The best varieties of cucumbers for growing on the balcony and windowsill

Fresh cucumbers, crispy, fragrant, for the New Year's table, for March 8 or for May 1 - the dream of every housewife. It would seem that there is nothing surprising here. I went to the store and bought it. But how can a cucumber from a store compare with a homemade cucumber grown with your own hands? Naturally, the harvest collected in the fall from the garden beds at the dacha cannot be preserved fresh even until the New Year holidays.

Housewives began to grow cucumbers in apartments on window sills, heated loggias and balconies. And not just cucumbers. Fresh herbs, tomatoes, and peppers provide a pleasing harvest all year round.

Tips for choosing a variety

Not only those who do not have a country house or a summer cottage have started planting herbs and vegetables on loggias and balconies. Housewives who love to pamper their loved ones with fresh vegetables and herbs throughout the year, surprising their acquaintances and friends with crops grown with their own hands. And in such an unusual way.

Even an inexperienced gardener can cultivate cucumbers on a loggia or in an apartment on a windowsill. Breeders have developed specialized varieties of cucumbers for growing on windowsills and balconies.

You need to start with selecting a variety. On the package of seeds in the description, the manufacturer indicates that this type of seed is intended for sowing and growing on a loggia and in an apartment on a window.

Criteria that must be taken into account when choosing varieties of cucumbers for the balcony and window sill:

Cucumber seeds must be self-pollinating. Bees rarely fly onto a loggia or balcony, much less into an apartment. Plants of bouquet tying, female type of flowering. Therefore, in order not to pollinate plants manually (it is possible, but it takes a lot of time), self-pollinating varieties of cucumbers are suitable for the balcony.
Increased shade tolerance. When you grow vegetables in the garden, they receive light all day long. Growing on a balcony or windowsill, plants are illuminated only in the first or second half of the day. It depends on which side the window or balcony is facing. Therefore, balcony varieties of cucumbers are resistant to lack of light.
Plants should have small leaves so as not to shade themselves,

short internodes.

Varieties of cucumbers for the balcony are bush varieties, they have short side shoots.

When purchasing seeds, consider these parameters.

Before purchasing seeds, carefully read the description of the variety. The manufacturer must indicate on the packaging the properties of future fruits and whether these varieties of cucumbers are suitable for balconies and windowsills.

Seed preparation

Planting seeds is considered one of the most important stages of growing cucumbers. In order for it to give the desired result, the seed is planted in containers after preliminary germination.

If the balcony is glazed and heated, planting can begin quite early - in the first half of January. Hybrid varieties for balconies are mostly early ripening, and on average the entire ripening process takes from 2 to 2.5 months. Thus, if planted early, the first harvest can be enjoyed in April.

If it is impossible to provide the required temperature in the room, then planting should be delayed until stable warm weather has established outside.

For reference!

But we must not forget that the seedlings need to be planted in their permanent place when they are already strong. Therefore, it is recommended to sow the seeds 30 days before to allow the seedlings to grow.

It is not difficult to achieve maximum seed similarity. For this:

Cucumber seeds are treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, dipping the seed into it for 15–20 minutes.

Advice!
If you bought seeds with a colored shell, then they do not need such treatment.

Then the seeds are laid out one at a time on moistened gauze for further germination.
This process will take a maximum of two to three days. All this time you need to ensure that the gauze remains damp.
As soon as the first shoots are visually visible on the gauze, it is time to transplant the young shoots into the appropriate container. These can be disposable cups, on the bottom of which several drainage holes are made with an awl, or special peat-humus containers for seedlings.
Each cup should be provided for only one escape.
Seeds are planted to a depth of 15-20 mm.
Cups with sprouts are kept for one week in a room where the temperature is at least 24 degrees.

Variety "Balcony miracle"

Photo: Balcony miracle variety
One of the species bred by breeders to be grown in a room on a window sill or on a balcony. A plant with a dense, compressed root system that does not require much soil. The variety is high-yielding, the fruits have a special taste. The pulp of the greens is juicy, sweetish, without the presence of bitterness.

The cucumber tolerates partial shade and does not require additional lighting. The flowers are self-pollinating, female type of flowering, high yields are guaranteed. Cucumbers do not require special care; they are unpretentious, viable, and not susceptible to disease.

The vines of the plant are not very long, no more than 2 meters. The internodes are shortened, but there are many of them. Each one develops 3-5 ovaries.

Gherkins are neat, up to 10 cm long, weighing up to 110 grams. The shape of Zelentsy is a cylinder. There are small tubercles on the skin. Cucumbers are very tasty fresh. They are salted and pickled. Even from jars, cucumbers remain appetizing and fragrant.

“Balcony Miracle” cucumbers are suitable not only for balconies and window sills. They are grown in beds in open ground and in greenhouses. The harvest may exceed the number of cucumbers grown on the balcony.

Planting cucumbers for seedlings

To plant cucumber seeds, you can use purchased peat-based seedling soil. If the hygroscopicity of the soil is poor, you need to add vermiculite to it. It is also advisable to spill the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 2 g per 10 liters of water.

In general, the soil for sowing cucumber seeds should be loose and light, so as not to impede the movement of young roots and seedlings. The seeds are sprinkled with a layer of soil of about 1-1.5 cm. The optimal temperature for germination of cucumber seeds is 24-26°C. Immediately after germination it is reduced to 20-24°C.

Methods for planting cucumber seeds can be different - whatever is convenient for you: either sow in peat cups, without further picking, or in yogurt cups or special cassettes for seedlings, followed by picking into pots. However, we advise you to do without picking.

In general, picking cucumber seedlings in the sense that gardeners invest in it is actually more of a transfer - the seedlings are removed from the cup with maximum preservation of the root and earthen ball, while paying attention that the subcotyledon is not buried under the ground. The earth is not pressed tightly, not compacted.

The whole point of picking (when the root tip of a seedling is pinched to stimulate more powerful root branching) is lost. Cucumber seedlings do not tolerate root damage well and are inhibited in growth for 3-5 days. Therefore, it is best to sow cucumber seeds in small peat cups, which will not require further replanting.

Variety "City cucumber"

Photo: City cucumber
Hybrid, which is cultivated on a loggia or in an apartment.

Peculiarities:

bunched gherkin;
internodes are short;
small sheets;
increased shade tolerance;
begins to bear fruit at 39-41 days;
develops 4-10 ovaries;
fruits are 10-13 cm long, weighing 70-95 grams.

Cucumber is very tasty fresh. Zelentsy are well suited for canning. Vegetables can be grown in an open garden bed or under a film cover. Viable and unpretentious.

Variety "Swallowtail"

Photo: variety “Swallowtail”
A distinctive property of the variety is that the fruits ripen early. Hybrid with female flowers, fascicle, gherkin, parthenocarpic. It has shortened internodes. The shoots on the sides are dense, but short. From 2 to 11 pieces of future fruits are tied in knots.

Greens are spindle-shaped. Their length is up to 12 cm, weight – 60-110 grams.

The taste of cucumbers is excellent. They are juicy, fragrant, filling. Taste qualities are preserved during salting and pickling.

The variety is unpretentious, resistant to cucumber diseases.

Cucumbers are great for growing on balconies and window sills. They can be grown in open beds and under film.

Seedling care

After the seedlings of cucumbers, ordinary tomatoes or cherry tomatoes begin to germinate on the balcony, they are moved to another place, where it is cooler (the temperature should be between 20 and 22 degrees Celsius). As soon as the first leaves appear on the cucumbers, they will need to be pinched. This procedure consists of cutting off part of the leaf along with the growth point from where the third leaf grows from the bottom.

It is very important not to damage the bud located on the lower second leaf. It is from this place that the formation of cucumber vines and the growth of side shoots will begin in the future.

For better growth, agronomists recommend soil for replanting, which includes:

humus - 20%;
turf land - 40%;
leaf soil - 40%.

To prevent the stems of both garden crops from drying out on the balcony, in too sunny weather they must be protected from the rays. To do this, they will need to be moved to a shady place. If necessary, you need to spray and water the leaves with warm water.

April cucumber

Cucumber "April"
A hybrid of the female flowering type, self-pollinating, suitable for growing on a windowsill and balcony. The fruits begin to ripen 40-45 days after planting the seeds. Distinctive features of this variety.

The plant is low, bushy, no higher than 30 cm.
Vegetables are cylindrical in shape. The skin has large white tubercles and spines.
The weight of the fetus does not exceed 220-250 grams.
The pulp of greens is plump, appetizing, without bitterness.
If the fruits are not collected on time, they will turn yellow and overgrow.
The variety is resistant to diseases.
With good, regular care of the plant, the yield increases to 15 kg per 1 square meter.

When cultivated in the garden, the yield increases by 35-45%.

Lighting requirements

In order to get good strong plants with tasty fruits, provide additional lighting on the balcony. To do this, it needs to be equipped with 4-5 fluorescent light bulbs. The power of each should be 40-60 W.

If it is sunny outside, the additional lighting is turned on only in the evenings. From November to March it should be about 12 hours for cucumbers and 15 hours for tomatoes.

Do not use unprofessional or damaged lamps for supplementary lighting. This may result in electric shock or fire of the curtains. The bulbs are located approximately 7-10 cm from the crops being grown. If incandescent lamps are used, they are placed 30 cm from the seedlings.

A smaller distance can cause leaf burns. It is best to give preference to lamps that provide daylight, since they provide greater light output than incandescent lamps.

Balagan

Photo: “Balagan” cucumbers
The variety has all the characteristics characteristic of growing on a balcony or windowsill.

The plant is shade-tolerant, resistant to drought, with a strong but compact root system.
The leaves are not large, do not cover themselves, for a confined space.
Short internodes, containing from 3 to 9 ovaries.
The fruits are small and do not outgrow for a long time.
The variety is early ripening. The ripening of greens begins on days 41-43.
Gives good harvests. Viable to cucumber diseases.

Grows at home and in garden beds.

Pests and possible diseases

Growing cucumbers on the balcony is not difficult, because these vegetables are rarely affected by diseases, but they can suffer from pest invasions.

In this regard, the gardener must constantly monitor his plants and take timely measures when pests are detected:

Whiteflies are repelled with tobacco decoction, which is used to spray cucumber leaves;
Spider mites are afraid of garlic solution and humid air; do not forget to water the plants.
Aphid colonies can be destroyed with a soap solution with mustard added.

Important! Diseases and pests appear on cucumbers as a result of improper care, and the gardener himself is to blame.

Debut

Variety Debut
Hybrid is self-pollinating, early ripening, producing high yields, with female type flowers. Used fresh. The greens are shaped like a cylinder. There are tubercles on the surface of the peel. The fruits are 12-14 cm long, weighing up to 100 grams. Gardeners love cucumbers for their excellent taste. Not suitable for canning.

The plant is low with a bunched ovary. The shoots on the sides grow quickly, but are not long. The variety is resistant to diseases and does not require special additional care.

Retains all properties when grown in beds and in a greenhouse.

Top dressing

For this, it is recommended to use special mineral fertilizers. You can feed the soil with chicken droppings in proportions of 1 to 25 or slurry in proportions of 1 to 10, but they are unlikely to be easy to find in a city apartment.

When feeding tomatoes, you need to be especially careful, since this crop can react with delayed fruiting or increased growth if there is an excess of fertilizers, especially nitrogen. For cucumbers, the applied fertilizer should be approximately 3 times more than for tomatoes.

Fertilizers do not need to be used if the seedlings are growing and looking good. An excess of fertilizing leads to their inhibition, as well as to a loss of taste in the fruits. When watering the soil with not yet sprouted tomatoes and cucumbers, you must carefully loosen the top layer so that a dense crust does not form.

Otherwise, the seedlings will not receive oxygen and nutrients in normal quantities.

Read more in the article “How to feed cucumbers on the balcony.”

Zozulya

Variety “Zozulya” for the balcony
Cucumber has long been known and very popular among summer residents and amateur gardeners. The plant is small, not spreading. The bush is resilient and immune to disease.

The fruits are cylindrical in shape, with tubercles and not too noticeable thorns on the peel. Cucumbers are 20-22 cm long, weight - 220 grams.

The vegetable is famous for its taste. The pulp is juicy, fragrant, sweetish. There is no bitterness.

Cucumber gives a decent harvest when planted under film. In an open garden, the harvest is weaker than in a greenhouse.

Elegant

Variety “Graceful”
An exceptional variety of greens, pollinated by bees. It is cultivated on a balcony or windowsill. Breeders have developed many forms of hybrids of this type, which makes it possible to achieve a rich harvest even without bees.

Zelentsy have the shape of an ellipse, dark green, with tubercles on the skin. Cucumbers taste great fresh. Good for pickling and pickling.

Resistant to cucumber diseases, easily tolerates temperature fluctuations. It can itself pollinate other plants nearby.

Priming

To grow cucumbers on the balcony, you need to prepare the right high-quality soil for the crop. You can buy soil in a specialized store or make it yourself.

Vermiculite and peat are considered important components of the nutrient mixture. In addition, the soil must contain the following components:

1 volume part of peat;
1 part of turf land;
1 part humus;
1 part sawdust.

All components are thoroughly mixed. Add 5 grams of urea and 10 grams of nitrophoska to a bucket of this mixture.

In the absence of mineral fertilizers, 50 grams of sifted wood ash are added to the same volume of nutrient substrate.

Hummingbird

Cucumbers "Hummingbird"
Self-pollinating gherkin hybrid. The shoots on the sides are small.

The plant begins to bear fruit 38-42 days after planting the seeds.
The internodes are shortened, 3-10 ovaries are formed in each.
The variety is shade-tolerant. Resistant to diseases.
The leaves of the plant are not large.
The fruits resemble a cylinder. The peel has small tubercles and white spines.
Vegetables do not overgrow.

The cucumber is perfect for growing on a loggia or windowsill.

Garland

variety "Garland"
Hybrid. Amazing variety. When they ripen, there are so many greens that the plant resembles a Christmas tree with garlands. The variety amazes with rich harvests.

Shade-tolerant bush. The flowers are female and self-pollinating. The fruits are medium-sized from 13-17 cm, weighing up to 125 grams.

Cucumbers have excellent taste. Vegetables are suitable for fresh consumption. Salted and pickled cucumbers are also good.

There are a lot of cucumber varieties bred by breeders for balconies and apartments.

Note! Seeds of green hybrids do not germinate. Planting material will have to be purchased from the store annually.