Cucumbers in a Barrel – Preparation, Growing, Care

Growing cucumbers in barrels has recently become popular among gardeners. And not only cucumbers: sometimes tomatoes and climbing plants like beans are planted in these "raised beds." The benefits of such plantings are obvious: in this small space, you can squeeze more seeds than in a regular garden bed, and the barrel itself can be placed in places where a garden bed wouldn't normally be—for example, right under the house. The space savings are obvious! Furthermore, these plants are easy to maintain: you don't have to bend down to the ground to water, as the surface of the barrel bed is significantly raised above the ground level. But to get such barrel harvests, you need to know a few tricks!

Cucumbers in a Barrel – Preparation, Growing, and Care

We've already told you, How to grow cucumbers in a barrel (according to Ganichkin)Today we are updating the article with new information.

When to prepare a barrel for cucumbers?

Gardeners typically begin preparing their beds in the fall: digging, fertilizing, and leveling the soil. Basically, they do everything they can to arrive in the spring to a fully prepared garden. Barrel beds are built in much the same way, with one caveat: you don't have to dig the soil. However, the barrels should be installed in the fall to allow the fertilizer to rot over the winter and the soil to compact.

How to install a barrel for growing vegetables?

Let's start with the barrel itself. It should be:

1. Metal. This is a breathable material that, unlike modern plastic, won't bloom or spread garden diseases. You can use an old iron barrel: these "relics of the past" are often used for portable garden beds.

2. Bottomless. To allow moisture to escape from the soil, it's crucial that the barrel have at least a few holes in the bottom (this is very similar to how flower pots work, but the dimensions are significantly larger). The best option is a barrel without a bottom at all. This way, it can't be moved from place to place, but the soil inside will stay fresh and the plants will produce a good harvest.

3. Relatively lightweight. Digging a barrel into the ground is a difficult task, and in itself, it's not considered "women's work." But the problem is, even men have a hard time moving a bulky metal barrel around the property. So, if you have a choice, choose a small, bottomless barrel for your cucumbers—it'll be easier.

How to make a bed in a barrel for growing cucumbers?

— First, dig a hole in the chosen location, large enough to accommodate the barrel. Choose the hole's depth based on the height of the barrel and the desired height of the garden bed itself. We dug the barrel halfway down, although you can dig it in as little as 10 cm.
— Place the barrel in the dug hole and cover its sides with earth (from the outside to strengthen the barrel in its new location).
— Add some soil to the barrel. For the bottom layer, you can use poor soil, if you have it. Or even sand: it won't affect the fertility of the bed.
— Next, place the weeds you've cleared from your garden beds in the barrel. There may be a lot of weeds; over time, they'll shrink and fall off. To speed up this process, water the grass in the barrel occasionally.
— The third layer can be either good soil or compost. If you're preparing your barrel bed in the fall, don't hesitate to add organic waste (vegetable peelings, wormy fruit, and especially eggshells, which are wonderful alkalizers) on top of the grass. Over the winter, all this "treasure" will decompose, making the barrel bed the perfect place for cucumbers!
— Place the fourth layer in the barrel in the spring, just before sowing the cucumber seeds. The top layer should be the most fertile—black soil or the best soil you have. Don't fill it all the way to the top, but leave 15-20 cm above the top of the barrel. The barrel's rim will help protect the young cucumber plants from the wind and retain moisture in the freshly watered soil.

Growing cucumbers in a barrel: planting and care

So, the barrel is filled with soil, the newly formed bed is watered, and it's ready to grow. Dig small holes in the soil around the perimeter of the bed (about 10 for each one), plant the cucumber seeds in them, and cover with soil. Avoid watering at first to avoid washing the seeds out of the soil. In a couple of weeks, you'll see budding cucumber plants appearing in the barrel.

Water the plants moderately—every other day. Remember, cucumbers are quite sensitive plants, so it's best to water them with settled water at room temperature or even warm. They don't like cold watering.

When you see the cucumber plants starting to creep (they're getting too tall and about to topple over), install a support for them. A single tall stick dug into the center of the barrel and four ropes leading from the base of the plants up to the stick will suffice. This acts as a kind of "ladder" for the plants, helping them climb the wooden support.

In a couple of days, the cucumbers will grasp the ropes with their tendrils and begin to climb. Meanwhile, don't forget about warm watering and fertilizing. Fertilizing cucumbers should be done infrequently—once every three weeks. A herbal infusion (nettle, celandine, and other weeds infused with water until bubbles appear on the surface) is suitable for this purpose. Water the cucumbers (with both water and fertilizer) strictly at the roots to prevent damage to the leaves.

Find out, How to properly feed cucumbers with yeast.

The cucumbers, tightly clinging to the ropes and stick with their tendrils, will begin to bloom. Then, in place of the flowers, small cucumber ovaries will appear.

If you properly care for your cucumbers, they don't freeze and grow out of the wind, and the bushes can even grow taller than the support they've installed. For example, after we installed the support, the cucumbers in our barrel "moved" to the neighboring tree, so we had to peer twice as hard into the thicket to spot the cucumbers.

Overall, growing cucumbers in a barrel near a tree is a very good idea: first, the young plants are shaded from the sun by the barrel's edges, then by the tree's foliage, and then the plants migrate to the tree to reward you with fresh fruit from such a height. May your cucumbers in a barrel be just as successful and delicious!

Also take a look, How to grow cucumbers in a polycarbonate greenhouse.