How to plant cucumber seeds

Cucumbers are invariable inhabitants of summer cottages and vegetable gardens. To grow a bountiful harvest of delicious cucumbers, you need to know how to plant cucumber seeds, when to do it, what conditions must be taken into account.

Outdoor cultivation

One of the features of this culture is that it requires a lot of heat, light and abundant watering. At the same time, cucumbers can be grown in almost any soil, but the greatest yield will be obtained if they are planted in light loamy or sandy loam soil.

When choosing a suitable site, you need to take into account that it should not have groundwater close to the surface.

Planting cucumbers in the ground with seeds also implies compliance with crop rotation. It is not recommended to grow the same crops on the site for several years. The best option would be to alternate from year to year. For example, the predecessor to cucumbers can be:

• bow;
• cabbage;
• beans;
• potatoes;
• tomatoes.

Seedling

If pumpkins or zucchini previously grew on this site, you should not plant cucumbers here.

The best growing conditions are:

• temperature from 25 to 30 degrees;
• humidity less than 80%.

If, when the weather conditions change, the temperature drops to 15 degrees, the growth of cucumbers slows down sharply. And if it reaches 10 degrees, it completely stops.

When growing this crop, neighbors are important. It is useful to plant corn in two or three rows along the north side of the bed. You can also plant coriander or radishes nearby. These plants will attract the insects involved in pollination of cucumbers with their aroma.

You can use celery, cabbage, peas, beans, or cauliflower as neighbors.

When to plant cucumbers in the ground

Cucumbers do not tolerate cold weather very well. In central Russia, the optimal time for planting seedlings in the ground is the end of May. It would not be a mistake to land a little later.

When planting cucumbers in the ground with seeds:

• In the second half of April, they are planted in greenhouses.
• In the first half of May, you can already grow in the open field, but at the same time cover it with a film.
• From mid-June, the film can be removed.

Some gardeners use the lunar calendar to determine the time of work, but first of all it is worth focusing on the climate.

We sow the seeds

Preparing for landing

You need to start preparing the site to sow cucumbers before the onset of winter. To do this, you need to collect from it the remains of all the plants that grew there earlier. If you neglect their cleaning, in the spring they will most likely become a source of disease or insect pests.

Preparation for planting begins in the fall. At this time, you need to add a sufficient amount of rotted manure to the soil. Each square meter will require 20 kg.

First shoots

How to prepare seeds:

• Varietal seeds will yield the same yield as before. Hybrid ones are not worth using; in most cases they will not produce the variety expected. The seeds can only be used if purchased from specialized stores.
• The seeds need to be examined. If there are damaged ones, do not use them.Large, healthy ones should be left without visible damage.
• When sampling, you can use a saline solution consisting of 1 liter of water in which 100 grams of salt is dissolved. Soak the seeds for 15 minutes. Those that come up can be thrown away, they will not come up.
• Disinfection of seed. This will require a 1% manganese solution. The seeds are kept in it for 30 minutes. After that, they are placed in an ash solution for a day and put on the balcony.
• It is recommended to germinate the seeds first. In this case, it will be immediately visible whether they are viable. For this, a damp cloth is prepared, seeds are poured onto it, then positioned in such a way that they do not touch each other. Then a damp cloth is placed on top of them. They are left for 1.5 days.
  To prevent the fabric from drying out during germination, it is recommended to put it on a plate and cover it with another. This will greatly reduce evaporation.
• After that, you need to open them and examine them. The seeds will sprout a few millimeters. If some of them were not similar, they will not sprout.
• Now the sprouted seeds need to be planted in peat cups with their nose up.

To prepare an ash solution at home, 3 kg of ash is insisted in 10 liters of hot water for two days. Then filter through cheesecloth, add 40 g of soap, previously dissolved in a small amount of hot water. Then the solution is stirred.

For quick disinfection, heat treatment can be used: the seeds are soaked in water, the temperature of which is 45 degrees or more. This should be done with caution within 45 minutes. High temperatures can damage seeds.

How to germinate seeds in cups

When germinating cucumber material, you can use standard soil that is sold in specialized stores.

Instead of peat cups, you can use plastic or paper ones. At the same time, in order to sow in the ground, you will have to extract and replant the seedlings. Cucumbers can hardly tolerate this procedure.

To place a sprouted seed in a glass, you need to do the following:

1. Fill the glass with earth only to half.
2. Make holes 1 centimeter deep.
3. Place seeds one at a time in each hole and level the ground.
4. Drizzle a little with warm water.
5. As the sprouts are pulled out, you need to add earth. This will promote the development and strengthening of the plant root system.
6. Cover the pots with foil.

The seedlings will be ready when shoots sprout from the ground.

Sowing in open ground

Most often, cucumbers are planted in the beds. Spreading the seeds evenly will allow the sunlight to be used as efficiently as possible.

This method of planting requires careful handling of crops. You need to pay special attention not to disturb the roots and branches of the plants. Usually, the leaves and flowers are in the position where they receive maximum sunlight. If you change their orientation, it will take time to restore the correct position.

Access to light

Climbing cucumbers in the open field are grown using trellises. They are horizontally stretched wire attached to posts dug into the ground.

Consider the following when planting seeds:

• If you plant germinated seeds, it is better to place them in the ground with the sprout up, but if some of them are located horizontally, this will not damage their growth.
• You need to plant cucumbers in open ground after it warms up to 17 degrees.
• The distance between the beds is usually 90 cm. The seed or seedlings are placed in two rows, 40 cm apart. In one row, the distance between the shoots is 20 cm. The shoots must be thinned out.
• It is recommended to arrange the sprouts in a checkerboard pattern when planting. For taller varieties, the distance can be increased slightly.

Several seeds (from 2 to 5) must be placed in one hole. This is done in case some of them do not ascend.

Hybrid varieties are given more space. In this case, the distance between the beds should be increased to one meter, and the distance between the ribbons should be at least 90 cm.

Experienced gardening tips

The first feeding should be done at a time when the first flowers appear on the plants. After that, the procedure must be repeated every two weeks. This must be done until new fruits appear.

When growing, it must be borne in mind that plants love loose soil. For this, it is necessary to regularly cultivate the land.

Land preparation:

• Before planting, you need to dig up the ground.
• It is recommended to mix the soil with peat. It makes the soil looser, which contributes to a better receipt of moisture by the roots.
• It is helpful to saturate the soil with humus, which will help the sprouts get more nutrients.

Using trellises

To install them, you need to dig pillars into the ground, which are supports. Three rows of wire are attached to them. The lower one should be at a height of 15 cm. The middle one is at a height of one meter, and the upper one is 2 meters. The pillars are installed in the center of the garden bed. It is necessary to additionally attach a plastic mesh to the wire. It is necessary that the width of the cells is from 15 to 20 cm. As the cucumbers grow, their branches must be tied to the trellises.

With this growing method, the distance between the holes can be reduced to 20 cm.

How to water

Watering cucumbers depends on the stage of growth:

• At the very beginning of the growing season, before flowering, it is necessary to use from 3 to 6 liters of water for each watering. It must be produced once every 5 days.
• When flowering begins, and then fruiting, watering should be more abundant. Now 10-12 liters of water is required for each square meter. The frequency of watering is increased: once every two days.
• At the end of the summer season, the watering intensity must be reduced. As the temperature drops during this time, the abundance of water can lead to root rot.

Cucumbers do not tolerate well when the topsoil is covered with a dry crust. Therefore it is recommended to use a shallow watering can.

Growing cucumbers requires careful adherence to all relevant rules and careful care. But if successful, a wonderful harvest will reward the owner.