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Fans of home-grown vegetables usually plant familiar varieties of cucumbers on their plots, which produce vines up to 3 meters long. Such vines can easily be used to decorate a garden gazebo or grow along the fence of a small summer cottage, to the delight of passers-by. But if you don’t want to treat your neighbors or struggle with supports, you can plant little-known bush cucumbers.
The photo shows what a bush cucumber will look like creeping along the ground.
These varieties are good because, with a relatively low yield compared to long-climbing varieties, the fruits ripen together. Within three weeks, fruiting ends. The crop begins to ripen long before the main cucumber diseases appear, which helps avoid losses.
The bush cucumber is a determinate plant, that is, it does not grow long vines, in contrast to the usual liana-like indeterminate varieties of this vegetable. The bushes grow not only as decorative plants, but also as easy-to-cultivate row spacings. The length of the stems usually does not exceed 60 centimeters.Most varieties are intended for cultivation in open ground and are bee-pollinated.
Exist parthenocarpic bush hybrids. Parthenocarpic is a variety that produces fruits without pollination. Such fruits do not have seeds. When grown in open ground, such a plant can be pollinated by insects. In this case, the fruits ripen with seeds, but lose their marketable appearance.
Varieties of bush cucumbers
Their names speak for themselves: Baby, Baby, Shorty and others.
Varietal cucumbers
When growing varietal cucumbers, you can use your own seeds. But there is no guarantee of obtaining a harvest from such seeds.
Mikrosha
A universal, early-ripening, bee-pollinated variety. Fruits on the 47th day after germination. Zelenets up to 12 cm in length and up to 110 grams in weight. Dark green, black pubescent. Used for pickling and canning. Used fresh. The crop is harvested as it ripens.
Planted in the ground after the end of frost. Planting is done in rows at a distance of fifteen centimeters from each other. The distance between the beds is sixty centimeters.
It is characterized by increased resistance to the most common diseases.
Gift
Bush variety with stems up to 60 cm long. Early ripening. Fruiting begins on the fiftieth day after emergence. Cucumbers 9-12 cm, weighing up to 90 g. When outgrown they do not turn yellow. Ideal for pickling.
This variety is usually grown outdoors, although it grows well in a pot in winter. Seeds are sown in beds at a distance of fifteen centimeters from each other. There are sixty centimeters between the beds.
Shorty
The variety is intended for open ground. Pollinated by insects. Early ripening.Fruiting occurs on the fiftieth day after emergence. The stems are short. Zelentsy up to 12 cm, weigh up to 130 grams. Suitable for preservation and fresh consumption.
They are sown in the ground after the end of frost according to the same scheme as other varieties. The harvest is harvested as it ripens.
Bush
Bee-pollinated variety grown in open ground. Versatile. Stems up to seventy centimeters with short side shoots. Fruits up to 12 cm, weighing up to 120 g. Resistant to major cucumber diseases.
One of the most productive varieties of this group. The yield declared by the manufacturer is 5-6 kg/m².
Hybrids
It is worth special mentioning the varieties marked F1. Many gardeners believe that this label means genetically modified plants. They are actually hybrids. F1 comes from the Italian word Filli - “children”, first generation. In other words, these are first-generation hybrids obtained by crossing plants of different varieties. Parent varieties are usually kept secret.
The advantage of first-generation hybrids is their inheritance of the best qualities of the parent varieties and increased vitality and productivity, explained by such a phenomenon as heterosis. Provided that you were not sold cheaper varietal seeds under the guise of an F1 hybrid.
The main disadvantage of F1 hybrids is that seeds cannot be collected from them. After sowing the seeds obtained from the hybrid, you will receive a very colorful and unpredictable set of plants, about which you can confidently say only one thing: these are cucumbers.Many may not bear fruit at all, while others will produce fruit with completely different qualities than the hybrid. Guaranteed, none will give the same result as the first generation hybrids.
Sturdy little boy F1
A new bush variety of parthenocarpic mid-early hybrid. They are grown in greenhouses and open beds. Planted in early April according to the standard scheme.
Harvesting can be done starting from the fifty-third day after germination. The variety is well suited for winter harvesting. Used fresh.
Resistant to frost and powdery mildew.
Baby F1
A very early ripening universal variety, grown only in open ground. Fruits in forty days after germination. The stems are only thirty to forty centimeters long. The fruits are dark green, up to 9 centimeters long. Resistant to downy mildew and cucumber mosaic virus.
Hector F1
Bred by breeders of a Dutch company. Certified in Russia in 2002. According to the register, it can be grown in all regions of the Russian Federation. Tolerates short-term frosts well.
The bush is compact and does not require shaping. Resistant to common diseases.
It bears fruit on the fortieth day after planting. The fruits are small. The average size is about 10 cm. They grow to a maximum of 15. It is better to collect early, about eight centimeters long. Cucumbers that are not picked on time and have grown to 11-15 cm have hard skin. They have good keeping quality. Fruiting is friendly. The yield declared by the manufacturer is 4 kg per 1 m².
Aladdin F1
A mid-early universal bush hybrid with a growing season of about 48 days. They are grown in greenhouses and garden beds. Bee pollinated. Growing areas: Russia, Ukraine, Moldova.
The fruits are green, with light stripes.They require daily collection, although they do not turn yellow even when overripe. Good for canning and pickling, as well as fresh for salads. The gherkins are even in size and shape. Length up to ten centimeters, weight up to one hundred grams. The declared yield is 4-4.5 kg/m². Harvesting may continue until late autumn.
Sow at soil temperature 12 degrees. Sowing pattern 50x30 cm. Resistant to powdery mildew and downy mildew.
Boy with Thumb F1
Universal variety. High-yielding early ripening hybrid. Belongs to gherkin varieties. The fruits appear already on the thirty-sixth day. The bush is compact, suitable even for a windowsill. Being parthenocarpic, it does not require pollination and can be grown in greenhouses. At the same time, it is very unpretentious in cultivation and is one of the most frost-resistant.
Resistant to common diseases. In a greenhouse they are planted at the rate of 2.5 plants per 1 m², in the open air 3-4 bushes. When growing in an open garden, keep in mind that the flowers can be pollinated by bees. In this case, the fruits will be with seeds, but of an ugly shape.
Produces gherkins 8-10 cm long. Ideal for pickling and fresh consumption.
Growing and care
In terms of care, the bush cucumber is no different from the usual long-climbing varieties. These varieties can be planted closer together than ordinary ones due to the compactness of the bush.
To prevent freezing at night, the holes are covered with film or non-woven material. The film must be removed before the leaves of the sprout touch it, otherwise the plant may get burned.
There is an interesting and practical way to grow bush varieties in a barrel. The photo shows what such a bush will look like.
Several plants are often planted in a barrel at once, so it is necessary to select varieties that tolerate thickening well. For example, a bush variety.
You can see how to properly plant cucumbers in a barrel in the video.
Further care for cucumbers in a barrel is well presented in the following two videos:
Reviews about varieties of bush cucumbers are usually laudatory. Negative ones that sometimes occur are usually associated not with the varieties, but with their cultivation. There are complaints that cucumbers grow in irregular shapes or with hooks. If this concerns parthenocarpic varieties, then pollinating insects may be to blame. But sometimes insects have nothing to do with it. Cucumbers grow this way due to a lack of potassium in the soil, although few people think about this. This video shows how to correct the position.
Although the varieties of these cucumbers are resistant to the most common diseases, sometimes the protection breaks through or the bushes become sick with something else. They are not protected from pests either. How to distinguish a spider mite from a fungal disease and what to do if a mite attacks a plant can be seen in this video.
Conclusion
Confused by the wealth of choice, gardeners often wonder which varieties are the best. It all depends on the purpose and method of cultivation. Under no circumstances should you use bee-pollinated varieties for greenhouses. It is extremely difficult to lure pollinating insects into a greenhouse. Parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers will be the best here.
For open beds, choose pollinated varieties that do not require pollination; they may upset you with the appearance of crooked monsters.
A variety that is ideal for salad may be completely unsuitable for winter preparations.
Determine the purpose of growing cucumber and choose the best plants for this area.
I need when to sow cucumber seeds varieties: abundant, competitor, fontanel, bush and bush height!!! Everything is here: what weight, when will it ripen, in how many days... But there is no answer to my question...
Hello! To give a more complete answer, tell me what region you live in? And how are you going to grow it: seedlings or direct sowing in the ground, in a greenhouse or in open ground?