Growing cucumbers (photo) in 2024 on a windowsill: varieties and features

Not everyone knows, but you can grow more than just green onions and herbs on your windowsill, like cucumbers. So, when it's freezing and snowy outside, you can enjoy fresh, juicy, home-grown cucumbers. All you need to do is choose the right variety and follow a few rules. In this article, we'll cover this topic in detail, and you're sure to succeed.

Optimal sowing times

The best time to sow cucumber seeds is January, February, and March. Increased daylight hours promote faster growth and fruiting. With adequate lighting, sowing can even take place in December.

The ripening period in our case depends on the variety and time of planting. In winter, the process takes no longer than in summer. At temperatures of 24-28°C, seedlings appear within a week.

Month	The beginning of the cucumber harvest
December	early February
January	end of February, beginning of March
February	end of March

Detailed step-by-step instructions

Anyone can grow cucumbers in an apartment. It doesn't require much money. Costs include seeds, fertilizer, soil (if purchased), and electricity for artificial lighting. You can save on planting containers by using a 5-liter drinking water bottle.

Choosing a suitable location

A south or southwest-facing window or an insulated balcony would be suitable. Natural light won't be sufficient for the plants. In winter, daylight hours are short, so you'll need to provide lighting. Use LED bulbs for this.

In cloudy weather, they can be turned on from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. On sunny days, plants should be illuminated in the morning (7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.) and in the afternoon (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.). The temperature should be maintained at a certain level:

• during the day from 20 to 24 °C;
• at night 16 °C.

Capacity

The soil volume should be sufficient for root development and plant nutrition. Cucumbers can be grown in plastic buckets, flower pots, or black garbage bags. The crop does not transplant well, so it is sown in individual containers. Poke several holes in the bottom of the pot or container to prevent excess water from stagnating.

Suitable soil

The soil needs a pH of 5.5-6.5. The pH level is always indicated on packages of store-bought soil. You can prepare your own soil mixture in the fall. Mix:

• 1 part sand (river);
• 3 parts peat;
• 3 parts humus.

A good substitute for sand is coconut flakes. Stores sell them in briquettes of various sizes. Advantages of coconut flakes:

• retains moisture for a long time;
• make the soil loose and breathable.

Before mixing with peat and humus, it's soaked in water. The soil mixture is frozen in winter. This is done in several stages. It's taken out into the cold for a week, then brought indoors where it thaws completely. Then it's put outside again. This process is repeated 3-4 times.

To increase fertility, mineral fertilizers are added to the soil.

Fertilizer	Superphosphate	Urea	Potassium sulfate
Norm per 1 kg of soil	1 tbsp	1 tbsp	3 tbsp

A week before planting, the soil is watered with a solution of Fitosporin or potassium permanganate.

Seed preparation

The seeds are sorted, and any damaged ones are rejected. Before sowing, the seeds are soaked. Keep them in a damp cloth for about 2 days. To improve germination, add the following to the water:

• Zircon;
• Gibberellin;
• Gibbersib.

These preparations stimulate germination and accelerate seedling emergence. Preparation is completed by soaking the seedlings in a pale manganese solution. This preventative treatment helps prevent blackleg. The seeds are not germinated; they are slightly dried before sowing.

The main process

Wash the planting container thoroughly. Add expanded clay or large pieces of eggshell to the bottom. Add soil. Water the soil the day before planting. Place 2-3 seeds per container and plant them to a depth of 2-3 cm.

The seeds are covered with humus. Cover the pot with glass or plastic wrap until the seedlings emerge. Seedlings emerge within 7 days at a temperature of 25°C. Remove the plastic wrap and move the pot to a well-lit location.

One seedling is left, the others are pinched. Windowsills are cold in winter, so a foam base is placed under the pot.

Care

Particular attention is paid to lighting. Cucumbers require 12-14 hours of daylight. During the colder months (December to late February), artificial lighting is provided for the plants from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Watering

Water the crop with room-temperature water. Seedling roots die due to hypothermia. The soil in the pots is small, so it dries out quickly. Cucumbers require a lot of moisture. Avoid allowing the soil to dry out.

Water the roots in the morning with settled water. Avoid doing this in the evening, as condensation may form on the leaves at night. Excess moisture at night can cause fungal diseases.

Top dressing

The first feeding is done when the second true leaf forms. Throughout the growing season, indoor cucumbers are fertilized once every 7 days. Use:

• ash;
• humates;
• complex fertilizers.

An infusion of ash is prepared (100 g per liter) and dusted onto the soil. During flowering, cucumber leaves and stems are sprayed with boric acid (2 g of boric acid per 2 liters of water) or yeast solution. These can be alternated.

Soak banana peels in water. Water the resulting infusion and water the cucumbers during fruiting. Store-bought liquid fertilizers are suitable:

• ROST;
• Cucumber from Kimira;
• Florhumate for cucumbers and zucchini;
• Hello;
• Good power for cucumbers.

Shaping and garter

Cucumbers on the windowsill are trained in various ways. The pattern depends on the variety. If the plant is a vigorous climber, it is trained into a single stem. Any side shoots that appear in the axils are pinched out. Cucumbers of weakly climbing varieties can be grown in two stems:

• the central shoot is pinched above the 4th leaf;
• leave 2 second-order shoots;
• The vines are tied to different supports.

Air humidity

In winter, the air in the apartment is dry, with a moisture content of no more than 50%. Cucumbers thrive when the moisture content is higher (80%). If the microclimate is unsuitable, yellow leaves appear on the plant. These eventually fall off, leaving the stem partially bare.

Spray the cucumber bushes with room-temperature water every two days. Place a household humidifier near the plants. If you don't have one, place a container of water on or under the radiator.

Pollination

Artificial pollination This is necessary if you're growing bee-pollinated cucumber varieties. It's done in the morning. Pick a male flower, bend back the petals, and touch the center of the petal to the stamens of the open female buds.

Diseases and pests

Aphids and fungus gnats pose a threat to indoor cucumbers. Aphids can be brought home with flowers. Gnats and larvae are most common in October and March. The soil-dwelling larvae damage the roots. They are controlled with insecticides:

• Bazudin;
• Fly eater;
• Aktara.

To prevent aphids, wash the leaves with a soapy solution several times a week. One disease that threatens indoor cucumbers is blackleg. This is a fungal disease that most often affects young plants.

The cause is poorly disinfected soil, improperly prepared seed material, over-watering, and low temperatures.

How to harvest

The first cucumbers appear after 1.5 months. At this time, the plants have not yet gained strength, so the cucumbers are picked when they are very small. While the bushes are bearing fruit, the fruits are harvested every other day.

You should harvest cucumbers that are slightly smaller than the size stated in the variety description. These sizes are for plants grown in greenhouses or open ground.

The best varieties

There are no pollinators (bees, wasps, bumblebees) in an apartment, so it's best to plant self-pollinating and parthenocarpic varieties and hybrids that don't require pollination. The latter is considered the best choice for greenhouses, balconies, and windowsills.

Advantages of parthenocarpic cucumbers:

• no barren flower;
• there is no bitterness in the fruits;
• high yield;
• The cucumbers are one-dimensional.

You can sow a variety for open ground. In this case, the flowers will need to be pollinated by hand. Below are descriptions of the best varieties for this crop. growing in winter on the windowsill.

Hybrid Khutorok

A super-early (30 days), high-yielding hybrid with female flowering and a small number of side shoots. Each plant yields 5.5 kg. The fruits are versatile. The cylindrical, black-spined cucumbers grow up to 12 cm in length, with a maximum weight of 120 g.

Shchedryk cucumbers

The bush is medium-sized and has a female flowering habit. It takes 50 days for the cucumbers to form. Each plant yields approximately 5 kg of fruit:

• lying down;
• with crispy, tasty flesh;
• without bitterness;
• skin without thorns, bumpy;
• dimensions 3 x 10 cm;
• weighing 95-100 g.

Hybrid Khrustik

The central shoot is 1.2 m tall, with female flowering, and ripening in 35-40 days. Three to four ovaries form per node. The fruits are 3 x 10 cm in size, weigh 80 g, and are dark green with white stripes and thorns. In greenhouse conditions, a single cucumber plant can yield up to 10 kg of cucumbers.

Onega F1

An early-ripening (38 days) self-pollinating hybrid, it is characterized by extended fruiting. Onega F1 is resistant to root rot and fungal infections. The fruits are short (8 cm), large-tuberculate, and suitable for pickling.

Hybrid Buyan F1

A cluster-type hybrid, 6-7 fruits form per node. The first green fruits are harvested after 45 days. Their characteristics include: length 14 cm, weight 100 g, dark green skin, light green at the tips, and white spines. Most of the fruits form on the central stem.

Variety Emelya F1

The plant is parthenocarpic. The fruits are large, weighing up to 150 g, up to 15 cm long, and about 4 cm in diameter. The skin is tender, bright green, slightly pubescent, without bitterness, and covered with white spines. The surface is covered with short, light stripes.

Hybrid Ant F1

This is an ultra-early hybrid. The first cucumbers are harvested after 37 days. This is a parthenocarpic plant with female flowers. It is easy to care for indoors. Few lateral shoots form. Characteristics of the cucumbers:

• length 8-11 cm;
• diameter about 3 cm;
• weight 100 g;
• thorns are white;
• the skin is dark green with light longitudinal stripes;
• the pulp is of medium density.

Babylon F1

The cucumbers are 10-12 cm long and weigh 90-110 g. The bush is vigorous and features female flowering, taking 57 days to ripen. The fruit is cone-shaped and ribbed. The flesh is aromatic and crisp. The skin is dark green and covered with a few white spines.

Early maturing hybrid Masha F1

The first cucumbers of this variety can be harvested after 1.5 months. The yield is high. The fruits are cylindrical, up to 11 cm long, weighing approximately 100 g. The skin is dark green with spines and visible longitudinal light green stripes. The hybrid is self-pollinating, with a low percentage of barren flowers.

Miracle on the F1 Window

An ultra-early parthenocarpic hybrid. The cucumbers are gherkin-shaped, reaching a maximum length of 8 cm. The fruits do not overgrow and lack bitterness. They are harvested after 40 days.

Errors

Agricultural errors cause cucumber ovaries to turn yellow. Low cucumber yields are caused by the following factors:

• the structure and fertility of the soil are not suitable for the crop;
• the duration and intensity of lighting are not sufficient for normal plant development;
• poor indoor microclimate (temperature, humidity);
• drafts;
• lack of regularity of watering, excess or insufficiency of watering;
• unbalanced feeding or lack thereof.

Growing a huge harvest of cucumbers at home isn't possible. But it's quite possible to produce enough to make a salad for a family of two or three. The cucumbers are just as tasty as those grown in greenhouses. They're much more aromatic and delicious than store-bought ones. Success depends largely on the variety.