Cucumbers on the windowsill in winter – how to grow a harvest in an apartment?

Cucumbers

A green cucumber bed in your home during winter can not only decorate your home and add a special charm, but also provide vitamins during the cold season. Despite the difficulty of cultivation, plants on a windowsill grow quite quickly, making this method easy to manage even for novice gardeners.

The key factors for growing green vegetables are choosing the right varieties, creating optimal conditions for the plants, and proper care. If desired, you can plant the vegetable so that it's available year-round without the need for a specially equipped greenhouse.

Growing cucumbers on a windowsill in an apartment in winter

Fresh vegetables are available on store shelves year-round, making it easy to buy and eat them. However, many people wonder how cucumbers are grown and how many chemicals they contain. With a spare windowsill, anyone can grow cucumbers at home this winter and enjoy healthy salads.

When can you plant cucumbers?

When planting cucumbers on a balcony or loggia, consider creating comfortable growing conditions, including optimal temperature and lighting. You should also consider a support system for the growing plants to ensure a bountiful harvest.

You can plant seeds at any time, based on the expected time of the first harvest and adjusting it to your needs. Typically, vegetables need 2-2.5 months to grow and ripen, but this time can increase if you don't follow proper plant care.

What varieties of cucumbers can be grown?

When choosing a plant for indoor planting, keep in mind that cucumbers will not pollinate in the same way as they do in their natural open ground. Hybrid varieties have been specially bred to avoid insect contact for fruit set, and these are recommended. Popular varieties include:

Shchedrik – ripens in about 45 days, produces small-sized vegetables that grow in bunches of several pieces;
Shchedryk
Khutorok is a fast-ripening variety, the harvest will begin in just a month, the vegetables are up to 10 cm long and have black thorns;
Khrustik – has a standard ripening period of up to 50 days, but produces a bountiful harvest with proper care;
Khrustik
Masha is a gherkin cucumber hybrid that produces 6-7 fruits per node and ripens quickly;
Bianca – has elongated fruits with dark green spines, is resistant to various diseases, and does not taste bitter when ripe.

When choosing a variety for planting, you should focus on its ability to adapt to low light conditions and also the abundance of foliage, which plays a secondary role in indoor plants.

Important to remember!

For a successful harvest on the windowsill, the main factors will be the correct selection of varieties and organized care for them.

Tips for beginners on how to get a large harvest of cucumbers at home in winter

Growing this vegetable at home involves a few simple steps, which even a novice gardener or florist can follow to ensure fresh vegetables are available to their table in a relatively short time and without unnecessary expense.

Selection of location and lighting

The first step is choosing the right location for the seedlings. Insulated, south-facing balconies are ideal. They should have sufficient space for the plant to develop, as well as good lighting.

Since the plant requires at least 12 hours of daylight for full development and the formation of ovaries, and later fruits, then in winter it will be necessary to illuminate the plants with infrared lamps; ordinary electric lamps will not provide the necessary amount of light.

Since plant roots are more susceptible to cold than other parts, it's important to insulate the area where the seedling container is located. A windowsill with a radiator underneath is acceptable. When placing cucumber pots, be sure to avoid drafts, as this can be detrimental to young plants.

Soil

You can prepare the soil yourself by taking peat and humus in equal proportions, and adding sand and ash in small doses.

Landing — It is important that the resulting substrate is loose and nutritious at the same time.

A drainage layer of several centimeters must be placed at the bottom of the container. Ready-made substrate can be purchased at gardening stores.

Seed preparation

After purchasing seeds, you should check their quality to determine the level of similarity. To do this, you can place the contents of the purchased packet in a saltwater solution. This will cause good seeds to sink to the bottom and unsuitable ones to float.

It's acceptable to plant the seeds soaked in this manner directly into a container with prepared soil, but you can also place them between two water-soaked cotton pads or on a sheet of paper for 2-3 days until the seeds germinate. This will result in the plants sprouting more quickly after being placed in the soil.

Landing

You can sow the seeds first in small containers and then transplant them into larger ones after the first leaves appear, or you can place the seeds directly into a large pot, following this procedure:

Fill the pot with soil and drainage to 2/3 of its height.
Water the prepared substrate generously.
Plant the sprouted seeds to a depth of 1-2 cm.
Carefully sprinkle the remaining soil on top and water from a watering can.
Cover the container with film or glass and create a temperature of +23-25 degrees for successful germination of the crop.

After the sprouts appear, the film is removed.

The timing of seed germination and harvesting of home-grown cucumbers

The time it takes to grow a single crop of cucumbers at home will directly depend on the conditions created. The choice of variety is also important, so it's best to choose fast-maturing hybrids specifically bred for these needs.

On average, seeds take 2 to 7 days to germinate, although this time varies depending on different germination and seed treatment methods. The plant itself takes another 30 to 40 days to grow and produce its first fruits.

Good to know!

The average size of a mature cucumber is 8-10 cm, and if you wait until it is fully ripe, the entire process from planting to picking a green cucumber will take up to 60 days or more.

Proper care and a well-chosen location for growing cucumbers indoors can provide fresh vegetables all year round.

Watering and humidity

Since this crop prefers high humidity, it is necessary to regularly spray young shoots and mature bushes, preferably in the morning, using water at room temperature.

Cucumbers require constant, abundant watering, so be sure to keep the soil moist. Water the plant as the soil dries out; typically, watering every 5-6 days is sufficient. It's recommended to use settled, room-temperature water for watering.

Top dressing

As vegetables ripen, nutrients are quickly washed out of the soil, requiring constant fertilization to ensure fruiting. Fertilizers should be alternated depending on the crop's development stage:

nitrogen - before flowering;
nitrogen-potassium-phosphorus - during the flowering and ovary period;
potassium-phosphorus – during the fruiting phase.

Fertilizers sold in specialized stores can be used; apply them according to the instructions. Organic fertilizers such as compost or chicken manure can be used for cucumber feeding, applied every 10 days.

Shaping and garter

Experts recommend pinching the growing point of the bush every five leaves. This encourages the plant to develop side shoots that will bloom in the future. It's also important to remove empty flowers promptly to prevent them from draining the stem.

For this purpose, twine or a special ladder is most often used.

Problems that arise when growing cucumbers on a windowsill in winter

While it's a fairly easy-to-grow plant, this crop can suffer from improper care in an apartment:

Frequently asked questions about growing

How does pollination of indoor cucumbers occur?

Many varieties don't require pollination, as they're specifically bred for greenhouse cultivation. However, you can also pollinate the bushes yourself using a cotton swab or paintbrush. To do this, gently tilt the stamen of the male flower toward the female flower.

What yield can be harvested from one bush in an apartment?

This figure will directly depend on the variety and size of the bush, but on average the yield is up to 12 cucumbers from one bush.

Why do the leaves of indoor cucumbers turn yellow and dry out?

The reason may be a lack of fertilizer or constant drafts.

Do seedlings need additional lighting in winter?

For intensive development, seedlings need a 12-hour daylight period, so the plants must be supplemented with phytolamps located at a distance of 15-20 cm.

Provided optimal conditions—proper lighting, humidity, and regular fertilizing—you can grow cucumbers on windowsills and balconies during the winter, choosing varieties suited for this purpose. Proper care, pruning, and harvesting are crucial; this will determine the longevity of the plants and the yield.

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