Step by step description of the cultivation of cucumbers in bags
Growing cucumbers in bags

Probably many experienced gardeners, gardeners will be surprised to learn about this innovative approach to planting cucumbers. However, the cultivation of cucumbers in bags is one of the best ways to get a good harvest in open beds, in greenhouses, and even on a balcony or veranda. Using this method in the country, you can significantly save space in the garden for other crops or stylishly decorate a corner of the garden. On the secrets of growing cucumbers step by step and will be discussed in this article.

The main features of planting cucumbers in bags

Cucumbers - a culture that is very demanding on the quality and moisture of the soil. With this method of planting, you can easily provide a layer of nutrient soil. in 20-30 centimeters and the necessary humidity even in the hottest and driest weather in summer.

Cucumbers are also sensitive to soil temperature. Planting in bags allows the soil to heat up to a considerable depth, allowing the plants to grow faster.

Both seedlings and adult plants do not like exposure to direct sunlight.

It is possible to provide a sufficient amount of diffused light by placing bag containers in the shade of a veranda, in shaded areas in a garden, on a balcony or a loggia.

Bags can be placed on the veranda, balcony and loggia
Bags can be placed on the veranda, balcony and loggia

Advantages and disadvantages

The method has many advantages. The main ones are:

  • significant space saving and lack of garbage;
  • the ability to grow many plants in a small area;
  • minimum effort for the care of plants;
  • the opportunity to get a big harvest on the balcony, veranda, loggia, greenhouse;
  • ease of collection harvest.

A significant advantage is also the possibility of longer preserve the harvested vegetables, since they did not touch the ground when grown.

When transporting cucumbers remain clean and do not rot.

The disadvantages of this method include:

  • the need to maintain a constant temperature in the bags in order to avoid overheating and death of the plant root system;
  • the difficulty of maintaining the required level of soil moisture.
When planting cucumbers in bags, you must observe a strict mode of watering.
When planting cucumbers in bags, you must observe a strict mode of watering.

Observe a strict irrigation regime is necessary, since with a lack of moisture the fruits can become bitter, and with its excess, the roots will rot and the plant will die.

How to grow cucumber step by step

Preparation of bags and soil

For growing cucumbers, you can use durable plastic bags (transparent, black, colored), and the usual from the sugar or flour. Note that the wider the bag, the more plants you can grow in it.

So in a standard bag, 5-7 lashes of cucumbers will feel comfortable, and with a diameter of 1.5 meters - from 10 to 15 plants. In southern areas and in well-lit areas it is better to use white and transparent bags,in northern latitudes and on shades of balconies and verandas - dark, gray and black shades.

Productivity directly depends on the size of the bag.
Productivity directly depends on the size of the bag.

For the preparation of the nutrient mixture for one bag (50 kg) the necessary ingredients are:

  • 2 buckets (12 liters) of soil;
  • 1 bucket of humus;
  • 1 bucket of straw, hay or sawdust;
  • 20 grams of superphosphate;
  • 2 handfuls of wood ash;
  • up to 10 grams of potash fertilizers.

Each bag must be filled in the following sequence:

  1. In the bottom make several holes for air circulation and removal of excess moisture.
  2. Cover the bottom with steamed sawdust, hay or straw.
  3. On top, place the soil well-mixed with humus, ash and fertilizer.
  4. Fill in 1/3 of the whole height (as the plant grows, the soil should be constantly poured).
  5. Insert a stick-support up to 2 meters long in the middle and fix it securely.
  6. Tension the wire, net or strong thick threads for the subsequent placement of the lashes of cucumbers.
  7. Roll the bumpers to the desired height so that the soil does not spill out.
Before filling the bottom of the bag is covered with sawdust
Before filling the bottom of the bag is covered with sawdust

How to plant

In the southern regions of our country, where warm weather is established in early May, cucumbers in bags or boxes can be planted from seed. But for the northern regions, where frosts can occur even in early June, it is preferable grow seedlings.

Regardless of the method of planting plants in open ground, before planting the seeds should be soaked in a small amount of water and preferably a transparent container. Only seeds that have fallen to the bottom are suitable for planting, and those that float on the surface must be thrown away.

Sow the seeds should be when the temperature at night stops falling below 15 degrees and frost stops on the surface of the ground and in the air.

The seed planting process consists of:

  • installation of bags on the site and filling them with a soil mixture;
  • ground sweeping outside for stability;
  • positioning the sticks inside the bags and fixing the net or wire for cucumber lashes;
  • soil moisture;
  • seed treatment and hardening;
  • sowing seeds into the soil to a depth of 3-5 cm;
  • closing the surface with a film before the first shoots.

In the seedling method of growing cucumbers, each seed is better to plant. in a separate plastic cup, filled with half the nutrient mixture. As the seedlings grow, the ground should be added to the cup.

For transplanting into a bag, an earthen ball in a glass should be well moistened. Remove the seedling should be carefully (in any case not to pull the stem), so as not to damage the root and the plant itself.

Features of plant care

Work on the care of cucumbers are reduced to such events:

  • regular watering;
  • fertilizing with organic (chicken manure, herbal infusion) or chemical (nitrophoska, superphosphate, potassium sulphate) fertilizers;
  • the formation of bushes in order to increase the intensity of the formation of greens;
  • prevention of diseases and damage to the bushes by pests;
  • weed removal and garter growing lashes;
  • harvesting.
It should be noted that cucumbers need to be collected every day, preventing them from ripening. Timely collection of greens allows the bush to form a new ovary, and therefore increases the period of fruiting.
Cucumbers need to be picked every day, not overriding
Cucumbers need to be picked every day, not overriding

Problems when planting cucumbers in bags and boxes

One of the main problems with this method of growing cucumbers is uniform and sufficient soil moisture.

Many gardeners nowadays use drip irrigation, which allows for rational use of water.At the same time, the soil does not overmoisture and does not dry out, which is very important for the normal formation of the shrub, abundant flowering and obtaining a quality crop.

Another problem could be excess sunlight, more precisely the effect of direct sunlight on plants. Therefore, it is better to choose a place to place bags in the sparse shade of trees, hedges, near buildings, on an open lined veranda.

When growing in bags on the balcony you need to take care of diffused sunlight.
When growing in bags on the balcony you need to take care of diffused sunlight.
Growing cucumbers on a loggia or balcony should provide plants with diffused sunlight.

The next problem that gardeners may face is excessive planting density. It is important to remember that for the normal development of each bush requires a certain space.

If you plant a lot of seeds or seedlings in one bag - they will grow poorly and bear fruit poorly. Therefore, it is better to grow five full-fledged plants than fifteen - but without a good harvest.

If you follow all the rules and recommendations for growing cucumbers in bags, you can get a rich harvest of early cucumbers.Using this advanced technology, city dwellers will be able to enjoy delicious summer vegetables from a vertical garden bed on the balcony. And gardeners - to receive consistently high yields, regardless of the vagaries of the weather.