In addition to traditional vegetable crops, some farmers plant interesting vegetable hybrids on their land plots. One of the most exotic species, combining the qualities of cucumber and melon, is cucumber. This culture was to the taste of many vegetable growers, so it can be increasingly found among farmers in the plots. You will learn about what clumps are and how they eat them, what are the characteristics of popular plant varieties, as well as all the subtleties of growing a crop and tips on when to harvest fruits, from this article.

What is cucumber

The birthplace of this vegetable is Central Asia. This hybrid was obtained by crossing cucumbers and early ripe varieties of melon. The plant belongs to the family Pumpkin. In an unripe state, the vegetable has the aroma and taste of fresh cucumber, and after full ripening it turns yellow and becomes juicy, like a melon.

Did you know? 100 g of melon contains only 38 kcal, and the pulp of the fruit is 90% water.

Thus, the cucumber, crossed with a melon, gave a new kind of fruit, which was called cucumber and combines the positive qualities of both cultures.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Origin

When breeding cucumbers, breeders wanted to get not only a new and exotic product, but also endow it with good taste and yield indicators. Consider the main advantages of this culture and how it is useful for humans.

• The positive qualities of cucumbers include:
• high content of vitamins and useful macro- and microelements in fruits;
• early ripening of vegetables;
• long fruiting period;
• high productivity;
• good taste;
• the versatility of the use of fruits (for the preparation of salty and sweet dishes);
• unpretentiousness in leaving.

• Fresh fruits of cucumber can bring great benefits to the body:
• possess antioxidant properties;
• stimulate metabolism;
• remove toxins from the body;
• are a good diuretic;
• contribute to the outflow of bile;
• help in the treatment of anemia.

• Ogurdynya also has minor disadvantages, which include:
• the tendency of plants to bacterial diseases;
• short shelf life of fresh fruits;
• low transportability.

Choosing the best grade

Cucumber combines the external signs of cucumber and melon, so its fruits have an unusual appearance and look very original on the garden.

Important! There are only about 15 varieties of cucumber, which differ from each other in the palatability of the pulp, size and shape of ripened vegetables.

Consider a brief description of clumps:

1. The total height of the plant can reach 2 m. The leaves of the bush are large, painted in green.
2. The root system is well developed and is close to the surface of the earth.
3. Vegetables are characterized by early maturity; crops can be harvested 1.5–2 months after planting.
4. The flowering period lasts from late May to late August. The flowers have yellow petals.
5. The early ripening stage occurs at the end of June. The fruits taste like cucumbers, have a green pubescent skin, and their length is up to 12 cm.
6. Vegetables fully ripen in August, take the form of a melon and become covered with a thin yellow peel. At this time, their flesh becomes very fragrant and acquires a honey, fruity flavor. In some varieties, ripe fruits look like melon with the taste and aroma of cucumber.
7. The weight of the ripened fruit can reach 3 kg, and the length is up to 50 cm. Vegetables contain few seeds and have a juicy creamy pulp.
8. The yield of cucumber is quite high. From one plant you can collect from 10 to 20 ripe vegetables.
9. The plant has good immunity to disease and is not attacked by pests.

1. Manduria (Nectarine). The most common type of cucumber. Ripe fruits can reach a length of 50 cm and have the shape of a torpedo. The flesh is crisp and juicy, very sweet and contains almost no seeds. The weight of one fruit is about 1–1.5 kg, and up to 10 vegetables can form on one bush. The maturity of the first crop is from 70 to 75 days.
2. Orenburg. The fruits of this variety have an oval-oblong shape. The first crop can be harvested 1–1.5 months after planting. Unripe vegetables reach 12 cm in length and have a characteristic taste of cucumber. Ripe fruits retain their oblong shape and can weigh up to 2 kg, their pulp is juicy and sweet. Productivity from 1 bush is 10-12 fruits.
3. Melonfleuhausus. It includes a whole line of varieties (Tarot, Duckgreen Labels, etc.). Ripe fruits have an elongated serpentine shape and a sweet juicy pulp with a sufficient amount of seeds, which tastes like an ordinary melon. Ripening periods range from 65 to 80 days, and the weight of one fruit is up to 5 kg with a length of about 90 cm. From one bush, 10 fruits can grow.
4. Larton F1. The fruits of this variety are round in shape and ripen in 70–80 days from planting. The pulp of ripe cucumber is sweet, dense and crunchy, has the taste and aroma of melon. The weight of one vegetable can reach 1.2 kg, and the yield - up to 20 fruits from one bush.
5. Pheasant. The fruits of this variety have a rounded shape up to 15 cm in diameter. Their weight can reach 3 kg and a length of up to 40 cm. The pulp of ripened vegetables is very sweet. The first crop can be harvested 60 days after sowing the seeds.

Optimal timing for growing

If you plant cucumber in open ground, then sowing seeds is carried out at the end of May. Although the plant belongs to cold-resistant, late spring frosts can destroy seedlings. The optimal time for sowing seeds for seedlings is the second half of April.

In this case, the seedlings will have time to form and grow strong for planting in open ground. You can harvest ripe fruits before the first autumn frosts.

Features of growing crops

In the northern regions, to increase the yield of fruits, it is recommended to grow cucumber in a greenhouse. Seeds can also be sown immediately directly into the soil, but for faster ripening of the crop, it is recommended to first grow seedlings.

Did you know? The largest melon in the world was grown in Austria in 2009. The weight of the fetus was about 200 kg!

Let's consider in more detail how to grow a cucumber on your own.

Growing seedlings

Cucumber seeds can be found in specialized stores. Before planting, it is recommended to soak them in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 15–20 minutes to prevent the occurrence of fungal infections. As containers for seedlings, individual plastic cups filled with a mixture of humus and peat are most often used.

Consider the step-by-step instructions for sowing seeds and growing seedlings:

1. On the surface of the soil, make small holes about 2 cm deep and water them a little.
2. Put seeds on the bottom of the recesses and sprinkle them with loose earth.
3. Put all the cups in a common box and cover with foil.
4. Put the box in a well-lit and warm place. Sprouts appear after 4–5 days.
5. After germination of planting material, containers with young seedlings should be kept at a temperature of at least + 20 ° C in a well-lit place. There should be no drafts in the room.
6. If necessary, moderate watering should be carried out so that the soil in the cups does not dry out.
7. One month after sowing the seeds, young seedlings can be transplanted to a permanent place in a greenhouse or open ground.

Preparation of a plot for planting seedlings

To collect the maximum yield from large and tasty fruits, you need to correctly determine the right place for planting the crop.

A site for growing cucumbers must meet the following requirements:

• well lit by the sun;
• have fertile soil;
• be protected from drafts;
• located away from gourds to avoid cross-pollination of plants.

Important! It is not recommended to plant cucumbers on the site that was used to grow pumpkin crops last year - this will lead to low productivity and ripening of small fruits.

The site selected for growing vegetables in this way must be properly prepared for planting seedlings.

The main preparatory steps are listed below:

• in autumn, you need to dig the soil and add fertilizers to it (humus, superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate);
• carry out loosening of soil in the spring
• Before planting seedlings, slightly water the soil and, if necessary, eliminate small weeds.

Rules for planting seedlings

When the weather is warm and the probability of night frost disappears, young shoots of cucumber are transplanted into the open ground.

It is best to carry out this procedure in late May or early June, when a stable temperature of about + 20 ° C is established on the street.

A step-by-step algorithm for planting seedlings of pickles in open ground is presented below:

1. Dig holes in the soil at a distance of at least 20-30 cm from each other.
2. Carefully remove the plant seedling from an individual container along with an earthen lump formed around the roots.
3. Immerse the seedling in the prepared hole as deep as possible to form a developed root system. Sprinkle the roots with earth.
4. Cover the rows of plants with a layer of film so that the sprouts better adapt to new conditions.

When transplanting, you need to act very carefully so as not to expose the roots of cucumber and not to damage them.

Basic care rules

Ogurdynya belongs to unpretentious plants, but without minimal care to get a good harvest of fruits will not work. Bushes need to be watered in a timely manner, fertilizing to stimulate the growth of green mass and the formation of ovaries.

In addition, you need to take care of the soil around the plants, avoiding the appearance of weeds and a dense earth crust, which impairs the access of air and moisture to the roots. Consider all the intricacies of caring for the plant in more detail.

Watering and dressing rules

For active growth and the formation of many ovaries, the plant needs a sufficient amount of moisture and nutrients, so it is important to pay attention to the proper watering of plants and the timely application of fertilizers.Watering and feeding the bush are carried out according to the following rules:

• you can water the bushes only with warm water;
• during the period of active growth of green mass and the formation of ovaries, cucumbers are often watered, but not too abundantly, so that the surface root system of the plant has time to absorb moisture and it does not stagnate in the soil;
• the earth around the plants should always be slightly moist;
• at the stage of fruit ripening, watering is reduced to increase the sugar content of vegetables and improve their taste;
• You can use an automatic drip irrigation system;
• in the phase of active growth and the formation of ovaries, it is recommended to top-dress every 14 days from an aqueous solution of manure and nitrate;
• fertilizing is recommended to be combined with watering, so that fertilizing is better absorbed by the root system of the plant.

Did you know? The famous navigator Christopher Columbus included fresh cucumbers in the crew’s ration of his ship to protect the sailors from scurvy.

You can’t make too many fertilizers containing nitrogen - this will lead to an increase in the volume of green mass and a decrease in the number and size of fruits.

Weeding and cultivation

So that the weeds growing around the cucumber do not drown it, you need to regularly weed the soil around the bush. This procedure must be performed carefully so as not to injure the roots of the plant located close to the surface of the earth. Removing weeds will help preserve all moisture and nutrients in the soil for clumps and increase crop yields.

After rains and watering, it is recommended to carefully loosen the soil around the plants to improve its breathability. To keep the earth loose longer, you can lay a layer of mulch from compost or hay around the bush.

Bush formation

Bushes of clumps need to be formed. To increase productivity, the stems of the bush pinch and control the number of ovaries that form on them.

The formation of a bush of pickles is carried out according to the following rules:

1. After the main stem of the plant reaches a length of 25 cm, it is pinched over the fifth leaf. This procedure will suspend its growth and will stimulate the formation of lateral shoots with fruit ovaries.
2. Pinch the lateral shoots above the 7–8th leaf, leaving 2-3 ovaries on them. Leaving a larger number of ovaries is not recommended, as the resulting fruits will grow small.
3. After the formation of 3-4 fruits on the shoot, pinch it at the level of the 2-3rd leaf located above the topmost vegetable to ensure the ripening of the formed fruits and prevent the formation of new ovaries.
4. To satisfy the growing plant's need for water and nutrients, the lateral shoots of the bush lying on the ground can be dug up in several places with the ground to form additional roots.
5. You can install trellises near the bush and let the shoots curl along them, but in this case, you must also take care of installing the supports so that the heavy fruits do not break fragile branches.

Important! The correct formation of the bush will help to avoid overloading the plant with fruits and ensure their uniform and high-quality ripening.

Diseases and Pests

Cucumber has a good immunity to many diseases, but with improper cultivation and care, it can undergo bacterial and fungal infections.The reasons for their occurrence may be:

• improper watering;
• excessive thickening of landings;
• lack of preventive seed treatment;
• lack of sunlight combined with cool weather.

For the prevention of diseases, it is recommended:

• regularly treat plant bushes with fungicides containing copper (for example, Fitosporin);
• comply with the recommendations on agricultural technology for growing plants;
• Do not plant cucumber on the same site for 2 consecutive years.

Consider methods of treating diseases and getting rid of possible pests of this vegetable crop:

1. Bacterial rot. Symptoms of the disease are brown spots on the leaves, rotting of flowers and fruit ovaries. The affected parts of the bush must be completely cut and burned, and the cut points treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate or sprayed with Bordeaux liquid.
2. Root rot. This disease rarely occurs, but can completely destroy plants. Symptoms of root rot are: yellowing of the lower part of the stem, brown color of the roots, wilting of the plant. A bush affected by the disease cannot be saved, so the plant is dug up along with the roots, and the place of its growth is watered with a solution of copper sulfate. In order to save the remaining bushes from the disease, the preventive measures described above are carried out.
3. Birds. In the process of full ripening, the fruits become very fragrant and sweet, so they can attract birds. Feathered can damage the delicate skin of the fruit, after which they quickly rot. To scare away birds, beds with cucumbers are covered with a layer of netting or a variety of repellers are placed near plants.

Harvesting and storage rules

The peculiarity of cucumber is that it is possible to harvest at the initial stage of its ripening or when the fruits fully ripen. Vegetables on the bush are formed continuously until the fall, so you can collect cucumber melon throughout the summer.The list of basic harvesting rules for this crop is presented below:

• for the preparation of salty dishes, vegetables need to be cut off 30–40 days after transplanting, when the fruits are no different in taste from cucumbers;
• to make jam from cucumber, the fruits must be picked only after they have fully ripened;
• ripe vegetables must be removed from the bush in a timely manner so that they do not draw nutritious juices from it;
• collection of ripened fruits should be carried out carefully, being careful not to damage the delicate skin of vegetables;
• in order to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits, it is recommended to leave a peduncle up to 5 cm long during cutting.

Important! Cucumber fruits can be stored fresh for 50 days in a well-ventilated and dark room with an air temperature of about 0°WITH.

Recommendations for use

How they eat cucumber depends on the degree of maturity of the collected fruits.

If vegetables were harvested at the initial stage of ripening, then they can be consumed:

• fresh - for the preparation of salads;
• for salting and pickling;
• for the preparation of various canned snacks.

At the stage of full ripening of the fruits, their taste changes and becomes sweet.In this case, cucumber can be consumed:

• fresh - as an independent dessert;
• for the preparation of candied fruits and dried vegetable slices;
• for the preparation of compotes and fruit drinks;
• for jam for the winter.

Ogurdynya belongs to universal and exotic plants, the fruits of which are ready for use in the middle of summer and have excellent taste characteristics. Following simple guidelines for growing this unusual crop, you can get a generous crop of vegetables that can be used to prepare both sweet and savory foods.