Cucumbers on the windowsill in the winter - this is no longer a myth, but the reality, which is organized at home by the avid gardeners. But this is only possible when using special varieties of cucumbers for growing in the winter in an apartment and following all the rules for caring for them.
Sorts of cucumbers for the windowsill
Due to the intensive work of breeders today, every gardener can purchase cucumber seeds, which are able to grow and bear fruit even in indoor conditions. To the number of such cucumbers for growing on the window in winter, include:
- cucumbers "Courage" - a variety that differs with fast ripening periods (the most minimal ripening period when grown in a greenhouse is 36 days), good fruiting and large greens (up to 15 cm in length and 3 cm in diameter);
- Cucumber variety "Shchedryk" it ripens within 45 days from the moment of sowing the seeds, from 5 to 8 greens is formed on each node of its bush, each of which is up to 12 cm long; when grown indoors, each bush produces up to 20 greens;
- variety "Khutorok" refers to the most quickly ripening, since the first fruits from it can be collected 30 days from the time of sowing; Zelentsy are characterized by a length of 10 cm and the presence of black thorns, as well as excellent taste;
- cucumbers varieties "Hrustik" ripen late enough - 50 days after sowing, but even when grown on a windowsill with one bush can collect up to 40 fruits, but when sowing this variety, keep in mind that it is vigorous, therefore it will require a lot of space;
- grade "Masha" also early - the first greens can be harvested 35-40 days after sowing; The shrub of the plant forms quite thick, on each shoot 5-7 greens of about 11 cm in length are formed;
- cucumbers "Prestige" besides their precocity and excellent taste, they are 8-10 cm long and differ in non-simultaneous ripening of fruits, due to which fruiting can last for a month.
Important! For sowing on the window sill, you can choose other early ripening varieties of cucumbers, consider only that they must be parthenocarpic. It is about the ability to bear fruit without pollination and self-pollination.
Capacity for growing cucumbers at home
Cucumbers will feel good when grown in individual pots and in large boxes, which are usually used for sowing seedlings. Consider only the fact that there must be a hole in the boxes to release excess moisture. 
When sowing seeds in boxes, keep in mind that no more than 5 cucumber bushes should be placed at a distance of 70 cm. The box must be wide enough, since this plant has a fairly strong root system. This will make the planting light enough, as well as save young shoots from excessive stretching.
For normal growth of cucumbers on the windowsill, the volume of the pot should be about 4 liters per plant. When preparing boxes and pots, please note that their depth should be sufficient for laying out the drainage layer at the bottom. Since the thickness of the drainage for cucumbers can reach 3 cm, the capacity should not be too small.
Soil for growing cucumbers
Good growth of cucumbers can be achieved only when they are planted in loose and fairly fertile soil. For this purpose, you can purchase a soil substrate in a flower shop (universal or specially prepared soil for pumpkin plants will be suitable for planting cucumbers).
If there is an opportunity, then it is better to prepare the soil mixture for cucumbers independently, mixing in equal volumes:
- garden soil;
- soil from the forest;
- humus;
- sand (better coarse, then the soil will be more friable and it will be better to pass moisture);
- wood ash;
- sawdust (it is desirable that they have time to perepret and become black).
Important! Before sowing seeds, soil should be laid out in boxes and pots a few more days before the intended planting. Due to this, he will be able to prostrate, and the seeds after sowing will not go deep and seedlings will appear faster.
Preparation of cucumber seeds
Most cucumber varieties can be sown dry directly in open ground. However, in this case, the first shoots will appear for about 2-3 days, and the crops themselves will have to be thickened, so that they can be planted later.
Since at home there are not so many places for seedlings, it is recommended to germinate cucumber seeds first, which can be done as follows:
- Soak the seeds in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
- We drop seed for another 2-3 hours in water with a temperature of no more than +35 35С.
- Having gotten still warm seeds, we wrap them in a sackcloth dipped in water and put on sawdust. In this form, they must be placed in a place where the temperature regime is kept at +30 ˚С.
- After 1-2 days, shoots appear. By landing, they will be ready almost immediately, because you can not allow the length of the spine grew by more than 1 mm. It is very important to dry them before planting.
Did you know? In order to increase the resistance of cucumber bushes to cold, they can be quenched in the form of seeds. For this purpose, the seeds are first soaked in warm water, and then in a swollen form, wrapped in cloth and placed in the refrigerator (preferably under the freezer itself) for 1-2 days. After that, they can be planted, and the resulting seedlings to keep even on window sills with a temperature of +17 ˚C.
Sowing Cucumber Seeds
Sowing of seeds can be carried out at different times, but it is best to do this in stages, so that fresh green leaves are constantly ripening in the house. The stages of sowing depend on the swiftness of the growth of cucumbers on the windowsill.
If the variety is early ripening, it can be sown every 20 days. However, keep in mind that in the period from November to February, the cucumber bushes will lack natural light, since the days in these months are short, and the sun does not appear so often.
When planting germinated seeds, they should be immersed in the soil to a depth of no more than 1.5 cm, and it should be wet. Until the cucumber seedling appears above the ground, containers with it should be kept under the film and at a temperature not lower than + 25 ° C.
When the first shoots appear above the ground, the film should be removed and the box with them rearranged to the windowsill, where the temperature will be cooler - about +20 С.
In the sowing of cucumber seeds there is another nuance. Many gardeners sow them for seedlings in separate small pots, in order to later dive seedlings into large containers.
This option is quite acceptable, but during transplantation small seedlings are often damaged. To prevent this, during transplantation is better to roll the soil from the cup, along with seedlings. In this case, both the roots and leaves of the plant will remain intact.
We create conditions for growing cucumbers at home
In order for the cucumbers on the windowsill to show good growth, they should be placed only on the south side, since this plant is sensitive not only to heat, but also to light. Even better, if you have a heated balcony on the south side of the house, into which the light comes from three sides at once.
In such conditions, cucumber bushes will grow quite strong, and their leaves will have a dark green color, as in the beds.
Lighting
To the cucumbers have enough light, they are always illuminated. To do this, you can use special biolamps, or ordinary fluorescent lamps (it is not necessary that they be switched on all day, just calculate the time of their activation so that the light day for cucumbers lasts up to 15-16 hours per day). 
To enhance the effect of lamps, you can install light reflectors around cucumbers - a mirror or foil. Do not forget about tying plodding bushes, which will allow each run to get the maximum amount of light.
Temperature
As for the temperature regime of growing cucumbers, from the moment of the appearance of the first shoots, the plant should be kept at a temperature of +20 ° C. If the temperature in the apartment is higher, then the cucumbers will need to be provided with regular watering and spraying so that the moisture from the bushes does not evaporate too intensively.
Important! When growing cucumbers on the windowsill, consider the fact that the box with the plants and their roots can be cooled from the cold window sill. In this case, the cucumbers may begin to fade or stop growing. In order to avoid hypothermia of the roots, it is recommended to put small pieces of foam plastic under the pots and boxes of cucumbers.
Care for cucumbers at home
Cucumbers on the windowsill, in growing and care are demanding no less than when they are planted in open ground. It is very important to organize the growth of the bushes in such a way that they do not stretch out, and their every escape remains thick enough.
Formation and garter cucumber bushes
The question, “How to properly form cucumbers on a window sill?” Is very important, because it will depend on the strength of the crop. It should be understood that even with a large number of ovaries on the bushes, with excessively dense growth of shoots and poor lighting, they can completely crumble and not give fruit.
For this reason, it is important to tie cucumbers, giving each shoot an opportunity to grow along its own individual trajectory.
In this connection, a support for cucumbers on the windowsill is also a useful item, since it is not always convenient to carry out the garter with laces, and it is not aesthetically pleasing.
In addition, it is important to immediately decide for yourself whether to pinch the cucumbers on the windowsill. In fact, this procedure allows you to achieve good yields. It is necessary to pinch the cucumber shrub when 4-5 leaves appear, thanks to which the growth of the main shoot will stop, but the sides will develop, on which the main part of the crop is formed.
You can pinch and side shoots, leaving them in the amount of 2-3 pieces, as well as stopping their growth on the 10th sheet. When pruning and tying, it is very important not to damage the leaves of the plant, which are its main source of nutrition. But the antennae can be periodically removed.
Watering and feeding
Water cucumbers regularly, preventing the soil from drying over 5 cm, although it is equally important for the bushes spraying procedure, due to which the humidity in the apartment will increase.
If cucumbers were sown in specially prepared for them soil, then it is not necessary to fertilize it. Only on very gloomy winter days can the bushes be infused with an infusion of fermented bananas, only dilute it beforehand to reduce the concentration of the infusion. The number of such dressings for the entire vegetation period of early cucumber varieties should not exceed two.
Did you know? Cucumbers are very responsive to foliar nutrition using milk. However, if you add to it (1 l) 20 g of soap and 30 drops of iodine, you can get an excellent prophylactic against various diseases.
Harvesting cucumbers
It is recommended to tear ripe greens from the bushes on the windowsill immediately after they mature. First, so you will not allow excessive growth of fruits, and secondly, accelerate the growth of still unripe greenmen.
If they didn’t allow cucumbers to grow to more than 10 cm, then the bush is likely to bloom again (or at least the side shoots will bloom), which will yield another crop.
It is noteworthy that most varieties of early cucumbers for window sills are ideal not only for fresh consumption, but also for salting. However, the yields on the windowsill are rarely so generous as to allow the resulting crop to be rolled up in cans.
But still, to give up the opportunity to grow fresh cucumbers in the middle of a fierce winter right on the windowsill is not worth it. It is only important to provide the plants with enough light and not to forget about regular watering. Thanks to this, you can get a fresh crop of cucumbers almost every month.
