How to grow and tie cucumbers on a balcony or windowsill at home
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 delicious vegetable grows well both in greenhouses and on open land. At home on the windowsill, he is able to produce crops all year round. How they are grown, looked after, and most importantly, how they are tied - now we will consider.
Who grows vegetables on the balcony
If there is no site for sowing cucumbers, and you want to eat homemade cucumbers, amateur gardeners plant vegetables on the balcony or windowsill. In the second case, cucumbers yield a harvest even in winter, since the temperature in the room is between 18 and 25 degrees all year round. It's so convenient to go out onto the balcony and pluck a couple of fresh delicious cucumbers for a salad! But not only cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers are grown at home, parsley and dill also give a good harvest. Thus, preparing a fresh healthy salad of vegetables and herbs in winter is as easy as shelling pears.
Growing methods
Where to plant cucumber seedlings? All lovers of fresh vegetables ask this question.
- In plastic bottles.
- In flower pots.
- Pans.
- 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, the containers are placed in a bowl so that excess liquid flows into it, and then absorbed back. It is better to use containers of light color, this will protect the plant from overheating.
The choice of location is an important factor in a good harvest at home. The balcony on the north side is not suitable for plant growth. Better to plant cucumbers on a windowsill or balcony facing southeast and east. The balcony or loggia is glazed, but in hot weather the doors are open for air exchange. It is desirable 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 it is better to shade them in the sultry heat.
Landing
Here, each gardener decides for himself: either plant cucumber saplings on the balcony for seedlings, or seeds immediately to the main place of growth. Saplings are grown in March on a 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 extremes. The composition of the soil also plays an important role in the development of the seedlings. You can grow vegetables on the windowsill all year round.You just need to provide enough light for the maturation and growth of the plant.
This will require 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 future crops. To get rid of larvae and other pests, the earth is heated in an oven - disinfected.
Seed selection
For planting at home, you must choose seeds designed specifically for these purposes. The most suitable varieties of cucumbers for growing at home:
- Ant.
- Buyan.
- Olympiad.
- Marathon.
- Balcony.
These are varieties of cucumbers that are ideal for home use.
The ant is famous for its quick ripening, cucumbers are formed on the 38th day after the germination of seeds. It does not need pollination and produces a yield of 10 kilograms of cucumbers.
Buyan also does not require pollination, cucumbers appear 45 days after germination. The yield is not high - up to 5 kilograms per square meter.
Olympiada is a super-yielding cucumber variety, well suited for growing at home on a window, with the right care, gives 45 kilograms of vegetables per meter.
The marathon is suitable for home cultivation due to the short lash, the yield is up to 25 kg.
The balcony is specially bred by breeders for growing at home. Requires careful maintenance and watering. Yields up to 11 kilograms of harvest.
Growth
So, the land and seeds have been chosen, now let's go directly to planting.
Before planting the seeds in the ground, it is necessary to soak for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then plant in boxes or flowerpots. If they are colored, then the processing has passed, so such seeds are immediately planted in the ground. Some gardeners germinate before planting. This is done in order to make sure whether it grows or not.
Drainage from expanded clay or other materials is poured into the container by 1 quarter, then the prepared soil is poured, a 2 centimeters deepening is made with a finger, spilled with water, a seed or sapling is planted, sprinkled with earth. Before the first shoots of cucumbers on the balcony, the soil is covered with a film and, as it dries, is sprayed from 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 comes out of the ground, the film is removed and the root watering is done about once every two days. It depends on the weather conditions and the rate of drying of the soil. Excess moisture and drying out of the earth must not 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, this makes it possible for new ovaries to grow. In a strong scorching sun, the plant is shaded, otherwise the rays will scorch the leaves and the plant will die. For sufficient humidity in the room, a container with water is placed next to the plants, it evaporates and humidifies the air. Spraying the leaves is necessary to hydrate 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. For this you will need:
- Trellis.
- Clothesline.
- Climbing plant net.
- Pins.
- Metallic wire.
When 7-8 leaves are tied on the plant and tendrils appear, the cucumbers need to be tied up for better growth and access of sunlight to all leaves. For this, a horizontal rope is pulled at a height of 1.5 meters from the standing boxes. How to tie cucumbers on the loggia and windowsill correctly?
- Garter on a trellis.
- Garter with ropes.
- Curly garter.
- Garter on a rod.
Tie a trellis to a horizontal clothesline, fasten the bottom to the pins and insert into the ground where the cucumbers grow. Wrap the mustache on the mesh and form the further direction of growth.
The ropes are tied to the horizontal guide with one end, the other end is attached to the borage trunk at the very bottom. The tendrils are wound to the vertical rope.
A curly garter is produced 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, wind up the mustache. Thus, there is a curly garter of cucumbers on the windowsills. Thus, the borage is even given the shape of a ball, inserting several rods in the form of a ball into the flowerpot, braiding them with a plant.
There are many figured design schemes, the beauty of the bush depends on the gardener's fantasy flight.
The garter of cucumbers on the windowsill is performed 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 on the sides of the windowsill they are screwed in at a height of 2 meters and a rope is tied. Ropes or trellis are tied vertically and the borage is guided.
There are gardeners who insert the cutting into the ground and wrap a vine around it or tie it in several places for stability.
Why are cucumbers tied up
Borage garters are made for better plant growth.
- Sunlight reaches all leaves, fruits ripen faster.
- Convenient to water, vegetation does not interfere.
- It looks neat, a borage wall is formed.
- It is easy to get to the ripe fruit, otherwise the leaves are covered and they may overripe.
A healthy harvest depends on how the cucumbers are tied on the balcony. The tied branch grows up, 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 ripen poorly. Therefore, the plant is pruned when it reaches the length of the topmost rope. The 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 root. The remaining land is used to plant new seeds. Thus, cucumbers can be grown at home almost all year round, enjoying the process of plant growth and a delicious harvest. And with fresh herbs, you get a delicious and healthy vitamin salad.
