All about growing cucumbers on the balcony

The frantic pace of life in the metropolis leaves no opportunity to escape to nature, which is why the owners of city apartments are increasingly using their balconies as greenhouses, and some even grow greens and vegetables on them. Cucumber culture grows quite successfully on loggias. However, in order to enjoy its juicy fruits, it is important to know some of the intricacies of balcony growing.

There are many advantages of growing greens and vegetables on balconies and glazed loggias:

• Not everyone can afford to buy a land plot. In addition, many are not sure that they will cope with the cultivation of the land, therefore, they begin experiments without leaving their home.
• When growing vegetables on the balcony, you don't need to go anywhere - this saves time, money and effort.
• The owner of the apartment has the opportunity to observe the growth and development of the cucumber culture on a daily basis. Therefore, in the event of an attack by pests or the appearance of signs of illness, they take action as quickly as possible.
• Vegetables on the balcony can be protected from heavy rains or the scorching sun, thereby creating almost ideal conditions for them. It's no secret that just a week of drought, heavy rains or a critical temperature - and you can forget about a good harvest. On the loggia, you can always hide the garden bed under a canopy from the hot sun and excess moisture, or give them a shower.
• On the balcony, you do not have to deal with weeds, as it happens on a regular garden plot.
• If you think over the design correctly, then the loggia will take on a blooming picturesque look and become not only a vegetable garden, but also a full-fledged recreation area.

However, there are also disadvantages. They consist in the fact that not every balcony and not every variety of cucumbers is suitable for balcony cultivation.

The very first experimenters who decided to sow and grow cucumbers on the window faced bitter disappointments. Even when using quality seeds for greenhouse cultivation, the yield was extremely small. That is why new hybrid cucumber varieties have been developed specifically for the limited possibilities of indoor spaces.

Balcony cucumbers must meet the following requirements:

• be self-pollinated, since bees are unlikely to fly to them;
• be resistant to lack of lighting and low humidity;
• to form a powerful root system and a central stem with reduced leaves and a small number of shortened lateral shoots.

The following varieties have proven themselves best:

• City gherkin - one of the most hardy and unpretentious species. The fruits are represented by gherkins, formed in bunches. Cucumbers length 10-12 cm, weight 80-90 g. Fruits can be used for salad and for preparation of preparations for the winter.
• Swallowtail - a type of cucumber with increased immunity. It is characterized by early ripening, belongs to the group of gherkins.
• Balcony miracle - an unpretentious variety that, due to its compact roots, requires a little soil. Fruit length is about 10 cm, weight - up to 100 kg. Cucumbers are delicious, can be used for pickling and pickling.
• April - self-pollinating variety, large fruits, weighing up to 250 g.
• Booth - early ripening shade-resistant variety, forms a compact, but at the same time powerful root system. The cucumbers are medium-sized, the flesh is very juicy, without bitterness.
• Debut - self-pollinating hybrid, has a high yield. Fruits are 12-15 cm long, weight - up to 100g. It is characterized by resistance to fungal diseases and does not require special care. Cucumbers are not suitable for harvesting, can only be eaten fresh.
• Elegant - This is the only variety intended for planting on loggias that requires insect pollination. Differs in increased productivity, from each square meter of plantings you can collect up to 5-8 kg of fruits. Cucumbers can be eaten fresh or pickled.

The greatest difficulties when planting cucumbers on balconies and loggias are the creation of comfortable temperature and light conditions. For active growth and rich fruiting, cucumbers need a lot of heat and light. If in the summer a sufficient amount of sunlight passes through the double-glazed windows on the windowsills, then in early spring natural insolation is not enough for the full growth of vegetables. To eliminate the lack of light, you have to equip the balcony with specialized paws for greenhouses, it is advisable to leave them working all night.

The ideal temperature for cucumber crops will be 18-22 degrees. To maintain this level, conventional glazing is not enough when it comes to cucumbers planted in late winter and early spring, when temperatures are low outside. That is why balconies must be additionally insulated to grow vegetables.

It is undesirable to place the culture on the south side, since direct ultraviolet rays can burn young plants. If there is no other option, you need to create a light shading with tulle so that the lighting is diffused.

The best solution will be the eastern, as well as the southeastern loggias.

You should not cultivate cucumbers in open areas where drafts often occur. Best of all, the bushes grow and develop on balconies, glazed from bottom to top. Tinted glass, as well as blackout curtains, are undesirable here, as they prevent the sun from entering in the required amount.

Particular attention should be paid to the pre-sowing preparation of seeds, soil and containers for growing seedlings.

To obtain seedlings of cucumbers, small containers are required; plastic or peat glasses will do. For seedlings, larger containers are needed, for example, boxes. You can grow cucumbers on the balcony in buckets, pots and trays. The main thing to remember is that the root system of this culture prefers space, therefore, at least 5-10 liters of substrate is required for each adult plant.

Any container for growing cucumbers should provide drainage holes for excess moisture to drain out. And so that the water does not spread throughout the entire loggia, it is advisable to put the container on a pallet or stand. Some apartment owners are planting seedlings in bags, each can be planted with 2-3 bushes.

The soil mixture for cultivating cucumbers on open balconies and closed loggias is needed the same as for seedlings. In every shop for gardeners, you can buy specialized soil. But if you wish, you can cook it yourself - for this you need to mix compost, sod soil, peat, wood ash and sawdust in equal amounts and stir thoroughly.

To increase the nutritional value of the substrate, a fertilizer based on nitrophoska and urea is added to it at the rate of 10 g of the drug per bucket of earth. Immediately before use, the soil is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate or calcined in an oven for disinsection.

Before planting, cucumber seeds must be disinfected, stimulated and germinated. To do this, you need to take the following steps:

• soak the seedlings in a pale solution of potassium permanganate for 7-10 minutes;
• rinse under cool water;
• spread out on moistened gauze;
• sprinkle with warm water from a spray bottle;
• cover with another layer of gauze.

The optimal time for sowing cucumbers on insulated loggias falls on the second half of April-May, when the temperature during the daytime is about 20 degrees, and at night it does not drop below 13 degrees. During this period, planting can be done directly into cups or pots. To achieve early fruiting, you need to use seedlings. In this case, sowing is carried out in late February-early March, approximately one and a half to two months before planting the culture in containers.

The instructions for sowing step by step are as follows:

• the bottom of the tank is covered with crushed stone, expanded clay, broken stone or any other drainage;
• the container is filled with a moistened substrate;
• seeds are planted in the ground to a depth of 2-3 cm;
• the landing site is sprinkled with earth and sprinkled with warm water from a spray bottle;
• the container is covered with plastic wrap or glass.

The pot must be placed in a warm place at home. Every day, the film is slightly opened for 1.5-2 hours to ventilate and remove excess condensation. Usually, the first shoots appear on the third or fourth day.

When 3-4 real leaves appear on the bushes, you can transplant the seedlings into a larger container. This is easy to do:

• the day before the manipulation, young plants are well watered;
• holes are made in the soil so that their depth and width exactly match the dimensions of the pot;
• carefully take out the seedlings from a temporary container and move them along with an earthen lump;
• then water the seedlings again.

Caring for cucumbers on the balcony is practically no different from plants grown outdoors. Agricultural technology involves watering, fertilizing, garter, pinching and lash formation.

Young cucumbers do not tolerate drought. They need to be watered as soon as the topsoil dries up. At the same time, excessive waterlogging should be avoided, as this will lead to decay of the roots.

Keep in mind that in small containers, such as a plastic bottle, the substrate dries out much faster - the soil in them will need to be moistened more often. In large containers, the soil is moistened to a depth of 10-15 cm. As the green mass grows, develops and builds up, the volume and frequency of watering increase.

The first feeding of cucumber seedlings on the balcony is carried out 10-14 days after germination. At this stage, the plants require nitrogen, which contributes to the growth of green mass.A good effect is given by urea, diluted at the rate of 1 tbsp. l. preparation for 3 liters of water. One sprout needs half a glass of such a solution.

After two to three weeks, the seedlings are fed a second time. The greatest result during this period is provided by a complex fertilizer:

• potassium nitrate - 20 g;
• superphosphate - 20 g;
• magnesium sulfate - 5 g;
• ammonium nitrate - 5 g.

The resulting mixture is diluted in a bucket of water.

You can fertilize cucumbers on the loggia with folk remedies:

• Wood ash - this fertilizer provides the cucumber crop with phosphorus and potassium, which are so important for cucumbers during the flowering stage. Soil and lashes are processed. For the preparation of a nutrient solution 1-2 tbsp. l. crushed ash is diluted in 2 liters of warm water, insisted, mixed thoroughly and watered.
• Shell - is a pantry of useful microelements that are required for balcony cucumbers during the entire growing season. For 5 liters of water, you will need shells from 6 chicken eggs. The container is kept in a dark place, slightly opening the lid. The readiness of the solution will be indicated by the appearance of a specific smell; immediately after that, processing can be performed.
• Foliar dressing plays an important role, especially at the stage of flowering and fruit formation. To do this, the bushes are sprayed with a weak solution of boric acid, the treatment is repeated at intervals of 1 time in 7-14 days. After the formation of ovaries, a solution of potassium permanganate is used in a proportion of 10 crystals per 1 liter of water. Alternatively, you can resort to spraying with urea at the rate of 5 g per 3 liters of water.

Under comfortable conditions, rooted cucumbers grow quickly, so their lashes need to be properly tied up. For this, twine is used. It is tied up at a height of 1.5 m, lowered to the container and wrapped around the stem - in no case is it the other way around. At this stage, it is important to create "blinding", that is, pinch off all the barren flowers.

In addition, the cucumbers require shaping. The technique largely depends on the variety:

• For self-pollinating cucumbers, it is necessary to pinch off the first 2-3 ovaries, then remove the side lashes on the third and fourth sheets. However, for these varieties, pinching is not a mandatory procedure, it may not even be carried out.
• In pollinated varieties, fruits are tied mainly on lateral shoots. Therefore, here you need to pinch the main stem. As soon as a real third leaf appears, it should be carefully torn off, while capturing the growth point.

In order not to experience problems with pollination on balconies, it is better to give preference to self-pollinated varieties. Otherwise, you will have to pollinate the flowers yourself. To do this, you need to learn to distinguish between male and female - in female ovary resembles a microcucumber, they have a large corolla painted in rich colors.

The pollination process is as follows:

• Find a male flower, it must be open and fresh.
• Pick off all the petals.
• Run the stamens of the male flower over the pistil of the female flower.
• One male flower can be used for several female ones. However, keep an eye on the amount of pollen when doing this. If it is not enough, then you should not count on a large harvest.
• If pollination is successful, then after 12-14 days the fruits will begin to form. Barren flowers turn yellow and fall off.

If artificial lighting and sufficient heating are provided in the balcony, then the cultivation of cucumbers in the winter is carried out according to the same scheme as in any other season:

Vegetables grown on balconies lack natural insolation. This problem is especially true in winter, when daylight hours are shortened. In this case, you need to acquire artificial backlight lamps.At the germination stage, it is necessary to provide the young plant with light from 4 to 24 hours. Phyto or fluorescent lamps are best suited for this, they are suspended at a distance of 15-20 cm from the plants, and as the seedlings grow, they are gradually taken.

It must be borne in mind that in winter the humidity is already high, so you will have to spray the leaves of an adult plant a little less often.

Growing cucumbers on balconies and loggias does not guarantee 100% protection from pests. They can get onto the balcony during ventilation or together with the ground. When growing cucumbers indoors, you should try to do without chemicals as much as possible. In the early stages of defeat, the main part of the pests can be dealt with by "grandmother's" means:

• Aphid - tobacco broth gives a good effect against aphids. To prepare it, you need to buy a pack of cheap cigarettes, extract tobacco from them and pour a liter of water. The mixture is boiled for a quarter of an hour, then another 1 liter of water is diluted, cooled, filtered and sprayed on the leaves.
• Whitefly - from this pest, a tobacco solution is also used, only more concentrated than from aphids. In addition, the whitefly can be harvested by hand.
• Spider mite - process with garlic infusion. A medium-sized head is crushed, insisted in a liter of water for 1.5-2 hours. Filter the finished solution, dilute 10 g of any soapy substance in it and spray it.

Cucumbers grown on the balcony must be picked as soon as they reach the normal size for their variety. If the fruits are too large, they will significantly weaken the bushes and prevent other cucumbers from developing normally. In this case, the more often the collection of fruits will be made - the more they will grow.

The overwhelming majority of varieties bear fruit in 50-75 days after planting the seeds. Ripe cucumbers have a rich green hue, they are firm and dense. It is best to cut the cucumbers with pruning shears, if you blow them up with your hands - you can damage the fruiting whip.

So, growing cucumbers on a loggia is not particularly difficult. If you create comfortable conditions for them, then the resulting harvest will be sufficient not only for salads, but also for conservation.