Cucumbers are a demanding crop. When grown, they occupy a considerable area. Not all gardeners have the opportunity to allocate a lot of land for them - the size of the site does not allow. In addition, cucumbers give the maximum yield when grown on rich organic matter and well-heated soil, therefore a warm bed is prepared for their cultivation, and this is a process that requires considerable labor. We have to look for unconventional ways to grow our beloved crop. And one of them is cucumbers in a barrel. At its core, this is the same warm bed, only located vertically. It is clear that it will take up much less space, and the result will pleasantly surprise. How to grow cucumbers in a barrel in the country? Let's consider the process in all details.
Method description
An unusual method of getting a crop in a barrel has been practiced for a long time in China. For Russians, this technology of growing cucumbers is relatively new. According to the gardeners, they have already tried it in the country, and the attempts were crowned with success.
In a barrel, you can grow varieties of crops of any ripening period, but basically the method is resorted to in order to have an early harvest.
According to observations, the amount of vegetables obtained when grown in a container with a volume of 200 liters is compared with the harvest harvested from a garden with an area of 2x2 m. A similar result is obtained due to an increase in planting density.
Some owners of home gardens note that the yield in barrels is not great, but this is observed in cases where there is no proper care or mistakes are made at the stage of planting the crop (for example, the soil should be with compost, but it is not always added).
Cucumber planting technique
The technology of planting cucumbers in barrels consists of several stages:
- Barrel and soil preparation.
- Seed preparation.
- Sowing seeds.
Barrel and soil preparation
For planting cucumbers, any unnecessary barrel with a volume of about 200 liters is suitable. It can be wooden, as well as metal or plastic. It is better to use containers with slots and even without a bottom. If the barrel is intact, you will have to specially drill holes around the entire perimeter for air to reach the roots.
The soil in the barrel should consist of three layers:
- Bottom drainage layer. It takes up a third of the volume and consists of finely chopped branches, fallen leaves, garden waste in the form of stalks and roots of corn, cabbage, tops of plants and weeds. It must be borne in mind that the mixture will be compacted during the decay process and will settle.
- Middle nutrient layer. It takes up the second third of the volume, it is a mixture of organic waste - manure, raw food waste from vegetables and fruits.
- The top layer of soil where you want to plant cucumbers. Its thickness is 10–20 cm, it consists of sod land, rotted compost, peat. The last element can be replaced with vermiculite, rotted sawdust or chopped straw.
The container is installed in a permanent place in early spring, and soil preparation is carried out step by step:
- The bottom 2 layers are poured for decay for at least 3 weeks. It is better to do this in the fall. If the preparation takes place in the spring, you can accelerate the decay process with a solution of Baikal EM: 100 ml of the drug per 10 liters of water. The barrel is covered with foil and periodically watered with warm water.
- If after a week the mixture has subsided greatly, it is necessary to add layers of the same soil mixture components again, pour water over and cover. If necessary, repeat the procedure until the required volume is filled.
- When the lower layers start to rot, the upper layer is brought in. It can be fertilized with nitroammophos or other complex fertilizer.
The barrel should not be completely filled with the finished substrate - the top 20 cm from the edge should be left empty. This is necessary so that the sprouts can grow freely under the covering material.
Before planting cucumbers, the top layer of soil can be disinfected:
- spill with boiling water;
- process with a solution of potassium permanganate;
- pour Fitosporin.
The method of growing cucumbers in a barrel is described in the video from the Harvest Garden channel.
Seed preparation
Before planting, it is better to hold the seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes for disinfection.
The planting material for hybrid cucumbers does not need preliminary processing.
When to plant
It is necessary to plant cucumbers in a barrel when the air warms up to +15 ° C.
Sowing seeds
In one container, you can plant from 5 to 10 seeds, depending on the diameter of the container. We plant seeds in a circle, at a distance of 15 cm from each other. We place 1 grain in each groove and fill it with humus. There is no need to water the soil on the day of planting.
After sowing, the container is covered with foil until stable warm weather is established. Periodically, the film is removed, the sprouts are watered with warm water and ventilated.
Main positive and negative aspects
Growing vegetables in a barrel has the following positive aspects:
- The culture contains a large percentage of nutrients, since planting takes place not in simple soil, but in humus.
- The growing procedure is simple and does not require a lot of time.
- Vegetables are harvested much earlier than outdoors.
- In containers, the temperature of the earth is higher, since during planting rotting crops are placed there, which protects the plant from diseases and frost.
If we talk about the shortcomings, they are minimal. The negative side of growing cucumbers in a barrel is the rapid drying of the soil. With proper care, this disadvantage can be easily eliminated.
Seat selection
Cucumbers in a barrel
In a small area, sometimes there is simply not much to choose from. But for such a structure, very little is required - about 1 sq. m, taking into account that a convenient approach to the barrel should be from all sides. For most varieties and hybrids, adequate lighting throughout the day is a must. But this does not mean that you will have to sacrifice a piece of land in a completely open space. An area on the south side of a tree or bush is also quite suitable. The benefit in this case is twofold: there is enough light and the plants will be protected from the wind.
Advice! If the selected area does not have as much sun as you would like, you can plant shade-tolerant cucumber hybrids, for example, "Maryina Roshcha".
The fertility of the soil in this case does not play a role. The barrel can even be installed on asphalt.
Soil preparation
Cucumbers can only be grown in suitable soil. The preparation of the composition implies the formation of layers, which is a prerequisite for obtaining a high yield. All manipulations are carried out in the fall. In total, three layers are required, each of which should make up a third of the barrel.
The first layer includes waste from various plants and is necessary to remove excess moisture from the soil. A few stalks of corn or cabbage, some fallen leaves and food waste are placed at the bottom of the barrel.
See also How to treat root rot in cucumbers
At the beginning of the second layer, fresh humus is added to the barrel, which will maintain the required temperature regime.
Peat with humus and sod land go to the upper layer.
Barrel preparation
For growing cucumbers, iron, wooden and even plastic barrels are suitable. An excellent choice for our alternative "bed" will be a container made of oak wood, since this material is excellent for air permeability, but has a high density and water resistance. If you have a leaky barrel (metal, wooden, plastic) - feel free to use it. The holes on the walls and bottom are simply necessary in this case: they serve for the access of air and microorganisms, as well as for the outflow of excess water.
The first step to growing cucumbers is to properly prepare the container and its contents. It is necessary to prepare containers from winter, and even better - from autumn. The contents of a cucumber barrel should have three main layers: drainage, organic, and fertile soil. On top, you can put a ten centimeter layer of ordinary soil.
Three layers
Fill the drum correctly with soil
- One third of the entire contents of the container will be drainage. For it, you can use the branches of bushes and trees that are planted in your country house. The broken off branches (or those remaining after pruning) finely cut with pruning shears and put on the bottom, and fill the fallen leaves on top.
- Another third of the content should be the organic nutrient layer. To create it, manure, potato and onion peelings, weeds, etc. are suitable.
- The last layer is fertile soil, for which well-rotted compost is often used.
When filling the container in advance, keep in mind that due to organic processes, the soil will settle slightly. Before planting, make sure that the contents do not reach the edges of the container by twenty centimeters.
Site selection
Cucumber is considered a light-loving and heat-loving culture, so containers should be placed in a sunny place that is protected from drafts. Better to choose the southern or southwestern part of the site. In areas with hot summers, you should not plant cucumbers under the scorching sun, it is better to choose a place near trees that can provide partial shade to the culture. The branches can act as additional support for climbing cucumbers. By placing containers on the street near the gazebo, you can also tie a plant to the building.
Barrel cucumber varieties
Anyone who grows cucumbers not in the beds, but in containers should take a closer look at the choice of the variety. The harvest, the period of fruiting, as well as the taste of vegetables will depend on this. Summer residents are advised to choose early varieties on which female flowers grow. You can distinguish:
- Variety "Muromsky 36". They have an excellent harvest.
- Chinese frost-resistant. Resistant to frost, fruits have excellent taste.
- Connie. Another fruitful variety of hybrid cucumbers. The fruits will grow quickly.
- Pace. This hybrid is fast-growing, resistant to temperature extremes, adverse conditions.
Variety "Muromsky 36"
These are varieties of cucumbers for growing in a barrel, which are distinguished by experienced gardeners. The fruits grow juicy, crispy, not whimsical to care, do not need constant watering.
Planting process
Before planting a culture, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules of this process. It is worth getting down to business when the ambient temperature is at least +15 ° C. The soil is preliminarily watered with warm water (for several days).
To plant, you need the following tools:
- humus;
- scissors;
- rubber;
- film.
During planting, four small holes are made in each container with an interval of 5–8 cm, where one seed is placed, after which everything is sprinkled with soil.
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Stanislav Pavlovich
Gardener with 17 years of experience and our expert
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Important! The basic rule: we plant, but do not water the culture.
Next, the containers are covered with plastic wrap and tied with a rope or elastic band, creating a greenhouse effect.
Preparation of soil and planting material
The suburban area is ennobled in the spring, as this is the ideal time for planting cucumbers. The procedures can be performed using various methods:
- If the spring is cold, then it is better to cover the barrel with foil, creating a greenhouse effect. On the street in cold weather, cucumbers can easily die.
- Lack of heat can ruin seedlings, but most often the germination of seeds suffers from this, it is significantly reduced. A beginner may not know these subtleties.
- If you have grown a cucumber on a windowsill, in a glass, then plant it in a barrel, after loosening the soil and watering it with mineral fertilizers.
- Seedling preparation begins in February, early March, planting is carried out under film in early May. In the ground - at the beginning of summer.
It is better to plan the formation of the drainage system in the fall, as well as the preparation of the soil. It should be formed as follows:
- lay small stones and tree branches on the bottom of the barrel;
- fill the drainage system with fresh soil with mineral fertilizers from above;
- watering the soil, and then loosening.
Not a single opinion of the gardener confirms the effectiveness of such manipulations and their ability to significantly increase the yield indicator.
When the formation of the inventory is completed, and the summer resident begins to fill in the earth, he should take into account that over time the soil will settle, if the planting of cucumbers is done too low, then they will not get sunlight.
The specifics of caring for cucumbers in a barrel
To obtain a high yield, you need to take into account the intricacies of caring for the crop: watering, feeding, garter and the formation of bushes.
Watering
For effective plant growth, it should be watered correctly, since water provides the root system of the culture with useful elements. The main problem for gardeners is the rapid evaporation of moisture, which is solved by mulching.
In summer, cucumbers need to be watered several times a week, and in cool weather - one.
Top dressing
During the growing season, cucumbers require feeding. When the plant does not receive enough minerals or trace elements, the fruits do not grow well and deform.
Cucumbers need nitrogen for optimal leaf growth. 1 tsp is diluted in a container. urea and the resulting solution water the culture.
When the crop begins to yield, root feeding is carried out with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. You can also use organic green dressing: grass and weeds are sent to a plastic container, poured with heated water and left to infuse for 10 days. Next, the resulting solution is poured over the crop.
Bush formation
According to gardeners, the best way is to form a plant into one stem, for which all stepchildren and flowers in the first five nodes are removed. This makes it much easier to care for cucumbers.
Garter
A plant grown in a barrel must be tied up. This measure will prevent some diseases of the culture.
It is easier to tie up cucumbers by installing a wooden or metal pole about 2 m long in the middle of the container, on which a cross is attached from above. It is worth making about 6-8 beams on which the garter rope will be fixed.
Care features
The main measures that allow you to collect the most plentiful harvest are reduced to timely tying and even distribution of shoots. The bush should be lit from all sides. In bright and scorching sun, plantings should be covered with a light non-woven material. It is advisable to mulch the soil with peat or finely chopped hay.
Watering
Picture 4 Moisturizing plantings
Cucumber is one of the most moisture-loving plants that require constant watering and irrigation. The water is kept in the sun and always warm.
Important! In the bright sun, leaves and shoots should not be allowed to get wet in order to avoid burns.
Watering is carried out in a volume of 2 liters for each bush. At elevated temperatures, the amount of liquid can be increased.
Fertilizer
In order to obtain a good harvest, the minimum feeding scheme is followed throughout the entire growth stage. To form greenery, experts advise fertilizing the plant with a urea solution (20 grams per bucket of water). This dressing is applied before the formation of flowers and ovaries.
Diseases and pests
The advantage of growing cucumbers in a barrel is to reduce the risk of parasites and fungal diseases affecting the culture. But sometimes the following problems may occur:
- root rot - occurs as a result of fungal or bacterial damage to the culture; eliminated by the drug "Fitosporin M";
- anthracnose - appears due to high humidity and temperature; eliminated by processing cucumbers with 1% Bordeaux liquid;
- bacteriosis - transmitted through seeds; 1% Bordeaux liquid will help save the crop.
As for pests, the plant can infect aphids, thrips or mites, which are disposed of with the help of special preparations.
See also the Rules for installing a net for cucumbers in a greenhouse and open field
Growing according to the Ganichkina method
Oktyabrina Ganichkina offers her own ways of growing cucumbers in a barrel. There are only two of them. Despite its minor differences, each gardener will be able to choose the right one for himself.
The first way
In April, install a barrel in the garden with a capacity of 100-200 liters. It is allowed to use a container made of wood, iron and plastic. If the bottom of the container has no holes, then you need to make them. Then the excess moisture will go away.
Fill the barrel with various vegetable waste. In this case, manure and foliage are considered an excellent option. Lay the drainage in the form of pebbles at the bottom, pour hay with manure up to ½ capacity on top. Moisten a little with hot water, cover with foil. Wait a week, put the barrel out in a sunny place. How to build a greenhouse for growing all year round is indicated here.
After the specified time has elapsed, remove the film, sleep the ground to the top, because it will sit down. Moisten again with hot water, and then with a solution of potassium permanganate. Such activities will allow the soil to be disinfected.
You can proceed to planting seeds. It is recommended to take 2-4 seeds per 200 l container. If you want a bountiful harvest, then you can plant 5-6 seeds. Only the best outdoor varieties should be used. After placing the planting material in the ground, sprinkle it with earth. Place a container with water in the center of the barrel, cover with foil. As a result of all actions, you get such a mini-greenhouse. Due to the evaporation of moisture from the container, a greenhouse effect will be achieved. Seeds in such conditions feel comfortable and will begin to sprout quickly to the surface.
How to carry out growing in bags is indicated here.
From time to time on good sunny days, the barrel needs to be opened to ventilate, otherwise the seeds can rot. When the first shoots, the first leaves appeared, the film can already be removed. But it all depends on the climatic conditions in your region. If frosts are also peculiar to you, then you will have to cover the cucumbers even after their emergence.
Make a frame so that the plant can weave and rise above the ground. For these purposes, you can use wire, wooden pegs. Cucumbers will begin to trudge and rise. The result is a beautiful marquee that will not only decorate your site, but also yield excellent yields.
Preparation of plastic containers for cucumbers.
Second way
This method of planting cucumbers in a barrel is not very different from the previous one, although it has its own distinctive features. In this case, a barrel without a bottom is used. It is also allowed to use a hammered box. The container is installed directly into the ground.Infrequent watering remains a characteristic advantage of this method. Water from the container will rush into the ground, and the cucumbers will begin to use moisture from there.
How high-yielding self-pollinated greenhouse varieties look like is indicated in this article.
In the video, Ganichkina tells about growing cucumbers in a barrel:
Fill the layer with organic matter, it is imperative to pour EM preparations on top to improve the similarity of cucumbers and protect them from diseases. Fill ½ container with leaves, straw, manure, sprinkle with hot water. After covering the barrel with a film, a reaction will begin. It lies in the fact that the hay will melt and heat the cucumbers. In the future, the hay will feed the vegetation. Watering once a week. Also carry out top dressing.
All reviews about the variety Herman f1 are indicated in this material.
Growing cucumbers in a barrel is a method that is ideal for the elderly. Now they do not need to bend over, stand for a long time in a bent state. If you still have extra barrels, Oktyabrina suggests planting even tomatoes there. This is very beneficial. You will save space in the garden, and caring for them is simple.
In barrels, you can organize drip irrigation. For this, plastic bottles are installed with the neck down. Make a small hole in the cover. The water will seep out little by little, and keep the earth moist all the time. Thus, you can save not only water, but also watering time.
Harvesting rules
Harvesting crops grown in barrels is a simple task: the fruits are perfectly visible and you can approach the bushes from any side.
For the rapid growth of cucumbers, fruit collection should be carried out as often as possible. They are cut with scissors to avoid damaging the whip. Deformed or damaged specimens are removed from the bush. The best time to collect is morning or evening.
Further care
In pursuit of the goal - to get a good harvest - the summer resident should know not only the rules for planting cucumbers, but also learn how to care for them in order to eventually get material suitable for creating blanks.
Watering
How much to water the culture - it depends on the climatic characteristics of the region. As a rule, watering is carried out 2 times a week, this is quite enough.
If the climate is hot, then watering is recommended daily. Otherwise, the culture will lack moisture, the leaves will turn yellow, and the harvest will leave much to be desired.
When sowing seeds, water the soil abundantly, leave for 2 days, after the specified time, repeat the procedure.
Top dressing
Lack of nutrients, including nitrogen, leads to deformation of the fruit and slow growth. As a top dressing they use:
- mineral fertilizers purchased in specialized stores;
- you can resort to using a manure solution by preparing it yourself, mixing it in a ratio of 1 to 10.
Fertilizing cucumbers is recommended a few weeks after planting and removing the film. You can repeat the procedure during the growing season.
Garter
Garter bushes are required for several reasons:
- It will help to avoid damage to the delicate stems on the edges of the structure.
- If you do not tie the cucumbers, they will break at the first gust of wind.
- Pinching will increase the height of the vertical bed.
You can tie it to pegs or wire structures in the form of a pyramid or arc.
Cucumber bush formation
From 4 to 8 bushes are planted in one barrel, it is better to prepare seedlings for planting in advance, after planting cucumbers, make sure that they do not compete for nutrients.
If you plant more bushes, then they will begin to intertwine with each other, forming thickets, as a result, the plants will not have enough heat and sun. To avoid this try:
- remove excess bushes from the barrel;
- eliminate unnecessary shoots, thus forming a bush.
Possible problems
When growing a crop, some problems can arise. More often, gardeners sound the alarm if they see a small number of ovaries or the appearance of yellow leaves on cucumbers. Once you figure out the cause, you can fix the problem.
Leaves turn yellow
The leaves on the plant can turn yellow for several reasons:
- Cucumbers don't get enough sunlight. This problem is solved simply - the container with the culture is moved to a more illuminated place. Also, if the barrel is thickened, the cucumbers must be thinned out.
- The culture is lacking in nutrients. Basically, we are talking about nitrogen. It is possible that from the very beginning there is a poorly nutritious soil in the container. This issue is solved by carrying out complex feeding.
- Insufficiently moistened soil, as a result of which the root system is unable to deliver food. As a result, gardeners observe how the cucumber leaves gradually weaken and acquire a yellow tint. The plant needs to be properly watered. Additionally, you can mulch the soil.
- Sometimes the yellowness of the leaves is caused by diseases or pests. In such a case, you will have to resort to the use of special drugs.
Few ovaries
Another problem is that the cucumber drives the barren flowers and the fruits are not tied. Basically, a similar situation is observed in varietal crops (there is no such problem in hybrids).
Few ovaries can be explained as follows:
- The barren flowers appear before the ovary, and the mother flowers will appear on the side loops of the third order.
- High nitrogen content; is solved by excluding him from feeding.
- Low quality of planting material. If the seeds are harvested independently, they are sown after the second year of storage.
Experienced gardeners are advised to deal with a similar problem in two ways:
- Purchase high-quality planting material.
- Engage in the formation of a bush with the stimulation of the growth of lateral lashes, on which there will be ovaries.
The process of growing cucumbers in a barrel step by step
The hut technique is applicable to the already sprouted cucumbers during the frost - this is when a metal wire is stuck into the ground with an arc in several rows along the edges of the barrel and covered with a film on top. After the weather has returned to normal, such a makeshift shelter is removed.
Care and watering
To obtain a good and high-quality harvest, cucumbers need regular and abundant watering. In the process of growth, the culture for the normal formation of leaves, lashes, flowers, and, of course, the cucumbers themselves need a sufficient amount of water.
But the soil cannot be very much moistened, watering should be carried out with warm water, mainly sutra and after sunset. In the daytime, and even more so in strong sunshine, watering the culture is prohibited, due to the possible development of burns in cucumbers.
Photo: abundant watering - for a good harvest
It is more expedient to water cucumbers from a watering can, pouring about 1 sq. m 5 liters of warm water.
In cloudy and damp weather, watering is not recommended. In dry weather, on the contrary, the amount of water going for irrigation must be increased, since with a lack of it, the cucumbers will ripen bitter and tasteless.
Removing stepchildren
A young cucumber plant is formed by pinching the stepsons after 2-3 leaves in one bush.
If you do not pay attention to this process, the plant will begin to weaken and, as a result, will give much less than the expected yield. It is necessary to delete even the stepsons who have just begun their formation.
When the plant has already grown, the stepchildren will not be any hindrance to it. It happens that they begin to take root directly into the soil, in which case they can be used here as seedlings.
Photo: pinching stepsons
Top dressing
Despite the fact that the soil in the barrel is already sufficiently saturated with nutrients, the cucumbers still need feeding.
First of all, before flowering, for fast growth of leaves. In this case, top dressing is prepared at the rate of 1 tablespoon of urea per 10 liters of water. Watering is carried out with one liter of solution per plant.
And also before fruiting:
- The first feeding is prepared using nitrophoska at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 10 liters of water.
- The second top dressing is prepared from 0.5 kg of chicken manure and a glass of ash.
Photo: foliar dressing for cucumbers
You can also feed the culture with Gumistar, in the form of a liquid solution of vermicompost. The drug must be diluted 1:30, one plant is enough for watering 200 milliliters of solution.
