Getting an early harvest of cucumbers is the dream of any gardener. For a heat-loving culture, sun rays alone are not enough. Creating certain conditions will speed up the process of fruit ripening. A warm bed is what you need to speed up the early harvest. It turns out that without a greenhouse or greenhouse it is possible to grow an early harvest without additional financial costs, using natural biochemical processes.
Principle of operation
The name “warm bed” speaks for itself - it should warm. Not all gardeners know what and how to keep warm. The process is based on organic and physical reactions. The dacha is full of all kinds of plant waste:
- mown grass;
- weeds;
- food waste;
- dry leaves;
- waste paper;
- branches and bark of trees and shrubs.
This unnecessary garbage will serve as a good basis for a warm garden bed. When organic matter overheats, it releases a lot of heat, warming the soil. And the decomposed substances turn into valuable fertilizer - humus.
The “insulating” material needs to be laid out in the place of the future cucumber bed. The bottom layer should consist of large coarse fragments: branches, thick stems, bark. This is a kind of drainage that ensures air circulation. The next layers will be made up of smaller organic matter: foliage, grass, weeds, food waste. When laying out layers, it is advisable to water them in order to increase the moisture content of the organic material, and therefore set in motion the process of fermentation and decomposition. This chemical reaction will create the heat needed to grow the crop.
Raw materials affected by rot and disease cannot be used, as they can become a source of disease not only for the leaves, but also for the fruits of cucumbers.
The “stuffing” for warm beds can be prepared in advance. To do this, you need to set aside (fence off) a certain place on your personal plot, where various dacha waste will gradually be deposited.
Caring for ground cucumbers
Watering
Cucumbers grow a large green mass and consume a lot of moisture, while their root system is not able to “pump up” water from the depths, so you have to constantly remember to water. It is needed most of all during intensive growth and fruiting.
If there is no rain, you will have to water the cucumbers 2-3 times a week so that the soil is always moderately moist.
Strong fluctuations in humidity are very harmful to cucumbers. They cannot tolerate either drying out or flooding, especially at low temperatures, this provokes diseases. The water must be settled and warmed in the sun to at least 20 degrees.
We advise you to read: Diseases of cucumbers in open ground
Mulch
Mulch made from cut grass, compost, and humus perfectly helps to conserve soil moisture, protect cucumbers from bitterness (especially in hot, dry weather), and also replaces frequent loosening and weeding, and keeps the soil consistently warm. It is useful to add soil to the base of the stem - additional roots will form.
Feeding
Cucumbers need a lot of nutrients because the plants develop quickly and bear fruit abundantly. When feeding, it is best to alternate mineral and organic fertilizers. The day before adding them, the cucumbers should be watered.
First feeding
carried out when three true leaves are formed, watering with mullein infusions (1:10) or, if there is no mullein, then bird droppings (1:20). They contain a high concentration of nitrogen, which is needed at the beginning of growth so that cucumbers actively gain green mass. A weak solution of nitroammophoska (15-20 g/10 l of water) is also suitable.
Second time
Cucumbers are fed before flowering, at which time they need phosphorus and potassium. Mineral fertilizers are used (30-40 g of superphosphate and 10-15 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water), or you can use only ash. It is simply scattered over the surface before watering (100 g/sq.m.).
Third feeding
done during mass fruiting, it can be the same ash or potassium chlorine-free fertilizer, for example, potassium sulfate (3 tablespoons of granules/10 liters of water).
In addition to root feeding, spraying is carried out on the leaves. This is especially true in cold summers and in cases where it is necessary to restore productivity. Treat plants in the early morning or evening, but not in bright sun, otherwise you can burn the leaves. For spraying, solutions of complex mineral fertilizers and an infusion of wood ash are used.
Tip: Cucumbers are very responsive to organic feeding. If there is no mullein or bird droppings, you can make an excellent green fertilizer from grass clippings and weeds and feed them weekly.
By the way: The bitterness of cucumbers is caused by a substance called cucurbitacin, produced by the plant under unfavorable conditions. This can be bright sunlight with a lack of moisture in the soil and air, a sharp cold snap after a heat wave, watering with cold water, or damage to the vines. The appearance of bitterness is characteristic of varietal cucumbers, especially old varieties; in modern hybrids there is no bitterness, which is genetically determined.
Formation
Typically, bush cucumbers with short vines and weak branching are grown in the garden. They require almost no shaping. Only long-climbing and highly branched plants grown on a trellis require certain formation.
Read more about how to form cucumbers - Forming cucumbers in open ground on a trellis.
Advantages
Warm beds for cucumbers are gaining popularity every year. And it is no coincidence, because few summer residents keep livestock or poultry. Receiving sufficient heat and nutrition from rotting organic matter, cucumbers produce an early harvest.
Benefits include:
- early sowing of crops, early fruiting;
- the soil contains all the necessary nutrients and microelements;
- the insulating material subsequently turns into valuable fertilizer;
- temperature changes are not harmful not only to plant roots, but also to young shoots;
- thanks to heat, the yield increases and the duration of fruiting increases;
- the design does not require financial costs and is easy to construct;
- dacha waste is disposed of beneficially;
- the bed is obtained with natural drainage;
- There is no need to dig up the soil; the multilayer structure allows it to always remain loose.
If the site has heavy soil or groundwater is close to the soil surface, such a bed is an ideal option not only for growing cucumbers, but also other pumpkin crops.
The disadvantages of this design are minor:
- frequent moisturizing;
- adding fertile soil twice a year.
Warm bed for cucumbers without manure
Whatever the design of the warm bed, its main purpose is to generate heat. The dacha waste used in the construction of the garden bed, when overheated, warms the soil and plant roots. In warm nutrient soil, microorganisms multiply well and produce carbon dioxide, which is beneficial for the growth of vegetable crops. This is a good guarantee for getting a large harvest of cucumbers.
Recessed type
This type of warm bed is suitable for areas with arid climates. To create it, a trench is dug, the average depth of which is 50 cm, the width is no more than 150 cm. If the soil on the site is clayey, you need to lay sand drainage at the bottom. Many gardeners place plastic (closed) bottles under the drainage layer to prevent deep cold from penetrating to the root system of the crop.
Organic matter is laid out in layers: from below - branches, roots, bark; then comes plant materials and household waste - grass, hay, paper, sawdust, food waste. You can place a low wooden box around the perimeter of the bed. Leave the top of the structure at ground level or raise it a little higher. You can do without a box. The top layer should be fertile and nutritious.
The finished bed is watered with water heated to +90 degrees, covered with a dark film so that it warms up well. This bed will last for five years.
On the soil surface
One of the simplest designs in terms of labor intensity. This is a kind of raised bed. Its construction does not require any building materials. The heat-generating layer is laid directly on the surface of the earth. It is covered with a layer of soil on top. The resulting elevation is poured with hot water to speed up the thermal process. The bed is covered with a dark film so that it warms up well. Soon you can plant cucumbers.
Elevated
This type of cucumber bed is usually built in areas where there are long, cold winters and cool, rainy summers. This design is similar to an embankment or hill, the average height of which is 60 cm.
The raised bed is arranged as follows:
- In the selected area, remove turf to a depth of about 30 cm;
- A metal mesh with small cells is placed at the bottom, which will serve as an obstacle for rodents;
- Coarse organic matter - tree branches and bark - is laid out in the central part of the pit;
- Then they are filled with layers consisting of fine organic matter;
- The topmost layer of the structure is soil, its thickness should be at least 20 cm.
In a barrel
A good option for creating a warm bed is a barrel. In the spring, when the snow has melted, the barrel is installed in a vertical position in the sunniest area. The barrel is filled with plant remains and food waste. After a week, the organic matter will settle and it will be filled again with vegetation and kitchen waste. This must be done until the subsidence stops completely. At the end of May, fertile soil is poured into the structure up to the edge of the barrel and watered with hot water.
By overheating, the organic matter will release the heat necessary for the cucumbers. The barrel is covered with film. The covering material will not damage the seedlings, since the soil will gradually subside while the cucumbers germinate (sown dry), leaving the necessary distance for plant growth. Such shoots are not afraid of night frosts. The film is removed completely when the weather becomes stable.
This structure allows you to save space on your personal plot, and the harvest of cucumbers is not inferior to those grown in the garden.
With freshly cut grass
Such a warm bed is set up in the spring right in the open ground. You need to dig a shallow trench and fill it with freshly cut grass without seeds. You need a lot of grass, because when it withers, it settles. The green mass should be compacted. Boiled potato peelings and kitchen waste can be placed on top of the grass to start the fermentation process. Pour soil on top - it should be above the surface of the earth, otherwise the cucumbers may rot in a rainy summer. Pour boiling water over the cucumber plant and cover with foil.
From tires
This design will require three car tires. Place cardboard under the first tire to prevent weed growth. Place drainage onto the cardboard. The second tire is filled with compost and food scraps. Compost is poured into the third device, and planting soil is placed on top. Hot water is poured onto the ground.
Planting holes are dug around the structure. Two cucumber seeds are sown in each hole.
Hanging boxes
Boxes for growing cucumbers can be hung in a greenhouse. A film with holes for drainage is laid out at the bottom of the container. Then a thin layer of sand is poured. The top layer is nutrient soil. Cucumbers are planted. The box is placed on a support or suspended.
The soil
Cucumbers prefer light, well-warmed and fertile soil. Sandy loam-humus soils with good water and air permeability are best suited. Clay soils are improved by adding large amounts of manure, compost, and long-sitting sawdust. Cucumbers require neutral soils with an optimal pH of 6-7. Excessive acidity, which interferes with the absorption of fertilizers and fertilizing, is leveled by the addition of ash, chalk, lime, and dolomite flour. Soil acidification and calcium deficiency can be determined by curling leaves, smaller and tasteless fruits.
Creating a warm bed with manure
A manure bed is in no way inferior to greenhouses in the amount of cucumbers grown, since the decomposition of this organic matter releases a lot of heat. It is possible to grow greens in such a warm garden bed in open ground even in Siberia. The first place in terms of heat transfer is occupied by horse manure: for 1.5 months, when overheated, it maintains a temperature of +75 degrees.
The bed is laid out several weeks before planting the seeds. The creation sequence is as follows:
- In the selected area, remove the top soil layer to a depth of a spade bayonet (30-35 cm). The average width of the bed is 90 cm, the length is arbitrary;
- The bottom of the trench is covered with a metal mesh with small cells. The mesh will prevent rodents from entering;
- Branches of trees and shrubs can be laid out as drainage;
- Lay the main layer - manure, 20-25 cm thick;
- The top layer is fertile soil or a mixture of humus and garden soil in equal proportions;
- In order for the manure bed to begin to generate heat, it must be thoroughly poured with boiling water;
- To warm up, cover with film for about a week. The appearance of condensation on the film indicates that the bed has begun to work. The film can be removed.
The bed is ready for sowing.
If the amount of raw materials is limited, then you can arrange warm holes in the garden bed. The technology for preparing the bed is the same, only a separate hole is prepared for each plant.
How to make a warm bed for cucumbers in early spring with your own hands
Many summer residents are interested in how to make a warm bed of manure for cucumbers in the spring. This is not at all difficult, but there is one caveat: you will need horse manure, which, when decomposed, maintains heat for more than 3 weeks, which is important in the spring season. Plus, it enriches the soil with useful substances that will affect the harvest.
You need to make a garden bed as soon as the snow melts.
Action plan:
- Fill the manure to 18-22 cm (you can also cover the walls of the trench with it).
- Fill the hole with soil, you can mix it with humus in a 1:1 ratio.
- Sprinkle with warm water.
- Season with ash.
- Hide under film for 7 days.
After this, the bed will be ready for planting cucumbers. This method allows you to harvest vegetables much earlier.
However, it is worth considering the possibility of repeated frosts and considering ways to cover the seedlings. A frame made of chain-link, metal or wooden frame and film will help out in case of cold weather and will create greenhouse conditions. As soon as the bad weather recedes, the insulation can be removed.
Due to the fact that cucumbers are unpretentious plants, they can be grown anywhere. They have a small root system, which is enough even with a minimal amount of soil.
Selecting a location
Choosing a location is the first step when laying out a warm bed for cucumbers.
Warm garden bed in open ground
Cucumbers love warmth and sun. Therefore, the place for the garden bed in open ground should be sunny and protected from the wind. The ideal location of the structure is from east to west. This placement will allow the entire area of the bed to warm up during the day.
Warm bed in the greenhouse
Warm beds in a greenhouse are laid out in regions with unfavorable climatic conditions, where summers are cold and with significant temperature changes. The soil in this design can be additionally heated.
The simplest structure is a box, the walls of which can be made of wood, slate, brick and even plastic bottles.
How to prepare beds for cucumbers in open ground
Despite the fact that cucumbers are considered one of the most unpretentious crops, they do have some “whims”. For example, they need the right predecessors.
It is best to place the beds where tomatoes, cabbage, and peas were planted. And after squash and zucchini, you shouldn’t plant cucumbers.
Also, the place in the garden should be protected from wind and drafts.
If the site is located in an open area and there is no secluded corner for a garden bed, you can plant curtain plants around the perimeter. Corn or sunflower will do.
What plants will be the best neighbors for cucumber beds:
- melons, watermelons;
- cabbage;
- the salad will stimulate the root system of the cucumber;
- onions, parsley, garlic, spinach - these greens heal the air and soil;
- dill - attracts beneficial insects - ladybugs that fight pests;
- calendula;
- radish repels spider mites;
- beans provide nitrogen replenishment;
- corn.
With a suitable neighborhood, the harvest will be rich, and there will be enough cucumbers not only for summer salads, but also for twists.
It is worth carefully selecting “neighbors” for cucumbers.
When to make a warm bed
A warm bed can be prepared for planting cucumbers both in spring and autumn.
Warm bed in spring
Construction of the bed in the spring should begin after the snow has melted. You will have to wait a little for the soil surface to warm up; cold soil will slow down the rotting reaction. To speed up the process of warming up the earth, you can put a film on the area allocated for the garden bed.
When the soil has warmed up, you can begin to lay out the structure of the bed. Biomaterials should be used with a short decomposition period, large ones should be crushed. When laying organic matter, it must be compacted well, otherwise, overheating, the layers will settle and the cucumbers will sink deep. It will be inconvenient to care for a crop if it is planted on a high bed, in a box or barrel.
On top of the beds you can place arcs on which to stretch film or agrofibre. In this case, the cucumbers will be heated not only from below, but also from above. It is possible to plant a crop in such a greenhouse even with slight night frosts. The shelter must be removed during the day, otherwise on a hot day the cucumbers may burn due to the high temperature in the greenhouse.
Warm bed in autumn
A warm bed can be prepared in the fall. Conditions for this are even more favorable than in spring. Firstly, the ground is not frozen. Secondly, there are a lot of different plant residues - tops, mown grass, leaves, weeds. Thirdly, the gardener has more free time, and fourthly, the garden bed will shrink and the processes of rotting will begin earlier in the spring.
There are also two minor disadvantages:
- Mice can nest in plant debris. To prevent this from happening, a metal mesh is spread at the bottom of the bed, and the first layer is covered with branches of thorny bushes - gooseberries, raspberries, spruce or pine branches;
- a garden bed built long before the cold weather will become overgrown with weeds. To protect against weeds, the structure should be covered with a covering material that does not allow sunlight to pass through.
Seed selection and planting
A very important issue is the choice of seeds for planting. On the package you should definitely find a salad cucumber, or one suitable for pickling. It is clear that the salad cucumber is not suitable for pickling, but it is very good in salad.
You need to determine for yourself what purpose you are growing cucumbers for. You can make two beds - one for salad cucumbers, and the second for pickling ones.
When should you sow cucumbers? There are two answers to this question - catkins appeared on the birch trees, and the second date is May 6, the day of St. George the Victorious.
We plant cucumbers in our garden bed in two rows. The distance between the seeds is 15–20 cm, planting depth is 3 cm. We are waiting for germination. Have a good harvest.
