For cultivation at home, only certain varieties of cucumbers are suitable - early ripe and ultra-ripe. This, for example, Rytovsky, Champion, Regatta, Stella, Debut. They give the first fruits within 40-50 days after sowing. Since it is impossible to grow cucumbers on the windowsill without abundant watering, the capacity for them should be taken with a volume of at least 5–6, and preferably 8–10 liters. It can be not only large clay pots, but also tubs, buckets, cut plastic canisters. One or several holes should be made in their bottom. To install containers, window sills, in most cases, will have to be expanded.
The answer to the question of how to grow cucumbers on the windowsill is as follows: you need to start by choosing a place for the plants. Cucumbers love warmth and bright light, therefore it is better to grow them in a room whose windows face south or southwest. You should prepare a land mixture of humus and peat with the addition of ordinary fertile land and sand (4: 4: 2: 1). At the bottom there is a drain of fine pebbles with a layer of 2 cm. The containers are filled with the mixture a day before planting the seeds: it should be poured with a hot pale pink solution of potassium permanganate and let the liquid drain. The next day the land is ready for landing. Some experts recommend first to grow cucumber seedlings in small containers or peat pots. Subject to the proper growing conditions, it will be ready for planting in a month.
It is advisable to soak the seeds of cucumbers overnight in a damp cloth for swelling. The fabric is wrapped in a plastic bag and placed in a warm place (you can - on a heating radiator). Although they retain viability for at least five years, it is best to take 1-2 year old seeds. They are planted to a depth of 2 cm, immediately after planting they are watered with warm water. The container is covered with a plastic bag on top. At a room temperature not lower than +20 degrees Celsius, the first sprouts appear after a few days, then the packages are removed. Since it is very difficult to grow cucumbers on the windowsill without enough sunlight, they must be illuminated with a daylight lamp for at least four hours a day in the winter months. Otherwise, their growth will be very slow: so if you decide to grow seedlings first, it will be ready for transplanting not after 25-30 days, but only after a month and a half.
After two or three leaves appear on the plants, cucumbers are fed with urea (1 tsp. Fertilizers per 5 liters of water). For subsequent top dressing, both mineral and organic fertilizers are used: diluted with water infusion of bird droppings (1:15) or mullein (1:10). It is advisable to feed cucumbers every 10-14 days. When growing by the seedling method, plants are transplanted into large containers with the appearance of four to five leaves. The next important point in answering the question of how to grow cucumbers on the windowsill is regular watering: in sunny weather - twice a day, in cloudy - every other day, in the morning or evening hours. Water for irrigation should be warm, settled.
In the question of how to grow cucumbers on the windowsill, the correct formation of the plant is of great importance. In varieties requiring manual pollination, after the appearance of the third true leaf, the top must be pinched - this stimulates the growth of side shoots on which female flowers grow and, accordingly, the fruits are tied. After the appearance of 5-6 of these sheets, the tops are removed. Cucumbers are pollinated manually in the morning, in sunny weather - at this time there is more pollen on male flowers. To distinguish them from women’s is quite simple: the latter have an ovary, and they bloom later. For pollination, you need to pick a male flower, tear off the petals from it and touch its stamens to the pistil of the female plant. It will be possible to collect fruits in 10-12 days.
Periodically, plants should be sprayed with water from a spray bottle, and dry and yellow leaves should be removed. By sowing cucumbers in early January, by February 23 and March 8 you will get your own crop. Plants will bear fruit for a month. An important point is how to grow cucumbers on the window so that they constantly bear fruit: it is necessary to calculate the timing so that the plants are periodically replaced with new ones. With each of them, with proper care, you can get up to 40-50 fruits.
The question of how to grow cucumbers on the balcony can be answered as follows: for this, it is better to choose self-pollinating varieties. It will be more convenient if you put together a large wooden box for plants. It is imperative to provide supports or pull ropes along which cucumber lashes can curl.