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It will not be difficult to get a large and healthy harvest from cucumber beds if you choose the right variety that fully meets the climatic conditions of the area in which you live. Cucumbers intended for cultivation in Siberia and the Rostov region will radically differ in the methods of growing seedlings and care, therefore, the choice must be taken with full responsibility.
Given that the cucumber is a thermophilic culture, planting seedlings should be carried out in a pre-prepared warm soil or choose a variety adapted to temperature and humidity extremes.
How to choose a variety
Not every summer resident has the opportunity to place a massive greenhouse on his site, therefore cucumbers in the local areas are most often grown in open ground with or without film.
Experienced gardeners are advised to grow several varieties of seedlings for open ground, in order to get a harvest from early spring to mid-autumn.
When choosing varieties, you can pick them up as follows:
- early maturing with large fruits for salads and late-ripening gherkins for canning.
- Self-pollinated and insect-pollinated... By planting two types of plants, you can increase the likelihood of a good harvest.
- Hybrids for open ground and zoned varieties.
Whatever growing options you choose, be sure to consider planting at least a few bushes of early-ripening salad cucumbers. These include the varieties "Zozulya" and "April F1". The peculiarity of these cucumbers is that they are adapted for transferring seedlings to open ground in early spring, they bear large fruits with thin skin and small seeds. Among farmers, these two varieties are considered the best for eating them raw.
For early planting in open ground, a variety such as "Libelle" is also widely used. It is a versatile insect pollinated hybrid with a long growing season. The fruits reach a length of 8-10 cm, so they are ideal for both salads and canning.
There are varieties of cucumbers that do surprisingly well outdoors in clear and warm weather, but require film protection in strong winds and low temperatures. If you have the opportunity to equip a frame with a film that can be removed, pay attention to varieties such as: Annika F1, Vladimir F1, Boborik F1, Bidrett F1... All of them are early ripening, and with proper care and protection from the weather, they give large and tasty yields. Choose the best varieties of cucumbers for open ground the following information will help.
Selection and purchase of planting material
When buying planting material, determine for yourself exactly which cucumbers you want to see, what they are for, and in what way you think to grow seedlings. If you live in the regions of Central or Western Siberia, it is better to choose those varieties, the seedlings of which will get stronger in greenhouses and at home, and only then will be transferred to open ground. If you live in the Southern regions, and are going to be engaged in planting cucumbers in the country in the summer, mid-season varieties are suitable for you, the seeds of which can be planted directly into open soil.
With all the variety of planting material on store shelves, it is easy to make a choice - on each package with seeds there is a clear instruction with a description of the variety and the possibilities of planting and growing.
Bush cucumbers
Pay attention to another type of plant - these are bush cucumbers. This culture is great for open summer cottages, since the whips do not branch along the ground, but rise up. This makes it possible to cultivate cucumbers in the spring, and there is complete confidence that when the temperature falls on the surface of the soil, the plant will not suffer.
The main advantages of bush cucumber varieties include the following:
- Resistance to temperature extremes and common fungal diseases.
- Plant compactness... In height, the size of the bush does not exceed 75-80 cm.
- Versatility... Medium-sized fruits are well suited for use in salads and for canning.
- Yield... The bred hybrids bear fruit even in lean years.
And most importantly, some varieties of bush cucumbers are adapted for planting seeds in open ground even in the regions of Western Siberia.
Gherkins
These varieties, intended for cultivation in greenhouses and outdoors, have excellent taste, and, most importantly, due to their small size, they are ideal for salting and preserving.
When choosing gherkins, try to pay attention to parthenocrapic hybrids. Such plants are usually bred by breeders with good resistant data. Remember that when choosing gherkins for planting outdoors, you will need to provide them with a balanced diet in the form of fertilizers such as magnesium, potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, and a must drip irrigation.
Hybrids
Open field cucumber varieties are highly resistant to viral and fungal diseases, tolerate sudden drops in temperature, and, as a rule, do not require special care. In addition, it is hybrids that differ from other varieties in that they have the longest growing periods.
Feedback from both experienced gardeners and beginners suggests that a hybrid that is correctly selected for your region is the best choice for planting cucumbers in open ground.
The best early varieties for open ground
If you approach the choice correctly, taking into account all the planting conditions, you can get the harvest from early varieties for open ground already in early July. At the same time, remember that when choosing seeds, relying on the criteria of climatic resistance, it is better to buy those that tolerate cooling of the air and soil well.
For example, if a variety has proven itself well for planting in open ground in the regions of Western Siberia, it will take root in the south of Russia, but not vice versa.
April F1
Self-pollinated early maturing hybrid. The growing season begins 45-50 days after the seedlings emerge. Possesses high resistance to viral diseases and temperature extremes. The fruits have an even cylindrical shape, the skin is dark green in color with pronounced large tubercles.
Moscow dude F1
The variety is intended for planting and growing in the open field, resistant to cold temperatures, suitable for cultivation in the regions of Central Russia, Central and Western Siberia. Refers to insect pollinated early maturing varieties. The fruits are medium in size, light green with white blurry stripes. The average weight of one cucumber is 100 grams. The Moscow dude is resistant to bacterial infections and olive spot.
Muromsky 36
Among experienced gardeners, it is believed that these are the best early ripening varieties among those that are planted in open ground. Possesses high resistance to viral and bacterial infections.Fruits at full maturity reach a size of 8-10 cm, however, during storage, the skin may turn yellow.
Altai early 166
The main feature of the cucumber is that the crop can be removed from the bush as early as 35-40 days after planting. The variety is considered to be high yielding. The fruits are round, light green in color. They tolerate a sharp drop in temperature in the air and on the ground, they are not whimsical to bright illumination.
Hermann
Self-pollinated hybrid with early vegetation. The period of full ripening of the fruit begins already on the 40th day after germination. Features of the variety - high resistance to cladosporium disease and resistance to cucumber mosaic.
The best mid-season cucumber varieties
If you live in a suburban area only during the summer period of time, it is recommended to start growing cucumbers in the open field in the middle of spring, if the weather is stable and frosts on the soil are not expected.
F1 Athlete
This hybrid is an insect-pollinated crop variety with a mixed flowering type. Possesses low resistance to viral and fungal diseases, but tolerates high humidity and low temperature conditions well. It has proven itself well as a variety grown in the cold spring conditions of Central and Western Siberia. Fruits during the ripening period reach a length of 18-20 cm, with an average weight of 180-200 gr.
F1 White Angel
The hybrid is mid-season with a long growing season. It is considered the best yielding variety among mid-season cucumbers when planted in open ground. The name was given due to the fact that the skin of the fruit is painted white. Cucumbers are cylindrical, smooth, with small tubercles. Disease resistance - average, in the process of growth requires regular feeding with mineral and nitrogen fertilizers.
Raphael
Another mid-ripening variety of hybrids that withstands well the climatic conditions of Central Russia and Western Siberia. The ripening period for cucumbers is 45-50 days. The fruits are light green in color. The average size of one fruit is 20-22 cm. Resistant to root rot, powdery mildew and olive spot. They tolerate high humidity and a sharp drop in temperatures well.
The best late-ripening varieties
These are the best plants for gardeners living in the northern regions of Russia. Seedlings can be planted in the soil from mid-June, and the first crop can be harvested in late August or early September. Among hybrids, late-ripening varieties are considered the best, since they are fully adapted to the cold and rainy late summer.
Farmer
A variety that has a female type of flowers. Of all those presented, it is considered the most productive. The average size of the fruits is 10-12 cm, and the weight is 100-120 grams. The variety is resistant to cold snaps in the air and soil, has a high resistance to powdery mildew and olive spot.
Droplet
Differs in excellent taste, practically has no bitterness. They have a high yield. The fruits have a regular cylindrical shape and small tubercles on the skin. The variety is resistant to downy mildew.
Unbearable 40
A distinctive feature of the variety is its late maturity. The growing season begins after 55-60 days after germination. When planting a plant in open ground, it is advisable to protect it from strong gusts of wind and high humidity. Not suitable for growing in the regions of Western Siberia. Fruits grow, on average, up to 16-18 cm. Resistant to viral and bacterial diseases.
When planting cucumbers in open ground, remember that planting patterns are different for different varieties. For insect pollinated varieties, a 90x50 ribbon scheme is used, with a distance between the beds of 70-80 cm. As for hybrids, they must be planted in accordance with the order described in the instructions.
Remember that feeding cucumbers in open soil is significantly different from greenhouse ones.Early ripening varieties are fed throughout the entire growth, mid-ripening and late ones - once before the formation of flowers and 2-3 times during the growing season.
About which varieties are better to choose and how to correctly determine the criteria - watch the video
