How to grow cucumbers at home in winter and provide your family with vitamins
Surely many of us noticed that, oddly enough, we want fresh cucumbers not in the summer, but when their season is long over. Of course, there are always imported vegetables on supermarket shelves at this time, but why poison the body with nitrates if they can be planted. There is nothing complicated in how to grow cucumbers at home in winter, no, the only caveat is, in fact, the planting site. Light window sills in a warm apartment are quite capable of replacing garden beds. A stable temperature regime allows you to "play" with the timing of sowing seeds and get vegetables on time. It remains only a little to ensure that the plants have enough food and light.
Choosing a variety
- early cucumbers;
- self-pollinated varieties (in winter there are no pollinating insects, especially in the house);
- compact, low varieties with small leaves (they take up less space);
- small-fruited varieties (large cucumbers need more nutrients, which is difficult to provide in a limited space in pots).
For planting in pots, varieties of cucumbers are ideal. Balcony Miracle, Harmonist, City Cucumber, Ladies' Man.
How to grow cucumbers at home in winter
Planting dates depend only on when you need to get the crop. It should just be borne in mind that the first cucumbers will ripen already 40 days after the seeds germinate. And already from this make a start. You can harvest vegetables within 1.5 months. Therefore, in order to have fresh cucumbers all winter, you can make several crops with a difference of about a month.
It is better to plant seeds immediately in separate cups, two seeds each, after soaking them. It is advisable to disinfect in a solution of potassium permanganate to protect against diseases. If desired, you can also germinate, if you need to get seedlings faster. When they appear, the second sprout, if it also exists, must be removed, leaving the strongest. The soil can be used universal.
Further care for indoor cucumbers is as follows:
- When the plants have formed a pair of true leaves, transplant them into large pots. Plastic bottles can be cut.
- Place the cucumbers on the lightest windowsill. Daylight hours should be at least 12 hours. So it is better to provide additional lighting, otherwise the bushes will stretch out.
- Sprinkle with water at room temperature as soon as the topsoil dries.
- Spray often, cucumbers do not like dry air.
- Provide a temperature not lower than 20 ° C heat and exclude drafts.
- Feed at least twice a month. Biohumus, ash, liquid mineral complexes are suitable for this.
Even the lowest varieties of cucumbers need a garter. In addition, they need to be formed. The central shoot must be pinched after 4-5 leaves so that it begins to bush. Then all the lateral shoots that will form on the growing two stems, also pinch after 3 leaves.The ovary that appears below the pinching point must be removed. That's all the secrets of growing indoor cucumbers.