Every farmer has cucumbers in his garden. They have been grown in central Russia for a long time. These vegetables are made up of water and only a small part are organic acids and essential oils. Newbies are interested in the question of whether it is possible to grow cucumbers on their own, and what is the most optimal month in 2018 according to the lunar calendar for planting a cucumber culture.

Optimal varieties for the Moscow region

It is difficult to plant seeds or seedlings in the ground without knowing how they will take root and how to properly care for them. Many agricultural technicians are concerned with the question of how best to plant cucumbers in the Moscow region in open ground. Before planting, you need to decide on the variety, of which there are a lot. Planting material is selected according to the following parameters:

  • the timing of planting cucumbers in the Moscow region (it is advisable to choose early ripening varieties, in which the ripening period is 1.5 months);
  • pollination (it is easier to plant self-pollinated hybrids) - this is important, because the summer season is not always hot, and if most of the summer is rainy, the insects will scatter and will not pollinate the flowers;
  • appointment (salad, pickling and universal).

Note! To plant cucumbers in the soil and get a harvest, it is necessary to grow from 3 to 7 varieties at the same time on the same bed.

Every farmer loves to discover a new method of planting cucumber seedlings. In addition to how to do this, you need to decide when to sow cucumbers in the Moscow region. Tips from experienced gardeners will help beginners plant a good garden on their site.

Growing cucumbers in the Moscow region

For the districts of the Moscow region, it is worth choosing hybrids:

  • Competitor;
  • Local Nezhinsky;
  • Harvest 86;
  • Union;
  • Unbearable 40;
  • Vyaznikovsky;
  • Altai early;
  • State farm;
  • Vir 505;
  • Fontanelle;
  • Masha;
  • Hermann;
  • Crane;
  • Farmer.

When can you plant

When to plant cucumbers in the Moscow region? According to popular beliefs, it is better to sow cucumber seeds in the last week of May and early June. This crop can be planted after 20 numbers. If the gardener has decided when sowing cucumbers in open ground, you need to start preparing the garden bed.

Site preparation for planting planting material

Growing cucumbers in the open field in the Moscow region means taking proper care of the plant in order to achieve a rich harvest. It is necessary to approach with awe when choosing a place for landing. Be sure to consider what crops grew in the chosen place last year.

Cucumbers will grow well after onions

Cucumber grows well in soil after:

  • Luke;
  • cabbage;
  • tomatoes;
  • peas;
  • pepper.

But beans are considered a bad predecessor, as they are affected by white rot.

Preparation of a site for planting always begins in the fall. Fertilizer is applied to the selected area in the form of a manure heap. Approximately 6 kg of manure is used per square meter of land. Then the soil is dug onto the bayonet of the shovel.

Note! For cucumbers, you can independently make a trellis (net) or a warm bed. Due to the decomposition of plant residues, yields are increased. Mowed grass, leaves from last year, straw and sawdust are added to the hole

The bed should be 50 cm high.It needs to be lightly tamped and sprinkled with hot water. Sprinkle on top with ash and cover with foil for 24 hours. Peat, turf soil, humus and sawdust are added and again covered with foil. Someone makes vertical beds, and someone uses barrels.

How to plant seeds

Farmers in the Moscow Region know that cucumber crops grow well in their region, which are planted directly into the ground - seeds, not seedlings. The planting material must be wetted and laid out on gauze before use. After a few days, the seeds will begin to hatch. It is important to keep the room temperature warm.

Before planting seeds in the soil, you need to harden them:

  1. The planting material should be regularly exposed to both warm and cold temperatures.
  2. The seeds are kept at a temperature of 2 degrees for 2 days.
  3. Sprouted seeds are kept at a temperature of 1 degree.

Note! If you come across planting material in a multi-colored shell, then it does not require hardening. That is, these seeds do not need to be soaked and germinated.

Next, you need to make holes and grooves in the garden. The interval between the pits should be 50 cm. After sowing, the seeds are covered with damp earth, lightly tamping. The seeds should be up to 2 cm deep.

So that a crust does not form on the ground, peat is added to it before the first leaves appear and covered with a film. If it's hot outside, then it is advisable to scatter straw on the film in order to somehow shade the area with cucumbers. After the first leaves appear, the film is removed.

How to properly feed a cucumber culture

To get a rich harvest, you need to regularly feed the plant. It will be enough once a week. Also, cucumbers need watering. For feeding, a composition of poultry droppings in the ratio of 1: 5 or mullein 1: 4 is excellent. A liter of this composition is diluted with 10 liters of water. A bush takes up to 2 liters of fertilizer.

Bird droppings

Alternatively, you can use fertilizers Agricola, Effekton, Energen. You can choose any drug or alternate them. Watering is carried out with warm water 3 times a week.

Important! To avoid infection of the plant with powdery mildew, water it under the root.

In order for bees to pollinate cucumber flowers, you can attract them in a folk way. Take bait syrup from 500 ml of water and 1 tbsp. l. chalk. Spray the prepared product over the area where the cucumbers grow.

Helpful advice from experienced gardeners

Ventilation of the bushes should be carried out regularly to increase fruiting. By installing a trellis, you can prevent the development of fungal infection.

  1. All shoots and buds are removed to the first leaf. This will not allow the fruits that have appeared to inhibit the development of the entire bush.
  2. Farmers pinch the stem over 5 shoots. At the same time, the lateral ones remain for further growth.
  3. The branches of the second order (on the sides) are pinched over the first fruit.

Pruning must be done without fail. It is also necessary to regularly remove yellow dry leaves. It is better to carry out all trimming work in the morning, so that by the evening the cut sites can dry out and drag on a little.

In the Moscow region, harvesting is carried out up to 3 times. Cucumbers are best picked in the morning. Overgrown fruits should not be left on the bushes, as they prevent the bush from developing further. In addition to overgrown, damaged fruits should not be left.

If you follow the rules for the preparation of planting material, feed and water on time, you can get a good harvest.