During the long winter, gardeners dream of something new. summer season and upcoming harvests. You can brighten up the wait for spring by growing several cucumber plants in your room, which will delight you with lush greenery and fragrant fruits.

Varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill

For an apartment, you need to select greenhouse self-pollinating hybrids, since there are no pollinating insects at home, and transferring pollen from stamens to pistils with a brush is tedious. The hybrid must be short-stemmed, resistant to lack of light and dry air, and produce salad-type fruits.

Suitable varieties of cucumbers on the windowsill:

• Abatova;
• Adventure;
• Excitement;
• Aksinya;
• Diamond;
• Alliance Plus and others.

There are several hundred varieties suitable for indoor growing. If the bag of seeds indicates that it is a parthenocarpic salad-type hybrid intended for protected soil, feel free to buy it and plant it.

Preparing for landing

You can sow cucumbers on the windowsill at any time of the year. In winter, plants will have to be illuminated with fluorescent lamps, as they will not have enough natural light. If you do not want to waste electricity, it is better to sow later - in March.

Priming

Pumpkin plants love neutral or slightly acidic soil. It is easier to purchase soil of the required acidity in the store. The bag should be marked “Neutral”. The industrial substrate contains all the nutritional elements necessary for cucumbers in a balanced ratio.

You can prepare the soil yourself by taking:

• garden land 1;
• humus 0.3;
• sand 0.3;
• wood ash 0.01.

It is difficult to grow cucumbers on a windowsill without ash - it will remove the acidity inherent in most natural soils and protect against bacterial diseases, to which cucumbers on a windowsill in winter are very prone to due to lack of light and overwatering.

Each plant will require a separate container with a volume of at least 2 liters. A standard seedling box will fit 5-6 vines. There must be holes at the bottom of the cucumber house to drain excess water.

Place

A well-insulated window will do sunny side apartments. Heat-loving cucumbers do not tolerate drafts and cold. If it is expected winter growing cucumbers on the windowsill , it needs to be insulated by placing wooden stand or polystyrene foam.

It is useful to equip slopes with mirrors or reflective film so that the plant gets more outside light. In summer, cucumbers can be grown on regular or glassed balcony, where they will feel great, taking advantage of the abundance of light and space.

Seed preparation

Seeds greenhouse cucumbers often sold already processed. Take a closer look at the seeds. If they are red, blue or green, then they just need to be sown in the ground - there is a film on their surface that protects them from harmful microorganisms.

Untreated seeds will have to be prepared for sowing yourself. They always contain spores of fungi and bacteria, which can damage the delicate seedling, and then there will be no germination.

Ordinary potassium permanganate will help get rid of the infection. The seeds are immersed for 20 minutes in a pale pink solution. If you have scales, you can measure the exact dose of manganese - 1 g of powder is required per liter of water.

After disinfection, the seeds are thoroughly washed in clean water. There should be no traces of processing left on their surface. Permanganate remaining on the seed coat will hinder germination.

Planting cucumbers on the windowsill

After disinfection, the seeds are immediately sown in pots, 2 pieces in each container to a depth of 1.5 cm. The sown soil is watered with warm water separated from chlorine.

Indoor maintenance of cucumber vines is not particularly difficult, even for beginners. The plant requires no more careful care than geranium or any other popular indoor flower. The color and elasticity of the leaves will tell you about defects in care.

Watering

Cucumbers are afraid of cold water, reacting to it with root rot and spots on the leaves. The temperature of the liquid should not be lower than 22 degrees. If the room is colder in winter, the water needs to be slightly heated. The easiest way is to get a special plastic watering can and pour tap water into it in advance so that it has time to settle and warm up before watering. The vessel can be placed directly on the radiator.

The soil in a pot of cucumbers should always be slightly moist, but not wet. As soon as top layer becomes completely dry, water the plants, sparing no water, so that excess moisture flows out onto the tray. Then be sure to drain it. Stagnation of water leads to freezing of roots and an outbreak of infectious diseases.

Cucumbers are tropical inhabitants. The air of their homeland is saturated with water vapor. The vines on the windowsill will be grateful for frequent spraying from a spray bottle.

In a critically dry atmosphere, even with frequent spraying, the tips of the leaves dry out. A tray with expanded clay or pebbles will help correct the situation. The pots are placed directly on the stones and a little water is poured onto the bottom of the tray so that the evaporating moisture envelops the plants and creates a zone around them high humidity.

Top dressing

The prepared soil contains all the nutrients that cucumbers need. Fertilizers are required situationally - when the plant outwardly shows that it lacks certain elements.

With a lack of nitrogen the leaves become pale, the stems become thin, and the greens become twisted. Plants take on a frail appearance. In such cases, urea will help - add 5-6 balls of fertilizer per liter of water and water the plants as usual. After 2-3 such feedings, the leaves will acquire a natural dark shade.

Nitrogen fertilizing should be carried out with caution - it increases the amount of nitrates in fruits. The same rule applies to organics. Manure, compost and chicken droppings are not used in rooms for sanitary and hygienic reasons. But if you add them to the soil, the cucumbers will be saturated with nitrates in the same way as when watered with mineral water. Therefore, fertilizers (organic and inorganic) are applied when the plant clearly shows that it lacks nitrogen.

Phosphorus and potassium fertilizing can be carried out more freely. They do not deteriorate the quality of fruits and do not make them hazardous to human health.

About excess phosphorus pale necrotic spots that appear between the veins are signaled, and a deficiency is signaled by the falling of flowers and ovaries, dry spots on lower leaves. You need to add several granules of superphosphate into the soil, using a thin peg to make indentations around the perimeter of the pot to a depth of at least 10 cm. Place 1-2 balls into each hole.

With excess potassium the leaves become hard and break off easily. Potassium is important for cucumbers. If there is a deficiency, light stripes appear on the plates, running from the petioles to the tips. Over time, the markings become wider and the leaves break, wither and die, or become dome-shaped.

Getting rid of potassium deficiency is easy. Potash fertilizers, unlike superphosphate, are well diluted in water:

1. Buy potassium sulfate or chloride.
2. Fill in liter jar water.
3. Throw a pinch of fertilizer into the water.
4. Stir until completely dissolved.
5. Water the plants.

In order not to apply phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen fertilizers separately, it is better to use complex formulations specifically designed for growing cucumbers, for example, Agricola for pumpkin. Fertilizer is applied under the roots or along the leaves according to the instructions printed on the package.

Backlight

Cucumber is neutral regarding day length. There is an exception - a few short-day varieties that require less than 12 hours of daylight. Information about this will be indicated on the seed package.

Such cultivars can be sown only in the first half of the year, when the days lengthen. To start bearing fruit, they need short days at the beginning of the growing season. In the second half of the growing season, day length no longer affects plant development.

Conventional varieties do not respond to the duration of illumination; they grow with equal success at 10 and 16 hour days. The intensity of the light flux is important. If the leaves do not have enough photons, they will not be able to provide a full filling of greens. As a result, the flowers and ovaries will begin to fall off, and only single fruits will remain on the branches.

To correct the situation in window opening install fluorescent lamps or phytolamps. The backlight can be placed both from above and from the side.

Topping

Formation is the most complex operation in caring for indoor cucumbers, but you can’t do without it. Thickened plants will not produce the required harvest, since their strength will be spent on the formation of new vines to the detriment of fruiting.

The formation of indoor cucumbers differs from greenhouse cucumbers in the scheme.

Carrying out:

1. The lower three nodes are removed side shoots and ovaries.
2. Starting from the 4th node, the plant is allowed to branch, pinching each lash after 5-6 nodes - the vine formed in this way does not grow long, but gives a decent harvest.

What are cucumbers afraid of on the windowsill?

Pumpkin plants in the room are afraid of wet and at the same time cold soil. The roots of the plant must be kept warm, so the pot is isolated from the plastic window sill, placed on a stand that does not allow low temperature. In winter, the window must be kept closed - the flow of cold air, even if it is an imperceptible gap between the frames, will freeze the plant.

Seedlings can be damaged by blackleg. Diseased specimens will have to be thrown out and the soil changed or disinfected in the oven.

Adult plants in the room do not suffer from common garden pests: aphids, caterpillars. The development of fungal diseases is unlikely, but just in case, it is better to immediately tear off all suspicious leaves with spots and throw them away.

When to expect the harvest

Cucumber vines begin to bear fruit 45-50 days after the first leaves appear and set greens for 1.5 months. If you need to receive products constantly, seeds are sown in batches every 30-40 days.

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill and reaping a good harvest is quite possible. Caring for a plant in winter will take more time and effort than in summer - a heat-loving crop requires certain conditions. But when correct execution With all the recommendations and tips for growing cucumbers at home, you can get ripe and juicy fruits for the dinner table.

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill at home all year round: where to start

Typically, cucumbers do not tolerate extreme heat and love water and sun. But plant care requirements may vary depending on the variety, indoor microclimate and soil composition.

Cucumber is a plant belonging to the pumpkin family.

The roots of cucumber vines are located near the surface. The soil for the windowsill should be mulched in the same way as for plants outside.

Choosing a variety of indoor cucumber

When choosing a seed variety, it is better to choose those that are intended specifically for our purpose. To grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, planting material must be appropriate for the season, unpretentious and disease-resistant. Can be used. They are resistant to weather changes and do not require much maintenance.

It is advisable to choose a medium or short ripening period. For this reason, they often take it. Preference should be given to self-pollinating or parthenocarpic - plants that do not require pollination. You can take bee-pollinated ones, but you will have to tinker with them additionally.

For growing in room conditions The cucumber seeds described in this article are suitable.

The varieties most suitable for planting in winter are:

• "F1 Ekaterina"– smooth, long cucumbers that ripen in about 45 days. The flowers do not require pollination and can withstand heat and low light;

Cucumber variety “F1 Ekaterina”

• "F1 Faust"– fruits of medium length with a pronounced characteristic taste and thin skin. The plant begins to bear fruit in 50-55 days, does not require pollination, is resistant to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus;
• "F1 Khrustik"– parthenocarpic, early ripening, generous in yield and resistant to common diseases. Cucumbers are short and medium, tasty and crunchy;

Cucumber variety “F1 Khrustik”

• "F1 Gift of the East"– the plant does not require pollination and is not affected powdery mildew, low-climbing and bears fruit for a long time. From planting to the appearance of the first cucumbers, 50-53 days pass. The fruits are small, suitable for pickling and fresh consumption.

If you cannot make a choice yourself, consult a salesperson in a specialized store. Note that you need a variety suitable for growing on a windowsill during the cold season.

Landing dates

There are no specific dates for planting cucumbers on the windowsill. From November to February, the plant will in any case require additional lighting; growing the crop is not dependent on the weather or daylength.

Be guided in this matter only by your own needs and desires. If you want to serve fresh homemade cucumbers on the New Year's table, you need to sow the seeds in last days October . If you plan to harvest the crop in early spring, you need to start cultivating the plant from January 1-5.

The time for planting cucumbers depends on your needs and desires.

Selecting a location

The room in which you plan to place pots of cucumbers should be warm and bright. No drafts or significant temperature changes. It will be better if the room windows face south side. It is ideal to place plants on a windowsill in the kitchen or next to the bathroom. The humidity there is higher, the air is not overdried by heating devices.

When growing cucumbers in an apartment, you need to select a place with high humidity and not dry air.

To protect the seedlings from winter cold, place foam or wooden blocks under the pots.

How to properly grow at home on a window: planting features

To plant each plant, you will need a 5-liter container with holes for water. The same goes for . It is filled with moist soil, depressions of about 1.5 cm are made in the ground and seeds are placed there - pre-sprouted or not. Before germination, it is better to cover the pot with film and place it in a room where the temperature does not drop below 25°. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the covering material is removed and the container is moved to the windowsill.

To begin with, the seeds can also be sown in small pots or cups and then replanted. But in this case, you will have to wait until the seedlings take root and hope that none of them die.

Initially, you can grow cucumbers in small cups, but later the plant will need to be replanted

Soil preparation

The easiest way to plant cucumbers is to buy ready-made soil - universal or designed specifically for pumpkin soil. If there is none, the soil is prepared as follows:

1. Humus and forest or garden fertile turf are mixed in a 1:1 ratio. After that, add a handful of sand, ash, and rotted black sawdust to 5 liters of the mixture. The resulting loose soil needs to be fed mineral fertilizers – matchbox for 5 liters of soil. These could be additives designed for growing cucumbers or all pumpkin crops, or nitrophoska.
2. Take 2 parts of garden soil, mix into it 1 part of rotten sawdust, sand, humus and ready soil for growing seedlings. The mixture is disinfected, and then supplemented with ash, manure, crushed eggshell and chalk at the rate of a glass per 5 liters of soil and chicken droppings - 0.5 cups for the same volume.

Different types of soils

Read more about fertilizers and feeding cucumbers.

Homemade soil must be disinfected so that the seedlings do not get sick and are not eaten by flies. To do this, the soil is heated at high temperatures - in the oven or on a stove.

Before planting seeds, pour 2-3 centimeters of drainage from coarse sand, small pebbles or broken bricks, and soil is laid on top. The day before sowing, the soil needs to be watered.

Read how to prepare the soil for planting cucumbers in greenhouse conditions.

Seed preparation

You should buy seeds for growing cucumbers on the windowsill at least a month before planting. Then they are placed in a warm, dry place so that they dry out within 30 days. Afterwards, the planting material is sorted out, darkened or damaged seeds are discarded, and good ones are disinfected. This is done using a weak pink solution of potassium permanganate: the grains are wrapped in gauze and soaked in the liquid for 15-20 minutes. You can also put the seeds overnight in an ash solution, aloe juice, or in growth stimulants according to the instructions.

If you plan to use the planting material immediately, it needs to be dried again for 1-2 hours. But it is best to germinate the seeds in advance for winter cultivation. To do this, they are placed on a cotton pad or napkin soaked in water and left in a warm place for 2-3 days, moisturizing as necessary. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the cucumbers are planted.

Seeds must be germinated before planting

Seeds in a shell do not require germination or disinfection. Keep in mind that they germinate a little later than usual. If you want to grow cucumbers for a specific event, sow them a week earlier.

Care

A plant on a windowsill in the cold season is deprived of sunlight, moisture and temperatures that contribute to the development and formation of cucumbers in the garden. Caring for home seedlings involves recreating these same conditions.

Watering

Like garden varieties, cucumbers on the windowsill love water. Immediately after planting, the seeds are watered approximately every two days. This is done as necessary - the soil should be slightly moist, not dry and not too flooded.

Already developed plants are watered more often. If lamps are installed above the seedlings, the soil is gradually moistened twice a day. If there is no additional light, once a day is enough. Water for irrigation is used at room temperature, preferably filtered or at least settled.

Depending on the variety, cucumbers are watered from 2 times a day to 4 times a week.

To make it easier to care for cucumber lashes, stretch ropes over the container every 7-12 centimeters. So climbing plant will receive more light, and the fruits and ovaries will not be damaged.

Temperature

The optimal temperature for growing cucumbers on a windowsill is above 18° and below 26°. It needs to be maintained at approximately the same level. To do this, the windows are insulated as much as possible and all cracks are closed - a winter draft can deprive the harvest or delay fruiting for more late date even in a warm room.

Light

In order for the plant to develop properly, it requires 10 hours of daylight. In winter, the window sill will have to be equipped with additional lamps - special phyto- or fluorescent. They are placed above the containers at a distance of 15-20 centimeters with the ability to raise them a little higher when the lashes stretch out.

When growing cucumbers at home, they need additional lighting with fluorescent lamps

You can also attach foil to the plants on the side of the room. It will reflect light and increase the illuminated area.

Humidity

Too much watering can cause blackleg disease. To prevent this from happening, it is better to add water a little at a time and maintain high humidity around the plant. Optimal level– 85-90%. Can be used to humidify the air special devices or sprayers, in the old fashioned way, place a saucer of water next to the cucumbers or place a wet towel on the radiator under the windowsill.

How to properly water cucumbers is described.

Top dressing

Cucumber seedlings on the windowsill are fertilized twice. The first fertilizing is carried out approximately 2 weeks after seed germination. As an additive, use ready-made mineral fertilizers for cucumbers or mix them yourself from superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and magnesium sulfate. Take 5 grams of each ingredient and dissolve in 5 liters of water. The liquid is watered over the roots of the plant. 1 glass should be divided into 5 seedlings.

To obtain a large yield, add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil

The second feeding of homemade cucumbers is carried out 7-10 days after the first. For watering, use the same mixture, distributing a glass of fertilizer over 2 plants. If you do not want to use mineral fertilizers, you can use organic matter for the second feeding. To do this, take the peels of 5 bananas, add a liter of water and leave for a week. The resulting concentrate is diluted with another 2 liters of water and used for root watering.

Try not to “hoard” the harvest. Remove the cucumbers as soon as they reach 8-10 centimeters. The more often you pick, the longer and more abundant plant will bear fruit.

Disease Prevention

To prevent cucumbers from getting sick, it is important to follow care recommendations, disinfect the soil and seeds, and use bactericidal solutions against pests.

Tobacco decoction helps against aphids and whiteflies. 30 grams of tobacco are poured into a liter of water and boiled for 8-10 minutes. The cooled liquid is diluted with another liter of water and the plant is sprayed with it. The most common cucumber aphid is found on cucumbers in greenhouses, and read how to fight it.

One can envy those who have their own personal plot, even a small dacha! Owners of their own homes can always enjoy vitamins carefully grown in their gardens.

But even in the dank, cold season, you want to pamper yourself and your family with a salad of fresh cucumbers, your own, not store-bought ones. Store-bought ones are expensive, and their taste is not at all the same.

There is a way out! We can grow cucumbers on the windowsill.

• In any apartment you can create your own mini-garden from indoor cucumbers. To do this, you need very little: suitable seeds, knowledge of planting and care rules and, of course, desire.

An apartment garden on the windowsill requires absolutely easy care. Even inexperienced, novice amateur gardeners can cope with this.

Although cucumber crops are particularly demanding, it is quite possible to create suitable conditions for them on the windowsill.

Choosing the right variety

There are cucumber varieties specially created by breeders and intended for cultivation in apartments. Almost all of them are hybrids that can do without pollinating insects.

These are female-type cucumbers, parthenocarpic hybrids, capable of setting fruit in the absence of pollination.

• The ideal varieties of cucumbers for the windowsill will be medium-climbing and bush varieties. They will have more than enough space even in small areas.

It is best to choose shade-tolerant varieties, those hybrids that do not mind winter weather and indoor lighting.

The best varieties of indoor cucumbers

♦ Shchedrik. Early-ripening cucumbers (the first harvest will ripen 40-45 days after sowing).

Cucumbers grow up to 12 cm and they grow in bouquets of 6-8 pieces. Each of the home cucumber plants can bring the owner up to 20-25 fruits.

♦ Crunch. The harvest of small cucumbers will please the owner in 45-50 days. Small fruits grow in groups of 5-7 pieces.

The harvest is abundant; one cucumber bush can produce up to 40 cucumbers. The crunch is vigorous, it can even be allowed to grow as a beautiful vine along the window.

♦ Bianca. The gherkin cucumber is ideal for pickling and marinades. On each node they can form up to 6-7 sweet-tasting fruits.

Bianca is distinguished by long fruiting and good resistance to stress and disease.

♦ Masha. This variety of windowsill cucumber has a powerful and strong stem. Small cucumbers ripen together, their flesh is devoid of bitterness and is quite dense.

They ripen in groups of up to 5-6 pieces on one node. The length of each fruit is up to 8 cm.

♦ Regatta. The variety is distinguished by high taste, it is resistant to diseases and has excellent yield (it gives the owner up to 40 fruits weighing 150 g from each plant). This is an ideal species for indoor growing.

Other parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers are also perfect for a rich garden on the windowsill: Photon, Marinda F1, Cucaracha, Aprilsky, Zozulya, Klavdiya F1, Gribovchanka, Stella, Debut, Room, Domashny.

There are also domestic varieties that need pollination, the most delicious of which are: Ladoga, Fregat, Manul, Marathon, Olympics, Northern Lights.

With them it will be necessary to plant some male pollinator variety: Hercules, Ermine, Gladiator. If necessary, you can pollinate the plants yourself using a soft brush.

An important event - planting cucumbers

♦ Select and prepare a place. Green homemade cucumber crumbs require warmth and good lighting, so it is better to create a cucumber garden on southern or eastern windows.

1. If the window sill is too cold, place pieces of isolon, foam plastic or boards on it (otherwise the roots of the seedlings may freeze).
2. Cover the window with polyethylene (this will prevent the appearance of drafts when ventilating our mini-kindergarten). Be sure to seal all cracks in the windows.
3. You can stick reflective films on the glass, and install mirrors or foil next to the pots. Such a coating will create more comfortable conditions for young plants.
4. Cucumbers also need good humidity. This can be provided by containers filled with water, trays with moistened gravel/pebbles placed next to the seedling boxes. Wet rags on batteries and special humidifiers also increase humidity well.

Provide additional artificial lighting (our winter has short daylight hours). Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter should be illuminated for at least 10-12 hours, in early spring 4-6 hours additionally.

♦ Where to plant. Cucumbers grown on a windowsill can be placed in any container with a volume of at least 8 liters per plant. The containers should have a couple of holes at the bottom for free access of air and drainage of excess liquid.

Place drainage from pieces of broken brick, tiles, expanded clay, gravel or foam at the bottom. The drainage layer should be about 3-4 cm, cover it with soil on top.

• Before filling containers soil mixture, boxes for cucumbers should be thoroughly washed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and then doused with steam. This is necessary for additional disinfection.

♦ Soil for planting. How to grow cucumbers on a windowsill, what kind of soil do they need? Homemade cucumbers love loose and fertile soil.

To grow them, you can use purchased ready-made soil (universal or pumpkin mixture). You can also make the soil yourself.

We need the following mixture:

• Compost 40%.
• Peat 30%.
• Turf soil 20%.
• Wood sawdust 10%.

It is also necessary to add urea to the finished soil (the volume of an incomplete matchbox per 10 liters of ready-made soil mixture) and potassium sulfate with superphosphate (the volume of two matchboxes).

A mixture of turf soil, manure humus, peat and sawdust(1 part each).

Add nitrophoska (1 tbsp), wood ash (1 cup) and urea (1 tsp) to a bucket of this mixture.

• Soil consumption is at least 5-6 liters for each cucumber plant. Or follow this rule: 5-6 bushes are planted per seedling box 60-70 cm long.

For prevention and disinfection, the soil should be watered with a weak (pale pink) solution of manganese and heated in the oven.

Then mix the soil thoroughly and pour it into the container, not reaching 5-7 cm from the edge of the container. Before planting the seeds, water the containers with soil. hot water temperature +60-70° C.

• According to advice experienced gardeners Lubricate the edges of the container where the cucumbers will grow with some ointment with a strong odor (for example, “Star” balm). The pungent aroma will repel the appearance of one of the worst pests of cucumbers - the sprout fly, which can be carried with the ground.

♦ When to plant. If you plan to see fresh cucumbers at New Year's table– plant the seeds at the end of October.

Seeds sown at the end of December will yield a harvest around the end of February. If you need vitamins in the spring (March), sow your garden in January.

And if you want to save on electricity and grow cucumbers without additional lighting, then it is best to sow the seeds on February 20-25.

Keep in mind that not much time passes from the time of sowing to the start of collecting vitamin fruits (30-50 days). It depends on the type of cucumber.

♦ Preparing the seeds. There are different seeds for growing cucumbers on the windowsill. Their preparation for planting is carried out depending on the type of purchased seeds:

• Hybrid seeds. The fact that the variety is a hybrid can be understood by the F1 marking in the name. These seeds are sold fully prepared for sowing. No additional measures are required.
• Instructed seeds. On sale you can find multi-colored cucumber seeds (blue, green, red). Their attractive color is the result of treatment with polymers that form a reliable protective shell. Polymers stimulate plant growth and protect them. Such seeds also do not require preliminary preparation.
• Dried seeds. These types of seeds are coated with a special peat-mineral mixture, which forms a protective shell. Pelleted seeds are more economical when sowing, they rarely need to be thinned out and they do not require additional preparation for sowing.

All other seeds of varietal cucumbers should be kept for 5-6 hours in a weak solution of immunocytophyte (tablet per 100 ml of water).

You can also use a light pink solution of manganese or wood ash (a teaspoon per 100 ml of water).

Before soaking, the seeds should be heated in a thermos for about 2-3 hours in hot water at a temperature of +45-40° C.

♦ Sowing. Prepared cucumber seeds are best grown in small cups. Carefully place each seed in separate containers in a small depression, cover the top with a damp bandage or gauze.

Place the cups in boxes, cover the boxes themselves with glass or film. Place them in a warm place and keep them at a temperature of +23-25° C.

• After 2-3 days, the first cotyledons will develop on the cucumbers. Immediately after the emergence of seedlings, we remove the covering and transfer the container with our seeds to the selected and prepared windowsill.

Cucumbers at home must be placed on the windowsill so that their leaves top part were facing the window.

Optimal temperature for young seedlings: during the day +22-26° C, at night +17-22° C.

After 20-25 days, young crops need to be moved to larger containers already by permanent places habitat (for this activity, choose cloudy days).

Water the soil before replanting warm water. The seedlings are transplanted with a clod of earth (take care of the leaves of young plants - they are still very fragile).

Let's take care of our cucumbers

♦ Garter. As soon as our cucumbers grow 5-6 leaves, we need to stick pegs next to the seedlings. Or you can string twine or wire at a height of 1.5-1.8 m from the boxes. The growing cucumber tendrils should be tied to it.

• To stimulate the growth of young plants, cut off the top above the 10-11th leaf, also regularly pinch out all side shoots as soon as they grow 20-30 cm. Every week, young cucumbers need to remove excess tendrils that grow.

♦ Backlight. Daytime, phytolamps or energy-saving lamps for additional illumination of our garden should be placed at a height of at least 5 cm from the upper crown of plants.

As they grow, the lamps should be raised higher.

Lighting can be used from the first moment of seedling emergence. Turn it on during the day from 7-8 am for 6-8 hours. Don't forget to turn off the lamps at night.

♦ Watering. Water the cucumbers sparingly, without waiting for the soil to dry completely. Without additional lighting, the frequency of watering is once a day, with additional lighting a couple of times.

The water must first be settled, and it temperature regime should not exceed +23-25° C.

• Adult plants can be watered less frequently - 2-3 times weekly. Watering cucumbers is best done in the morning.

♦ Feeding. When growing homemade cucumbers on a windowsill, young seedlings (until they reach 20-25 days) should be fed twice:

1. 1.5-2 weeks after the first shoots. Use a urea solution (one teaspoon per 2-3 liters of water). Consumption of a glass of solution for each bush.
2. A week after the first meal. Nitrophoska (teaspoon) or wood ash (tablespoon) per 3 liters of water will do. Consumption: a glass for each plant.

Additionally, seedlings (especially in winter period) can be flavored with infusion from banana peel, diluting it in 10 parts of water.

Adult cucumbers should be fed depending on their health. If the bushes have a weak stem and stunted leaves, the cucumbers need feeding.

• On average feed adults cucumber plantings should be once weekly as soon as they reach the age of 1.5-2 months.

You can arm yourself with purchased complex mineral supplements or liquid organics (Epin, Radogor, Bucephalus).

Cucumbers should also be fed with natural fertilizer (especially during the formation of ovaries).

Wood ash is ideal for this (mix 100 g per liter hot water and leave for a day or two). Before fertilizing, the plants must be watered.

♦ Important nuances. In the process of growing cucumbers on the windowsill, learn a number of simple rules, they mandatory implementation guarantees an abundant and friendly harvest of green vitamins:

1. Don't let the cucumbers' soil dry out!
2. If cucumber roots appear on the surface of the soil, immediately sprinkle them with fresh soil.
3. If female flowers actively appear, cut off some of them, otherwise the fruits will form very slowly.
4. Do not leave ripe cucumbers hanging on the bushes - they will continue to take nutrients and will not allow other fruits to fully ripen. The more often ripe cucumbers are removed, the more of them will be formed.

If all the rules are followed and careful care is taken, your cucumber garden will show excellent results yield, on average, up to 30-35 strong cucumbers filled with vitamins can be harvested from one plant.

♦ Harvesting. Ripe cucumbers should be picked at the age of 1-1.5 weeks. Do this every day.

Diseased or deformed fruits should be removed immediately after they form.

Harvesting a tiny harvest will bring real pleasure to the owner of a mini-cucumber garden!

Instead of a window sill - a balcony!

A cucumber garden can be successfully placed on a covered balcony, terrace or loggia. It is better to place cucumbers on the balcony in the corners of the room or along the walls.

Thus, the plants will be more protected from possible drafts.

• For successful cultivation For cucumbers in such conditions, it is better to select balconies/loggias in a southern or south-eastern direction (the same as when arranging cucumbers on a windowsill). If the balcony faces north, it will be too dark for young cucumbers and they may not grow.

If your balcony is well insulated, you can grow cucumbers on it all year round. But cucumbers love not only warmth, but also light.

If you have the means and opportunity, install additional lighting on the balconies (but be aware that you will need several lamps, and the energy consumption will increase - after all, there is much more space on the balcony than on the window sills).

Or plant seeds for seedlings at the beginning of spring, so that earlier (before the onset of short day) have time to harvest.

For the success of your planned event, adhere to the following rules:

1. Provide your garden with regular moisture.
2. Balcony garden needs good protection from insects and drafts (adapted specifically for home grown cucumber varieties are very susceptible to diseases carried by various insect pests).
3. Although cucumbers love light, they should not be allowed to overheat and dry out the leaves. To do this, install protective translucent curtains on the glass of the balconies.
4. Since we will have more cucumbers on balconies/loggias, it is better to use a nylon mesh or a slatted lattice as a garter.

Preparing the soil, seeds, planting and caring for them is carried out according to the same rules as in the case of arranging a garden on a windowsill.

IN winter time fresh vegetables can easily be classified as delicacies: they are not cheap, and it is difficult to find the product good quality. But how you want to enjoy cucumbers picked from the bush, and not pickled! Therefore, Internet users are increasingly interested in what is needed to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter.

What you need to know and which seeds to choose

Properly selected varieties of cucumbers are the key good growth and high yield. It should be remembered that in an apartment or house the growing conditions vegetable crops differ sharply from open ground in summer time. Therefore, the seeds must be suitable.

The optimal varieties of cucumbers for growing on a windowsill in winter are the following hybrids:

• "Claudia F1";
• "Marinda F1";
• "Bianka";
• "Masha";
• "Moscow Greenhouse";
• "Romance";
• "Gribovchanka";
• "Legend".

These varieties are self-pollinating, they are not capricious and you do not have to pollinate them manually during flowering in order to achieve ovary. Such hybrids produce a high yield of tasty fruits up to 25 cm in size.

Properly selected seed varieties will ensure a good harvest

Fans of growing cucumbers at home also highlight the “Room Rykova” variety. Although it is classified as bee-pollinated, it feels very good in indoor conditions and is not at all capricious.

1. In winter, the growth of cucumbers usually slows down. If you sow the seeds in the first ten days of December, the fruits will ripen by the end of February. If you want to get your first harvest by the end of March, sow at the very beginning of February.
2. Good, properly created conditions for the growth of cucumbers will provide you with a harvest of 30-40 fruits per bush. Harvest ripe vegetables in a timely manner to prevent rotting or overripeness.
3. The cucumber bush does not tolerate cold or excessive heat. Do not keep the container with the plant too close to a window, which may freeze, or near a hot radiator.
4. The optimal location of the cucumber bush is near windows facing east or south.
5. Cucumber - light-loving plant. You may need additional lighting as the optimal lighting duration is 6-12 hours.

Selecting soil and planting seeds

Properly prepared soil is the best nutrient medium for growing seedlings. You can purchase it at specialized stores, or you can prepare it yourself. In the fall, stock up on a mixture of humus and turf land. Optimal proportion– 1:1 or 1:3 respectively.

Add to the mixture bucket:

• 50 grams of lime;
• 2 cups wood ash;
• potash, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers - 5 grams each.

Mix the resulting mass thoroughly and place in polyethylene bags. Be sure to check the looseness and softness of the soil.

Cucumber seeds need to be germinated before planting in the soil.

First, the seeds need to be germinated. To do this, they are wrapped in a damp cloth, for example, gauze, and placed on a saucer, which is placed on a well-lit surface. Additional seed treatment can be carried out. Dip them in a warm, weak solution of potassium permanganate and leave for 3 hours. Floating seeds can be discarded - they have low germination rate. Take out those that have sunk to the bottom and leave them to drain on a cotton cloth.

Please note: if you purchased already processed seeds, in a red or green shell, then you will not need to soak them. They are fully prepared and planted in the soil dry.

When the size of the sprouted roots reaches 0.5-1 cm, plant the seeds in pots in pairs.

The process of germination of cucumber seeds

Options for planting seeds or seedlings

Cucumber seeds can be planted in two ways: directly into a prepared pot, or into cups, followed by picking (transplanting). The second method is more expensive and troublesome, but it allows you to weed out unsuccessful and weak seedlings before final planting for high-quality growth.

Healthy seedlings of cucumber seeds in the soil

1. The diameter of the pots for seedlings must be at least 10 cm. best option– capacity from 3 to 4 liters. Pour the soil into the pot, tamping it slightly, spread the seeds and add a 1.5 cm layer of soil. There should be about 4 cm of space left to the top edge, which will need to be filled in a month later. Thus, the most powerful seedlings will break through to the surface.
2. Once you have planted the seeds, cover the pots with plastic until the shoots appear. Best Temperature air temperature for growing cucumbers is 20 degrees.
3. After the seeds germinate, be sure to ventilate the room in which the pots with cucumbers are located, ensuring access fresh air. Now you can lower the temperature in the room to 15-16 degrees. At higher temperatures, the sprouts can stretch in length, which will have a bad effect on both the shape of the bush and the fruit yield.
4. If you decide to grow seedlings in cups and then plant them in large pots, then replanting should be done approximately 4 weeks after germination. Carefully take the cup, holding the seedlings between your fingers, and lightly shake the soil into your palm. Without shaking off the soil from the roots of the seedlings, place the lump into a prepared pot filled with the mixture. Fill the remaining space with soil to the level where the cotyledon leaves are located.

How to properly care for cucumbers during the growth period

Among all the vegetables, cucumbers are the earliest to die. If you grow cucumbers on a windowsill in pots in winter, their lifespan will be about 2 months from the moment the first harvest is received.

1. The growing season of cucumbers is short. The plant begins to bear fruit approximately 4 weeks after planting. Since, unlike tomatoes and peppers, cucumber does not reproduce by cuttings, the bush needs to be changed a maximum of 3 months after it begins to bear fruit.
2. During the flowering period, shake the bush a little once a day to ensure better pollination.
3. After about 5 full leaves appear on the bush, the cucumber is pinched. This will give density and lushness to the plant, and will not allow the branches to grow. This way you will get two short lashes instead of one long one. All ovaries formed up to and at the pinching point must be removed.
4. Cucumbers are very capricious in relation to humidity. Provide them with regular watering; the soil should always be moist. Drying out the soil or excessive dryness of the surrounding air will lead to the ovary falling off the bush. Spray the plant with a spray bottle twice a day.
5. Getting too carried away with hydration is also harmful. If you overwater a plant, especially during its initial growth period, the risk of diseases such as blackleg increases.
6. When growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, do not water them too often, since there is not much heat and sun during the cold period. The exception is if the air in the room is too dry.

The soil in a pot with cucumber seedlings should always be moist

Tip: to avoid drying out or waterlogging of the soil, provide the plant with constant access to moisture. To do this, make a small hole in the bottom of the pot and place the container in a deep saucer with water. The soil in the pot will take required quantity moisture.

Supports and fertilizing for cucumbers

Cucumber is a climbing plant, and its vines can reach considerable lengths, even if you pin them correctly. Therefore, it is very important to provide it with good support of a suitable height, from 70 cm to 1 m. You can use a mesh, trellis, support of any shape, the main thing is strong and stable.

In addition, the support should be light and comfortable, because at least once a day the plant in the pot needs to be rotated 180 degrees around its axis (the same applies to seedlings in cups). Each plant stretches its leaves and stems towards the light source, therefore, leaving a cucumber bush in one position for too long, you risk getting an asymmetrical, ugly and twisted bush, which will ultimately affect the harvest.

Provide cucumber bush with support

To extend the life of the bush and get a bountiful harvest, do not forget to feed the cucumbers every 2-3 weeks. This can be done in the following ways:

• Once a month, pour fresh vermicompost into the pot;
• water with a solution of the “Growth” product - 1 cap per 2 liters of water;
• a small amount of Agrolife product (1 teaspoon) on the top layer of soil;
• After the buds appear, the plants need to be fed with wood ash (1 cup per 10 liters of water).

It will be the same useful fertilizing from 25 grams of mineral complex fertilizer or 100 grams of garden mixture, diluted in 10 liters of water. The consumption of such a solution per plant will be 250-500 grams.

Advice: such fertilizing should be carried out at intervals of 10-12 days, and experts recommend alternating mineral and organic fertilizers.

When the plant begins to bear fruit, be sure to harvest the fruits promptly. There is no need to allow overripeness: thus, the bush gives healthy juices aging fruits instead of distributing them among new ones that are ripening and setting.

Video about growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter

We all love fresh vegetables, and in winter it is especially important to have them on hand. permanent source vitamins As you can see, growing cucumbers at home in winter yourself is not only possible, but also very simple. You just need to be patient and properly care for the plant so that it pleases you with a generous harvest.

Surely our readers know the secrets of growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter. Please share them in the comments, and also ask questions that you might have after reading our article. We wish you big harvest and comfort to your home!

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter is a fascinating and interesting activity; in addition, hanging young cucumbers will delight not only the owners, but also visiting guests with their beauty. In addition, homemade cucumbers on the windowsill are environmentally friendly cucumbers, and anyone can grow them. Also, cucumbers on the windowsill in winter will give a feeling of summer and a pleasant aroma.

If you are wondering whether it is possible to grow cucumbers in an apartment in winter, website says yes! But to grow cucumbers on a windowsill in winter, you need to meet the following conditions.

In winter, plants require additional lighting in the form of artificial lighting. You will need . If it is not there, then you should start growing cucumbers no earlier than mid-February, and the room temperature for growing this plant should be no lower than 20-22° during the day, and 18° at night. It is advisable that your window faces south or southeast; it will be dark on the northern window sill even with additional lighting for the plants. In addition, cucumbers do not like cold and drafts; choose a protected planting site.

To grow cucumbers on the windowsill for the New Year, you need to plant them in early November

Varieties of cucumbers for the windowsill

To , you should select suitable variety seeds or hybrid. You can choose the so-called parthenocarpic (self-pollinating varieties), which do not require pollination; such varieties are also recommended for growing in greenhouses. Also on the back of the bag of seeds indicate:

• that this variety or hybrid is suitable for growing on the balcony;
• able to grow in the shade;
• has small compact fruits.

But the varieties that are indicated for cultivation in open ground, should not be raised at home.

Popular parthenocapic hybrids of cucumbers for home cultivation on a windowsill or balcony in an apartment:

• F1 City cucumber,
• F1 Balcony,
• F1 Balagan,
• F1 Berendey,
• F1 Courage,
• F1 Manul.

Planting cucumbers on the windowsill

First you need to buy a fluorescent lamp to extend the daylight. You can start sowing seeds from mid-January. In this case, the plant will bear fruit somewhere in early April. For the soil mixture, mix turf and humus soil in equal proportions. How mineral fertilizing add a glass of wood ash to 1 bucket of this mixture. Then fill the pots with this mixture, leaving a little space to the edges so that you can add it later, and then put all the pots in boxes.

Before planting seeds, they should be selected by pouring them into a solution of table salt (1/2 teaspoon per glass). All floating seeds are not used. Then they should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate and left in a warm, moist environment for germination. After pre-sowing preparation and treatment of the seeds, they should be planted one in each pot to a depth of 1 cm and watered. For good drainage, holes should be made in the bottom of the pot and a layer of expanded clay should be laid.

You can prepare seedlings in advance so that you can plant young plants later. In this case, plant the seeds in a wide pot filled with soil mixture and then cover with film. After 3 - 4 days, allow the emerging shoots to grow and transplant into pots.

Temperature

In order to germinate, the temperature in the apartment must be above 20 - 22°. Sprouted sprouts should be moved to a very bright place, or placed under a lamp. To prevent the seedlings from stretching out, the lighting must be turned off at night, so they will also rest.

The room should be regularly ventilated, but at the same time protecting the plants from drafts. Cucumbers really do not like drafts, and therefore the box with pots should be removed from the windowsill.

Watering

Watering cucumbers on the windowsill in winter should be done with warm water – 22 – 24°, so that the soil is sufficiently moist, every day or every other day. From time to time, humidify the air with a sprayer, because cucumbers are demanding of air humidity - 85-90%.

Top dressing

You can start feeding cucumbers with mineral fertilizers at the age of two weeks. For these purposes, mix a solution of 10 g of ammonium nitrate, 10 g of double superphosphate and 8 g of magnesium sulfate with 10 liters of water. This fertilizer should be used at the rate of 1 cup of solution per 5 plants. After 10 days, fertilizing should be repeated, but use 1 cup per two plants.

Transplanting seedlings

To prevent plants from interfering with each other’s growth, you need to arrange them conveniently. Seedlings should be transplanted into large pots when 3-4 true leaves appear on them. To do this, sprinkle a small layer of soil at the bottom of the container, plant a plant in the center, and then sprinkle with soil, leaving a little space for adding. Tie a cucumber seedling to a peg 70-80 cm high. Place the pots with plants in a tray with water poured into it. This will help moisten the soil.

Formation of bushes

When the 3rd true leaf appears, it must be pinched (read also: →). This will stimulate the appearance of side shoots. And when 5-6 leaves appear on the side shoot, you should pinch the top again. To avoid wasting useful substances on some mustaches, they are removed, leaving the most necessary shoots.

Care during fruiting

When the first fruits appear on the branches of indoor cucumbers, you should continue to feed them every 7 - 10 days. You can use the same fertilizer, but its amount should be increased to 0.5 liters per plant. Harvesting is a pleasant activity for a gardener when growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter. You just need to remove young cucumbers in time. At good care From each bush of the plant you can remove from 10 to 30 cucumbers.