Sooner or later, every gardener is faced with the problem of lack of space. This situation arises when you want to grow more and more new varieties or varieties of vegetables or fruits on your site, and all the bushes or trees simply do not have enough space. And this is especially true of such a culture as cucumbers, which requires a lot of space for its growth.
In this case, there is an alternative that will pleasantly surprise even an experienced gardener if he has not come across it before.
Cucumbers can be grown in barrels, and the material from which it is made can be anything. This variant of cucumber breeding saves a lot of land that can be used to grow less-spread crops. But there are a number of nuances in this method of cultivation, which should not be forgotten.
Growing cucumbers in barrels, like any other method of harvest, has its pros and cons.
TO merits You can include the opportunity to save space for other plants, care for the bushes, in particular, weed removal and mulching does not require a lot of energy and effort, and cucumbers in barrels look very nice, and therefore you can transform your garden plot.
Minuses factors such as strong drying out of the soil are considered, that is, shrubs that grow as usual (in the ground) have access to groundwater, and plants that “live” in barrels cannot receive additional moisture in the event of a drought.
This fact can be explained as follows: after the rain has passed, the water goes into the ground, and so the ground remains moist for a long time, and in the case of a barrel, rainwater quickly leaves it and also gets into the ground. But cucumber bushes have not very long roots, that is, they may simply not reach and die before the desired moisture.
Already here the question arises: "But how to prepare a barrel for a similar method of growing?" The answer to this question exists, and an exhaustive one. Preparation of the so-called garden begins in early spring, when the snow has completely melted.
We need to take the skeleton of the barrel, so that "neither the bottom nor the tire." It is better, of course, to take a wooden base, since it is a natural material that “breathes”, but the metal barrel will also work.
First you need to fill in the barrels of organic waste, mowed grass (can be old), as well as rotted manure and earth. To disinfect this mixture, as well as to increase the fertility rate, it is necessary to pour each layer abundantly with special preparations that can be bought in specialized stores.
Next, the already filled barrel should be covered with a film and not touched for a week. After the expiration of this period, the volume of the mixture will be halved, so you need to add manure and vegetable organic matter there again. You need to continue this procedure until the first numbers of May.
In the middle of May in the barrel you need to fill the ground with a layer of about 10 cm and prikopat seeds. On one keg 6 - 8 seeds should go, and before sowing the soil should be disinfected by treating the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate and boiling water.
The seedling method for such a method of growing cucumbers can be not applied, but it is up to you to prepare seedlings in advance or not.
Inside the seeds should be distributed evenly, at a distance of about 15 cm from each other. After sowing, each such “bed” must be covered with polyethylene, preferably black, so that the seeds sprout faster.
It is necessary to leave a place in the center and put there a small container with water that will evaporate under the film, and form an optimal microclimate. For these reasons, planting material germinates faster than seedlings that you grow in the apartment.
Water in the tank will need to constantly pour, as well as briefly open the film itself, so that the seeds are not "burned." It is known that cucumber bushes are very tangled, so when they enter the active stage of vegetative development, the shoots will need additional support, to which the stems should be directed. This support will serve wire frameto be installed above the barrel itself, inserting the ends of the twigs into the ground.
Another option would be to install the rings above the barrel, but for this, several thick rods will need to be welded to the frame itself, to which, later, circular rods will need to be fixed.
The most important thing is that the support must withstand the weight of the shoots together with the fruits, so you need to carefully ensure that the frame does not break. If necessary, it will need to be strengthened.
At the beginning of June, when the weather has already leveled off, the film can be removed and put in a barrel of earth. Repeating the last procedure will need to constantly, as the ground will settle.
Caring for cucumbers with this method of cultivation will be much easier than for greenhouse or dirt bushes. No need to pinch or stepson plants, weeds in the barrel will not be formed. The only thing that should not be forgotten is regular watering and dressing, because otherwise you will not receive the expected harvest.
This method of breeding cucumbers will be a godsend for those gardeners who want to get an early harvest. After all, such barrels can be simply put in a heated greenhouse, prepared for them, planted seeds of some early and unpretentious variety, and after a short period of time get a wonderful harvest.
Despite the fact that greenhouse cucumbers are inferior in taste to soil, with proper cultivation and decent care, you can get no less high-quality cucumbers than those that you later grow in the soil. Do not be afraid to experiment, and you will succeed!
