cucumber seedlings at home, you need to use small seedling cups and special soil for germination or peat pots. From available materials, you can take dishes from yoghurt, sour cream and the like.

For growing cucumber bushes, special deep containers that can be bought in stores are suitable. There is no desire to spend money on factory boxes, boxes will do homemade, plastic buckets and even pots.

The main thing is that each bush contains at least 5 kg of soil. There should be holes at the bottom of each container to allow the soil to breathe, the roots to not rot, and excess water to drain.

Particular attention should be paid to the composition of the soil. Now you can buy soil in the store. If there is no opportunity or desire to purchase store-bought soil, we make a soil mixture for cucumber seedlings ourselves:

2/3 of the volume of a bucket of forest or garden soil;
1/3 fertilizers;
1 cup chalk;
2 cups of ash;
4 cups of rotted leaves of garden trees.

At the bottom of the container, place a drainage made of small pebbles or expanded clay up to 5 cm thick, followed by a well-mixed mixture. Pour it into the prepared container, leaving it 3-4 cm short of the edge.

Take the advice of experienced gardeners. It is advisable to pour the mixture prepared at home with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It must be watered several times so that the water is well absorbed.

How to grow healthy cucumber seedlings

Healthy seedlings are a good start, providing many prerequisites for good harvest. First, you need to check the seeds for similarity by placing them in a warm place on a damp cloth for 1-2 days.

If the seeds sprouted well, you can hope that the seedlings will be good. You can germinate all the seeds and choose the strongest ones for planting:

Now we will plant the sprouted seeds in the soil for germinating seedlings, in cups, water them and cover them with film.
Place the cups in a warm, dark place with a temperature of 25°C. After 2-3 days, shoots will appear.
Then we transfer them to the windowsills in a cooler place - bright and with a temperature of 20°C.
When the seedlings of indoor cucumbers grow to 3-4 leaves, we transplant them into boxes. First, water the soil in the cup and in the box generously. We carefully take the glass and crush it with our fingers so that the earth loosens. Carefully transfer the plant from the cup to the box, trying not to damage the roots and leaves.

Note! Indoor cucumbers are very delicate plants, so it is good to plant them directly in boxes and not to handle them.

Secrets and rules of care

After 4-5 leaves appear, pinch the top well to allow new shoots to form and form a bush. Next time you can pinch the plants at the level of the next 5-6 leaves - then new shoots will form. Here you should take precautions so that the plant has enough nutrients and forces for the formation of fruits.

Rules for caring for indoor cucumbers:

To increase the area of light received, as well as support the plants, you should tighten the ropes or arrange other holders along which the lashes will climb, this will increase the yield and decorate the window.
Cucumbers are moisture-loving plants; they should be used once a week, and if the air in the apartment is dry, then spray them more often with regular clean water from a spray bottle.
It is better to pick fruits 10-12 cm in size, so the plant will have the opportunity to bloom again, and as a result, the yield will increase.
The soil should be fertilized regularly, at least once every 10 days. It's good to use for this already ready-made mixtures commercially available fertilizers.

One of the main problems faced by exotic lovers who dream of growing cucumbers on a windowsill is the great dislike of cucumbers for drafts and cold.

Problems during cultivation and how to solve them:

Before installing the drawers, you must seal all the cracks and eliminate all possible sources of drafts.
It is better to place the boxes on insulation, board or foam.
Plants and leaves are very delicate and break easily - it is better not to move or replant them. Care very carefully.

The first experience with homemade cucumbers may be unsuccessful, but this is not a reason to abandon such a wonderful idea. Think about what mistakes you made and start over. So what did you dream of eating? fresh vegetables on New Year, but we didn’t have time. There are still many favorite holidays ahead to please your loved ones with cucumbers grown with your own hands. Good luck!

To get cucumbers on the windowsill in winter, you need to have good land, hybrid seeds and arrange the possibility of sufficient lighting, not only natural, but also with the help of phytolamps. In a month and a half after proper care, cucumbers can produce a good harvest.

Growing cucumbers at home

We can’t enjoy cucumbers for long in due time, since their season ends quickly, especially if the summer was dry. Therefore, many who like to eat this vegetable fresh try to get cucumbers on the windowsill in winter. The lifespan of cucumbers grown in this way is about two months after the first harvest - this is quite enough to enjoy the vegetable to its fullest.

It is known that cucumber reproduces only by seeds, since it cannot be obtained by cuttings. They absolutely cannot tolerate dry air and lack of moisture - this is worth remembering when growing cucumbers on the balcony. As soon as such homemade cucumbers bloom, the soil should always be moderately moist. You will need to place saucers of water under the pots to help prevent the soil from drying out. Also, indoor cucumbers, in addition to watering, require spraying at least twice a day. And when flowering begins, the bush needs to be shaken once a day for better pollination.

When growing cucumbers on the window, do not forget about pinching, which is done after 3-5 leaves appear - this will add splendor and density to the plant. Pinching the shoots not only reduces the length by half, but also makes the bush twice as magnificent - that is, instead of one lash, you get two short ones. Before the pinching point, the ovary is removed, and only the one that is located above the pinching point is left.

In order for the cucumbers on the windowsill to please you with their harvest for as long as possible, it is better to collect the fruits as they ripen and not wait until all the cucumbers become large - this will reduce the depletion of the bush and prevent the loss of excess juices from the plant.

Cucumbers on the windowsill - what do you need?

Initially, you need to start choosing seeds - these should be self-pollinating hybrids, from which it is better to choose early-ripening varieties. Give preference bush varieties if you are going to grow cucumbers in an apartment. In general, you need to prepare:

special seeds;
vermicompost and coconut substrate;
pots of 3-4 liters, depending on the number of seeds;
sprayer for daily refreshment of the plant;
lamp to create additional light.

So, how to grow cucumbers on a windowsill and where to start? Prepare good substrate from vermicompost and coconut fibers: mix one part of vermicompost with two parts of coconut fiber. Standard three-liter pots can serve as containers for filling. You can plant seeds either directly into permanent containers or with the help of picking, then replanting the plants into large pots. Everyone chooses individually how to grow cucumbers on a windowsill, but with the help of picking, you can transplant stronger and more tenacious plants into pots, thus providing yourself with a reliable harvest.

The seeds of hybrid cucumbers need to be well prepared for planting, for which they are dipped in a potassium permanganate solution at room temperature for a couple of hours and then removed. It is worth paying attention that those seeds that sank to the bottom are good, and those that float up are better to throw away, since their germination rate is low. Let the seeds drain, and later you can plant them (only in dry form).

When planting by picking, they are initially planted in small cups with a capacity of 100 ml, filled with a special earthen mixture. You need to place 5 seeds in a glass, and then, compact the soil, water. After a week or two, you can observe seedlings, which must be thinned out, leaving two of the most powerful plants. After a week, final thinning is carried out, and one strong sprout remains in the glass.

A few secrets to a good harvest

When replanting plants into large pots with a capacity of 3-4 liters, the soil is not filled to the edges by about 4 cm. Replanting is done 3 or 4 weeks after germination. The seedling in the glass is turned over onto the palm, carefully passing it between the fingers. The sprout with a lump of soil is inserted into the prepared permanent pot, sprinkled with soil up to the cotyledon leaves.

In large pots, sprouts require constant watering. In the first month of life, cucumbers at home are watered constantly, but moderately. On initial stage It is important not to overwater the seedlings, as they may begin to get sick. In winter there is little sun and heat, so plants do not need much moisture. From the end of March, more moisture is required if the cucumbers are still able to bear fruit.
The cucumber also needs support, which can be in the form of a net or any other support.
The following procedure would also be useful: once a day, rotate the pot with seedlings around its axis 180 degrees so that the plants receive light and heat from more than just one side.
And for the long life of the entire bush, you can fertilize once every two weeks: upper layer add a teaspoon of Agrolife soil or add fresh vermicompost to the pot once a month.
Cucumbers also require the proper amount of light - at least 12 hours, which can be provided with the help of artificial lighting.

If you are wondering how to grow cucumbers at home in winter without picking, then plant the seeds in large pots without adding soil 5 cm to the edge. After laying out the seeds, add a layer of 1.5 cm of soil, and add the remaining soil after about a month - this will replace diving.

Proper pollination of hybrid cucumbers

How to grow cucumbers at home, because there is no one to carry out pollination, unless, of course, you breed flying insects at home? Without proper pollination, the ovaries will simply fall off. Try on the role of a bee!

In order for the fruit to set for sure, it is necessary to separate the male and female flowers. Females have a pistil consisting of an ovary and stigma, while males do not have a pistil.

It is advisable to carry out pollination in the morning, when the pollen is sticky - pick the male flower, cutting off the corolla, and place it in the female one so that the pollen gets on the stigma. This is how bees pollinate plants. But it is better to use self-pollinating varieties; they do not require pollination at all.

By growing cucumbers correctly, you can collect up to 15 medium-sized fruits from a bush. At the same time, they will have a real taste, incomparable to store-bought ones. The windows or balcony on which the plants are located should be warm, and it is advisable that they face the south or southeast.

Protect your homemade cucumbers from drafts and enjoy their crunchy fruits!

Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter are no longer a myth, but a reality that avid gardeners organize at home. But this is only possible if you use special varieties of cucumbers for growing in an apartment in winter and follow all the rules for caring for them.

Varieties of cucumbers for the windowsill

Thanks to the intensive work of breeders, today every gardener can purchase cucumber seeds that can grow and bear fruit even in indoor conditions. Such cucumbers for growing on a window in winter include:

cucumbers "Courage"– a variety that is characterized by fast ripening periods (the minimum ripening period when grown in a greenhouse is 36 days), good fruiting and large greens (up to 15 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter);
cucumber variety "Shchedrik" ripens within 45 days from the moment of sowing the seeds, on each node of its bush from 5 to 8 greens are formed, the length of each of which is up to 12 cm; when grown indoors, each bush produces up to 20 greens;
variety "Khutorok" belongs to the fastest ripening, since the first fruits can be collected from it 30 days from the moment of sowing; greens are characterized by a length of 10 cm and the presence of black thorns, as well as excellent taste;
cucumbers "Khrustik" variety they ripen quite late - 50 days after sowing, however, even when grown on a windowsill, it is possible to collect up to 40 fruits from one bush, however, when sowing this variety, keep in mind that it is vigorous and will therefore require a lot of space;
variety "Masha" also early ripening - the first greens can be harvested 35-40 days after sowing; the bush of the plant is formed quite dense, on each shoot 5-7 green plants are formed, about 11 cm in length;
cucumbers "Prestige" In addition to their early ripening and excellent taste, they are characterized by a length of 8-10 cm and are distinguished by non-simultaneous ripening of fruits, due to which fruiting can last for a month.

Important! For sowing on the windowsill, you can choose other early ripening varieties of cucumbers, just keep in mind that they must be parthenocarpic. It's about about the ability to bear fruit without pollination and self-pollination.

Container for growing cucumbers at home

Cucumbers will do well when grown both in individual pots and in large boxes, which are usually used for sowing seedlings. Just keep in mind that the drawers must have a hole for excess moisture to escape.

When sowing seeds in boxes, keep in mind that no more than 5 cucumber bushes should be placed at a distance of 70 cm. The box should be wide enough, since this plant has a fairly strong root system. This will make the plantings sufficiently light, and will also protect young shoots from excessive stretching.

For normal growth of cucumbers on a windowsill, the volume of the pot should be about 4 liters per plant. When preparing boxes and pots, keep in mind that their depth should be sufficient to lay a drainage layer on the bottom. Since cucumber drainage can be up to 3 cm thick, the container should not be too shallow.

Soil for growing cucumbers

Good growth of cucumbers can be achieved only when they are planted in loose and sufficiently fertile soil. For this purpose, you can purchase soil substrate at a flower shop (for planting cucumbers, universal soil or soil specially prepared for growing pumpkin plants is suitable).

If possible, it is better to prepare the soil mixture for cucumbers yourself by mixing in equal volumes:

soil from the garden;
soil from the forest;
humus;
sand (preferably coarse, then the soil will be looser and will better allow moisture to pass through);
wood ash;
sawdust (it is advisable that they have time to rot and turn black).

Before sowing seeds in the prepared soil, it is important to disinfect it, for which it is placed in an oven preheated to +200˚C for 20 minutes. Thanks to this, there will be no pest larvae or bacteria left in the soil that can cause various diseases of cucumbers.

Important! Before sowing the seeds, the soil should be laid out in boxes and pots a few days before the intended planting. Thanks to this, it will have time to sag, and the seeds after sowing will not go deeper and seedlings will appear faster.

Preparing cucumber seeds

Most varieties of cucumbers can be sown dry directly in open ground. However, in this case, the first shoots will appear in about 2-3 days, and the crops themselves will have to be thickened in order to be planted later.

Since at home there is not much space for planting seedlings, it is recommended to germinate the cucumber seeds first, which can be done as follows:

Soak the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then rinse warm water.
We immerse the seed material for another 2-3 hours in water with a temperature of no more than +35 ˚С.
Having taken out the still warm seeds, we wrap them in burlap soaked in water and cover them with sawdust. In this form, they must be placed in a place where the temperature is kept at +30 ˚С.
After 1-2 days, shoots appear. They will be ready for planting almost immediately, since the length of the root should not be allowed to grow by more than 1 mm. It is very important to dry them a little before planting.

Did you know? To increase the resistance of cucumber bushes to cold, you can harden them while still in the form of seeds. For this purpose, the seeds are first soaked in warm water, and then in a swollen form they are wrapped in cloth and placed in the refrigerator (preferably under the very freezer) for 1-2 days. After this, they can be planted, and the resulting seedlings can be kept even on windowsills with a temperature of +17 ˚С.

Sowing cucumber seeds

Sowing seeds can be done at different times, but it is best to do this in stages so that fresh herbs are constantly ripening in the house. The stages of sowing depend on the rapid growth of cucumbers on the windowsill.

If the variety is early ripening, it can be sown every 20 days. However, keep in mind that from November to February there will be a shortage of cucumber bushes natural light, since the days in these months are short and the sun does not appear as often.

When planting sprouted seeds, they should be immersed in the soil to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm, and it should be moist. Until the cucumber seedling appears above the ground, containers with it should be kept under film and at a temperature not lower than +25 ˚С.

When the first shoots hatch above the ground, the film should be removed and the box with them moved to the windowsill, where the temperature will be cooler - about +20 ˚С.

There is one more nuance in sowing cucumber seeds. Many gardeners sow them for seedlings in separate small pots, and then plant the seedlings in large containers.

This option is quite acceptable, however, during transplantation, small seedlings are often damaged. To prevent this, during transplantation it is better to transfer the soil from the cup along with the seedlings. In this case, both the roots and leaves of the plant will remain intact.

We create conditions for growing cucumbers at home

In order for cucumbers on the windowsill to show good growth, they should be placed only on the south side, since this plant is sensitive not only to heat, but also to light. It’s even better if you have a heated balcony on the south side of the house, which receives light from three sides at once.

In such conditions, the cucumber bushes will grow quite strong, and their leaves will have a dark green color, like those on the beds.

Lighting

To ensure that the cucumbers have enough light, they are always illuminated. For this you can use special bio-lamps, or ordinary lamps. daylight(it is not necessary that they be turned on all day, just calculate the time of their activation so that the daylight hours for cucumbers extend to 15-16 hours a day).
To enhance the effect of the lamps, you can install light reflectors - a mirror or foil - around the cucumbers. Don’t forget about tying up the weaving bushes, which will allow each shoot to receive maximum amount Sveta.

Temperature

As for the temperature regime for growing cucumbers, from the moment the first shoots appear, the plant should be kept at a temperature of +20 ˚С. If the temperature in the apartment is higher, then the cucumbers will need to be provided with regular watering and spraying so that the moisture from the bushes does not evaporate too intensely.

Important! When growing cucumbers on a windowsill, take into account the fact that a cold window sill can cool the box with the plants, as well as their roots. In this case, the cucumbers may begin to wilt or stop growing. To avoid overcooling of the roots, it is recommended to place small pieces of foam under pots and boxes with cucumbers.

Caring for cucumbers at home

Cucumbers on a windowsill are no less demanding to grow and care for than when planted in open ground. It is very important to organize the growth of bushes in such a way that they do not stretch out and each shoot remains thick enough.

Forming and tying cucumber bushes

The question, “How to properly form cucumbers on the windowsill?” is very important, since the strength of the crop will depend on this. It must be understood that even if there is large quantity ovaries on bushes; if the shoots grow too densely and there is poor lighting, they may completely crumble and not bear fruit.

For this reason, it is important to tie cucumbers, giving each shoot the opportunity to grow along its own individual trajectory.

Due to this, useful item There is also a support for cucumbers on the windowsill, since tying it with laces is not always convenient, and it is not aesthetically pleasing.

In addition, it is important to immediately decide for yourself whether you need to pinch cucumbers on the windowsill. In fact, it is this procedure that allows you to achieve good harvests. You need to pinch the cucumber bush when 4-5 leaves appear, due to which the growth of the main shoot will stop, but the side shoots will develop, on which the main part of the crop is formed.

You can also pinch the side shoots, leaving 2-3 of them, and also stopping their growth on the 10th leaf. When pruning and tying, it is very important not to damage the leaves of the plant, which are its main source of nutrition. But the antennae can be periodically removed.

Watering and fertilizing

Water the cucumbers regularly, not allowing the soil to dry out more than 5 cm, although it is no less important for the bushes a spraying procedure that will increase air humidity in the apartment.

If cucumbers were sown in soil specially prepared for them, then it is not necessary to fertilize it. Only on very gloomy winter days can you add an infusion of fermented banana skins to the bushes; just dilute it first to reduce the concentration of the infusion. The number of such feedings during the entire growing season of early ripening varieties of cucumbers should not exceed two.

Did you know? Cucumbers are very responsive to foliar feeding using milk. However, if you add to it (per 1 l) 20 g laundry soap and 30 drops of iodine, you can get an excellent preventative against various diseases.

Harvesting cucumbers

It is recommended to pick ripened greens from the bushes on the windowsill immediately after they ripen. Firstly, this way you will prevent excessive overgrowth of the fruits, and secondly, you will accelerate the growth of still unripe greens.

If you do not allow the cucumbers to grow to more than 10 cm, then the bush will most likely bloom again (or at least the side shoots will bloom), which will allow you to get another harvest.

It is noteworthy that most varieties of early ripening cucumbers for the windowsill are ideal not only for fresh consumption, but also for pickling. However, the harvests on the windowsill are rarely so generous as to allow you to roll the resulting harvest into jars.

But still, you shouldn’t refuse the opportunity to grow fresh cucumbers in the middle of a bitter winter right on the windowsill. It is only important to provide the plants sufficient quantity light and do not forget about regular watering. Thanks to this, you can get a fresh harvest of cucumbers almost every month.

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Cucumbers are most popular among home gardening enthusiasts. Almost anyone can do this business. If you have homemade flowers in pots on the windowsills, then this experience is quite enough for working with cucumbers. No special skills are needed here. The main thing is to know the basic requirements of the culture and some of its features.

Conditions for growing cucumbers at home

For cucumbers, the main requirements for indoor cultivation are a sufficient amount of heat, light and moisture, both in the soil and in the surrounding air. This is very important to learn so that your efforts do not go in vain.

To get everything done necessary conditions, you should wisely and lovingly arrange your balcony, loggia or window sill.

Wash the windows, insulate them and seal the cracks, because... cucumbers do not tolerate drafts and cold air. So the rooms with cucumbers are not ventilated.
Pots with cucumber plants are placed on window sills, balconies, loggias, preferably in an eastern, southern or southeastern direction.
If there is still not enough light, then worry about additional lighting.

Cucumber varieties for growing at home

The next condition for successful work in obtaining delicious crispy greens is right choice varieties. The main thing here is not to make a mistake, otherwise you may be left without a harvest or try only a couple of fruits. When purchasing seeds, carefully read the description on the bag.

Requirements for cucumber varieties for home cultivation:

designed specifically for closed ground: in a room (balcony, window sill) or in a greenhouse,
capable of long-term, at least 5-6 months, fruiting,
cross-pollinated varieties require hand pollination (this process is quite labor-intensive),
parthenocarpic produce fruits without pollination of flowers by pollen. In such varieties there are practically only one female flowers, from which cucumbers are formed. So don't worry about the lack of male specimens. These fruits have no seeds.

If you only have seeds for open ground, then remember that at home you can get a small harvest only with very late sowing - April-May and artificial pollination.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers for home cultivation:

Indoor Rytov is well adapted to the lack of lighting and other factors, for which we are very loved by our gardeners.
Regatta, Photon - early ripening;
Moscow greenhouse,
Tandem,
Voyage,
Window-balcony F1;

Old-time varieties that are recommended to be sown in February - March have not lost their relevance.

April,
Cucaracha,
Marinda.

Shade-tolerant cucumbers for home growing

For rooms with insufficient light, shade-tolerant varieties and F1 hybrids are suitable:

Seryozha,
Legend,
Tatiana,
Zozulya,
Babylon,
Claudia;

Light-loving cucumbers for home cultivation

Among the light-loving varieties are:

Stella,
Thumb Boy
Mazay.

Photo: cucumber variety Window-balcony F1

Planting cucumbers at home

For successful landing To grow cucumbers at home, you need to select seeds, set appropriate dates, prepare nutritious soil and choose convenient containers. Cucumbers can be grown in garden conditions in the usual way through seedlings, or they can be grown without seedlings. In any case, seedlings need to be grown without picking - young cucumber plants are very tender and cannot tolerate transplanting.

Cucumber planting dates

Should be installed optimal timing landings

If everything in the apartment is provided the necessary conditions, then you can start sowing at any time.
In the absence of additional lighting, it is better to start sowing at the end of February, when there is sufficient daylight.
If you sow at the end of January, then by March 8 you can surprise your guests with fresh fruits from your home garden.

Soil for planting cucumbers

Getting homemade cucumbers largely depends on what kind of soil you prepare for them.

The easiest way out is to buy ready-made soil for cucumbers and other pumpkin plants in the store,
Use pre-prepared garden soil, evenly mixed with rotted manure and humus,
Mix peat and sand in a 1:1 ratio.

It should be noted that the soil must be disinfected before use by any means suitable for this procedure. Very often they are found in harvested land various insects, harmful and not so harmful, which thaw along with the soil in the warmth. Then you may not wait for green sprouts.

To make young cucumber seedlings feel better, add a little fertilizer when preparing the soil: 1 tbsp. superphosphate and ground chalk, and a glass of ash.

Containers for planting cucumbers

Take seriously the choice of containers that will house your cucumber plants. Design and how they fit into your interior play an important role in choosing pots and tubs.

A prerequisite for them is the presence of drainage holes.
Cucumber vines will feel great in buckets, tubs, and pots with a volume of at least 8-10 liters.
You should definitely add about 3 cm of drainage to the bottom: coarse gravel, expanded clay or broken brick, which prevents water from stagnating in the soil and provides air access to the roots.

Preparing seeds before planting cucumbers

If you have confidence in high quality seeds, then there is no need to carry out any additional processing. You can soak the seeds in a saturated solution of potassium permanganate or Epin. The necessary measures for this are no different from similar preliminary work when growing cucumbers in open ground.

You can grow good, strong cucumbers by immediately sowing the seeds in a prepared container with soil, bypassing the seedling period. To be sure of the result, you can pre-germinate the seeds.

Growing cucumbers at home without seedlings

Seeds (preferably 2-3 pieces) are sown on soil previously spilled with warm, preferably settled, water. The soil level should be 5 cm below the top edge of the pot. The seeds are sprinkled on top with 1.5-2 cm of dry soil and lightly slammed down with your hand.
To create the most favorable conditions It is advisable to cover the container with glass or film on top, because For successful seed germination, a temperature of at least 22-26 °C is recommended.
It is important that the top soil layer does not dry out.
As soon as you see green leaves on the surface of the soil, the pots should be opened and placed in the most well-lit place.
If several seeds have sprouted at once in one small container, select the most powerful sprout, carefully cut or break off the rest.

For normal development plants and the formation of a good harvest, it is necessary to provide them with a sufficient amount of soil, at least a bucket. If the plants begin to overgrow quickly, move them to a darker location for a while.

Direct sunlight is contraindicated for young shoots. Foil placed under the plant pot will help increase the intensity of sunlight.
After emergence, the temperature should be immediately reduced to 16-18 °C during the day and not higher than 12 °C at night.
It is necessary to water daily if the room temperature is high, and every other day if the temperature is lower.
Monitor the temperature of the water for irrigation; do not use cold water to avoid root rot and the appearance of diseases.

Growing cucumber at home through seedlings

If you decide to grow cucumbers through seedlings, then planting in large pots should be done in the phase of 2-3 true leaves (about 20-25 days after germination).

Water the seedlings well with warm water. Try to do this as carefully as possible, do not destroy the clod of earth at the roots.
Apply the powder up to the cotyledon leaves, that is, slightly higher than in seedling pots.
There should be room left up to the top edge of the pot to gradually add soil as the plant grows. This will promote the formation of additional roots.

Caring for cucumber at home

The principles of care are the same as in a greenhouse and in open ground. Cucumbers love moisture and need staking and shaping. You can’t neglect feeding at home and be sure to alternate Various types and types of fertilizers. Plants will require special care during the fruiting period. Care and attention will help cucumbers produce a large and tasty harvest.

Feeding cucumber

After transplantation and establishment, after 5-6 days, the cucumbers need to be fed.

Use complex mineral fertilizers, recommended for cucumber.
Stir 2 tsp. fertilizers in 3 liters of water.
Until you see cucumber ovaries, water 1-2 glasses with this solution every week.
As soon as fruiting begins, immediately increase nutrient watering by 2 times.

Plant development will tell you when to feed it. Alternate fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers twice a month. This way the “diet” will ensure that you receive a regular vitamin-rich harvest of cucumbers. Good results gives spraying of leaves: 15 g of urea / 10 l of water.

Cucumber backlight

Particular attention should be paid to additional lighting.

In order for the bush to grow well and bear fruit, it needs light 12-14 hours a day.
The lights should be turned on from 6 am and after 8 pm, when daylight is already fading.
In cloudy weather additional light must be on all day.
If it is not possible to provide home garden full lighting, grow mainly shade-tolerant varieties.
In the summer, when the days are much longer than in winter, light-loving varieties can also be used.

Now there are many devices and lamps for installing the necessary additional lighting. Fluorescent lamps are usually used as they are more affordable.

Alternative lighting methods successfully used by the population in their home “beds”:

reflective film,
foil,
mirrors installed in a special way opposite the plants.

Forming cucumbers

A very important factor for success in a window garden with cucumbers is the formation of plants. It is similar to this process in greenhouse and soil plants. The main thing is to indicate the direction that is needed. The cucumber will do the rest itself, stretching up to the required height. There are several in various ways how to shape a cucumber.

Formation should begin as soon as you count 5 good full leaves on the stem.
First of all, pinch off all the tendrils, flowers and shoots at the level of the 2-3rd leaf on the plant. This will allow the stem to grow stronger without wasting its strength.
The vine prepared in this way must be tied to a rope stretched upward or wrapped around a stick inserted in advance into the pot.
Next, let the vine branch, pinching each shoot as it grows upward after the 5th node.
Then pinch off the very top at the level you set or at the height of the window block.

Modern breeding hybrids do not always require the formation of a vine. They grow upward with virtually no formation of side shoots. It will be enough to pinch such plants at a level limited only by the capabilities and height of your window.

Care during fruiting period

Don't forget about cucumbers' love of moisture. Spray your pets regularly. This procedure will stimulate additional fruit production on your plants.

To create the required humidity conditions, you can use the following technique:

place a vessel with water next to the pot,
lower a homemade “wick” there (you can use gauze),
Place the free end in a circle around the stem in the pot and sprinkle with soil,
Make sure there is always water in the vessel.

Pots with plants should be watered daily with warm, settled water. Do not allow the soil to dry out and water to stagnate in containers.

Picking cucumbers

Young fruits should be collected regularly, without waiting for them to overgrow. The most delicious young sweet cucumbers are 4-5 days old.