Today, with a huge range of planting raw materials, everyone has a choice how not to get confused among bright packages and, ultimately, to purchase the best cucumber seeds. Below, we will consider the defining criteria for choosing cucumber varieties popular with summer gardeners to obtain a high-quality and plentiful harvest.
Origin of cucumber
Cucumber is one of the members of the gourd family and the most common vegetable around the world. It began to be cultivated 6,000 years ago in China and tropical and subtropical parts of India. This culture was brought to Russia at the beginning of the 16th century.
This beautiful vegetable is honored by creating monuments and solemnly celebrating Cucumber Day. Fairs with tastings, concerts are held. If during the reign of Catherine only the Nezhinsky variety was known, which got its name from the city of Nezhin, where they cultivated it, today they are cultivated everywhere. And there are a lot of varieties bred for every taste.
Different varieties differ from each other in the appearance of the plant itself and its fruits, which can have both light and dark green color. There are smoothand glossy, and some are covered with tubercles and spines; there are large fruits up to 20 cm, and there are small gherkins.
Cucumbers are grown in greenhouses, greenhouses and in the open field.
Classification of varieties
To select the most productive cucumber seeds, it is important to know that they are divided according to certain criteria that gardeners take into account when choosing a variety that meets their preferences.
According to the place of cultivation, the seeds are:
- for open ground,
- greenhouse,
- universal.
By ripening time:
- early ripe,
- medium,
- late.
By type of pollination:
- parthenocarpic (self-pollinated),
- bee pollinated.
By crop selection:
- varietal,
- hybrids.
By fruit size:
- gherkins (up to 8 cm),
- salad (12-20 cm).
By yield:
- high yielding,
- medium-yielding.
By resistance to diseases and variable weather conditions:
- shade-tolerant,
- cold resistant,
- disease resistant,
- drought-resistant.
For purpose:
- universal,
- for s alting,
- for fresh consumption.
For preservation, fruits with a thin skin, sweetish in taste, black-thorned are selected. They can also be usedboth for s alting and for salads. But salad cucumbers are suitable only for consumption in their natural form, without heat treatment.
The best cucumber seeds for soil
To get a good harvest, you need to choose the right variety and take care of the plants. Bee-pollinated varieties will set fruit only with the participation of insects: bees, bumblebees. If the summer is rainy, then there may not be ovaries. Self-pollinating plants form ovaries in any weather. The yield of such varieties is not affected by the weather and the presence of insects. They can be planted 2 times per season.
From this it follows that for open areas, cucumber seeds with different properties should be selected. In order for cucumbers to be on the table all season, early-ripening, mid-ripening and late varieties should be planted.
It is recommended to cultivate cucumber seeds of the following varieties in open ground:
- Claudia is a deep green parthenocarpic hybrid, tuberous, without bitterness, resistant to viral diseases.
- April F1 - soil hybrid of early fruiting, fruits are large up to 200 grams, 20-25 cm in length, without bitterness, frost-resistant, fruitful. Universal purpose.
- Zyatek F1 - early parthenocarpic hybrid, cucumbers 10-12 cm, dark green color with small light stripes. Up to 8 ovaries are formed in the sinus. The variety is resistant to all cucumber diseases.
- Masha F1 - ultra-early, ripens on 39-44 days from the day of sowing. Parthenocopy hybrid of gherkin type,coarse-grained, without bitterness. Resistant to major cucumber diseases. Very tasty in nature. It is one of the best varieties of cucumbers for preservation and pickling.
- Mother-in-law F1 - early parthenocarpic with female type of flowering, fruits 10-12 cm, without bitterness, tender and fragrant.
- Erofey - mid-season, bee pollinated, up to 7 cm, versatile, disease resistant.
- Admiral F1 - early, bee pollinated, resistant to temperature difference and diseases.
- Emelya F1 - a hybrid for "lazy" summer residents, resistant to weather changes, drought-resistant, fruits up to 6 cm, have a great taste, are well suited for pickling.
Among the varieties there are those that can bear fruit even in the shade:
- Muromsky 36 - fruits up to 8 cm, early ripening, suitable for pickling, harvest after 3 days, as ripened fruits quickly turn yellow.
- Secret F1 firm - early hybrid, matures on day 38, with a female type of flowering, cylindrical fruits, medium size, weighing up to 110 grams.
- Moscow evenings F1 - up to 14 cm, tasty fruits, mid-season variety, parthenocarpic type, universal purpose.
Best greenhouse varieties
Due to the short summer, the greenhouse method of growing cucumber seeds has become very popular. In greenhouses, parthenocarpic species are most often cultivated, which do without pollination by insects. This method of cultivation makes it possible to harvest all year round. Also, hybrids with short side lashes are chosen for greenhouses, so they do not need a formingpinch.
If all outdoor varieties are resistant to weather changes, then greenhouse varieties are more protected from diseases.
The most productive cucumber seeds for greenhouses:
- Athlete F1 is a high yielding hybrid. It ripens on the 55th day after the appearance of the first shoots, the fruits are 20-22 cm in size, weighing 200 grams. With high taste characteristics.
- German F1 - early hybrid, parthenocarpic, with weak weaving. During flowering in the node forms up to 6 ovaries. Fruit without bitterness, crispy, up to 12 cm long, weighing 120-180 grams.
- Bettina - an early ripe self-pollinating variety, medium climbing, gherkin type, 10-12 cm, delicate taste. Resistant to lack of lighting.
Universal varieties
Cucumbers can be universal - according to the place of cultivation and use. These varieties include:
- Courage F1 - suitable for greenhouses and open areas, self-pollinating, high-yielding. The first ovary matures on day 55, weight 130-150 grams, with white spikes, without bitterness, do not overripe. With proper care, you can get up to 25 kg of cucumbers of excellent taste from each plant. Can be preserved, s alted and used fresh.
- Hector F1.
- Thumb boy F1.
- Pinocchio.
Dutch selection cucumbers
Cucumber seeds from Dutch producers have proven themselves well. They are well suited for growing in our temperate region, have a long fruiting period, are productive, juicy anddelicious, they do not lose their marketable appearance during storage and are always of good quality.
- Meringue is an ultra-early parthenocarpic hybrid, highly productive, without bitterness, has cylindrical fruits of dark green color, universal purpose.
- Satina - early maturing, novelty, parthenocarpic type. The fruits are crisp, green, with a thin skin. Resistant to all cucumber diseases.
- Angelina F1.
- Delpina.
- Ceres.
- Pasadena.
Another positive point is that Dutch seeds go on sale already treated with various biostimulants and preventive drugs against possible diseases and pests.
Fruits of Chinese geneticists
For lovers of the exotic, we can safely recommend the most productive cucumber seeds of Chinese selection. They are tasty, with a sweetish aftertaste, very fragrant, elongated, can grow up to 50 cm in length, bear excellent fruit, are easy to care for, do not get sick, and are drought-resistant. Varieties possess these qualities:
- Aiming for the sky.
- Chinese miracle.
- Chinese farmhouse.
Selecting planting material
The main requirement for growing cucumber crops is to obtain the maximum yield.
When choosing a variety and seeds of cucumbers, attention should be paid to the packaging: description of the variety, number of seeds, cultivation practices, expiration date, batch number, address of the manufacturer. Is the selected variety suitable for your growing conditions, climate.
Besidesvarietal seeds, breeders have bred a large number of hybrids. Varietal seeds of cucumbers can transmit their characteristics and properties by inheritance, so you can collect and use them for 6-7 years. Hybrids can be grown only once, because in the future the plants will have completely different properties that do not meet the quality of the variety. The hybrid is obtained by artificial cross-pollination of 2 different varieties. Hybrids are good because they are immune to diseases and pests, and excellent yields can be obtained even under bad weather conditions. The only drawback is the need to buy raw materials every year and the overpriced price of such planting materials.
Any summer resident has the opportunity to choose the seeds of cucumbers of the most productive varieties suitable for growing in his area, with appropriate climatic conditions.
Value of different varieties
If we consider the characteristics of each widespread variety of cucumbers, we can be sure of its uniqueness. The value of some lies in good yields, others in exceptional taste, others in good keeping quality, and fourth in the unique shape of the fruit.
Before planting seed, each vegetable grower is guided solely by his wishes and goals.
Manufacturers
seeds.”
Firms with a good reputation, have a large breeding and seed base. Specialists are continuously working on breeding and zoning new species, varieties and hybrids of vegetable and flower crops. The range of samples offered is constantly growing thanks to our own novelties and unique specimens of foreign selection.
Reviews
Experienced gardeners quite often discuss the quality of seeds and do not always agree on which manufacturing companies can be considered the best. Reviews are just the opposite. When choosing little-known agricultural producers, you need to be prepared for unpleasant surprises: raw materials may be of poor quality, which will affect germination, varieties may not correspond to those indicated on the package.
Most summer gardeners are sure that you need to choose seeds only from proven, well-known manufacturers who have gained trust over the years of work and are responsible for the quality of the products provided.
