How to choose cucumber seeds

Owners of household plots with experience in growing vegetables, have long been determined with varieties of cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini or eggplant, and know how and what seeds of these crops to choose. Those who only take the first steps, should know how to choose, for example, seeds of cucumbers.

Before choosing seeds, you need to determine the place of growth of plants: in the open ground or closed.

For greenhouses are suitable only self-pollinated long-hair hybrids of cucumbers with a beam arrangement of ovaries. High yield of this vegetable is achieved when 2-3 seeds per 1 sq. M. M. Hybrids are more resistant to diseases and unfavorable conditions. For greenhouses only seeds of Chinese cucumbers are suitable. As a result, it is possible to harvest this unusual variety in greenhouses almost all the year round. Depending on the variety, the fruits reach a length of 80 cm.

But when using a hothouse with a temporary shelter, the seeds are chosen the same as for open ground. It is both self-pollinated and pollinated by bees and different insects.

Provided that many vegetable crops are grown on the site and there is not enough time to care for each, you can choose the seeds of shrub (or short-stemmed) forms of cucumbers. Shrub cucumbers do not need to make garters, but a thickened planting is required - at least 30 seeds (or one standard package with seeds) per 1 sq.m. With a dense planting, the maximum yield is achieved.

Lenticular cucumbers with bunches (bouquet) ovaries are the most productive, but they need a garter. When using such varieties or hybrids, the seeds of cucumbers are planted at a greater distance from each other - no more than 2 seeds per square meter.

When selecting bee-dusted varieties and hybrids, a high yield is achieved with mixing of different varieties, and it is mandatory to plant varieties with a large presence of male flowers to ensure better pollination. However, in the future it is undesirable to use the planting material (seeds) from such a crop, since uncontrolled over-dusting and the emergence of spontaneous hybrids with far from the best characteristics and properties will occur. In fact, cucumbers will degenerate. And what are the best seeds of cucumbers to choose - it is difficult to advise. Everyone chooses this experimentally in their own region.

If cucumbers are used not only for salads, but also for canning, you should buy seeds of salad cucumber varieties. On the purpose and characteristics of each variety for novice truck farmers information is present on packages with seeds. For example, to conserve cucumbers with a long fruiting period, for the northern regions they are cold-resistant.

In the absence of an infield, cucumbers can be grown in urban conditions on a balcony or windowsill. For this, any seeds of cucumbers of self-pollinated hybrids are suitable. If it is decided to grow cucumbers in a city apartment, you need to pay attention to the light and microclimate. When plants are found, most of the light day in the shade is to purchase seeds of shade-tolerant hybrids (on packages with seeds it is indicated). With the right choice of seeds, cucumbers can even be preserved from a window sill (with abundant harvest).

You need to buy seeds of cucumbers in stores for the first 2-3 years - in the future you will be able to use your planting material after determining a reliable variety or a hybrid for your site. In subsequent years, when using new varieties, it should be used no more than 30-35% - in case of selecting an unsuccessful variety, the tested varieties will be guaranteed to yield yields.

It should be remembered that the seeds are stored for 2-3 years, which makes it possible to preserve their own variety even in case of crop failure or death of cucumbers.