Cucumbers on the balcony growing in plastic boxes. Growing cucumbers on the balcony from a to z

Due to the wide use in cooking, many people often think about how to grow cucumbers on the loggia so that they can be consumed all year round.

Therefore, this article will discuss how, where and when you can do this.

Suitable cucumber varieties for growing in bottles

How nice it is to crunch in the kitchen with fresh cucumbers grown on your own ... balcony or loggia in winter or early spring. However, before telling how to plant cucumbers in plastic bottles, we must first mention that not all varieties or hybrids are suitable for this.

The fact is that on the loggia or balcony, if they are glazed, there is no wind and, moreover, there are no bees that would pollinate the plants. And without pollination there is no ovary, no ovary - no harvest. Therefore, for growing cucumbers on a balcony, it is best to purchase self-pollinating or, as they are also called, parthenocarpic varieties or hybrids. These are, for example, such hybrids of cucumbers as "April", "Buyan", "German", "Brownie". But if there is a desire to be in the role of a bee yourself, using cotton wool, then you need to purchase the seeds of salad cucumbers - "Salting", "Brigade", "Phoenix", "Bush" and others.

How to choose a place to grow

However, the very desire to plant cucumbers in a five-liter bottle will not be enough. Here you still need to know the features of such a culture as a cucumber. So, in particular, the cucumber is a delicate culture that is afraid of drafts and cold. And therefore, in order to grow cucumbers on your balcony, you will have to re-equip it a bit.

Did you know? German lexicographer Max Vasmer etymological dictionary pointed out that the name "cucumber" is borrowed from the Middle Greek language, in which "ἄωρος" means "immature", that is, this one is eaten unripe.

Cucumber is a plant with a long light period, so not only will you need a place where everything is lit by sunlight, but additional lighting is also necessary. you can’t supercool, so you will need to heat your mini-greenhouse. Well, be sure to regularly ventilate the room.

Features of growing in bottles, how to plant a plant

Before planting cucumbers in five-liter bottles, you need to thoroughly prepare these same bottles. Basically, everyone takes transparent water bottles, but bottles of green or Brown can also be used for planting cucumbers.

Bottle preparation

So that the cucumbers on the balcony are well received by growing in plastic bottles, the container must be prepared correctly. The most suitable container will be ordinary plastic water bottle, the capacity of which is not less than 5 liters. This bottle needs to be cut 2/3. To get an even cut, you can first draw a line with a marker around and only then cut.

And since the edges of the cut bottle are sharp, protection must also be installed so that the cucumber lashes are not damaged in the future. Protection of the edge of the bottle can be made from an ordinary thin rubber hose, a medical probe, and even from a dropper tube. This hose must be cut along one side along the entire length and put on the edge of the bottle.

Important! In order for the protective hose on the edge of the bottle to be even when cut and not cut in a spiral, both ends of the hose must first be stretched along the length and fixed with nails.

How to prepare the soil for planting

The soil for cucumbers on the balcony must be of high quality and with the addition of complex soil. Any store for gardeners and gardeners sells a ready-made soil mixture, specially packaged in plastic bags of various sizes. The advantage of this mixture is a balanced composition.

But you can prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you need to take compost, soddy soil, peat, sawdust and wood ash in approximately equal amounts. Then add potash, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers (5 g each) to this mixture and mix thoroughly. Also, 1 part expanded clay sand, vermiculite or perlite can be added to the soil mixture to give the soil airiness and increase its water-holding capacity.

Preparing seeds for planting

Inspect the purchased seeds immediately before sowing. All empty ones must be removed, and good and full-bodied ones should be treated with a pale pink solution of sodium permanganate.

If in a pack you find cucumber seeds already painted in orange, green, blue or another color, then such seeds cannot be treated with “potassium permanganate”, since they have already been treated with a special compound.

The scheme of planting cucumbers in a plastic bottle

Successful planting of cucumbers in five-liter bottles is carried out as follows: take 3-5 cucumber seeds and deepen them into a wet 2-3 cm. You can plant cucumbers in a triangle, in a circle or in a checkerboard pattern. Fill in the recesses, press down a little with the palm of your hand or a spatula and carefully pour warm water.

Did you know? In Sanskrit, the name of the vegetable crop "cucumber" is consonant with the name of the famous prince Buta from India. According to the legends, Booth had sixty thousand children, which is why he was considered prolific and "many seeds."

How to care for cucumbers in bottles

After sowing, the bottle is covered with its cut off part without a lid (for ventilation). Cucumbers are plants that are very responsive to heat, so before they germinate on the balcony, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of 25-30 ° C, and reduce to 20 ° C at night. Periodically, you need to slightly loosen the soil and pull out weeds. Water when the soil dries out.

Whip formation

Of course, growing cucumbers in bottles is convenient and profitable, but To get a good harvest, you need to properly form a bush. If you have chosen parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) varieties of cucumbers, then, as a rule, they form compact bushes with short branches. And if bee-pollinated varieties or hybrids were planted, then they need to pinch. This is done as follows: when a third permanent (real) leaf appears, it is cut off completely with an escape. After about a week, side shoots will begin to form from the axillary buds, which will need to be pinched in the same way.

Watering

Watering growing cucumbers is carried out regularly, taking into account the condition of the soil. It is not recommended to water cucumbers daily, as this can cause root rot. During fruiting, cucumbers actively use moisture, so during this period the amount of watering should be increased.

Important! You need to make sure that direct sunlight does not fall on the cucumbers on your balcony, which can burn the plants.

top dressing

After the appearance of sprouts, two weeks should pass, and then you can start feeding the plants. you can do this: for 10 liters of water, take 5 g of ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulfate, 15 g of potassium nitrate and 30 g of superphosphate. You need to feed carefully, make sure that the fertilizer solution does not fall on the leaves.

Experienced "home" gardeners annually cultivate cucumbers on the balcony - growing in plastic bottles gives them not only a lot of positive, but also a decent harvest of greens, but in order to get delicious fresh fruits, you need to know which varieties to plant, how planting occurs, whether to feed culture, how to water, etc.

Cucumbers on the balcony - varieties

Not everyone succeeds in growing cucumbers on the balcony; growing in plastic bottles also does not guarantee you get tasty and green cucumbers. There are some subtleties of the process that must be considered if you are going to grow cucumbers on the balcony.

Firstly, you need to choose the right seeds. Buy only parthenocarpic self-pollinated cucumber seeds suitable for balcony growing. Do not take bee-pollinated ones, where do the bees come from in the apartment, especially in winter? Buy shade-tolerant varieties and hybrids that will not turn yellow and wither if there is little sunlight.

Secondly, do not take cucumbers that are too tall and bushy, which will be difficult to keep on small balcony and which will require much more space than the capacity of a 5 liter bottle to good growth and fruiting.

Observing the above conditions, as a result, you have the necessary seeds on hand, and in order not to get lost in the variety, you can opt for the following hybrids and varieties of cucumbers for growing on the windowsill and on the balcony: F1 Home Miracle, F1 Balcony Miracle, F1 Berendey, F1 Garland, F1 Granddaughter, F1 Funny Guys, F1 Thumbelina, F1 Robust, F1 Favorite Son-in-Law and others.

Cucumbers on the balcony - growing in plastic bottles

Growing cucumbers in plastic bottles begins with the preparation of containers. Take unnecessary bottles, cut off the neck to the shoulders. Make holes at the bottom for drainage excess fluid. The container is ready. Here in such bottles cucumbers will grow on the balcony.

Now you need to prepare the soil - take fertile soil, humus, sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1, mix well, break all the lumps so that the earth is loose and porous. You can buy and ready mix for cucumbers. It will not be superfluous to disinfect the soil mixture using potassium permanganate (1 g / l) or Fitosporin-M (according to the instructions). Spill the soil with a solution a couple of days before planting.

Seeds for planting should be soaked in warm water for a day or a little more until hatching. Keep the seeds at a temperature of +24 ֯…+26 ֯С to see the white loops faster. When you peck, you can start landing.

In a plastic bottle filled with soil mixture, make a recess (dimple) 1-2 cm deep, pour it over and lower the hatched seed there, fill it up. Watering from above is not necessary. After a few days, if it is warm enough on the balcony, you will see the first shoots of cucumbers in plastic bottles.

Be sure to place the bottles higher towards the light, if they stand on the floor, the plants will begin to stretch or even die. Also remember that in order for the cucumber to bear fruit on the balcony you need keep the air temperature at least +22 ֯С, but a little more is better, but in winter such conditions cannot be created, so you need to think about additional lighting and heating.

If the balcony is not heated, then you need to wait until it gets warmer, otherwise there is a risk of freezing bottled cucumber plantings. With the spring-summer cultivation of cucumbers on the balcony, there are much fewer problems, at least you do not need to additionally illuminate the plant and warm the room.

But in spring and summer, summer residents of balcony gardens face another task - how to preserve moisture and prevent cucumbers from drying out from the heat in these plastic bottles? Mulch comes to the rescue coconut flakes, which perfectly retains moisture, and it is sold in stores, so there is no need to buy and peel coconuts. Lay a small layer on top of the earth and water.

How often do you need to water the cucumbers on the balcony in plastic bottles? As often as needed! Especially in summer when it's hot on the balcony. Install pallets under the bottles so that excess liquid leaves through the holes made at the bottom. You can additionally spray cucumbers from a spray bottle on the foliage, only in the evening or early morning, so as not to leave burns.

How to feed cucumbers on the balcony in plastic bottles? Any balanced fertilizer will do, the main thing is that it contains the main macro- and microelements. But, since using mineral fertilizers quite dangerous, due to the fact that the grown products will be unfit for eating due to the high content of nitrates in fruits, it is better to use organic fertilizers and top dressings, as well as humic preparations. For a home garden, sodium humate or an extract from the same humus is very suitable.

You won’t surprise anyone with a balcony harvest now, many even respond negatively, saying that there is too much trouble, and the harvest is not particularly encouraging. Indeed, the harvest is not like from a 3-meter garden, but this is a hobby, not a business. Growing cucumbers on the balcony is a pleasure for the soul, and the fruits are their own, without any chemistry.

To get a good harvest, you need to form cucumbers on the balcony - growing in plastic bottles does not mean that you can plant, just water. Culture should be carried out in one stem. In the axils of the first 5 true leaves, we remove everything that has come out. Then we leave one cucumber at a time, and also remove everything unnecessary.

Be sure to tie up your cucumbers so that they stretch up, if you don’t tie it up, then for sure, you may not pick the fruit. What to do if the cucumber on the balcony has grown to the ceiling? Here are some options further development:

• loosen the rope on which the cucumber grows and cut off several pairs of leaves below, and wind this naked stem into a ring and lay it on the ground. The cucumber will grow, new roots will come from the laid stem, and the culture will continue to grow upwards;
• the second option - let cucumber lashes along the ceiling along the window;
• the third option is to point the cucumber lash down.

The most optimal a good option- the first, when you lower the trellis, wind the stem into a ring, the second option is also not bad, but not always practical, convenient. Directing cucumber lashes down is not the most best idea, since the cucumber responds very negatively to such a movement of the stem, as a result of which it grows worse, yellowing of the leaves and ovaries may begin.

No matter what they say about cucumbers on the balcony - growing in plastic bottles is an exciting and tasty activity, therefore it is appreciated by home "summer residents", because fresh produce without pesticides has not yet spoiled anyone's health.

Long gone in the past glass bottles from under yogurt, with which the hero Kira Bulychev traveled in time in "The Adventures of Alice" and wooden boxes with asters along the balcony railings. A new galaxy of craftsmen and inventors was born, ready for 101% to use the blessings of civilization lying under their feet. So home botanists, deprived of the happiness of owning a piece of fertile land outside the city, have adapted to grow cucumbers on the balcony in plastic bottles.

A cucumber in a plastic bottle is by no means a boat in a bottle. Everything is much more prosaic. Simply, disposable containers, with some inherent frugality, are not allowed into a garbage container, but cut off by 2/3, they are turned into a container for growing cucumbers.

The basics of circumcision

Popular experience, multiplied by tens of thousands of followers, led to the conclusion that the most suitable for growing cucumbers on a balcony is a plastic bottle with a capacity of 5 liters, cut to 2/3 of the height.

Why focus on rational bottle cutting? For a simple reason - 99% start cutting an empty plastic bottle, piercing a hole in it and ... Who with a knife, who with scissors - are trying to draw a straight line. The bottle crumples, bends, plays under the hands. The result is that the beginning never coincides with the end.

Fill the bottle with water, close the cap and place in the freezer overnight. Or put it on the balcony if you are preparing for planting in the winter. In the morning you will have an ice part that is convenient for processing, not “playing” in your hands, which can be easily and very evenly cut around the perimeter with a hacksaw.

We arrange protection. For this, any hose is taken - from a “dropper”, a thin medical probe, a rubber hose high pressure or corrugated channel for electrical wiring ∅21-28.5 mm. Cut along one side with a sharp clerical knife. To make the cut relatively even, and not in a spiral, first fix the ends of the hose stretched along the length with nails.

After that, the hose cut along the length is put on the edge of the cut plastic bottle. It turns out a bottle with a bagel-fuse from injuring the lashes of cucumbers.

We conjure further

Unlike humans, plants are guided by the principle: keep their feet (i.e. roots) damp and cold, and their heads (i.e. crown) warm. Most 5 liter plastic bottles are clear or colored blue or green colors. Only beer containers are dark brown and UV protected. These are exactly what we need. But… Not all lovers of fresh cucumbers are fans of beer. Dark beer bottles V-5 liters - one or two and miscalculated.

No problem! Take a roll of foil for baking, measure 520 (± 20 mm). Cut off and lightly remember to form an uneven surface. Tape the bottle around the perimeter using double-sided tape.

You have received the perfect container for growing cucumbers. The roots will not be exposed to UV radiation. The hot Sun - excessively warm and dry the soil, cool nights - excessively cool.

soil for roots

The best option is a ready-made soil mixture "for vegetable crops", packaged in plastic bags.

Its advantages are a standardized composition and the absence of weed seeds, pest larvae and pathogens.

But, if there is a desire to bring land from nowhere, we are talking about those who do not have their own land for growing vegetables in the beds, then the composition of the soil for cucumbers is approximately as follows:

It is advisable to add 1 tsp of perlite or vermiculite, or expanded clay sand (fraction 0-5 mm) to the mixture. In addition to giving airiness to the soil, they serve as water-retaining agents.

Add wood ash or a couple of tablespoons of fluffy lime to 5 liters of soil volume.

The prepared soil mixture is disinfected in a steam bath for 30 minutes with a soil layer on a sieve of 40-50 mm. After steaming, the earth is allowed to rest and restore beneficial microflora within 2-3 weeks.

The soil is ready for planting!

Soil seeds

The choice of varieties for growing on the balcony depends entirely on personal preferences. But it is hardly worth growing "gherkin" varieties of cucumbers. A crop with 5-10 roots that can be placed on the balcony without damage will be very small.

It is much more practical to grow "salad" varieties on the balcony, which give large, thin-skinned and early ripening cucumbers.

All seeds in without fail must be disinfected in an aqueous solution of potassium permanganate (1:1000), or treated with growth stimulants - sodium gummate, immunocytophyte, epin or agate-25, which also destroy the harmful microflora contained on the seeds.

Seeds that have undergone "plasma" treatment (green, pink or yellow) are not subject to processing.

After treatment, the seeds are washed with running water and placed in a paper towel in a saucer with water. Cover with dishes of a larger capacity or tighten with a food (packaging) film with a perforation made by a needle and place in a warm (+22-25 ° C) place for germination.

After 2-3 days, you will be able to admire the delicate white roots of future cucumbers.

in a pot

If you follow the topic of the article - in a bottle. It is not necessary to delay the planting of germinated seeds. Otherwise, delicate roots can be injured.

In one 5 liter container, 3, maximum 5 seeds are planted. After germination, 1-2 of the strongest plants are left. The rest are either removed or deposited in another container, if it is a pity to throw it away.

The containers are covered with cut-off "tops" of plastic bottles, having previously removed the lid. Get micro-greenhouses. Cucumbers are not as demanding of light as tomatoes or eggplants, but the illumination of sprouted cucumbers should not be neglected. If you planted seeds in March or April, they need artificial lighting. Either “bio” lamps are suitable for this - a trick for gullible beginners, or ordinary 40 W fluorescent lamps. collected in a "package" of 3 lamps. 2 - warm light and 1 - cold daylight. The emission spectrum of such a "package" is close to sunlight - 5400 K. Lamps are placed at a distance of 25-30 cm above the tops of plants.

During this period, cucumbers are regularly fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers, preferably in liquid form. Contribute the trace elements necessary for growth.

After the appearance of 3 permanent leaves, the formation of the lateral lashes of the cucumber can begin. To do this, carefully cut off the third permanent leaf 1-2 mm from the stem with a blade or a clerical knife. After the cut point dries in the axil, a lateral shoot will begin to develop above the leaf. Further, as the stem grows through 3-4 permanent leaves, the operation is repeated. More than 3 side shoots should not be formed on one stem.

Bush formation

Cucumbers are creeping plants, but having antennae, with which they actively cling to everything that grows above them, trying to win back their niche under the Sun. The most rational method of growing cucumbers on a balcony is to use a trellis, to which you will tie the whips growing from a plastic bottle.

Cucumbers in plastic bottles should be arranged in such a way that the overgrown bush does not interfere with movement along the balcony. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to care for them, or constantly move them around. What no plant likes.

Hooray! We have blossomed!

At the very beginning of the flowering stage, cucumbers (buds) should be treated with ovary stimulants. Since only parthenocapic plants are used for growing on balconies, which do not require artificial dusting, the treatment with “Ovary” or “Bud” will increase the chance of the formation of small cucumbers - greens, which in 1-2 weeks will fall fragrant on your table.

During the flowering period, cucumbers should be protected from direct sunlight, shading at noon with a translucent screen. For example, agril stretched over a frame.

During the fruiting period, plants require enhanced watering and top dressing.

By regularly watering and feeding your pets, you can get a harvest until the very autumn frosts.

Given the fertility of cucumbers and the growth rate of fruits, over the summer from 10 bushes you can get a very solid harvest.

Results

In fact, growing in plastic bottles does not carry even a hint of creativity. This is just the use of waste disposable material for utilitarian needs.

But for those who are passionate about gardening on the balcony - even such containers can be a useful help.

We wish them good luck!

Many residents of city apartments tend to use the balcony a little for other purposes. Someone grows flowers on the balcony, and someone turns it into a real greenhouse. In addition to other useful crops, cucumbers are also grown on the balcony. Their presence often harmoniously fits into the balcony interior.

In addition, cucumbers on the balcony can be successfully combined with other plants, both ornamental and vegetable crops. But, first you need to figure out which varieties of cucumbers are suitable for growing on the balcony. This is what we will do next.

Characteristics of cucumbers

• annual plant;
• belongs to the pumpkin family;
• loves moist soil and air.

Varieties of cucumbers for the balcony

Breeders have taken the trouble to develop special varieties of cucumbers for growing on a balcony or loggia:

• Dubrovsky;
• Gribovsky;
• Sail;
• Cucaracha;
• Balcony Miracle;
• Stresa;
• Courage;
• Barnaul;
• Biryusa;
• Matrix.

As for greenhouses, for growing on a balcony, you need to select either self-pollinated or parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers. They do not need pollination by insects, so they are more suitable for growing indoors, such as balconies or loggias.

Particular attention should be paid to the Balcony Miracle variety. Despite the fact that he was brought out relatively recently, he has already earned the recognition of balcony gardeners. The variety is early maturing and self-pollinating. Forms bright green greens with small tubercles up to 7 cm in length. There is no bitterness in such cucumbers. Once again, we remind you that the Balcony Miracle does not require pollination by bees.

The technology of growing cucumbers on the balcony

Sowing seeds

First you need to grow seedlings, and after transplanting them into pots or planting boxes. Seeds are sown in paper cups so that they can be easily removed before planting seedlings in pots.

The time for sowing seeds for growing cucumbers on the balcony is from February to April.

The sooner you sow the seeds, the faster your balcony will bring the harvest. Thus, you can speed up the cultivation of cucumbers on the balcony.

Before sowing, the seeds are treated in a solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes. This is quite enough. After processing, the seeds are laid out on a damp cloth and kept there for 1-2 days until sprouts appear, after which they are planted in cups.

You can do without soaking the seeds. In this case, immediately after treatment in potassium permanganate, they are sown in cups.

Soil for seedlings

As for any other varieties of cucumbers, seedling soil can be prepared according to the following recipe:

• 1 part peat;
• 1 part small sawdust;
• 1 part manure humus;
• 1 part of sod land;
• 1 tablespoon of nitrophoska;
• 1 teaspoon of urea.

5 minutes before sowing the seeds, the soil in cups is poured over hot water with a temperature of 50-600C. After this time, 1 seed is sown in each cup to a depth of 1.5-2.0 cm. All cups must be placed in a place with a temperature of + 25C before germination.

sprout care

Lighting. After the first shoots have appeared, the cups should be placed in a well-lit place. For this, a window sill is best suited. It is necessary to monitor the absence of drafts.
The use of additional lighting will help improve the quality of seedlings and speed up the fruiting of balcony cucumbers.

Watering seedlings should be carried out 1 time per day, provided there is no additional lighting. If it is used, then the seedlings are watered twice a day. In both cases, settled water at room temperature is used for irrigation.

Holes must be made in the bottoms of the cups to ensure drainage.

Top dressing. During the cultivation of seedlings, and this is about 25 days, it is necessary to fertilize 2 times. The first top-dressing is made in 14 days from the moment of emergence of shoots. Feed up aqueous solution urea at the rate of 1 teaspoon per 3 liters of water. After a week after the first feeding, the procedure is repeated.

Transplanting carried out in containers with a height of at least 15 cm, pre-filled with soil of a similar composition, which was used for growing seedlings. The soil is pre-watered with warm water.
When planting, the seedlings are carefully removed from the cup along with the soil clod.

Optimal growing conditions for balcony cucumbers can be achieved by placing containers next to a wall or in a corner. This measure allows you to save the plant from exposure to winds and drafts.

Caring for balcony cucumbers

A week after landing on permanent place seedlings of balcony cucumbers are tied with twine to a wire specially stretched for this. The distance at which the wire is stretched is approximately 1.7 m from the top edge of the container. The twine is tied to a wire and wrapped neatly around the top of the plant.

With a frequency of once a week, the antennae are removed from the cucumbers. We must not forget that a balcony cucumber, like any other cultivated plant, needs periodic loosening of the soil.

As the plants reach the height of the wire stretched for them, pinching becomes necessary. Pinch off the top, thereby forming one stem. Pinching of lateral shoots is carried out to a length of 25-45 cm.

Watering cucumbers on the balcony is carried out 2-3 times a week, taking into account the air temperature. Cucumbers are watered with water at room temperature, moistening both the soil layer and spraying the aerial part of the plant from a spray bottle.

It is necessary to ensure that the soil is constantly moist, if necessary, increasing the number of waterings.

Growing cucumbers on the balcony in plastic bottles

The technology is practically no different from the one described above. Only seedlings of balcony cucumbers are planted in plastic bottles. On them preliminary preparation we become more detailed.

To grow cucumbers on a balcony in a plastic bottle, you need to cut off the upper conical part. All actions apply both to 5 liter bottles and to their smaller counterparts with a capacity of 1.5-2.0 liters. So, it turned out a kind of pot. The cut tops of the bottles can be used as caps for plants when cold air temperatures set in.

In plastic bottles, cucumbers can be grown in open ground, and in greenhouses. To do this, it will be enough to cut off the bottom and chain the pot approximately 1/3 into the soil.

Otherwise, growing cucumbers in plastic bottles is no different from growing ordinary balcony cucumbers.

Getting high yields of cucumbers on the balcony at home is not a myth, and is available to everyone. It is quite simple to create conditions for fruiting cucumbers on the balcony. To do this, just select the appropriate variety of cucumber and follow the recommendations listed above.

Growing cucumbers on the balcony is a pleasant and entertaining activity. If you don't have garden plot, you can easily, following the recommendations, create a green garden on the loggia.

Basic growing rules

Before you get to work, you need to consider the location of the balcony, because cucumbers, like all plants, love sunlight. The north side is not suitable for planting this crop, it is better to choose the southeast or east. In addition, shoots do not like drafts, so a glazed balcony is suitable for them.

The growing process begins with the selection of seeds, because not all varieties are suitable for these purposes.

You need to pay attention to the following factors:

• the size of the fruits obtained;
• shade tolerance;
• no need for pollination;
• a note about the possibility of growing in a city apartment.

For growing cucumbers at home, hybrid varieties have been developed that adapt to balcony conditions:

• F1 "Balcony Miracle";
• F1 "Courage";
• F1 "Balagan";
• F1 "Claudia";
• F1 "City Gherkin".

Sowing seeds for the summer period should be in late April - early May. If you start the germination process early, then the stems can be very stretched due to insufficient sunlight. Also, the formation of buds will occur before the establishment of warm, suitable weather, and they may dry out and fall off.

In the cold season, you need to provide plants with certain conditions.

1. Add additional light sources, which will increase the daylight hours, which are shortened in winter.
2. Additionally, insulate a balcony or loggia with special materials.
3. Put heaters to maintain, as well as to avoid freezing the plant at night.
4. Provide good ventilation to supply fresh air without drafts.

Growing technology

To get a good harvest and tasty cucumbers in the apartment, you need to follow the technology of growing vegetables step by step. It includes:

• soil preparation;
• planting seeds;
• creation of conditions for the development of seedlings;
• picking seedlings and moving them to larger pots;
• mineral supplement;
• care until the last cucumber is harvested.

Soil preparation

Earth rich in trace elements and nutrients, - the key to intensive, healthy growth of all sown seeds. It is prepared by mixing several ingredients in a certain proportion.

1 way

It is the most time-consuming, because the soil is made from 5 different components, which are taken in the same amount - half a 10-liter bucket.

You will need:

• turf;
• compost;
• peat;
• ash;
• sawdust.

They need to be poured into a large container or into a film spread on the ground, mixed and moistened with a solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect the soil.

If it is not possible to prepare the soil yourself at home, it can be purchased at a specialized store.

2 way

This cooking method uses the same ingredients, for 1 bucket of which you need to add:

• 10 - 15 g of nitrophoska;
• 8 - 10 g of urea.

Thorough mixing contributes to the uniform distribution of substances throughout the mass of the prepared land.

3 way

Take:

• turf and compost - half a 10-liter bucket each;
• ash - 400 g;
• lime - 50 g;
• fertilizer complex - 15 g.

Mix these ingredients until a homogeneous mass is obtained, transfer the resulting mixture to a bag and bury it to a shallow depth. After 7–10 days, the rotted mass will become crumbly and suitable for planting.

To prevent viral and infectious diseases that affect plants, the resulting soil should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate. You need to dilute it, following the recommendations on the package.

How to sow seeds

Seed selection is not main stage in growing cucumbers, it is more important to sow them correctly.

1 way - germination.

1. Put the seeds in a pinkish solution of potassium permanganate and soak for 15-20 minutes.
2. Fold the gauze soaked in warm water in several layers and put the seeds in it.
3. Plant hatched specimens in prepared containers.

Method 2 - planting dry seeds.

1. In prepared pots, make small indentations (in elongated containers, holes are made at a distance of 30–35 cm from each other).
2. Put 2 seeds in each to accurately sprout.
3. Deepen the seeds by 1.5 cm.
4. Lightly moisten the soil and cover with foil.

For seedlings, it is necessary to purchase special containers that have a double bottom that prevents the accumulation of moisture and rotting of the roots, and drainage holes. Such a container for growing cucumbers on the windowsill can be made at home on your own.

The earth in pots should not remain dry, the surface must be moistened regularly (it is more convenient to do this with a spray gun once a day).
After 3 full-fledged leaves appear, you can proceed to the stage of hardening seedlings. It goes through several stages.

1. Film removal for several hours.
2. Sunbathing near the open window in the pre-dinner hours.
3. Take out to the balcony after the end of the frost.

Seedlings are fertilized twice before transplanting:

• 14 days after germination;
• 7-10 days after 1 treatment.

The soil is completely moistened with a mineral solution after the appearance of 2–3 sheets, 1 glass of diluted fertilizer is spent on 1 plant.

Seedling transplant

At this stage of growing cucumbers at home, you need to purchase long plastic containers measuring 60 × 30 × 20. Prepared soil is poured into each of them with a 7-centimeter layer.

If the sprouts sprouted in peat pots, then the seedlings should be placed in a box without removing them. Fill the soil, lightly tamp and moisten the surface.

Seedlings sown in plastic cells are transplanted with an earthen clod. To do this, pour the plant with warm water, index finger push a clod of earth through the drainage hole and carefully pull out the sprout. Distribute seedlings in a container at a distance of 35–40 cm from each other.

A long period begins when proper care for cucumbers allows you to harvest a rich harvest.

Care means:

1. for the formation of cucumber lash;
2. removal of antennae 1 time in 10 days;
3. maintaining optimal humidity by spraying dried soil;
4. loosening the soil around the plant;
5. systematic top dressing with potash and phosphorus fertilizers (1 time in 2 weeks);
6. foliar treatment of shoots for the prevention of diseases and pests (1 time in 2 weeks);
7. garter lashes to prevent breakage.

Growing cucumbers in the cold season

Many consider growing cucumbers in winter almost a miracle, but the technology for germinating and planting seeds is the same for any time of the year. The only difference is in terms of content.

• Indoor plants during the heating period need additional moisture. means daily watering. To humidify the air around cucumbers, place a container of water next to it.
• Provide additional lighting, because cloudy days prevail and the plants do not have enough light.
• In the absence of frost, you can open the window to ventilate the room.

How to grow cucumbers in plastic bottles

This option is recognized as the most economical, since no one has a shortage of plastic containers. You can sow seedlings in one and a half liter and five liter bottles. For such purposes, there are special varieties - F1 Khrustik and F1 Shchedryk, which ripen quickly and are characterized by high yields.

1.5 liter containers take up less space and provide optimal hydration of the sprout.

1. Cut the bottle in half.
2. Pour soil into the upper part without closing the neck with a lid.
3. Plant a seed.
4. Pour water into the bottom.
5. Insert the half with the earth into the water tank so that the water closes the neck.

Water with this method is changed daily.

In 5-liter plastic bottles, previously cut in half lengthwise, holes are made to drain excess fluid during watering.

Care for cucumber seedlings grown on the window is carried out according to a familiar pattern.


Growing cucumbers on the windowsill and on the loggia brings a lot of trouble, but the result is worth it. You can plant vegetables both in winter and in summer, observing the conditions of detention, because indoor cucumbers require additional lighting and moisture.

Used for landing flower pots and containers, also cucumbers can grow in plastic bottles and wooden boxes equipped with good drainage.