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It is customary to plant cucumber seeds in the spring, and in the summer to harvest and prepare various salads. But sowing seeds in mid-summer, say in July, will allow you to pamper your household with cucumbers throughout the fall, before the first frost.
Getting a good harvest of cucumbers depends not only on the quality of the seeds (more on this below), but also on climatic conditions. Those who live in warm regions have no need to worry, since the seeds can be planted directly in open ground in July. The land for sowing seeds has already been prepared and mulched after the previous harvest.
With the appearance of the first sprouts of cucumbers, it is no longer so hot, but the weather is still warm enough to form a good future harvest. Residents of cold areas should sow not with seeds, but with seedlings previously grown at home in comfortable conditions.
Preparatory stage
Preparing cucumbers for sowing is an important step and all conditions must be met for the normal growth of the vegetable crop and obtaining a good harvest. It is worth deciding what type of seeds is suitable for sowing cucumbers in July.
So, the date has already been chosen, now you can proceed directly to preparing the soil for sowing cucumbers. The site for sowing cucumber seeds in July can be chosen either in a greenhouse or in open ground.
All unnecessary plants must be removed from the selected area. Dig the soil to the depth of a bayonet shovel, simultaneously enriching it with various fertilizers for the benefit of the crop: peat-humus mixture, rotted mullein. You also need to add mineral fertilizer - double superphosphate, potassium magnesium, ammonium nitrate. With good feeding cucumbers and the harvest will be excellent!
Preparing seeds for sowing
Selecting seeds for sowing cucumbers is an equally important step. Preference should be given to hybrids that are less susceptible to various diseases and resistant to pests. And considering that the cucumber harvest should arrive by August or September, seed hybrids should be early ripening. Some can withstand low temperatures, these include the following varieties of cucumber seeds:
- Buyan F1;
- Virenta F1;
- Trump card F1;
- Grasshopper F1;
- Maryina Roshcha F1;
- Ant F1;
- Saltan F1.
Ovaries from these seeds will form continuously for 3 months. Hybrids and the following varieties of cucumber seeds will produce a good harvest:
- Garland F1;
- Courage F1;
- May F1;
- Moscow F1;
- Palekh F1;
- Surprise F1.
There is no fundamental difference between sowing cucumber seeds in spring and summer. For a large and ripe harvest, July cucumber seeds also need to be prepared - hardened. The bushes will then grow stronger and more resilient. For this purpose, cucumber seeds need to be sorted, sifting out small and empty grains. Then they need to be disinfected in a weak solution of potassium permanganate and rinsed well. After this, the seeds should be placed in a suspension of wood ash for 6 hours and dried.
But that’s not all, before moving on to sowing the beds, you need to warm up the seeds for another day, then keep them in the solution for 12 hours nitrophoska. After this period, they need to be washed again, placed on gauze, previously moistened with water, and covered. Instead of gauze, you can use cotton cloth or damp sawdust. The seeds will be ready for sowing in the ground as soon as they hatch. But you need to make sure that they do not have time to germinate.
Methods of sowing seeds
Sowing cucumber seeds can be done according to one of two schemes:
- linear;
- nesting
The first method of sowing cucumber seeds involves creating small furrows up to a meter long. The distance between them is maintained at 20 cm so that future bushes do not interfere with each other. For the second method of sowing cucumber seeds, small square plots measuring 60x60 or 70x70 are formed. Place 2-3 cucumber seeds in the grooves, and 4-5 in each nest.
After sowing, the seeds are not watered, but a little mixture of finely crushed pepper (black and red) is sprinkled on top. This measure will protect them from ants, and slugs and mice will stay away from young bushes.
Cucumber seedlings grown at home are placed together with an earthen ball from cups or other containers. When using peat pots for sowing future bushes, young seedlings need to be deepened so that the edges of the pots rise slightly above ground level.
Sowing bushes with cucumbers in the middle of summer using a greenhouse method is done in the same way as in the case of open ground, only the distance between the grooves is less than half a meter, and between the nests - 40 cm.
To harvest a rich harvest, sowing can be done twice with an interval of 21 days.It is worth taking into account some tips that will help you keep your cucumber bushes intact and healthy:
- If a hot summer is expected, you should choose a shaded place for sowing;
- For better ripening of the crop, bushes with cucumbers should be surrounded by plants with tall stems. They will become a kind of protective wall against wind and sunlight;
- Immediately after sowing cucumber seeds, they need to be covered with some material, since during this period they are vulnerable.
Proper and timely care is the key to success
After sowing the seeds in July, it is equally important to provide proper care. It's not as difficult as it might seem. Three days after sowing seeds or seedlings, it is worth fertilizing using a urea solution (urea).
The rest of the time, fertilizing for cucumber bushes is applied as needed. If the soil was well prepared before sowing the cucumber seeds, then you can do without it altogether. However, in cases of disease damage or insect attacks, the bushes simply need fertilizing to recover.
During the first 20-25 days, cucumber bushes should be covered with polyethylene at night. To prevent them from breaking, you must first install a wire frame. In a greenhouse, as a rule, the temperature at night rarely drops below 20 degrees and you can do without film.
After each watering or precipitation, the soil must be loosened in a timely manner. This is necessary to avoid the formation of an earthen crust, due to which oxygen access to the roots of the bushes will be difficult. You also need to monitor the appearance of weeds and carry out weeding on time. Young cucumber bushes do not need competitors in terms of nutrition.
With the appearance of the 3rd or 4th permanent leaf on the bushes, it is time to tie the bushes to some kind of support. For those who do not want to do this, several arguments can be made:
- In a vertical position, cucumber bushes are better protected from mechanical damage;
- In this position, each bush receives a large portion of sunlight and is better ventilated, which protects it from rotting;
- This makes it much more convenient to harvest a rich harvest of cucumbers;
- Tied bushes allow rational use of garden bed space (up to 70% savings).
If this is not done, then young bushes, due to their fragility, can quickly break.
Precautionary measures
To protect the roots of the bushes from the cold, it is recommended to mulch with compost with a layer of 8 or 10 cm. This applies to the underground part, but the upper part of the bushes from the cold can be saved by spraying with Epin-Extra, which is sold in ampoules with a capacity of 0.25 ml. For 5 liters of water you need 4 such ampoules. After preparation, the solution is stored for no more than 2 days, so it must be used immediately. For cucumbers, this is a good anti-stress remedy.
Lack of water or excessive watering, along with a small amount of nutrients in the soil, leads to the appearance of various kinds of diseases in the bushes, which is expressed by yellowing of leaves and other characteristic signs.
Since conditions for late sowing of bushes may not always be favorable, the appearance of rot is possible. You need to carefully monitor the condition of the leaves and the bushes themselves as a whole. When the first undesirable signs are detected, it is recommended to add low-fat milk to the water for irrigation in a 1:1 ratio.The total amount of such solution for watering cucumbers is taken at the rate of 1 liter per 8 bushes.
If the bushes were sown in greenhouse conditions, then the harvest can often be spoiled due to condensation appearing on the walls of the shelter. High levels of humidity can lead to the formation of rot and fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Getting rid of excess water will be to water at the very root and at an earlier time of day. In this case, it is necessary to prevent drops of water from getting on the bushes themselves.
At the end of watering, the bushes with cucumbers should be covered with non-woven material (for example, spunbond is suitable) until the air in the greenhouse warms up well. This measure most likely applies to greenhouses made of film, because much condensation does not form in glazed structures. The drug Trichodermin, which is a kind of antibiotic, will help defeat powdery mildew.
Proper watering
Proper watering is as important as proper sowing of seeds. The procedure should be carried out in the early morning hours or late evening. In this case, the water temperature should be slightly above 25 degrees. By evening she will have time to warm up. If the weather is warm outside, then you need to water the bushes no more than once every 2-3 days. The amount of water should be 4 liters per square meter. As soon as the bushes with cucumbers fade, the consumption should be increased to 9 or 10 liters.
With the onset of cold weather, the amount of water for irrigation must be reduced. This is done for precautionary purposes. Cool conditions are hard on the ability of plant roots to absorb moisture and nutrients. And excessive watering in this case will lead to the formation of rot. Thus, the frequency to begin with is reduced to 1 time per week.
In the autumn months, even less often - no more than once every 2 weeks. The amount of water can be practically not reduced - that is, 8 or 9 liters per square meter. Adult cucumber bushes need to be watered only after the soil is completely dry. At the same time, wetting the soil well so that moisture reaches the root system.
Conclusion
Well-selected seed varieties for sowing, their proper preparation, proper planting, timely care and proper watering techniques are all the main components of an excellent harvest. Compliance with them before and on time of sowing will allow you to enjoy a fresh harvest directly from the garden all fall.
