When to plant cucumber seeds for seedlings in 2022

Author of the article

Olga Baranovskaya

Reading time: 6 minutes

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To get a good harvest, you need to take into account many points: think about when to plant cucumber seeds, in what soil, at what temperature, look at the lunar calendar, what it recommends for 2021, decide on a site for planting, and so on.

It is better to prepare to buy seeds in the winter so that you can carefully buy the right varieties.

Decide on a growing location

Before purchasing seeds, you need to decide where they will be grown - in open ground, or in greenhouses/greenhouses.

The following varieties are suitable for growing in a greenhouse:

• "Goosebumps F1";
• "Benefit F1";
• "Alekseich F1";
• "Emelya F1".

These varieties must be watered with warm water from 23 to 30 degrees and fed once every 7-10 days. The greenhouse must be protected from drafts and the room must be ventilated in calm weather. For a greenhouse, preference should be given to parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) seeds rather than bee-pollinated ones. They are less whimsical. Self-pollinating plants will grow regardless of weather conditions and the number of bees.

The following varieties are suitable for growing in open ground:

• "April F1";
• "Ant F1";
• "MuromskyF1";
• "Competitor F1".

These varieties are resistant to powdery mildew and bacterial diseases. They are not picky and cold-resistant, which makes it possible to get a good harvest. They need to be grown in moist soil and fed with fertilizers every 10-14 days.

Dates for planting cucumbers in 2022 according to the lunar calendar

Cucumbers are a common vegetable crop. They are grown in garden plots in almost all regions of Russia. In areas of risky farming, cultivation in greenhouses is recommended. But in central Russia and in some northern regions, cucumbers grow well in open ground. The seedling cultivation method allows for earlier production.

Astrologers advise sowing cucumber seedlings during the waxing Moon. During this period, the germination of planting material improves and sap flow in the above-ground parts of plants accelerates. It is also better to plan transplanting seedlings into the ground or greenhouse during the waxing Moon.

Favorable days for planting cucumbers

Planting cucumbers for seedlings in 2022 should be carried out in accordance with the table:

Planting in February is not advisable. It is very difficult to grow seedlings at home on a windowsill so early. Seedlings do not have enough light, so you need to use additional lighting. In addition, cucumbers sown in February must be transferred to the ground in March, but this is only possible if you have a heated greenhouse.

Unfavorable days

On some days, sowing seeds for seedlings or in open ground, transplanting seedlings is undesirable or even prohibited. The moon goes through several phases per cycle. The most unlucky ones are the full moon and the new moon. On these days it is prohibited to carry out any work in the garden. This is especially true for planting seeds. It is not advisable to plant and sow on the waning Moon. At this time, germination slows down, all the plant’s forces go to the roots, and sap flow in the stems slows down. Unfavorable and prohibited landing days for 2022 are reflected in the table:

In some cases, you can deviate from the rules without taking into account the recommendations of astrologers. For example, if you need to sow seeds or plant seedlings urgently, and the period is inappropriate. In this case, you need to skip the full moon and new moon, and put everything on the waning moon. To reduce risks to a minimum, you need to choose only high-quality seeds and germinate them before sowing. When transplanting seedlings on a waning moon, it is recommended to spray them with Epin or another growth stimulator immediately before transferring them to open ground or a greenhouse. This will boost plant immunity and improve survival rate.

Based on region

The seed planting calendar may be different for the southern and northern regions. The timing differs for indoor and open ground. About a month should pass from the moment of sowing seeds for seedlings to the moment of transferring the seedlings into the ground. To plant seedlings in May, you need to grow cucumbers from seeds in April. In the Moscow region and central Russia, it is recommended to plant cucumbers in beds in mid-May (sow seeds for seedlings in mid-April). But favorable days fall on the 1st-6th, and then on the 23rd-31st. You need to focus on the weather and forecast for the near future. Until May 6, you can plant seedlings in the ground if the weather is relatively warm. But you need to cover the plantings with non-woven material stretched over the arcs. It's even better to plan to land after May 23rd. In the northern regions of Russia, seeds for seedlings should be sown in the third ten days of April, and seedlings should be planted in the ground after May 23. Seedlings can be planted in the greenhouse from the beginning of May. In the southern regions, the deadlines are shifted 1-2 weeks earlier compared to central Russia.

Taking into account the variety

When determining planting dates, it is worth taking into account the varietal characteristics of cucumbers. If you want to get an earlier harvest by sowing seeds in March or early April, you should pay attention to varieties that are resistant to low temperatures. The group of cold-resistant cucumbers is quite large; many hybrids have been bred recently and successfully tested in Siberia, beyond the Urals, and in the regions of the North-West. These areas are characterized by short and cool summers and frequent rains. For early sowing and for risky farming areas, first-generation hybrids produced with the F1 label are perfect. Such plants with unique characteristics were obtained only through painstaking breeding work. They grow and bear fruit well in conditions of variable climate, frequent precipitation, and cold winds. They are not afraid of cold snaps, temperature changes, or shading. They are unpretentious in care, but with proper agricultural technology and fertilizing, the yield will be higher. The following hybrids are suitable for early sowing and cultivation in open ground in regions with unfavorable climate:

• Blizzard F1;
• St. Petersburg Express F1;
• General F1;
• Zhivochik F1;
• Blizzard F1.

It is better to plant late-ripening varieties before the end of May (sowing seedlings no later than the end of April). Some of them are not suitable for northern regions. The most common late-ripening varieties include:

• Phoenix;
• Brownie F1;
• Crunch F1.

Soil preparation

Seeds should be planted at a temperature of 12-15 degrees. If the soil is cold, the cucumber will rot and wither.

Before planting, it is necessary to treat the soil against diseases. This procedure is carried out using biological, thermal and chemical treatments. Soil disinfection should be carried out before planting - 1-2 weeks before planting the seeds.

The simplest processing method is thermal. To rid the soil of pests, you just need to pour boiling water over the soil and cover it with a bag. And the most effective treatment is biological. It helps protect sprouts from pests and diseases.

If the cucumbers were sick with something in the previous year, then the soil needs to be chemically treated using strong fungicides. A solution of copper sulfate and copper sulfate is suitable as a folk remedy.

After such treatment, you also need to feed the soil with phytosporin. It populates the soil with beneficial bacteria and protects the plant from fungi. For disinfection, you can also treat the ground with a solution of potassium permanganate in the following proportions:

• 2 g potassium permanganate;
• 10 liters of water;
• 1 tbsp phytosparin.

Cucumbers are very sensitive to various fungi and bacteria. Therefore, tillage is a must when planting this crop. This procedure helps to obtain a healthy and abundant harvest.

Selection of cucumber seeds

It is much easier to achieve good fruiting from parthenocarpic and self-pollinating varieties and hybrids, since such a phenomenon as barren flowers is extremely rare in them (only in case of a serious malfunction in the microclimate or nutrition). But bee-pollinated varieties that form dioecious inflorescences often suffer from this “disease.”

But bee-pollinated cucumbers have one secret: their yield depends on the age of the seeds that were used for planting. Such cucumbers, when grown from freshly harvested (last year's) seeds, form low-fertile bushes with a large number of male inflorescences, which are called barren flowers.

When planting two-year-old seeds, the yield of such plants will be much higher. The ideal option for planting is 3-4 year old seeds. But after 6 years of storage, the germination capacity of cucumber seeds begins to decline, and by the 9th year they become unsuitable for planting. Therefore, be sure to pay attention to the packaging date of seeds of bee-pollinated varieties. It is better to put fresh seed aside in bins and use it for planting in 1-2 years.

You can artificially “age” fresh seeds of bee-pollinated varieties and increase the number of female inflorescences on future bushes, responsible for the appearance of the ovary, using a simple technique. To do this, 1.5-2 months before planting, they need to be wrapped in a fabric bag and hung near the radiator, where the temperature will be kept at +28...+30°C.

How to prepare cucumber seeds before planting?

One of the most important stages in growing cucumbers is proper seed preparation. It helps increase the resistance of seeds to pests and bad weather, which ensures a good harvest. Pre-sowing preparation is divided into several parts:

• germination test;
• disinfection;
• stimulating growth;
• germination;
• hardening.

Before sowing, you need to manually select the seeds by collecting empty seeds. The remaining cucumbers must be soaked in a salty solution for 10 minutes.

Preparation of the solution:

• 1 tsp salt;
• 0.5 l of water.

The floating seeds must be selected, and the seeds remaining at the bottom must be rinsed under running water.

The next step is seed disinfection. For this stage, use a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The seeds should be soaked in the solution for 15-20 minutes. And then, rinse them under running water. You can also use store-bought preparations for disinfection.

Then you need to soak the seeds in a nutritious ash solution, wrapping them in gauze. To prepare it, you need to mix 1 teaspoon of ash with 1 tablespoon of water and leave the mixture for one day. Cucumbers should be in this solution for 5 hours.

Afterwards, they must be rinsed under running water and placed on a damp sponge or gauze. The seeds can be left on a damp cloth for 1 or 2 days to swell. The room must also maintain a temperature of 22 to 25 degrees.

If the seeds have sprouted strongly, they must be placed in the refrigerator for 2-3 days to harden. It is necessary to maintain the temperature in it at least 2-5 degrees. If the seeds have sprouted a little, then to increase their resistance to cold, they need to be placed in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. The temperature in the device must be maintained at 1 to 2 degrees.

Answers to frequently asked questions

What happens if you sow cucumber seeds in unheated soil, although the calendar shows the end of May?

Cucumber is a heat-loving vegetable crop; cucumber seeds will not germinate in the cold. In greenhouse conditions, the soil warms up earlier than outside. Therefore, cucumbers are sown several weeks earlier.

Some gardeners cover their gardens with black film before planting vegetables. This way the soil warms up faster when spring arrives.

How to understand that grown cucumbers are suitable for canning for the winter?

The thick skin of cucumbers will not allow it to be salted, so you should pay attention to the thickness.

After what vegetable crops can cucumbers be sown?

The best health workers for the garden are garlic and onions. In addition to garlic and onions, cucumbers grow well after tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, carrots, and beets. Watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini are undesirable predecessors. After them, there may be pests in the soil.

Why do people in the Moscow region prefer early-ripening varieties?

Cucumbers produce more crops with long daylight hours. Late-ripening hybrids ripen towards the end of summer, when the days are shorter and the harvest will be small.

Are there any tricks that will allow a beginner not to be left without cucumbers?

Vegetable growers advise stocking up on seeds of various cucumbers. Each species is resistant to climate and disease, so even a beginner will grow something.

Is it true that cucumbers can be sown in barrels?

Barrels are one option. Especially if there is not enough space for cucumbers in the garden. Vigorous varieties are planted in barrels.

Planting seeds for seedlings

To plant germinated seeds, it is advisable to use small or peat pots. A few days before planting cucumbers, it is necessary to water the soil for planting with water. The seeds need to be placed in pots and sprinkled with a little soil. The sprouts do not need to be deeply buried in the soil, this will take longer to germinate. After burying the seeds, it is necessary to compact the soil.

The container with the planted seeds should be wrapped in a dark bag and placed in a sunny place to maintain the greenhouse effect. Seedling sprouts will appear on the 1st or 3rd day.

Growing cucumber seedlings - 4 different ways

• Peat pot
  - one of the disadvantages is that the soil in the pot dries quickly, which means you need to additionally place the pot in a plastic container, where water will collect after watering the seedlings and there will be less moisture evaporation from the walls. When planting in the walls of peat pots, you need to lightly crush it so that it decomposes faster in the ground and does not interfere with the growth of roots.

• Peat and coconut tablets for seedlings.
  In them, cucumbers grow quickly and amicably. As soon as there is no longer enough space for further growth, they need to be transplanted to an insulated bed, a greenhouse or a garden greenhouse.
• Eggshell.
  This method allows the seed to germinate, but since little soil can be placed in the shell, the seeds can be planted in them about a week before planting in the ground. But sometimes even a week of early planting of cucumbers gives good early results for an early harvest.
• Planting seeds in a newspaper pot.
  This method is similar to the method of growing cucumber seedlings in peat pots, but more economical. They are planted in the garden bed along with a paper sheet. When planting seeds, keep in mind that newspaper sheets quickly fall apart. Many gardeners like this method of growing cucumber seedlings in cups. To grow cucumbers in cups, you need to take plastic cups, wrap a bag of newspaper to the size of the glass, place it inside and fill it with soil, then plant cucumber seeds for seedlings.

Proper watering and fertilizing

Cucumbers are a moisture-loving crop. They need high humidity in the air and soil. But you also shouldn’t overdo it with irrigation, otherwise the plant will rot and wither. The most suitable method for watering cucumbers is drip irrigation.

Cucumbers must be watered in the evening with warm water at least 15 degrees. The most suitable temperature for watering is from 20 to 25 degrees. This water accelerates the growth and number of fruits. And low water temperature leads to rotting of the plant.

Watering protects cucumbers from spider mites. Because this pest appears only in hot and dry greenhouses. Cucumbers need to be watered often, but little by little, since the roots of the plant are just at the surface of the soil.

But it is worth remembering that water should not get on the leaves. If the platinum leaf dries out for a long time, the plant may become ill with periporosis.

Feeding is mandatory. Cucumbers need phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. It is enough to fertilize once a week.

We choose the sowing date depending on the variety

Depending on the variety, cucumbers have different ripening periods. This fact cannot be neglected when determining a suitable planting date.

Zelentsy are divided into:

• early. The first harvest ripens 32-44 days after germination. Representative varieties are Champion, Masha, Rodnichok, Connie, Courage, Alligator, German;
• mid-season. It takes 45 to 50 days for the fruits to ripen. These include Son of the Regiment, New Phoenix, Sunny, Nugget, Ruslan, Picas, White Angel, Russian Style, Raphael, Moth, White Delicacy, Levadny;
• late. Zelentsy ripen by 50 days from the moment of germination. These are Crunch, Chinese Climbing, Brigade, Chinese Miracle, hybrid Relay, Winner, Aquarius.

Often, manufacturers themselves indicate favorable dates for sowing seeds. This information can be found on the packaging. If you want to crunch cucumbers already in mid-June, then plant early varieties, starting in the first and second decades of May. It is better to sow late ones in the first days of the last month of spring, so that the fruits have time to ripen before the onset of the July heat. Cucumbers with an average ripening period are recommended to be planted in mid-May or in the second half of May.

On a note! Sow several varieties with different ripening periods so that fruiting occurs alternately. Then throughout the season you will have fresh herbs on your table.

Hardening of seedlings

Seedlings need to begin hardening off 7 days before planting. Cucumbers must get used to the sun, open ground or greenhouse. On the first day, you can only take out the seedlings for 30 minutes. And then, gradually increase the time by 2-3 times.

On day 7, the seedlings can be left in the sun or in a greenhouse for the whole day. If the greenhouse is heated, you can leave the sprouts overnight. Seedlings must be accustomed to temperature changes, otherwise they will wither.

What varieties of cucumbers can be planted in May?

In the last spring month, it is necessary to plant mid-late and late-ripening varieties. These varieties have a longer germination period, so even with slight drops in temperature they are not damaged.

In general, when planting cucumber seedlings in May, you can use all varieties. However, before planting, the seeds must be germinated, and weather conditions during cultivation must also be taken into account.

Cleaning tips

Cucumbers are harvested at any convenient time as they ripen. It is best to do this in the morning or late evening. By that time, the greens will have absorbed the maximum amount of moisture and will be crispy.

If you follow the recommendations of the lunar calendar when harvesting, in order for the cucumbers to remain crispy and juicy longer, they try to collect them on the waxing moon.

A rich harvest of cucumbers depends not only on following step-by-step agrotechnical growing rules. The correct choice of sowing date is of great importance. If you do a simple calculation, you can easily grow a tasty, crispy crop for the chosen period.

How to properly plant cucumbers in open ground, step-by-step instructions?

To obtain an early harvest, it is recommended to pre-grow seedlings.

Seeds should be planted in mid-April for the southern regions, and at the end of the month for the northern ones.

Planting of seedlings must be done before the plant begins to form vines. The landing process consists of the following steps:

• Carefully dig up the area and add humus. 1 bucket of humus is used per 1 m2. Loosen the bed thoroughly so that the mixture is mixed;
• make planting holes 20 cm deep;
• carefully remove the cup so as not to damage the roots and transplant the seedling into the ground;
• Sprinkle the planting material with soil and water with warm water.

When planting the crop in May, you can cover the cucumbers with plastic glasses overnight for the first 2 days. Such shelter allows the bushes to quickly adapt to a new place of growth.

Unfavorable days

If a vegetable grower, when determining the start date of sowing, takes into account the influence of the Moon on the development of the crop, we must not forget about the prohibited numbers. Depending on the phases of the night celestial body, prohibited days are determined when it is better to leave plants alone. Vegetable crops are susceptible to disease, they are easily damaged, and injured areas take a long time to recover; seeds may simply not sprout.

2 days are considered inappropriate - new moon and full moon. Planting and seedlings in May during this period is undesirable. Seedlings are vulnerable. They take a long time to recover after a dive, and may demonstrate poor survival rates or be sick for a long time. To be confident in the future harvest, it is better not to carry out any manipulations related to sowing on unfavorable days.

• 5th – new moon;
• 19 – full moon.

Tricks and useful tips for planting cucumbers in the ground in May

Following the clues of the lunar calendar allows you to get healthy and strong cucumber bushes on your site. However, in order for cucumbers to produce a good harvest, you need to follow the following recommendations from experienced summer residents:

• When planting, the crop should go deep into the soil at the same level as it was in the cups. If the bush is too deep into the ground, the leaves may be damaged;
• If, during planting of vegetables in a permanent place, the beginnings of vines appear, the procedure must be carried out very carefully. If they become soft, they need to be broken off;
• water with warm water. Cold water can cause diseases such as root rot in the plant. The crop grows poorly and may begin to wither;
• After planting the crop in May, you need to take care of the supports. Since in the future the crop will begin to grow quickly, and installing supports can harm the bushes.

Also, in order to scare away pests from cucumber bushes, you can plant calendula or marigolds between the beds. The bright smell repels harmful insects.

IMPORTANT! If the seedlings begin to stretch, it is necessary to lower the temperature in the room and place the pots in a little shade.

The difference between varieties and the importance of timely sowing

Typically, cucumber seedlings are prepared for planting in the ground 25-30 days in advance, without taking into account the time for seed germination. At the same time, it is better to “underhold” the seedlings than to wait until the planting time comes until the plants outgrow. The cucumber does not like transplants, so it is advisable not to disturb the earthen ball of the plant. If the seedlings are overgrown, then the root system in the pot will be excessively compacted, which will subsequently affect the survival rate of the plant and its yield.

Separately, it is worth spending time choosing a variety, both in terms of ripening time and in terms of the use of the resulting harvest. Many varieties indicate not only early ripening, but also the possibility of salting or other processing of grown greens. However, early and super early varieties of cucumbers are of interest only to industrialists, residents of northern regions and those who want to get their first harvest as soon as possible.

It is better for ordinary summer residents to choose cucumber varieties that differ not only in type and method of use, but also in ripening time and type of pollination. Then you can get a really decent harvest by stretching out the fruiting period, and not having to deal with a huge mass of green plants in a short period of time. This is important to consider because... Some varieties begin to bear fruit as early as 37-40 days.

Worth knowing! For the final harvest, it is not so important when the seeds were sown. Timely harvesting of green plants is of greater importance. If gherkins are picked rarely, they will grow large, and the plant itself will begin to shed other young ovaries.

The presence of a large number of hybrid varieties and the rapid growth rate of cucumber vines with proper agricultural technology have made the time of sowing seeds unimportant in the case of greenhouse cultivation. Providing the plant with warmth and light allows you to obtain excellent harvests at any time of the year. However, most often it is summer residents who are interested in sowing dates, and not industrial greenhouse farms.