Cucumber story or when and how to plant cucumbers

One of the most popular representatives of the pumpkin family, and the only among all vegetables, the fruits of which we eat green, immature - is, of course, a cucumber. This annual creeping plant gives a good harvest, the benefits of which are not measured.

Cucumber is called juicy fruit and consists of water at 95%. An interesting fact is that by its properties the water contained in the cucumber is very close to distilled. The fruits of cucumber are characterized by excellent taste and dietary and healing properties. They are eaten both fresh and salted and pickled. Juicy fresh cucumber is not only pleasant to the taste, it also brings benefits for our body not small. Cucumber water helps dissolve harmful toxins, cleans the body of toxins. And how this vegetable is relevant for our country and not to say anything, because it is they who bite alcohol (not all of course), and the cucumber pickle saves a hangover in the morning.

In its fresh form, cucumber helps to maintain the desired alkaline reaction that occurs in the blood, reduces the level of acidity of gastric juice, and has a good effect on the work of the heart, kidneys and liver. Not rarely, our grandmothers, using traditional medicine, used cucumbers as a diuretic and antipyretic.

Modern cosmetology also actively uses this vegetable. Extracts from it are added with success in tonic and lotions. This is not by chance, because cucumber helps to lighten the skin and fights against tired freckles and pigment spots, and also dries it very successfully. The latter is relevant for adolescence. It is believed that cucumber juice can be used as a means to rejuvenate the skin. In cosmetology not only cucumber juice is used, but also pulp. From it make nourishing masks on the face and neck.

Look how much useful is said. How can we not start planting this vegetable in our beds? But how to plant a cucumber? After all, every vegetable, yes there, every plant requires compliance with the special conditions of planting and care in relation to itself. Taking into account the climatic features of the western part of our country, cucumbers are usually planted not with seedlings, but with the help of seeds. Planted seeds on the garden, of course, taking into account the variety, can please you with fruits as early as June - July.

The first question facing the gardener - the gardener: what kind of cucumber is best suited for him? What is preferred so as not to make a mistake and get a rich harvest.

Lost in the seed market is quite possible. There are a lot of varieties, and besides, the firms that offer these varieties are not small. Go figure out what to choose. However, beautifully packaged seeds and a loudly sounding company are not enough. The laws of the market with natural do not coincide. Remember, you need to pick the seeds according to your goals and planting dates. Cucumbers that are grown in open ground, called garden beds. Their fruits are 10 - 15 centimeters in length and covered with hard skin.

The product, which is characterized by a smaller fruit no more than 7 centimeters in length, is called the beautiful foreign word gherkin. So for reference, we note that the cucumber popular in our beds has another name, Latin, which sounds like sucumis sativus. Such young cucumbers are used for pickles and pickles. They are what we mainly see in the wide sale on the shelves of stores.

In hothouse greenhouse fruits are smooth and grow to a length of 30 centimeters. Cucumber, whatever it is called, karnichon, hothouse or garden beds, this plant is light-loving, but tolerates a slight shading.

The soil, too, must be chosen correctly. It prefers light moderately wet soils. High-fertility, low-nitrogen drained soil is what you need. If the soil has a high acidic environment, then it should be lime.

Choosing a place to plant or where to plant cucumbers

When choosing a place, keep in mind that cucumber is a culture that loves warmth, light, and fertile soil. Excellent temperature for growing cucumber accounts for 18-26 ° C. If the temperature is lower and is about 15 ° C, the cucumber will slow down. And at 10 ° C and below, it will not grow at all. The roots get sick and the plant dies. So, even small frosts can be a good death weapon for a heat-loving cucumber. Accordingly, experts in the field of vegetable farming recommend planting these plants in the beds, which are protected from cold winds and have a slope to the south.

In the autumn period under digging it is better to bring in fresh manure. Take one manure bucket per square meter. Ash can be used. Then it is taken in a volume of 200 grams. In the spring, soil the soil once again.

How to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse?

You can plant, as the seedlings, and seeds that are poured directly into the garden bed. Plant in the open ground when the soil is warm. In the middle zone of our country in time, this is usually the end of May. If your choice fell on the seeds, they must first be heated, and before sowing, they should be soaked. It is recommended to soak for 12 hours. Warming up disinfects them and reduces the incidence of plants. Seeds are heated two months before sowing. It is possible to carry out this process in such a way, take the seeds and place them in a gauze bag, which, in turn, should be hung near the battery or the stove.

A bed for cucumbers we prepare so. Dig a hole in the soil 30 centimeters wide and deep. Fill the lower part of its indentation with humus or manure so that the filling of the fossa is about 15 centimeters from the bottom. From above we will cover with a layer of soil which we mix up with manure before. The soil layer must be high in order to form a mound that improves drainage.

Sow seeds to a depth of two centimeters. Keep a distance of 10-15 cm in the line itself, and between 50–70 centimeters between the lines. In one hole allowed planting two - three seeds.

When you got the shoots, they need to be preempted. As a rule, one seedling is left out of the two or three that were planted in one hole.

If the climate is not happy with the heat, the plants require your protection in the form of film shelters. A greenhouse is a great way to protect your crops from winds and frosts.

You, of course, and seedlings can be used for planting in the ground. But then it should be noted that it is very fragile in cucumbers. This is due to the vulnerable root system. Cucumbers do not tolerate transplant. And if you honestly raised seedlings at home, then plant them very carefully in open ground four weeks after sowing.

Choose strong plants with three to five leaves and a good root system from home seedlings. Indent 35 - 40 centimeters between your seedlings. If disembarking is made on several flights, then keep a distance that should be equal to about 90 centimeters between the flights.

Places cucumbers need a lot. They grow well and can reach a height of two meters in height.

Based on all that has been said above about planting cucumbers, it is already possible to draw the following conclusions.

So, cucumbers need such conditions as:

• a lot of heat;
• a lot of space;
• a lot of light;
• well fertilized soil.

When to plant cucumbers correctly?

To determine the timing of planting cucumbers for seedlings, we need to build on the most important factors - soil temperature and air temperature. Remember that for cucumber, the soil temperature should not be below + 14 +15 degrees. However, it will hardly grow at such a temperature. Too cold for him and his root system. Yes, at such a temperature the cucumber will not even die.

In the growth of seedlings go in the afternoon, when the sun warms and the plants are affected by ultraviolet radiation. At night, cucumbers crouch. They will not grow at night. This is how light is needed !!!

You can, of course, provide ground warming yourself. To do this, dig beds in the beds to a depth of at least 50 centimeters and place hay, manure or sawdust in them. Use and dark film, pulling it over the beds.

Why seedlings are recommended to grow no more than a month?

This is due to the rapid growth of the plant. Month, and preferably three weeks and can be planted in open ground. Because if the seedlings in your window pereostoy, then you get it in an overgrown state. Cucumber seeds sprout very quickly. If the temperature is + 25 degrees, then in two or three days you can observe the appearance of yellow-green shoots. These are cotyledons.

So, a little patience, diligence, skills, and you have on the table juicy useful fruits of cucumbers grown by your own hands.