Cucumbers for seedlings: when to plant in Siberia

From the end of winter, summer residents begin the next season of planting work - the time has come for sowing seed material of various vegetables for seedlings. However, our country is very large, and climatic conditions vary greatly in different regions.

The largest region is Siberia - a land with unpredictable weather conditions, cold springs and short summers. In such conditions, it is extremely difficult to grow vegetable crops, most of which are famous for their thermophilicity. Due to the short summer, summer residents have to pre-grow seedlings of these vegetables, and only then plant them in greenhouses (less often in open ground). Cucumbers for seedlings - when to plant in Siberia? It is worth carefully sorting out to get a good harvest.

Features of growing cucumbers in Siberia in a greenhouse and open field

Until recently, the cultivation of cucumbers in the northern regions of our country was not easy even in greenhouse conditions, since there were few varieties of these vegetables that were zoned for growth and development in such difficult conditions.

But breeders have worked to develop new varieties of cucumbers that could easily withstand temperature changes and not slow down their growth even in cold weather. Currently, there are quite a lot of such varieties. Therefore, the first thing to start with growing cucumbers is to select suitable varieties, zoned for planting and further development in a short summer. This information is always on the seed bags.

Harvest

However, you need to understand that not all gardens in the Siberian regions have greenhouses. Their construction requires high costs, which are not always affordable for summer residents. Therefore, vegetable growers are looking for various ways to grow cucumber crops in the open field.

To begin with, it is worth understanding the features of the growth and development of cucumbers:

• Cucumber whips grow actively, form ovaries and delight with ripe fruits only until the ambient temperature drops below 14-15 ° C. After such a decrease in temperature, the cucumber bushes stop developing.
• The root system of cucumbers is located close to the soil surface, so it quickly reacts negatively to a cold snap or frost. After transplanting seedlings into open ground, a layer of mulch with a thickness of at least 6-8 cm should be applied around the base of the plants to protect the roots from the cold.
• To strengthen the immunity of plants, accelerate their growth and development, you should regularly make a variety of top dressing - "at the root" and "on the leaf".
• In cucumber lashes, nodes are formed, from which flowers of different types, antennae, lateral shoots, foliage grow. With an increase in the level of moisture in such nodes, even new plants are formed.
• The acidity level of the soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline (in acidic soil, this vegetable crop develops much worse). Also, do not sow cucumbers in loamy and clayey soils, in which the root system will develop poorly (the aboveground part will not be powerful, strong - this will lead to a significant decrease in yield).

The soil

Before talking about how and when to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse in Siberia, you should understand related issues - soil preparation and planting seeds for seedlings.

In greenhouse conditions, the first thing to do is to prepare the soil for planting by creating "warm" beds. For this, trenches are dug, which are filled with a mixture of manure with straw and garden soil. A layer of soil is poured on top, from which ridges are formed. And only then you can plant seedlings in them.

One should not forget about the rules of crop rotation - cucumbers in one place can be grown once every 4 seasons. Otherwise, the soil will be depleted, pathogenic microorganisms and pests that are characteristic of cucumber crops can settle in it.

Experts recommend an alternative method of securing cucumber lashes - for each bush, install its own support to which it will be attached. This method prevents the intertwining of cucumber shoots, which makes it difficult to care for them and harvest ripe fruits.

In greenhouse conditions, cucumber bushes can be fed with ash, well-rotted compost. Also, folk recipes for dressing are actively used - a solution of chicken droppings or an infusion of herbs, which are introduced under the root of plants.

Cucumber bushes can be fed with ash

How cucumbers are planted for seedlings

Cucumbers, like other members of the pumpkin family, can hardly tolerate picking and transferring to another place. The fact is that they have too delicate root system, which is almost always injured during transplantation. And if tomatoes or peppers quickly "come to their senses", then for cucumbers the acclimatization period can be delayed for a long time. As a result, the plant slows down its growth for this period, which negatively affects the formation of ovaries and further ripening of the crop.

Therefore, it is recommended to sow seeds 1 piece in a plastic container, from which it will be possible to extract seedlings along with an earthen lump in the future. Such a planting allows you not to injure the roots, as a result, cucumbers are quickly taken in a new place and immediately grow. The first shoots usually appear 7-10 days after planting.

The timing and temperature of planting cucumbers for seedlings in Siberia in greenhouses and open ground

Elevated temperature

When you need to sow cucumber seeds for seedlings in Siberia, you should look at the lunar calendar. In different years, the timing can vary greatly. For example, in 2018, a favorable time for planting seeds fell on the second decade of April (or a little later). According to the calendar, favorable days in April fell on the 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 20, 21st, 22nd, 23rd, 24th. But these are the days when seeds are planted in closed ground, where appropriate conditions can be created for the normal growth and development of emerging seedlings.

Now, having figured out the question of when to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse in Siberia, you can think about planting sprouts in open ground. It's not all that simple here. When landing in open ground, you should not rush. The earth should warm up to a depth of 12-14 cm, and its temperature should be at least 16-17 ° С.

In this case, the planting dates are shifted to the end of May, and after disembarkation, a greenhouse should be made over the beds so that delicate seedlings do not suffer from possible frosts.

How to plant correctly

Seedling

You need to plant seedlings in a greenhouse as follows:

• first prepare warm beds;
• then the holes are prepared at a distance of 30-35 cm from each other, the distance between the rows is 80-90 cm;
• grown seedlings from cups are transplanted into them together with an earthen clod;
• if necessary, soil is poured into each hole, lightly tamped and irrigated.

When planting cucumbers in open ground, you should purchase early and super-early varieties, zoned for cultivation in Siberian regions.Purchased seeds do not need to be disinfected before planting, but they should be germinated - wrapped in a wet cloth for a day or two. Then the seeds that have hatched should be placed in the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator. After this, the seed is ready for planting in a permanent place in the garden.

Garden beds for cucumbers are located in a sunny place, protected from the cold wind. In the beds, holes are made with a diameter of about 0.65 m and a depth of up to 0.6 m, into which 5 kg of compost are poured, mixing it with the garden soil. The hole is leveled, sides are made along its diameter, which will retain moisture during watering.

Cucumbers

Around the holes, holes are made at a short distance, into which one seed is planted. No more than 5-6 seeds are sown in each hole. The distance between the holes should be about 35 cm.

After planting, watering is carried out with warm water, and then mulching is performed with finely chopped grass (layer thickness at least 6-8 cm).

Sprouted seeds sprout in a couple of days. Dry seed germinates in a week.

Further care: advice from gardeners

Further care for the cucumbers is quite simple. The main thing is to maintain a certain moisture content in the soil, since these vegetables love moisture very much. However, watering should not be excessive - enough to keep the topsoil always moist. Water for irrigation should be allowed to settle in the sun in the morning, and watering should be done in the evening.

The next important condition is loosening the soil after watering and removing weeds that can "clog" the cultivated plants.

Previously, it was believed that planting cucumbers in Siberia is practically useless. Today the situation has changed somewhat. Modern varieties are capable of producing crops even in traditionally cold regions, delighting both professional gardeners and amateurs.