Fresh cucumbers in winter - a real delicacy and a powerful vitamin bomb.
In stores, tasty fruits are rarely found, so experienced gardeners decide to grow them on their own, in conditions of capital heated greenhouses.
There are many varieties bred specifically for winter fruiting, they can be cultivated in cold regions, obtaining stable yields. The technology of growing cucumbers in the greenhouse in winter is successfully used in many regions of the country. She tested and brings good results. From this article you can learn how to grow cucumbers in a greenhouse all year round.
Greenhouse for cucumbers winter: what should it be?
So, growing cucumbers in the greenhouse in the winter where to start. First of all, for winter growing need a greenhouse on a solid concrete foundation. Well proven design, recessed into the ground. The soil layer serves as an additional insulation and protection, the depth allows to make the structure less high without limiting the plants in space.
In addition, it almost does not require repair, durable polycarbonate honeycomb does not crack under a layer of snow, quietly tolerates temperature extremes. It is possible to use greenhouses with tempered industrial glass, but such a coating is more fragile.
The construction should also be equipped with vents for airing and curtains for shading from too hot sun.
The automatic drip irrigation system is very convenient, guaranteeing optimum soil moisture. Cucumbers love high humidity, so do not forget about the climate control system and foggers.
It is equally important to properly organize the lighting for cucumbers in a greenhouse in winter. This requires powerful electric lamps with adjustable height.
Heating greenhouses possible using electric boilers or compact wood-burning stoves. To maintain the desired temperature will help biofuels from humus and straw, spread out on the ridges, as well as sheets of roofing material, placed around the perimeter of the greenhouse for winter growing cucumbers.
The lower the temperature outside, the more perfect the heating system should be. In regions with particularly cold climates, it is better to use a combined method, combining several heating methods at once.
Most often, cucumbers are planted in the ground. But in spacious industrial greenhouses, shelving cultivation in 2 and even 3 tiers is practiced. This approach facilitates harvesting and saves the scarce space of greenhouses.
A photo
In the photo below: greenhouse for growing cucumbers all year round, cucumbers in polycarbonate greenhouses in winter.
We grow cucumbers in the greenhouse in winter: the best varieties for greenhouse
In the greenhouse it is convenient to grow cucumbers that do not give long lashes. Such plants are compact, delicate stems are not damaged during care and harvest. It is worth paying attention to the varieties and hybrids with a shorter growing season that do not require pollination. There are a lot of suitable options, it is recommended to try out several varieties and choose from them 2-3 the most suitable.
- Valaam - very fruitful early ripe hybrid, is suitable for a temperate and frigid climate. The fruits are very tender, without bitterness, rich green color with small black tubercles.
- Suomi - A hybrid suitable for winter growing easily tolerates a slight drop in temperature. The fruits are small, neat, almost never overgrown. Have a pleasant, not watery taste.
- Bouquet - one of the earliest varieties, the crop can be harvested one month after moving the seedlings to the ground. Characterized by "bouquet" fruiting, giving several fruits from each leaf sinus.
- Sarovsky - the fruitful hybrid differing in endurance and productivity. "Bouquet" option that gives high yields of medium-sized, smooth and very tasty cucumbers.
- Okhotny Ryad - an early ripe hybrid with the extended term of fructification. The fruits are small, elongated, very delicate in taste.
Select the right seeds
Experienced growers recommend choosing cucumber seeds, collected 2-3 years ago. They are distinguished by the best germination, the shoots are healthy and strong.
Prepared for planting material need manually bustby removing ugly and empty seeds. Then they are disinfected by placing for 10-12 hours in a damp cloth, soaked with aloe juice or with an aqueous solution of nitrophoska, copper sulfate and boric acid.
After processing, the seeds are washed, wrapped in a clean, damp cloth and moved to the lower chamber of the refrigerator. Such hardening strengthens the plants and stimulates good fruiting. In the refrigerator, the seeds should spend 5-7 days, the fabric must be constantly moistened.
Requirements for soil and fertilizers
Cucumbers love light soil, neutral or slightly alkaline. Excessive acidity is unacceptable. The ideal soil consists of old garden soil, peat, rotted humus and river sand. Do not forget that the fertile layer of soil changes annually, this is especially important when shelving.
To feed cucumbers, you can alternate complex mineral and organic fertilizers, but some gardeners rely on organic matter. Cucumbers respond well to an aqueous solution of mullein or chicken manure. The first feeding is carried out after the appearance of the third leaf on the seedlings, the second fertilization begins in the flowering period. During fruiting, cucumbers are fed with organic matter at least 4 times.
How to grow cucumbers in the greenhouse in winter
Cucumber seedlings can be grown in an apartment or directly in a greenhouse. Seeds It is desirable to sow in peat pots, young plants do not tolerate digging. To get crops in January, sowing is carried out in early September.
The pots are filled with the prepared substrate, the seeds are placed in the wells 2 cm deep. Some gardeners plant 2 seeds in each cup, meaning the subsequent pick.
The soil in the pots is moistened with a spray bottle, on top of the container covered with glass. Another way is to close the pots with a damp cloth. It is possible to sow cucumbers every 2 weeks; uneven-aged seedlings will help to ensure uninterrupted harvest.
The next stage: transplanting cucumber seedlings in the winter greenhouse. One month after sowing the seeds, the grown seedlings move into the prepared soil of the greenhouse. The distance between plants is 20-30 cm, between rows - about 90 cm.
Peculiarities of care after transplantation
Cucumbers - enough demanding culture. To achieve a good harvest, it is necessary to closely monitor the level of moisture and soil fertility.
For good health and fast formation of ovaries, cucumbers need fertilizing 1 time in 2 weeks, with alternation of mineral and organic fertilizers. You also need to maintain high humidity - 80-85%. To ensure such indicators, the floor and heating pipes are regularly watered. 
In the greenhouse itself open tanks are located. They not only moisten the air, but also defend and heat the water for irrigation.
Before flowering period plants are watered twice a week, after the appearance of flowers, watering becomes more frequent and plentiful.
It is important to monitor the condition of the leaves, they must be elastic and juicy. Sluggish, drying sheets signal an acute lack of moisture in the soil.
Temperature should not fall below 20 degrees, the optimal mode - from 25 degrees during the day to 15 at night. Airing should be very neat, excluding the ingress of cold air flow to the plants. Cucumbers stop the formation of ovaries, even with a short-term cooling, and this greatly affects the yield of cucumbers in the greenhouse in winter.
