When to sow cucumbers to get an early harvest: calendar

Cucumbers are one of the most popular vegetables on Ukrainian tables and gardens. Their fresh, crunchy flavor perfectly complements any dish, so it's no wonder that summer residents want to get their harvest as early as possible.

Choosing the right time for sowing is the key to getting an early and abundant harvest. That's why NV has shared a sowing calendar that shows the most favorable days for planting cucumbers for seedlings.

In fact, cucumber seeds germinate quite well in the open field, but in order to get an early harvest, you should use the seedling method.

You can start sowing greenhouse cucumber varieties for seedlings as early as March, and those intended for planting in open ground at the end of May.

The seedlings will be ready in about three weeks. However, it is worth waiting until the ground warms up to 15 degrees before planting them in the garden.

Sowing calendar

In March, the favorable days for sowing cucumbers will be 13-19, 28 and 29.

The best days for sowing in April are the 1, 2, 10-15, 25, 29 and 30.

How to prepare the seeds

Before planting, it is worth sorting out damaged and deformed seeds. To do this, they can be immersed in a lightly salted solution for about 10 minutes. After that, the defective seeds will float up, and the strong and healthy ones will remain at the bottom.

However, such a procedure should not be carried out with processed seeds.

You can also germinate the seeds to increase the chances of success.

How to sow seeds

Cucumbers are rather sensitive plants with a thin root system, so it is recommended to sow them in separate containers. You can use small peat pots, cardboard cups, or plastic containers for sowing.

Put one germinated seed in each container to a depth of about 3-5 centimeters.

After that, water the cucumbers, cover with foil, and store at a temperature of 23-28 degrees until the first shoots appear.

Moisten the soil once a week with a spray bottle.

What kind of soil is needed

To grow cucumbers, you need soil that is highly permeable to air and moisture. You should also avoid substrates containing large amounts of peat. It is also important that the acidity of the soil is not too high.

If you decide to make your own soil instead of using store-bought soil, you will need peat, humus, and garden soil. The mixture will need to be disinfected, for example, with a strong solution of manganese acid, and fertilized.

For 10 kilograms of soil mixture, it is recommended to add 6 grams of urea, 10 grams of superphosphate, 6 grams of potassium sulfate and 2 grams of magnesium sulfate.

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