How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in the winter in the apartment. Indoor cucumbers: how to grow juicy and crispy fruits on the windowsill Cucumbers at home on the windowsill

How to plant and grow cucumbers at home. How to sow, care, choose the soil. How to choose a variety. Personal practical experience (10+)

How to grow cucumbers in the winter on the windowsill?

The culture of growing cucumbers on the windowsill of the house has developed a long time ago. The care system has already been worked out, and suitable varieties and hybrids have been selected. For example, the famous variety of cucumbers ‘Room Rytova’. This variety was considered the only one of the cucumbers suitable for growing on the windowsill.

But, in Lately the number of fans to grow cucumbers on the windowsill has increased, and a large number of different varieties and hybrids of cucumbers have appeared. It is better to take parthenocarpic or self-pollinating varieties, as they do not require manual pollination. Preference should be given to shade-tolerant balcony cucumbers. If you have taken bee-pollinated varieties, then you need to pollinate them manually in the morning with a soft brush. With her help, we transfer pollen from a male flower (barren flower) to a female one (with an ovary). You can simply pick a male flower, remove all the petals from it and gently touch the stigma of the pistil. This must be done with the pollen of male flowers, taking it from different bushes.

Soil preparation

The soil for sowing should be prepared from equal parts of soddy or garden soil, compost, wood ash, coarse sand and steamed sawdust. For disinfection, the resulting mixture is calcined, for example, in an oven, at a temperature of about 120 degrees for 10 minutes. Next, fertilizer is applied in the amount of two matchboxes per bucket of soil mixture. Fertilizers should be designed for cucumbers and cucurbits. For top dressing, you can take nitrophoska. We take containers of at least five liters with drainage holes and pour a homogeneous loose soil mixture there. You can take plastic buckets and make holes in them for water.

Sowing seeds

Before sowing seeds, it is necessary to moisten the ground a day. The time when it is necessary to sow seeds indoors depends on the specific weather in a particular area. To a greater extent from natural light and additional lighting. In the autumn winter period not without illumination. For this we use special lamps for plants. It is necessary to be careful, because drafts and whiteflies accidentally introduced with flowers are dangerous for cucumbers.

First, you must first pickle the seeds in a solution of potassium permanganate and leave in a warm environment for germination. Then we make holes 1.5 cm deep and lay the hatched seeds horizontally in them and fall asleep with moist soil. We cover the entire landing area with a film or glass, placing it in a room with a temperature of 22 - 24 °. And we are waiting for the emergence of shoots.

Emergence of seedlings

When shoots appear, remove the film or glass and rearrange the planting container in a cool and brightest place with a temperature of 18 g. C. For planting cucumbers, you need a bright and spacious place. For this, window sills, glazed loggias, verandas, etc. are suitable. To increase the light, put a mirror or attach mirror film from the side opposite the window. And to save root system from hypothermia, it is necessary to put under the landing container wooden board or a sheet of foam. Why are we doing all this? To grow a good fruiting plant.

When 4-5 leaves appear, pinch the top of the stem. This is necessary for the active growth of the lateral lashes. Above the third or fifth sheet we pinch the side lashes.

Care

In cultivation, a support up to about one meter high is needed to tie the top of the main stem and hook the twine to a cornice or to a suitable object. When forming, you need to protect the leaves, because the harvest depends on them. The whiskers are removed so that the remaining 'stumps' do not rot. Cucumbers are watered every day or every other day with warm water, but not flooded. It is also necessary to humidify the air with a sprayer, or simply by placing a container of water.

You can stretch the film, adding a greenhouse effect. You can feed the cucumber with ready-made mixtures, as well as diluted fermented organic matter. For example, diluted water solution with fermented banana peels. You can also spray the crown with a weak solution of salts of manganese, zinc and boron. When the cucumbers are already gone, they need to be collected daily so that they do not outgrow. The growth of the ovaries depends on this. If you take care of cucumbers as we have told, then one plant will give you from 10 to 30 fruits.

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Who said that winter is not the time for fresh homemade cucumbers? Just the right time for their independent cultivation in the room, on the windowsill. If you plant in early November, then for the New Year holidays you can already harvest the first crop. How to grow cucumbers indoors will be discussed in this article.

Selection of cucumber seeds

For the successful cultivation of these vegetables on the windowsill, you need to choose the right variety. Stores sell cucumber hybrids for indoor growing. There are also ordinary ground self-pollinating cucumbers that can be grown in the house. Among the varieties that are in demand among fans of indoor cucumbers, the following can be distinguished:

• Crunchy;
• Brownie Kuzya F1;
• Room;
• Miracle on the window;
• Our Masha F1;
• Ant F1.

Each variety has its own advantages. Most of them are early maturing varieties, the average period from seed germination to ripening of the first cucumbers is 45-55 days.

The choice of soil and containers for planting cucumbers

In order for the plants to feel good and not wilted, without starting to bear fruit, you need to choose a soil mixture. Ready-made substrate can be bought at the store. Suitable option there will be soil for gourd plants. If you wish, you can prepare it yourself by mixing the necessary components: humus, rotted sawdust, peat (2: 1: 2). Add 1 cup of ash to a bucket of mixture.

Seeds can be planted in small containers (plastic cups, yogurt boxes), and then transplanted, when the first two true leaves appear, into large pots or containers. And you can immediately - in large containers. For the constant growth of cucumbers, pots or other containers are needed, with a volume of at least 5 liters per plant. Drainage holes should be made at the bottom of the pot.

Sprouting seeds and transplanting seedlings

Before planting, it is advisable to germinate the seeds. If these are hybrids or treated seeds, they do not need to be pre-soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate or salt water.

There are several ways to germinate cucumber seeds:

• On cotton pads: moisten the pad with warm water, spread the seeds and cover with another wet pad. Place in a warm place, leave for three to four days. Maintain wet condition. After the roots appear, you need to transplant the seeds into small pots for growing seedlings.

• In pots with soil: water the soil hot water. Arrange a few things in a pot.

  How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in the apartment?

  Cover with foil and put in a warm place. After the roots appear, sprinkle with a thin layer of soil and put in a permanent place of growth.

When the second real leaves appear on the cucumbers, it's time to transplant the plant into a large pot (if before that they grew in small containers). It is necessary to remove the plants very carefully and by the method of transshipment, transplant into a large flowerpot. Don't forget about the drainage layer.

Formation of the correct bush

When growing cucumbers on a windowsill, you need to know how to properly form the stem so that fruits can form. If you do not pinch the lateral stems, the plant will stretch, grow, and will not be able to produce fruits.

• The first pinching of the top is carried out after the appearance of 4-5 true leaves.
• After the formation of the next 5 leaves, you can pinch again.
• When the first ovary of the fetus appears, you need to pinch off the top of the 5th leaf.

Features of cucumber care

When growing cucumbers indoors, you need to remember:

• A suitable place for growing cucumbers would be a windowsill or a warm balcony, on the south side. Placement is allowed in the east and west side, but not in the north. Although with regular illumination, some vegetable growers manage to grow these plants on the northern balconies.
• IN winter time, on cloudy days, it is recommended to highlight the cucumbers with fluorescent lamps, at least two hours a day.
• The optimum temperature for growing is +21°С-+23°С. If it is cold outside, and it is cool on the windowsill, then you need to put wooden coasters under the pot.
• When pulling the stems, they need to be tied up so that they do not fall.
• Water cucumbers regularly. Spray the entire plant once a week.
• Fertilize with mineral fertilizers once a week. Special mixes are sold.
• Rotate the pot once a day so that the plant receives light from all directions.
• Ripe cucumbers need to be plucked as they ripen. Don't let them age. Thus, more fruits can be tied on the plant, and the harvest will be good.
• Avoid drafts and cold - cucumbers do not like this.

If the first time does not work out, do not be upset and give up. It is necessary to analyze the mistakes, study the material again and, with new strength and knowledge, start growing cucumbers in the room. It's so nice to pick a cucumber, which is grown with your own hands, at the time of snow and frost.

If you choose the right varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill in winter, then in every month of cold weather you can enjoy your own delicious harvest. Moreover, you will be completely confident in the naturalness of the product and the absence of any harmful pesticides.

Of course, to grow cucumbers in winter, you need to use only varieties that can self-pollinate. Then you do not have to do manual pollination, which is extremely difficult. Therefore, when choosing certain varieties, you need to pay attention to hybrids.

Important! Hybrids are designated by special accepted markings. In particular, first-generation hybrids are labeled F1. Do not confuse hybrids and genetically modified vegetables: they are completely different concepts.

Suitable varieties for growing on a windowsill:

• Masha F1 The variety ripens extremely quickly. Already from the moment of planting the seed, the first fruits appear after 45 days. Cucumbers of this variety are resistant to diseases. Differ in dark green color, there are large tubercles on the surface. On each brush, when grown on a windowsill, up to six fruits are formed with an average length of 10 centimeters.
• Miracle on the window F1 Early ripening cucumbers that are suitable for a saucer. The fruits will be small, only up to 8 centimeters, but it has a great taste.

  Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter

  The fruiting period will come after 40 days from planting the seeds in the soil.

• Ant F1 Even with home cultivation from the bushes, you can get a good harvest. The length of each fruit will be around 10 cm, the surface is even, and the color is bright green (which is especially pleasing in winter). The ovaries tend to form in bunches, there are two ovaries in each node when grown at home, but on average their number can reach seven.
• Prestige F1 The peculiarity of the variety is that it bears fruit for a long period. Cucumbers will be dark green in color, about 12 cm long, which is quite a lot for home growing. Due to the long fruiting, it will be possible to provide the family with vitamins for almost the entire winter.

How to choose a place to grow

Of course, the only choice good variety will not provide a harvest. You need to choose the right place for growing. Best fit glazed loggia: there will be an opportunity to develop upwards, there is where to tie the bushes. If there is no loggia, then a wide window sill on the south side is selected in the apartment.

Of course, in winter, cucumbers will need additional lighting. It is necessary to provide illumination in the morning from 6 am until dawn, as well as several hours in the evening after sunset.

Which soil to choose

Ready-made soil for home growing cucumbers on the windowsill today can be bought at any garden store.

The purchased soil mixture will have the desired composition, the necessary nutrients. Welcome in the composition of humus, wood ash.

But even the purchased soil additionally needs to be calcined in order to cleanse it of possible insect larvae and simply harmful bacteria. Before you fill the soil in containers for growing cucumbers, you will need to provide a drainage layer.

Proper seed preparation

Another important factor when growing cucumbers at home on the windowsill. Here, the preparation of seeds will not differ from that which is done for seedlings, which are planned to be planted in open ground. First you need to select large seeds and soak them in saline. If any seeds float, they can be safely thrown away.

Next, you will need to soak the seeds for 20 minutes in a solution of potassium permanganate. Then rinse under running water and spread on damp cloths. So leave for a few days, so that the first sprouts appear. After that, you can safely plant cucumbers in the ground, digging them two centimeters deep.

The container will need to be covered with a film: in order for the first shoots to appear, it is necessary to ensure maximum humidity conditions.

Put in a warm place at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. When you see the first sunrises, this is a sign that you can shoot the film. Now the seedlings are transferred to their permanent place (loggias or window sills) and withstand lower temperatures from 20 degrees Celsius.

What is important for getting an excellent crop of cucumbers on the windowsill:

• Lots of light and free space;
• Props for growing bushes, which must be tied up;
• Reflected light will serve as good additional lighting: you need to put a mirror behind the seedlings or make a layer of foil;
• Protect seedlings, and especially roots, from hypothermia. For the container, you can make an additional stand;
• Carry out the formation constantly. Start when the first four leaves appear (pinching the top);
• Pin also lateral sprouts;
• Tie brushes to top dressing;
• Mustaches should be removed on time, otherwise a lot of nutrients from the earth will go to their growth;
• Provide humidity, you can spray the leaves every day;
• Be sure to provide nutrition. You can buy ready-made complex fertilizers;

To grow a good crop, you need not only to know the best varieties cucumbers for growing on the windowsill, but also to properly care for them. Particular attention should be paid to a sufficient amount of light, heat. You should also provide the necessary humidity and constantly feed the seedlings.

Content

• What are the best cucumbers
• When to sow
• Preparing soil and containers
• Seed preparation
• Sowing
• We form cucumbers
• We choose a place, organize watering and top dressing
• Harvest

Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter - real opportunity receive delicious harvest crispy vegetables at home. Many people like to treat themselves to fresh vegetables even in winter, so this knowledge will be useful for beginner gardeners and salad lovers.

Cucumbers can be grown on the windowsill even in winter

What are the best cucumbers

To begin with, it is worth choosing the best varieties that can be successfully grown on the windowsill. If your balcony is insulated, any varieties of this plant grow just perfectly and give an excellent harvest.

In general, they prefer to use varieties of hybrid origin. The fruits will be tied without special pollination, so it is better to plant these varieties at home.

Varieties worth planting on your windowsill:

• Shchedryk - ripens quickly and approximately 45 days pass before the harvest. Cucumbers grow in a whole bunch of 5-7 pieces. Vegetables are small and perfect for salads.
• Khutorok - ripens very quickly, namely within 30 days. Cucumbers are about 10 cm long, have black spikes. At home, you can easily pollinate these plants. You can transfer pollen from the male to the female inflorescence with a brush.
• Khrustik is an ordinary cucumber that is able to produce a crop within 50 days after germination. The hybrid can self-pollinate and produces a large amount of yield. If you organize proper care, then you can collect more than 40 fruits from this variety. The vine grows actively and abundantly.

These varieties can also easily be grown in a greenhouse or open field. You can pick up other varieties of cucumbers - it all depends on individual preferences.

Cucumbers Shchedryk - high-yielding early variety

When to sow

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill in winter has the main aspect - the correct observance of the timing of sowing seeds. You can start planting seeds any day - focus on ripening dates to get crispy homemade cucumbers on time.

Preparing soil and containers

Cucumber prefers good and loose soil. For home cultivation, you will need a large amount of high-quality soil. For proper development vegetables require nutrition. The soil is also prepared independently: garden soil is mixed with sand, humus, ash, and sawdust. Warm up such a soil in the oven to rid it of all kinds of bacteria and other harmful particles.

For seedlings, boxes are purchased in which no more than 6 bushes of cucumbers are placed so that they grow properly and give a bountiful harvest. The dishes have drainage and holes in without fail. This will ensure that excess moisture drains off. The earth is filled up even before planting, so that it settles a little and is saturated with water.

Seedlings can be planted in pots or boxes

Seed preparation

Dry cucumber seed germinates in a few days. You can germinate the seeds ahead of time to make sure you get a good winter crop of cucumbers. You can also plant those seeds. Which were in advance in a solution of potassium permanganate.

Fragrant homemade cucumbers grown on the windowsill or on the balcony

This will help grow cucumbers without unnecessary pests and diseases.

Sowing

You can use small and special cups, or you can plant the seeds directly in the box. The germinated or dry seed is placed in the soil about 1.5 cm deep. The soil must be moist for the sprouts to grow actively. Before direct germination from the ground, you need to close your containers with glass or film.

If you prefer to sow in a small container, then treat the transplant carefully so as not to harm the leaves. Water the containers just before transplanting, so that the earth around the root system crumbles and the roots are not damaged in any way. In this case, the plant is able to easily endure such stress. Further, bushes and lashes are already being formed so that a sufficient number of cucumbers are formed on them.

Cucumbers do not like transplanting, so you need to get them out of the pots very carefully.

We form cucumbers

To grow delicious cucumbers, you need to know one more nuance. After the appearance of 4-5 sheets, it is necessary to pinch the point of direct growth at the seedling. So the side lashes will actively develop. It is necessary to ensure good growth of shoots, on which the most vegetables are formed.

Arrange a secure garter so that the vegetables receive the maximum amount of sunlight. Handle the leaves carefully so as not to harm them. Extra antennae can be cut off, but so as not to hook on the main whips.

We choose a place, organize watering and top dressing

Without these aspects, you will not be able to get a harvest. Therefore, it is recommended to use organic fertilizers. In winter, you can organize watering based on fermented banana skins. It is necessary to dilute such an infusion with a large amount of water.

Picking cucumbers should be done daily

Choose a bright place for growing. The best option- the southern window sill, where sunlight will constantly fall on the plant.

Always remember that cucumber is a thermophilic vegetable. Try to create a certain microclimate around the seedlings and the right humidity.

Harvest

And some information about the most pleasant moment - harvesting. It is worth doing this every day so that the plants easily grow new vegetables and do not waste their energy on already ripe ones.

In addition to greenhouses and open ground cucumbers can also bring good yields on the windowsills of ordinary city apartments. How to grow cucumbers at home? There is a fairly well-established technology for growing cucumbers on the windowsill, and this can be done even in winter. The main subtleties of obtaining decent yields on the windowsill from the varieties used to the care system in our material.

Varieties for growing at home

To get early cucumbers at home, you need to have the appropriate varieties and hybrids. For many, the only variety for growing a house on a windowsill is still considered "Room Rytov". But, breeders do not sit idly by, and recently many varieties of fast-growing cucumbers for the home have appeared.

First of all, you need to consider whether cucumbers can grow at home without pollination. No, they certainly can grow, but they are unlikely to form full-fledged fruits. Therefore, first of all, for home cultivation, you need to choose parthenocarpic varieties:

• Legend;
• April;
• Stella;
• Klinsky;
• Tournament;
• Lada;
• Prestige;
• Balalaika;
• Masha;
• Peanut;
• Ant;
• Claudia;
• Wren;
• Moscow greenhouse;
• Manul.

If you have information about varieties for growing at home on the windowsill, share your experience in the comments. Many home growers will thank you.

All of the cucumber hybrids listed above are parthenocarpic, that is, the participation of insects in the pollination process is not required. You need to carefully approach the choice of varieties for growing on the windowsill, stopping at shade-tolerant ones.

Before you grow early cucumbers at home, you need to look at balcony hybrids, which also performed well when grown on a windowsill. It is convenient to grow such balcony-type cucumbers in plastic bottles suspended on a balcony or loggia. These hybrids include:

• Balcony;
• Swallowtail;
• Balagan;
• Hummingbird;
• City cucumber;
• Calendar.

If your attention is nevertheless attracted by bee-pollinated varieties, then you will have to pollinate the flowers by hand, preferably in the morning. Such a measure will allow you to grow cucumbers at home quickly. To do this, you need to prepare cotton wool or a cotton swab and carefully transfer the pollen from the male flower, which is also called an empty flower, to the female one, which will subsequently form the ovary.

Another way is to pick a male flower and directly pollinate the female flower with it. In order to be guaranteed to grow cucumbers at home in a pot, it is advisable to pollinate female flowers with pollen of different varieties.

How to grow cucumbers on the windowsill

Cucumbers love freedom very much, so you need to choose a larger pot for growing.

Growing cucumbers in the winter on the windowsill at home

The capacity of dishes per plant should be at least 5 liters. Thinking about how to grow cucumbers at home, you can also consider flower pots and small boxes. Recently, growing cucumbers at home in plastic bottles has been considered relevant, after cutting off the neck. In terms of capacity, each five-liter bottle is just right for one plant.

Some enthusiasts grow cucumbers at home in plastic bags. Regardless of which container you choose, you need to ensure good drainage by making several holes in the bottom.

Soil for growing

For homemade cucumbers, you can use a purchased soil mixture or make it yourself. To grow cucumbers at home in a pot, you can make a mixture based on the following proportions:

• 1 part of turf or garden land;
• 1 part compost;
• 1/5 of coarse sand;
• 1/5 of sawdust;
• 1/5 of wood ash.

Before sowing seeds in the soil, it must be disinfected by calcination or hot water. Approximately 2 matchboxes of mineral fertilizers for pumpkin crops or especially for cucumbers must immediately be added to the composition of the soil mixture. A good substitute for this is nitrophoska.

The resulting soil mixture for growing cucumbers at home is laid out in five-liter plastic bottles or other containers and the day before sowing the seeds there are abundantly watered.

Sowing seeds

Before you grow gherkin cucumbers at home, you need to decide on the timing of sowing seeds at room conditions. Although there are no strictly defined deadlines. It is necessary to adapt to weather conditions and take into account the characteristics of the variety or hybrid.

To grow cucumbers in a greenhouse at home from November to February, you need to use additional lighting in any case. To do this, you will have to purchase special lamps for highlighting plants.

Sowing seeds is carried out in small cups or directly in pots. First you need to prepare the seeds for planting by soaking for several hours in a solution of potassium permanganate, and germinating on wet gauze.

Sprouted seeds are placed in pots to a depth of about 1.5 cm and sprinkled with a moist substrate. The pots are covered with a film, simulating a greenhouse at home, in order to achieve the optimum temperature for germination of + 22 + 24C. After the emergence of seedlings, the planting container is moved to a cool place with a temperature of + 18 ° C, providing additional good lighting.

How to grow cucumbers at home in spring

The place for growing cucumbers on the windowsill should be well lit and spacious. To increase the illumination, you can fix reflective foil or a mirror next to the plant. To prevent hypothermia, a sheet of foam plastic or any other heat-insulating material is placed on the windowsill, under the pot with the plant.

As in the case of a greenhouse cucumber, when growing a house on a windowsill, care must be taken to properly form the stem of the plant. To do this, pinching the top is done upon reaching the phase of 4-5 leaves. This procedure stimulates the active growth of lateral lashes, which should also be pinched over 3-5 leaves.

When growing cucumbers at home, you will need support at a level of about a meter above the pot. It will be used to tie the main stem, and it can be made from ordinary wire. The vines formed as a result of pinching must also be pinched over the 11-12th leaf.

When pinching, you need to be careful about the leaves. The more of them, the more harvest. The mustache is removed.

Watering cucumbers at home should be daily, avoiding waterlogging. In addition, you need to increase the humidity of the air. To do this, plants are sprayed from a spray bottle or placed next to a container of water.

Top dressing of cucumbers at home is produced with ready-made mixtures for pumpkin crops. Some feed plants with solutions of organic fertilizers. An example of such a fertilizer would be a solution of fermented banana peels. Good results are obtained by spraying the stems and leaves with solutions of trace elements.

Fruiting

As the cucumbers at home begin to bear fruit, you need to monitor the timely and daily collection of greens. Overgrowth must not be allowed. This procedure stimulates even greater fruiting of cucumbers on the windowsill. Proper care will allow you to remove 10-30 greens from each plant daily. Besides, appearance a window sill entwined with green vines arouses admiration and interest, especially in winter.

Not everyone is a happy owner suburban area, but at the same time, many want to try themselves as a gardener. It is quite possible to do this if you start growing vegetables on the windowsill of a city apartment, especially if the windows face the sunny side.

The experience of thousands of vegetable growers has already proven this. To pick a juicy pimply cucumber at home, you need varieties suitable for cultivation in such conditions with certain characteristics. It is also necessary to carefully observe agricultural technology.

You can grow cucumbers in an apartment on the windows of the southern, eastern and southeastern orientation, where direct sunlight enters at certain hours.

Window sills of the northern and western windows are not suitable for this purpose. In this case, fruiting will not be possible even with the use of illumination.

There should be no drafts in the room, keep this in mind if you are used to regularly opening windows for ventilation. You can grow cucumbers on a glazed and insulated loggia.

Since the culture loves heat, the temperature should be maintained at 18 degrees and above during the day and at least 15 degrees at night.

On cloudy days, cucumbers need additional lighting. For this, a fluorescent lamp, LEDs or a phytolamp with a special radiation spectrum favorable for plants can be used.

On those days when it's cold outside (due to hard frost on the street), preference should be given to halogen lamps, which heat the air near them and will serve as an additional source of heat.

Not all varieties of cucumbers are suitable for home growing. It is best to choose first-generation parthenocarpic hybrids. These plants do not need additional pollination and form only female flowers on the bushes.

The variety must meet the following requirements:

• be early or mid-season;
• have higher yields;
• form short fruits (up to 25 cm);
• differ in shade tolerance and resistance to temperature extremes.

Some try to plant bee-pollinated varieties, but in this case, additional efforts will be required to obtain a crop.

The following varieties of cucumbers are popular among lovers of home vegetable growing:

1. April F1. Parthenocarpic hybrid with early maturation. The variety is resistant to bad weather and diseases, pleases with friendly fruiting, easy to care for. The first cucumbers appear 1.5 months after the seeds sprout. Fruit size - 15-25 cm. The skin is tuberous, with slight pubescence.
2. Benefit F1. Mid-early hybrid, from germination to fruiting takes a little more than 1.5 months. Does not require pollination. The yield is high. The plant gives a lot of side shoots, it needs to be formed. The fruit size is 10-13 cm. The peel is small-tuberous, bright green. The pulp of greens is juicy, sweet, does not contain bitterness. Benefis is disease resistant. Requires a rare landing, as he loves space.
3. Zozulya F1. A hybrid characterized by early maturation. The bush does not need to be formed. Fruiting on 42-48 days from the moment of emergence of shoots. Characterized by a high yield. The length of the fruit is up to 24 cm. Pimples and spikes are located on the soft thin skin. The taste of greens is sweet, with a pleasant aroma. The pulp contains few seeds.
4. Goosebump F1. Hybrid with early fruiting. It will be possible to harvest after 35-40 days from the moment of germination. Fruit size - 11-13 cm. The plant is disease resistant, can bear fruit at home all year round. Harvest friendly, plentiful. The thin skin of the fruit is covered with tubercles of medium size.
5. Sail F1. A hybrid plant producing high quality fruits. It has a female type of flowering. Zelentsy tuberculate, with sparse pubescence. Cucumbers of this variety come into fruition for 46-50 days from the moment all the seeds sprout. Differs in amicable return of a harvest. Fruits have a universal purpose.
6. Regina. mid-season high yielding variety parthenocarpic type. Disease resistant. The size of the greens is 10-12 cm. The fruits have a tuberculous surface. The pulp is tasty, without bitterness.
7. Crunch F1. High-yielding hybrid with a long fruiting period. Fruits are 8-10 cm in size. The pulp is unusually juicy, crispy, without a bitter aftertaste. The plant is characterized by high disease resistance.

On a note! Late-ripening cucumber hybrids for growing at home are not suitable.

In principle, cucumbers can be grown at home all year round. If you want to get a crop by a specific date, you need to take into account the growing season of the variety. This information can be found on the seed packaging.

• To obtain fresh cucumbers by the New Year, they will need to be sown at the end of October.
• Sowing done in January will produce a harvest in March.
• It will be possible to grow cucumbers for the May holidays by planting in mid-February.

Of course, for a timely harvest, it will be necessary to provide the correct light and temperature regime, regular watering plants.

Preparatory work before sowing

After the variety is selected and the seeds are purchased, it will be necessary to prepare everything necessary for sowing. Along with the seed material in the garden center, you can also buy land at the same time. If there are no suitable containers at home, they will also need to be purchased.

Soil selection

For planting cucumbers, a universal soil or substrate for growing pumpkin crops is quite suitable. The land bought in the store goes through the whole production necessary training and ready to land.

You can make the soil yourself according to the following recipes:

• Mix an equal amount of peat and humus. Add a glass of wood ash to 1 bucket of soil.
• Take 1 part garden soil, turf and compost. Add a little river sand, rotted sawdust, ash to the mixture.

Self-prepared soil needs to be disinfected. For this purpose, you can use calcination in the oven, treatment with boiling water and a solution of potassium permanganate, freezing.

These procedures rid the soil of pathogenic microflora and pest larvae. Processing is carried out a few days before planting. It takes some time to allow beneficial soil bacteria to recover.

Initially, seedlings have to be grown, which are later swooped down in a container of a suitable size.

For seedlings use wooden boxes, plastic containers, large peat tablets or cups with a volume of 200-300 ml.Before using the container or box, they are washed with a brush and laundry soap, scalded with boiling water.

Peat tablets are placed in a common container and poured with warm water to swell. As soon as they increase in size several times, it will be possible to land.

Growing cucumbers in a bag on the window - video

Sowing seeds of cucumbers

When preparing for sowing, try to guess so that the planting date falls on auspicious days according to the lunar calendar.

Pre-seeds are pickled in a solution of potassium permanganate, then washed and wrapped in a damp cloth to swell. These seeds will germinate faster.

Planting is carried out in rows with an interval of 2-3 cm to a depth of 1 cm. If sowing is carried out in individual containers, 2 seeds are immediately planted in the hole for safety net.The weaker seedling is later removed.

After sowing, the soil is moistened with a spray gun and covered with a film to create greenhouse conditions. Now the seedlings need to be put in the brightest place and kept at room temperature until shoots appear.

The optimal age of seedlings for picking is when it forms 2-3 true leaves and a compact, unstretched stem.

A feature of varieties for home cultivation is the presence of small leaves and a strong main shoot, so the plants will not fall down even at the stage of appearance of 6-8 leaves.

Such bushes can be transplanted to a permanent place without worrying that they will take root poorly.

For growing vegetables at home, any container is suitable.

• It can be a clay or plastic pot, a bucket, a wooden tub. The main thing is that the volume of the container should be at least 5 liters, because cucumbers have a powerful root system.
• Some have adapted to use for this purpose 5-liter plastic bottles with a cut neck. A drainage hole must be made in the bottom to drain excess water after watering.

As the bottom layer, drainage is certainly laid. The soil should be taken the same as for seedlings. The container is filled with earth not to the edge, but below this level by 4-5 cm.

In the future, when the roots begin to become exposed during growth, it will be possible to fill the soil without any problems. The substrate for planting seedlings must also be disinfected.

Features of caring for cucumbers on the windowsill

In order for your cucumbers to bear fruit, they need the right move, taking into account all the needs of the culture. You should pay attention to the following points.

Cucumbers are very fond of moisture, but at the same time they do not tolerate stagnant water in a pot, a sufficient amount of oxygen must be supplied to the roots. Water them regularly, making sure the soil doesn't dry out.

For large bushes in dry air conditions, daily watering is necessary, with high humidity you can do this 2-3 times a week.

When the plants grow powerful roots, they will be able to drink water poured into the pan. Sometimes you can apply this method of watering. To increase the humidity of the air, install a humidifier in the room, or place containers with expanded clay on the windowsill, into which you will regularly add water.In the evenings, cucumber leaves can be sprayed from a spray bottle.

On a note! Water for irrigation should be settled and at room temperature.

So that the harvest is not meager, cucumbers must be regularly fed with fertilizers. Feeding during the fruiting period is especially important.

Adult plants are fed every 7-10 days with industrial mineral fertilizers.

• A mixture of mullein infusion (at a concentration of 1:10), superphosphate (20 g) and potassium sulfate (15 g) is well suited.

Like cucumbers and top dressing folk remedies: infusion of tea, wood ash, yeast, eggshell, iodine.

The first dressing is applied under plants at the age of 2 weeks. The composition is prepared from the following components:

• 10 liters of water;
• 15 g potassium;
• 5 g of ammonium nitrate;
• 5 g magnesium;
• 3 g superphosphate.

Fertilizers are carefully dissolved in water and watered under the root, trying not to fall on the leaves of the seedlings.

According to the type of growth, cucumbers are vines, their lashes at home can grow up to 2 m in length. In each container, it will be necessary to fix a vertical rigid support, along which the growing shoots will curl.

Most indoor hybrids do not grow very tall, but they do branch heavily.

Some pinch the main shoot when the height of the window no longer allows the vine to grow up. Lateral shoots are removed, leaving 1-2 leaves.

On a note! If the bush is not formed, it will build up an excessive amount of leaf mass to the detriment of fruiting and, moreover, will take up a lot of space.

Without tying, the bushes are poorly ventilated and shade each other. The whips are tied with a nylon cord or twine to a vertical support located in a pot.

You can build a trellis by screwing a metal ring to the slope of the window, to which the cord is tied, the second end of the twine is fixed on a wooden peg stuck in the pot. As the whips grow, they are tied up, or attached to the cord with special plastic clips.

On a note! Some growers fix in the window opening plastic mesh. Varieties with a mustache will be able to cling to the cells themselves, beardless varieties will need to be tied up.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers do not need artificial pollination. If you planted a bee-pollinated variety, you will have to participate in the transfer of pollen from male flowers to female specimens. It is necessary to do the procedure during the entire flowering period. For this purpose, you can use a soft brush for drawing or a cotton swab.

Male flowers form at the base of the stem. Most often they form an inflorescence of 5-7 buds. It is their experts who call them empty flowers. Female flowers grow singly, at the place of their attachment to the pedicel, you can see a small tubercle, from which the fruit is subsequently formed.

When transferring pollen, you should make sure that it has settled on the brush. In this case, a yellow coating will be noticeable on the villi. It is better to transfer pollen from 2-3 male flowers to one female flower. This increases the chances of successful pollination.

On a note! It is best to pollinate the flower on the second day after it has opened.

After 35-40 days from the moment the shoots appeared, it will be possible to feast on the first, personally collected, cucumbers. While the bush is growing, you are harvesting the fruits that have formed in the axils of the main stem.

If the bush is not formed, after the crown rests against the slope of the window and pinch it, second-order shoots will begin to develop on the plant.

Now cucumbers can be harvested from these lashes. The main thing is to do it as soon as the next greens ripen. The faster you remove ripened fruits from the bush, the more willingly new ovaries will begin to develop and the yield will be higher.

Possible problems when growing cucumbers on the windowsill

For inexperienced vegetable growers, the process of growing cucumbers in an apartment does not always go smoothly. Then the leaves suddenly turn yellow, then the ovaries fall off, then for some reason there is no flowering. Yes and on early stages you may run into problems.

Most often, the cause is not quite suitable conditions and errors in care:

1. When growing seedlings in winter, there is often not enough light, and the stems are stretched, and the foliage turns yellow. Light plants additionally from 8 am to 4 pm. Starting from March, the backlight can be turned on for only 4 hours a day. In low light, plants may also refuse to bear fruit.
2. If the ovaries form, but do not grow, it may be due to a lack of iodine. Prepare a top dressing of 1.5 liters of water and 5 drops of iodine tincture and water the plant along the edge of the pot. Feeding close to the stem can cause root burns. The second reason for the fall of the ovaries may be a lack of moisture.
3. Sometimes, when grown in an apartment, cucumbers are attacked by whiteflies and spider mites. At the first sign of pests, spray the plants with a solution laundry soap. Repeat if necessary. Use at home chemicals should not be - it is dangerous to health.
4. So that the bush does not grow ugly and crooked, it must be turned 180 degrees daily, then the plant will receive light evenly.
5. If the leaves turn yellow and partially die off, then the cucumbers lack nutrients. The reason may be in the insufficient volume of soil, its poor quality, irregular top dressing. Try to correct the situation by urgent application of mineral fertilizer.

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill in winter: video

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter has its own characteristics that must be reckoned with. In conditions of a limited planting area, dry air and insufficient lighting in the room, all stages of planting and care must be strictly observed, otherwise the plants will irrevocably lag behind in growth or even die. If you do everything right, all that remains is to enjoy the freshness of juicy crispy cucumbers that have grown thanks to your diligence and care.

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill and harvesting a good harvest is quite realistic. Caring for a plant in winter will take more time and effort than in summer - a thermophilic culture needs certain conditions. But with the correct implementation of all the recommendations and tips for growing cucumbers at home, you can get ripe and juicy fruits for the dinner table.

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill at home all year round: where to start

Usually cucumbers do not tolerate extreme heat, they love water and the sun. But the requirements for plant care may vary depending on the variety, the microclimate in the room and the composition of the soil.

Cucumber is a plant belonging to the gourd family.

The roots of cucumber lashes are located near the surface. The soil for the window sill should be mulched in the same way as for plants on the street.

Choosing a variety of indoor cucumber

When choosing a seed variety, it is better to focus on those that are intended specifically for our purpose. To grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, the planting material must be seasonally appropriate, unpretentious and disease resistant. Can be used . They are resistant to weather changes, and are not very demanding in care.

The ripening period is desirable to choose medium or short. For this reason, it is not uncommon to take. Preference should be given to self-pollinated or parthenocarpic - not requiring pollination - plants. You can take bee-pollinated ones, but you will have to tinker with them additionally.

For growing indoors, the cucumber seeds described in this are suitable.

The most suitable varieties for planting in winter:

• "F1 Ekaterina"- smooth long cucumbers, ripen in about 45 days. Flowers do not require pollination, they endure heat and low light;

Cucumber variety "F1 Ekaterina"

• "F1 Faust"- fruits middle length with a pronounced characteristic taste and thin skin. The plant begins to bear fruit in 50-55 days, does not require pollination, is resistant to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus;
• "F1 Crunch"- parthenocarpic, early maturing, generous in yield and resistant to common diseases. Cucumbers are short and medium, tasty and crispy;

Cucumber grade "F1 Khrustik"

• "F1 Gift of the East"- the plant does not require pollination, is not affected powdery mildew, low climbing and bears fruit for a long time. From planting to the appearance of the first cucumbers, 50-53 days pass. The fruits are small, suitable for pickling and fresh consumption.

If you are unable to make your own choice, consult a dealer at a specialized store. Note that you need a variety suitable for growing on a windowsill during the cold season.

Landing dates

There are no fixed dates for planting cucumbers on the windowsill. From November to February, in any case, the plant will need additional lighting; growing a crop is not tied to the weather or the length of daylight hours.

Be guided in this matter only by your own needs and desires. If you want to serve fresh homemade cucumbers on the New Year's table, you need to sow the seeds in last days October. If you plan to harvest in early spring, you need to start cultivating the plant from January 1-5.

Planting time for cucumbers depends on your needs and desires.

Location selection

The room in which you plan to place the cucumber pots should be warm and bright. No drafts or significant temperature fluctuations. It will be better if the windows of the room face south. It is best to put the plants on the windowsill in the kitchen or next to the bathroom. Humidity is higher there, the air is not overdried by heating devices.

When growing a cucumber in an apartment, it is necessary to select a place with high humidity and not overdried air.

To protect the seedlings from the winter cold, place foam or wooden blocks under the pots.

How to grow houses on the window: planting features

For planting each plant, you will need a 5-liter container with holes for water. The same goes for . It is filled with moist soil, holes are made in the ground by about 1.5 cm and seeds are laid there - pre-sprouted or not. Before germination, it is better to cover the pot with a film and place it in a room where the temperature does not fall below 25 °. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the covering material is removed and the container is moved to the windowsill.

To begin with, seeds can also be sown in small pots or cups, and then transplanted. But in this case, you will have to wait until the seedlings take root, and hope that none of them die.

Initially, cucumbers can be grown in small cups, but later the plant will need to be transplanted.

Soil preparation

The easiest way to plant cucumbers is to buy ready-made land - universal or designed specifically for pumpkin. If there is none, the soil is prepared as follows:

1. Humus and forest or garden fertile turf are mixed in a ratio of 1: 1. After that, a handful of sand, ash, rotten black sawdust are added to 5 liters of the mixture. The resulting loose earth needs to be fed with mineral fertilizers - Matchbox per 5 liters of soil. These can be additives designed for growing cucumbers or all pumpkin crops, or nitrophoska.
2. They take 2 parts of garden soil, mix into it 1 part of rotten sawdust, sand, humus and ready-made soil for growing seedlings. The mixture is disinfected, and then supplemented with ash, manure, crushed eggshell and chalk at the rate of a glass per 5 liters of earth and chicken manure - 0.5 cups per the same volume.

Different types of soils

Read more about fertilizers and feeding cucumbers.

Homemade soil must be disinfected so that the seedlings do not get sick and are not eaten by flies. To do this, the soil is heated to high temperatures- in the oven or on the stove.

Before planting seeds, 2-3 centimeters of drainage from coarse sand, small pebbles or broken bricks are poured onto the bottom of the container, and soil is laid on top. The day before sowing, the soil must be watered.

Read how to prepare the soil for planting cucumbers in greenhouse conditions.

Seed preparation

Buy seeds for growing cucumbers on the windowsill should be at least a month before planting. Then they are put in a warm, dry place so that they dry out properly in 30 days. After planting material is sorted out, darkened or damaged seeds are thrown away, and good ones are disinfected. This is done using a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate: the grains are wrapped in gauze and soaked in liquid for 15-20 minutes. Also, the seeds can be put overnight in a solution of ash, aloe juice, or according to the instructions in growth stimulants.

If you plan to use the planting material immediately, it must be dried again within 1-2 hours. But it is best to germinate seeds in advance for winter crop cultivation. To do this, they are placed on a cotton pad or a napkin dipped in water and left in a warm place for 2-3 days, moisturizing if necessary. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the cucumbers are planted.

Seeds must be germinated before planting.

Seeds in the shell do not require germination and disinfection. Keep in mind that they rise a little later than usual. If you want to grow cucumbers for a specific event, sow them a week earlier.

Care

The plant on the windowsill in the cold season is deprived of sunlight, moisture and temperatures that contribute to the development and formation of cucumbers in the garden. Caring for home seedlings is to recreate these same conditions.

Watering

Like garden varieties, cucumbers on the windowsill love water. Immediately after planting, the seeds are watered about once every two days. Do this as needed - the soil should be slightly moist, not dry and not too flooded.

Already developed plants are watered more often. If lamps are installed above the seedlings, the soil is gradually moistened twice a day. If there is no additional light, once a day is enough. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature, preferably filtered or at least settled.

Depending on the variety, cucumbers are watered from 2 times a day to 4 times a week.

To make it easier to care for cucumber lashes, pull the rope over the container every 7-12 centimeters. So the climbing plant will receive more light, and the fruits and ovaries will not be damaged.

Temperature

The optimum temperature for growing cucumbers on a windowsill is above 18° and below 26°. You need to keep it at about the same level. To do this, the windows are maximally insulated and close all the cracks - a winter draft can deprive the crop or delay fruiting for more late deadline even in a warm room.

Light

In order for the plant to develop properly, it needs 10 hours of daylight. In winter, the window sill will have to be equipped with additional lamps - special phyto- or fluorescent. They are placed above the containers at a distance of 15-20 centimeters with the ability to raise a little higher when the lashes are extended.

When growing cucumbers at home, they need additional illumination with fluorescent lamps.

Also from the side of the room near the plants, you can fix the foil. It will reflect light and increase the illuminated area.

Humidity

Too much watering can cause black leg disease. To prevent this from happening, it is better to add water a little at a time and maintain high humidity around the plant. The optimal level is 85-90%. To humidify the air, you can use special devices or sprayers, put a saucer of water next to the cucumbers in the old fashioned way, or put a wet towel on the radiator under the windowsill.

How to properly water cucumbers is described.

top dressing

Cucumber seedlings on the windowsill are fertilized twice. The first top dressing is carried out approximately 2 weeks after seed germination. As an additive, ready-made mineral fertilizers for cucumbers are used or they are independently kneaded from superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. Each ingredient is taken in 5 grams and dissolved in 5 liters of water. The liquid is poured over the roots of the plant. 1 glass needs to be stretched for 5 seedlings.

To obtain a large amount of yield, add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil

The second feeding of domestic cucumbers is carried out 7-10 days after the first. For irrigation use the same mixture, distributing a glass of fertilizer to 2 plants. If you do not want to use mineral fertilizers, you can use organic matter in the second top dressing. To do this, take peels from 5 bananas, pour a liter of water and insist for a week. The resulting concentrate is diluted with another 2 liters of water and used for root irrigation.

Try not to "save" the harvest. Remove the cucumbers as soon as they stretch 8-10 centimeters. The more often you pick, the longer and more abundant the plant will bear fruit.

Disease prevention

To prevent cucumbers from getting sick, it is important to follow the care recommendations, disinfect the soil and seeds, and use bactericidal solutions from pests.

Tobacco decoction helps against aphids and whiteflies. 30 grams of tobacco is poured with a liter of water and boiled for 8-10 minutes. The cooled liquid is diluted with another liter of water and the plant is sprayed with it. Most often, cucumber aphids are found on cucumbers in greenhouses, and read how to deal with it.

In winter, we also need vegetables and fruits; in the cold and gloomy season, we need vitamins more than ever. On the shelves of supermarkets, the range of these products, of course, is large - but their benefits and quality leave much to be desired.

But what if you try to grow at least some crops at home? Greenery on the windowsill is no longer news, but I want to try something new.

For example, some summer residents do not part with cucumbers even in winter. For some time now, I can classify myself as one of them, and today I want to tell you in detail about the agricultural technology of growing cucumbers in an apartment.

First of all, it is necessary to strictly monitor the drafts in the house, because cold air is detrimental to young plants.
Important for seed germination and the temperature in the apartment.

Watering should be plentiful, but without overflows - otherwise fungi will appear in the soil that can destroy all your crops.

It is also important to purchase high-quality material for sowing - it must meet certain requirements:

• The variety of cucumbers for indoor cultivation should be bushy. The liana will look like an elongated long lash, while the bush plant will be lush and thick.
• The yield of a variety is of great importance. A variety of vegetable, which initially, by its characteristics, is not able to bring big harvest will bring little joy. In home conditions that are unusual for a cucumber, and even in winter, in any case, you will have to make an effort to get a crop, and if the return on the bush is small, it will be, to put it mildly, a shame.
• The variety must necessarily be unpretentious, since excessive capriciousness makes the life and fruiting of a cucumber on the windowsill impossible. This is especially true of the culture requirements for light and humidity. The absence of high pretentiousness in these aspects is the main sign that you will get a full harvest of tasty fruits.

Varieties of cucumbers for home and apartment

When looking at colorful bags of cucumber seeds for winter growing at home, look out for new hybrid varieties. Their advantage is that they do not need bees or other insects for pollination, their female flower stalks independently form fruiting ovaries. Such cucumbers are called parthenocarpic.

The following varieties can be distinguished:

1. Shchedryk - the ripening period is one and a half months. In the brushes 6-8 fruits 10-12 cm long, saturated green color are formed. When grown on a windowsill during the winter, about 20 cucumbers can be obtained from one plant.
2. Khutorok is ready for harvest within a month after germination - this is a super early ripening variety. Cucumbers are dark green with dark spikes 10 cm long. This plant needs help in pollination, this procedure is not at all complicated - just pick a male flower and pollinate the female ovary with it.
3. Khrustik will give you the first harvest after 50 days. It is self-pollinating and very productive. good care will allow you to collect up to 40 fruits from a bush.
4. Courage, Prestige, Miracle on the Window, Room Miracle, Our Masha are also among the varieties ideal for home cultivation. With proper care, all of them will delight you with a good harvest.

Agricultural technology for growing cucumbers at home

Before you start sowing, find the right place for cucumbers, containers that are optimal in terms of volume, a suitable substrate and carry out a stimulating seed preparation.

Choosing a place for indoor cucumbers

It is necessary to place cucumbers only in a well-lit place. In addition to light, young seedlings need warmth. That's why the best option there will be a south window or an insulated loggia or balcony, which is especially good, because in this case the cucumbers will be lit from three sides at once.

The winter day is very short, and cucumbers cannot develop without sufficient lighting. Therefore, to obtain a good harvest, one cannot do without additional lighting with phytolamps, thus providing vegetables with a continuous daylight hours lasting 14-16 hours.

Cucumbers grow and develop well at a temperature of 20 degrees. If it exceeds this mark, then it is imperative to keep the soil moisture under control.

We select a container for planting

The type of containers for cucumbers does not matter much - you can plant them in separate pots or in a common container, the main thing is to observe the nutritional area necessary for the bush.

For every 70 cm, no more than five plants should fit. Too dense planting will negatively affect the development and growth of the mass of the bush. Drainage holes must be present in the selected container, and the pot itself must be wide enough.

Cucumbers are distinguished by a powerful root system, their full development is possible only if there is a sufficient amount of nutrient substrate. Each bush needs at least 4 liters of soil.

We prepare a fertile substrate

The soil should be loose, nutritious, easily permeable to oxygen and moisture. A store-bought substrate for indoor or pumpkin plants is perfect for this description.

But, of course, it is better to use the soil prepared on your own. To do this, you will need forest and garden soil, ash, humus, sand and old sawdust that has rotted to a dark color. All components are thoroughly mixed and calcined for half an hour in an oven at 200 degrees.

How to prepare seeds for sowing

All planting material is processed during packaging, so the disinfection stage can simply be bypassed by simply sowing it into the substrate. But for your own convenience, in order to avoid thinning and picking thickened plantings, you can carry out simple activities:

1. Grains for half an hour are placed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
2. Empty seeds that have floated to the surface are removed, since there is still no way to wait for seedlings from them;
3. The seeds washed with warm water are kept in water for three hours, the temperature of which is +35 degrees;
4. Next, the planting material is wrapped in a damp cloth (you can sprinkle it with sawdust at the same time) and moves into a room with an air temperature not equal to about 30 degrees Celsius.
5. After a couple of days, the roots will hatch and the seeds need to be planted in pre-prepared soil;
6. Before sowing, seeds with root rudiments are slightly dried.

All the procedures carried out will harden future plants - they will develop and grow rapidly.

Planting cucumbers

• Before sowing, the soil is well moistened. This is done so that she settles well. When sowing seeds in dry, loose soil, watering causes the seeds to deepen more than necessary, as a result, seedlings may not wait. Incidentally, the depth optimal fit equal to 1.5 cm.
• Planted cucumbers are covered with moist soil and covered with polyethylene or covered with glass so that young plants sprout they need greenhouse conditions. For rapid and successful germination, a temperature of about 25 degrees above zero is required.
• As soon as the first shoots hatch, the shelter is removed - the extra condensate is now useless, since it provokes the appearance of fungal pathologies.
• In the future, the temperature of the content drops to 20 degrees, but the level of illumination, on the contrary, increases.

Watering should be moderate, avoiding root flooding. It is advisable to water young shoots with a syringe, deepening it into the ground. So you do not expose the delicate root system of the plant. Only boiled liquid, settled for at least two hours, is used.

Cucumbers need organic fertilizers. For example, at home, a fermented infusion of banana peel has proven itself well. The finished liquid is diluted with water in a ratio of 1/10, a healing infusion is used every two weeks.

After the plant has 4-5 leaves, pinch it to cause active growth of side shoots. In general, the bush should have a maximum of three side lashes.

Then you should wait until each of them forms 10 leaves and remove the apical buds again. This method will allow you to form a lush strong bush.

Do not ignore the garter of whips - each of them must be carefully directed and tied to the trellis.

In addition, keep an eye on the illumination of the bushes, for the formation and ripening of fruits, unhindered exposure to sunlight is necessary.

How to deal with illness

In the absence of competent care and constant care, cucumber kuts can hit:

• Powdery mildew is a fungal disease, the symptoms of which are manifested by the appearance of a white coating on the foliage;
• Root rot affects the condition of the entire bush - it begins to fade. The cause of the disease lies in the constant overflow of cucumbers;
• Anthracnose is also a fungal disease that affects the fetus and leaf apparatus;
• White rot - the appearance of this disease is evidenced by the appearance of a white coating on the entire surface of the bush.

You can cope with them by spraying with insecticides.

At the slightest suspicion of a disease, take immediate action, otherwise you will lose all your plants - these ailments tend to spread with incredible speed. And timely detection of the problem allows you to solve it without noticeable losses for the crop.

Of course, in December and January, cucumbers can also be bought in the store. However, the taste of such vegetables usually leaves much to be desired, while their cost is very high. Unfortunately, almost all manufacturers use special stimulants when growing this cultivated plant. Meanwhile, getting fragrant and tasty cucumbers on the windowsill in winter is not so difficult on your own.

How to choose seeds?

Of course, not all varieties are suitable for growing indoors. The fact is that there is simply nothing to pollinate plants in a confined space. Therefore, seeds of varieties intended for greenhouses should be purchased. In this case, it will be possible to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter without any problems. Varieties self-pollinating are labeled as "F1". These are the ones you should buy.

Shade-resistant, unpretentious varieties of cucumbers are best suited for growing indoors. It can be, for example, small ones - “prestige”, “horses”, or large ones - “emerald stream”, “virent”, “April”, etc.

Site preparation

So, let's see how you can grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter. And let's start by choosing a place for them. In fact, it is better to plant cucumbers on a glazed loggia or balcony. If there are none, you can use a window sill. However, it is worth knowing that better plants will feel at the window on the south side. You can arrange pots with cucumbers both in the middle of the window sill and along its edges. Before you start landing, you should definitely buy energy-saving lamps. Plants in winter definitely need lighting.

Preparing pots and soil

Pour the resulting mixture should be no higher than 2/3 of the pot. The fact is that during growth, the roots of cucumbers are constantly exposed and they need to be sprinkled. In addition, the lower leaves of plants often turn yellow. In this case, the lash is bent right in the pot and sprinkled with soil. Plants will give additional roots and will develop better.

Seed preparation

Growing cucumbers on the windowsill in winter will be successful only if the planting material is properly processed. The first step is to sort the seeds. To do this, pour a spoonful of soda into a glass of water and mix well. Then seeds are placed in it and left for 20 minutes. After this time, the pop-ups are removed. There will still be no sense from them, since these are “dummy”. The seeds remaining at the bottom are taken out and dried. After that, they need to be soaked for half an hour or a little less in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The next step is to germinate the seeds. To do this, put a wet napkin or gauze on a saucer and place the planting material on it. Until the sprouts hatch, the cloth should be constantly moistened.

Planting seeds

Before sowing, the soil in pots is well shed with hot water. Place 1-2 seeds in each container. They are deepened into the ground by 1.5-2 cm. Then the pots should be covered with a film on top, arranging a small "greenhouse". You can also take cut off necks closed with lids and fasten them to canisters with pins. Next, the pots are placed in a warm dark place. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the containers with them are transferred to the windowsill and the film is removed.

Young plant care

So, the first stage is over. Now let's see how, in fact, to grow cucumbers on the windowsill in winter. At first, the plants are illuminated very intensively. The lamp is turned on in the morning and evening. Young shoots should be illuminated for at least 16 hours a day. In this case, they will grow strong and give a good harvest. Subsequently, the lamp on time can be reduced to approximately 4 hours per day. Energy-saving ones are used because they give better lighting and consume less electricity.

How to grow cucumbers in winter on the windowsill: we form a bush

Next, let's look at what to do when the whips pull up a little. In order to get a bountiful harvest of cucumbers on the windowsill, it is very important to properly form a bush. In this case, the plants will not grow too much and will give a higher yield. The whips are formed as follows:

• As soon as the plant is slightly pulled up, a rod or some other support is stuck next to them.
• After the growth of 4-5 leaves, the top of the whip is pinched off. After the shoots have the same number of leaves, the same procedure is performed with them. This will allow you to form a plant that is convenient for growing and assembling cucumbers.
• Mustaches in the process of growth must be plucked. They take a lot of nutrients.

Feeding and watering

Of course, the answer to the question of how to grow cucumbers in the winter on the windowsill comes down, among other things, to proper care for them. To get a good harvest, maximum attention should be paid to top dressing. After all, the soil under the plants, and hence the nutrients, is not so much. Cucumbers can be fed with complex mineral fertilizer (2 tsp per liter of water, 1-2 tablespoons per plant) or potassium nitrate (1.5 mg/l, watered 3-4 times a week).

Water cucumbers once every two days. In sunny weather - daily. You can't just use tap water. Pour into a bucket cold water and put it to warm up to room temperature and settle for about a day.

Harvesting

If you did everything right, you will soon grow healthy and fragrant cucumbers on the windowsill. Growing in winter in a room of this culture, as you may have noticed, has a number of nuances. One of the important conditions for the success of the enterprise is, among other things, timely harvesting. If in the summer in the garden a couple of “overgrowths” do not cause much harm to the plant, then on the windowsill, due to a lack of nutrients, they can nullify all the work done. Therefore, pick cucumbers young and green.

So, we figured out how to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter. Finally, we will give a couple of recommendations that may be useful to someone:

• Do not roast the soil before planting seeds. Of course, all pests will be destroyed. However, no useful components will remain in the soil. The earth will become empty.
• It is not necessary to compact the soil with your hand or any tool. It's better to just shake the canisters a little.
• It is advisable to spray the plants with water from a spray bottle twice a day. This will create a microclimate favorable for the development of lashes on the windowsill. In the evening, spraying is done in such a way that the plants have time to dry by night. You can add special fertilizer "Ovary" to the water. Since the air in apartments during the winter period is usually very dry, a wet towel should be hung on the battery under the windowsill more often.
• Before planting, the seeds can be treated with some kind of stimulant. It can be, for example, the drug "Epin". 1 mg of this agent should be dissolved in a half-liter jar of water and dropped onto each seed during germination. When landing, the procedure is repeated.
• Since the canisters from under mineral water they transmit light very well, it is better to wrap them with some dark material, you can use a black plastic bag. The fact is that sunlight for the roots of plants can be detrimental.

As you can see, growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter is quite a simple matter. The most important thing is to provide the whips with an optimal light regime. It is also important to create a microclimate comfortable for plants and sufficient nutrition. In this case, you can get a very good harvest.