Content
All gardeners want to grow fragrant, sweet, crispy cucumbers without problems and worries. For this purpose, the best varieties of cucumbers are selected, characterized by excellent taste and high yield. But how can you choose from a huge list the best variety, the fruits of which will bring taste pleasure and delight you with their crunch in early spring, summer and even winter. Surely experienced farmers have a couple of good varieties on their list, among which you can often find “Courage F1” cucumbers. This hybrid has an amazing taste and has a number of agrotechnical advantages compared to other varieties of cucumbers. You can get acquainted with this wonderful vegetable, see photographs of fresh cucumbers and find out detailed information about their cultivation by reading the article below.
Description of greens
The most important indicator when choosing a cucumber variety is the taste of the future harvest. After all, a sweet, aromatic cucumber can become a real treat for adults and children. Thus, it is the amazing taste that is the main and most significant advantage of cucumbers of the “Courage f1” variety.
Greens "Courage f1" have a pronounced fresh aroma. When a cucumber breaks, you can hear a characteristic crunch. Its flesh is dense, juicy, sweetish, and absolutely devoid of bitterness.Cucumbers can be used for pickling, pickling, canning, making salads and even soups. Wonderful vegetables of the “Courage f1” variety can become the “highlight” of every table, since the special taste of greens surprises not only when consumed fresh, but also after pickling and heat treatment. In winter and summer, the “Courage f1” cucumber will delight the owners and guests of the house with its presence on the table.
The external description of the cucumber is excellent: the length of the cucumber is at least 13 cm, the shape is classic for the crop - oval-cylindrical, leveled. The average weight of each vegetable is 120-140 g. In cross section, the diameter of the fruit is 3.5-4 cm. Numerous white bumps and spines can be observed on the surface of the cucumber. You can see cucumbers of the “Courage f1” variety in the photo below.
Varietal characteristics
The hybrid "Courage f1" was bred by domestic breeders of the Gavrish company. Cucumber “Courage f1” belongs to the category of parthenocarpic, which means it has flowers of a predominantly female type.
This property is another advantage of the “Courage f1” cucumber variety, since even under unfavorable climatic conditions you can get a bountiful harvest of vegetables. Parthenocarpy also allows plants to be planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse without attracting insects or artificial pollination.
The early maturity of the “Courage f1” variety allows you to get the earliest harvest of fresh cucumbers on your plot, which will be the envy of all your neighbors. Thus, the period from sowing the seeds to the appearance of the first green plants is only 35 days. Mass ripening of vegetables occurs 44 days after sowing the crop in the ground.Thanks to such a short period of fruit ripening, using the seedling growing method, it is possible to obtain the first, spring, fresh vegetables already at the end of May - beginning of June.
An additional feature and at the same time an advantage is the high yield of the “Courage f1” cucumber variety. So, if you grow cucumbers in open areas of land, you can get 6-6.5 kg of fresh, tasty vegetables from each meter. If the crop is grown in greenhouse conditions, the yield can exceed 8.5 kg/m2.
All of the listed agrotechnical characteristics once again prove the superiority of the “Courage f1” variety over other alternative cucumber varieties.
Growing
The cucumber variety “Courage f1” can be safely grown not only under film cover, but also on unprotected areas of land.
“Courage f1” is zoned for the central part of Russia, however, this variety of cucumbers can also be successfully cultivated in the northern regions.
To cultivate the “Courage f1” cucumber variety, you can use various technologies: seedling method or sowing directly from seeds into the ground, with or without preliminary germination of grains. The choice of one technology or another depends, first of all, on the preferences of the farmer, however, the most correct is the sequence of actions below.
Seed selection and processing
You can select filled, viable seeds of “Courage f1” cucumbers by soaking the grains in a saline solution.To do this, mix a tablespoon of salt in a liter of water, then dip the seeds of the “Courage f1” variety into the solution, mix again and leave for 10-20 minutes. Seeds that float to the surface of the water are empty, while filled grains should settle to the bottom of the container. These are the ones that should be used in the future.
On the surface of cucumber seeds there may be harmful microorganisms invisible to the eye. They can subsequently cause the development of diseases and plant death. That is why, even before germinating cucumber seeds, they should be processed. This can be done by placing the seeds in a weak manganese solution for 1-1.5 hours. After such disinfection, the seeds of the “Courage f1” cucumbers must be thoroughly washed with a stream of running water, and then dried for storage or germinated.
Germination
Germinating seeds speeds up the process of growing the crop as a whole. To germinate “Courage f1” cucumber seeds, it is necessary to create optimal conditions with a temperature of +28-+300With and high humidity. This microclimate can be created by placing the seeds in a piece of damp cloth or gauze. To reduce evaporation and prevent drying out, it is recommended to place the wet piece of seeds in a plastic bag. You can also place the fabric on a saucer, but in this case you will need to regularly check its moisture content.
The required temperature for germinating “Courage f1” cucumber seeds “can be found” near kitchen stoves, heating radiators, or directly next to human skin.It is worth noting that some experienced gardeners place a plastic package with seeds in the pocket of their everyday clothes and claim that in such a strange, but really warm location, cucumber seeds germinate very quickly.
If conditions are favorable, cucumber seeds “Courage f1” hatch in 4-6 days. Seeds on which green sprouts have not appeared are non-germinating or weak. They should be sorted. Sprouted grains can be sown in the ground or for seedlings.
Sowing seeds in the ground
You can sow cucumber seeds “Courage f1” in open ground only when the soil at a depth of 10-15 cm has warmed up to a temperature above +150C, and the threat of night frosts has passed. In central Russia, as a rule, such climatic conditions are typical for the end of May.
It is recommended to sow sprouted seeds of “Courage f1” cucumbers on plots of land where cabbage, legumes or potatoes previously grew. Care should be taken to fertilize the soil in advance, in the fall, since fresh manure with a high nitrogen content can burn the plants. In the spring, before sowing “Courage f1” cucumbers, it is permissible to add only well-rotted compost.
Cucumbers “Courage f1” form a medium-sized, fairly compact bush, so you can sow their seeds into the soil in 4-5 pieces. at 1m2. Ridges with crops should be covered with plastic film. When shoots appear, the film must be lifted onto arcs. If there is a relatively stable summer temperature, the shelter may not be used.
Growing seedlings
The seedling growing method has a number of advantages:
- indoor conditions are favorable for growing healthy, strong cucumber seedlings;
- at the time of diving into the ground, cucumbers have enough strength to resist the disease and pests;
- picking grown plants speeds up the process of harvesting;
- When planting cucumbers, you can select stronger plants so as not to occupy the land area with seedlings with a slow growth rate.
Germinated seeds of “Courage f1” cucumbers are sown for seedlings in the second half of April. To do this, use plastic cups or peat pots. Soil for plants can be purchased or prepared independently by mixing peat, sand, fertile soil and compost in equal parts. You can reduce soil acidity by adding wood ash. Place 1-2 seeds in each container filled with soil. After this, the crops must be watered and covered with protective material (film, glass). It is recommended to place the containers in a warm place. When seedlings emerge, cucumber seedlings are placed on an illuminated surface. It is worth noting that with a lack of light, seedlings of cucumbers of the “Courage f1” variety will begin to stretch and slow down growth, so the lack of lighting should be compensated by illuminating the plants with fluorescent lamps.
You can plant cucumber seedlings of the “Courage f1” variety into the greenhouse in mid-May. Plants can be transplanted into open ground in early June. At the time of picking, the seedlings should have 3-4 true leaves.
Basic care
Cucumbers "Courage f1" are relatively unpretentious. For their full growth and fruiting, it is necessary to regularly water with warm water (+220C) directly under the root after sunset. It is recommended to fertilize 4 times per season. A solution of chicken manure, mullein or complex fertilizer can be used as a fertilizer. Foliar feeding will also help increase productivity. Experienced gardeners practice spraying plants with urea.
Conclusion
Other important points related to growing cucumbers of the “Courage f1” variety can be learned from the video:
It is very easy to grow tasty, productive cucumbers on your own plot. To do this, you need to choose a good variety like “Courage f1” and put in a little effort. These wonderful cucumbers grow successfully in open areas of soil, under film cover and in polycarbonate greenhouses. This variety will thank the farmer for even the most minimal care and will give an excellent harvest, which will delight you with the first greens in early spring and crispy pickled cucumbers in the harsh winter.
