Content
The method of growing zucchini and other crops in barrels attracts gardeners, first of all, with the opportunity to save space in their garden plots. However, when planning to try this method, you need to take into account that it requires quite labor-intensive preparation. Agricultural technology is also noticeably different from that required by the crop in “classic” beds. Therefore, it is impossible to get a good harvest if you do not study in advance how to grow zucchini in a barrel step by step, paying attention to all the important nuances.
Is it possible to plant zucchini in an iron barrel?
A barrel made of any material (metal, plastic, wood) is suitable for growing zucchini. Its dimensions are much more important. The required height is approximately 1 m, diameter is at least 0.5 m, volume is from 200 l. However, when growing zucchini in a metal or plastic barrel, you need to take into account that these materials heat up more than wood in direct sunlight.
To prevent the root system of plants from “burning out,” it is necessary to regulate watering depending on the weather outside
Advantages of planting zucchini in a barrel at the dacha
Growing zucchini and other garden crops in barrels is a method that attracts summer residents with its undoubted advantages:
- significant savings in planting space on a personal plot;
- aesthetics, decorativeness of the garden;
- decreasing risk of plant damage by pathogenic microflora;
- the ability to do without chemicals to prevent the development of diseases, pest attacks, and control them;
- saving time on weeding and loosening;
- providing plants with better lighting and high-quality ventilation;
- the possibility of harvesting fruits at an earlier date;
- increasing productivity of zucchini, presentation of their appearance;
- relatively easy care;
- relatively small consumption of land for planting and water for irrigation.
Zucchini in barrels looks very original and unusual
Suitable varieties
Varieties and hybrids of zucchini suitable for growing in barrels must meet several criteria:
- self-pollinating;
- compactness;
- low maintenance requirements;
- high yield.
The choice is quite large:
- Video clip;
- Aeronaut;
- Golden;
- White-fruited;
- Pharaoh;
- Apollo;
- Sosnovsky;
- Gribovsky-37.
How many zucchini can you plant in a barrel?
Depending on the volume of the barrel and the size of the adult plants, from one to three zucchini are planted in each container. “Crowding” and cramped conditions with this method of cultivation are just as harmful as in conventional beds.
Planting zucchini in a barrel photo step by step
Growing zucchini in a barrel at the dacha is not difficult. But only if you properly prepare for landing. This applies to seed processing and filling the container; there are other important nuances.
Seed preparation
Zucchini seeds that are unable to sprout are definitely not suitable for growing in barrels. To determine the presence of an embryo, they are soaked in a saline solution (30-40 g per liter of water). 10-15 minutes are enough for light empty specimens to float to the surface of the container, and heavy ones to “sink to the bottom.”
Warming up the zucchini seeds selected for growing in barrels has a positive effect on their germination; they germinate “harmoniously.” The planting material is left on the radiator for a day, wrapped in a piece of dry cloth.
Then the seeds need to be germinated. To do this, a cotton or linen napkin is moistened with hot (40-45 °C) water and the planting material is wrapped in it. The germination procedure takes 4-5 days; the tissue should not be allowed to dry out during this time. Some gardeners replace ordinary warm water with a solution of a biostimulant - purchased or natural.
Do not delay planting prepared seeds, otherwise the sprouts will become too long
Preparing a barrel for planting zucchini
A metal or plastic barrel for growing zucchini must have holes. Otherwise, acidification of the soil is inevitable and normal air exchange is impossible. Wood is much more permeable and does not prevent the evaporation of excess moisture.
The bottom of a barrel made of metal or plastic can be removed completely. Several holes must be drilled in the walls to “drain” excess moisture.
Next, approximately in the center, you need to “mount” a vertical pipe inside, having previously “perforated” it. Otherwise, it is impossible to evenly wet the substrate in a barrel for growing zucchini.
If there is no suitable pipe, it is “assembled” from several plastic bottles of the same volume, cutting off their bottom and neck
Soil preparation
Filling the barrels for growing zucchini begins last summer. In the southern regions you can “hold out” until autumn (the first half of September). If you postpone this procedure until spring, the soil mixture should “stand” for at least 2-3 weeks.
About half of the total volume is drainage. For example, small scraps of rotten wood, pebbles, brick chips, and ceramic shards are suitable. Next, in layers about 5 cm thick, slightly compacting them, fill the barrel for growing zucchini almost completely, leaving 12-15 cm to the edge. A mixture of fertile turf, humus and peat chips is alternated with any plant debris: fallen leaves, hay, tops, weeded weeds.
You cannot use carrion, leaves, etc. with traces that resemble symptoms of damage by any pathogenic microflora. Otherwise, when grown in a barrel, zucchini will “inherit” these diseases. Also, pine needles and sawdust from coniferous trees, which acidify the substrate, which the culture does not tolerate, are not suitable.
The barrel for growing zucchini is placed in an open place, well lit and warmed by the sun. Over the next three months, its contents are watered weekly with plenty of warm water or a solution of special EM preparations that activate the “processing” of organic matter by soil bacteria.
Additionally, you can cover the barrel for growing zucchini with thick black plastic film
Some gardeners prefer to spill the contents of the barrel for growing zucchini not with ordinary water, but with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate. This is an affordable and effective means for destroying any pathogenic microflora.
Technology for planting zucchini in a barrel
Planting zucchini in a barrel is not difficult even for novice gardeners: a step-by-step description of the procedure and photos of more experienced summer residents on the relevant topic will help you navigate. But first you need to grow seedlings.
In principle, you can plant sprouted seeds in a barrel, but seedlings provide a certain “gain” in time. The seedlings are transferred to a permanent place around mid-May, after the appearance of the third true leaf. By this time, the likelihood of return spring frosts is reduced to a minimum.
The further algorithm of actions is as follows:
- About a day before planting, it is good to spill the substrate in the barrel for growing zucchini with water. After letting it soak in, loosen it to a depth of 10-12 cm and level the surface. The approximate consumption rate is 10 liters of water.
- Remove the seedlings from the container, if possible keeping a whole lump of soil on the roots. It is more convenient to grow zucchini seedlings in peat tablets or cups - such plants are planted together with the container.
- Stepping back at least 10 cm from the edges of the barrel, dig one or more holes, the depth and diameter of which approximately coincides with the lump of soil on the roots. When growing 2-3 zucchini in a barrel, leave about 40 cm between them.
- At the bottom of the hole, throw a handful of humus mixed with sifted wood ash or complex nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium fertilizer. Transfer the plant into it, fill the hole with soil, and carefully compact the soil.
- Water the plants moderately.
“Crowding” in a barrel is just as undesirable as when growing zucchini in beds
Further care
If zucchini is planted in a barrel correctly, without neglecting all the necessary preparation, caring for them during the season will not take much time and effort. Agricultural technology includes:
- Watering. When grown in a barrel, zucchini is watered every 3-4 days, spending about 5 liters of water per container. In extreme heat and drought, you will have to switch to daily watering, reducing the “norm” by about half.It will not be possible to moisten the substrate “from above”, since the bush grows quickly and occupies the entire surface of the barrel, so watering is practiced through a pipe in the middle. Only warm and settled or otherwise softened water is suitable for plants. When it is excessively hard, chlorine and fluorine compounds quickly accumulate in the substrate, to which zucchini reacts very negatively when grown in a barrel.
- Feeding. The culture does not like excess nutrients. Therefore, if the soil mixture in a barrel for growing zucchini has been prepared correctly, the fertilizers added to it in advance will be sufficient for them. The same applies to the fertility of the substrate; there is no need to “raise” it during the season. Foliar feeding (spraying with a biostimulant solution) is allowed only when the weather is cool for a long time or under other negative “external” influences.
Treatment with biostimulants not only increases the overall endurance of plants, but also has a positive effect on the quality of the crop.
To increase the yield when growing zucchini in barrels, it is recommended to do the following:
- just before flowering, pinch the growing point;
- immediately after flowering, remove all “barren flowers” so that the plant does not waste water and nutrients on them;
- 2-3 weeks before harvest, when the skin of the zucchini has already acquired a typical shade for the variety or hybrid, cut off all the leaves covering them to provide the fruit with maximum light and heat.
Harvesting
When growing zucchini in barrels, they ripen 15-20 days earlier than in open ground. The harvest time is determined based on their purpose:
- Unripe zucchini is best suited for home canning and any dishes.They have thin skin, tender flesh and the most intense taste.
- For long-term storage, you need to wait until the fruits are completely ripe. This is easy to determine by tapping the skin with your knuckles (the sound should be dull). You can also try scratching the peel with your fingernail - if you cannot remove it without effort, it has hardened enough to provide the required keeping quality to the zucchini.
When grown in barrels, zucchini is cut with a sharp knife; you must not pull the stalk or unscrew it.
Conclusion
Growing zucchini in a barrel step by step is an algorithm of simple actions. But, in general, they take up a lot of time and effort from the gardener. It is impossible to reap a good harvest without choosing the right variety, quality preparation and knowledge of the nuances of agricultural technology. However, summer residents are not ready to abandon the unusual growing method: the opportunity to save space on the site is too “captivating.”
