Today, with a huge assortment of planting stock, everyone has a choice not to get confused among the bright packages and, ultimately, to get the best seeds of cucumbers. Below we consider the determining criteria for the selection of cucumber varieties popular among vegetable gardeners-summer residents to obtain a high-quality and plentiful crop.
Origin of cucumber
Cucumber is one of the representatives of the pumpkin family and the most common vegetable around the world. It began to be cultivated as early as 6,000 years ago in China and in the tropical and subtropical parts of India. This culture was introduced to Russia at the beginning of the 16th century.
This beautiful vegetable is honored by creating monuments and solemnly celebrating Cucumber Day. They hold tasting fairs and concerts. If during the reign of Catherine only the variety Nezhinsky was known, which got its name from the city of Nezhin, where they were cultivated, 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 smooth and glossy, and some are covered with tubercles and spikes; there are large fruits up to 20 cm, and there are small gherkins.
Cucumbers are grown in greenhouses, greenhouses and in the open ground.
Grade Classification
To choose the most productive seeds of cucumbers, 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.
At the breeding place, the seeds are:
- for open ground,
- greenhouse
- universal.
By ripening time:
- early ripening
- medium
- late.
By type of pollination:
- parthenocarpic (self-pollinated),
- bee pollinated.
By culture selection:
By fruit size:
- gherkins (up to 8 cm),
- salad (12-20 cm).
By productivity:
- high yielding
- average yields.
By resistance to diseases and variable weather conditions:
- hardy,
- cold resistant
- disease resistant
- drought tolerant.
By appointment:
- universal
- for salting,
- for fresh consumption.
For preservation, fruits with a thin peel are selected, sweetish in taste, black-spiked. They can also be used for salting and salads. But salad cucumbers are suitable only for consumption in kind, without heat treatment.
The best seeds of cucumbers for soil
To get a good harvest, you need to choose the right variety and provide care for the plants. Bee pollinated varieties will set fruits only with the participation of insects: bees, bumblebees. If the summer is rainy, then there may be no 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, seeds of cucumbers 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 the following varieties of cucumber seeds in open ground:
- Claudia is a parthenocarpic hybrid of saturated green color, tuberous, without bitterness, and is resistant to viral diseases.
- April F1 - a soil hybrid of early bearing, large fruits up to 200 grams, 20-25 cm in length, without bitterness, frost-resistant, fruitful. Universal purpose.
- Zyatek F1 - an early parthenocarpic hybrid, cucumbers 10-12 cm, dark green in color with small bright stripes. In the sinus, up to 8 ovaries are formed. The variety is resistant to all cucumber diseases.
- Masha F1 - ultra-ripening, matures on 39-44 days from the day of sowing. Parthenocopic hybrid of the gherkin type, coarse, without bitterness. Resistant to major cucumber diseases. Very tasty in kind. It is one of the best varieties of cucumbers for preservation and pickling.
- Mother-in-law F1 - an early parthenocarpic with a female type of flowering, fruits 10-12 cm, without bitterness, delicate and fragrant.
- Erofei - mid-season, bee-pollinated, up to 7 cm, universal, resistant to disease.
- Admiral F1 is an early, bee pollinated, resistant to temperature differences and diseases.
- Emelya F1 - a hybrid for "lazy" summer residents, resistant to weather changes, drought tolerant, fruits up to 6 cm, have a great taste, well suited for salting.
Among the varieties there are those that can bear fruit even in the shade:
- Muromsky 36 - fruits up to 8 cm, ripe, suitable for pickling, harvest should be done after 3 days, as the ripened fruits turn yellow quickly.
- The secret of F1 is an early hybrid, ripens for 38 days, with a female type of flowering, the fruits are cylindrical, medium in size, weighing up to 110 grams.
- Moscow evenings F1 - up to 14 cm, the fruits are tasty, the variety is mid-season, parthenocarpic type, universal purpose.
The best greenhouse varieties
Due to the short summer, the method of greenhouse cultivation of cucumber seeds has become very popular. Parthenocarpic species that do without pollination by insects are most often cultivated in hotbeds. This method of cultivation makes it possible to get a crop year-round. Also, for greenhouses, hybrids with short side lashes are chosen, therefore, a forming pinch is not necessary for them.
If all varieties for open areas are resistant to weather changes, then greenhouses are more protected from diseases.
The most productive seeds of cucumbers for greenhouses:
- The F1 athlete is a high-yielding hybrid. Ripens on the 55th day after the appearance of the first seedlings, fruits are 20-22 cm in size, weighing 200 grams. With high palatability.
- Herman F1 - an early hybrid, parthenocarpic, with weak weaving. During flowering, the node forms up to 6 ovaries. Fruits without bitterness, crunchy, up to 12 cm in length, weighing 120-180 grams.
- Bettina is an early ripening self-pollinating variety, average lashiness, gherkin type, 10-12 cm, of delicate taste. Resistant to lack of lighting.
Universal varieties
Cucumbers can be universal - at the place of cultivation and application. These varieties include:
- Courage F1- suitable for greenhouses and open areas, self-pollinating, high-yielding. The first ovary ripens on day 55, weight 130-150 grams, with white spikes, without bitterness, do not overripe. With each plant, with proper care, you can get up to 25 kg of cucumbers of excellent taste. It can be preserved, salted and used fresh.
- Hector F1.
- Boy with thumb F1.
- Pinocchio.
Dutch selection cucumbers
Well-proven seeds of cucumbers of Dutch producers. They are perfectly adapted for cultivation in our region with a temperate climate, have a long fruiting period, fruitful, juicy and tasty, do not lose their presentation and always good quality during storage.
- Meringue is a superearly parthenocarpic hybrid, highly productive, without bitterness, has cylindrical fruits of dark green color, universal purpose.
- Satin - early ripe, new, parthenocarpic type. Fruits are crisp, green, with a thin skin. Resistant to all cucumber diseases.
- Angelina F1.
- Delpin.
- Ceres.
- Pasadena.
Another positive point - Dutch seeds go on sale already treated with various biostimulants and preventive drugs against possible diseases and pests.
The fruits of Chinese geneticists
Fans of exotic can safely recommend the most productive seeds of cucumbers of Chinese selection. They are tasty, with a sweet taste, very aromatic, elongated, can grow up to 50 cm in length, bear fruit well, are easy to care for, do not get sick, are drought tolerant. The following varieties possess these qualities:
- Aspiring to the sky.
- Chinese miracle.
- Chinese farmer.
Selection of planting material
The main requirement for growing cucumber is considered 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, agricultural production technique, shelf life, batch number, address of the manufacturer's company. Whether the selected variety is suitable for your growing conditions, climate.
In addition to varietal seeds, breeders bred a large number of hybrids. Varietal seeds of cucumbers can pass on their traits 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 dusting of 2 different varieties. Hybrids are good in that they are immune to diseases and pests, and excellent yields can be obtained even in 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 for themselves the seeds of cucumbers of the most productive varieties suitable for cultivation in its area, with appropriate climatic conditions.
The value of various varieties
If we consider the characteristics of each widespread variety of cucumbers, then we can verify its uniqueness. The value of some lies in good yield, others in exceptional taste, third in good keeping quality, fourth in the unique shape of the fruit.
Before planting seed, each grower is guided solely by his wishes and goals.
Manufacturers
The seed producers that have long existed on the market have proven themselves excellently: Sibirsky Sad, Gavrish, Partner, Semko-Junior, SeDek, Empire of Seeds, Aelita, Russian Seeds Holding.
Firms with a good reputation have a large selection and seed base. Specialists are constantly working on the development and regionalization of new species, varieties and hybrids of vegetable and flower crops. The range of samples offered is constantly growing thanks to our own new products and unique specimens of foreign selection.
Reviews
Experienced gardeners quite often discuss the quality of seeds and do not always agree on which manufacturers can be considered the best. Reviews are directly opposite. 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 gardeners-summer residents are sure that you need to choose the seeds of only trusted, well-known producers, who over the years of work have gained confidence and are responsible for the quality of the products provided.