Garden experiment with cucumbers led to a stunning result: the crop was harvested in bags

100 days. Exactly how long my garden experiment lasted. His results are simply stunning. And now we can safely say that a new way of planting cucumbers will be on the shoulder of any gardener. There would be only desire. And it all started with my naive question, asked to a resident of the village of Korystovo, Kashirsky district, Valentina Komtysheva, known for her experiments throughout the district. I asked how many kilograms of cucumbers can be harvested from a piece of land 10 meters by 50 cm with a minimum care time. Namely, such a piece in my area was “in free flight”. The creative summer resident surprised with the answer: “You can provide a family of 3-4 people with fresh crispy cucumbers, treat your neighbors and roll up a few cans for the winter!” And Valentina told me how.

In a good way, landing in this way can begin as early as April. But since it is already June, the new planting technology will firstly speed up the emergence of plants from the ground, and secondly, increase the yield by 20-30%. It’s already warm outside. There is also a third advantage. If you are not going to spend all summer at your summer cottage and plan to leave your hundred square meters for at least 2-3 weeks, then a new way of planting cucumbers is definitely for you. I assure you that by your arrival you will have the opportunity to feast on cucumbers from your own garden. For example, I was away for a month. During this time, my wards managed to form, grow, and some of them even get too fat. They went to canning. But, let’s go in order.

According to science – from the last century

I immediately noticed Valentina’s 10-meter beds covered with plastic wrap. Anticipating my inquiries, the summer resident showed me a worn-out issue of the journal Science and Life, 1986. It described in detail a simple way of planting cucumbers. Komtysheva has been using it for over 30 years and said it never let her down. Valya recorded the yield in the photo, which she showed me. Cards were full of cucumber lashes strewn with fruits. The method was so simple, logical and viable that I immediately fired up to try it on my site.

The best time for planting cucumbers in a scientific way is the last decade of April – the beginning of May. But if you’re late, don’t worry. Cucumbers planted in June in a new way will sprout much faster than those sown in May. We will need any unpretentious seeds of salad and pickling cucumbers (you can use varieties that you personally like). You will also need medium-density polyethylene film. Its standard width is 1.5 meters. You choose the length yourself. It is usually sold with a sleeve, so you have to cut it. I made beds 10 meters long. I will say right away that I bought the first seeds that came across in a chain store, in white simple bags, with a good shelf life. I chose the varieties “elegant” (pickling) and “zozulya” (salad).

The most important thing in this technology is to properly prepare the seats.

Weeds warm the roots of cucumbers

We choose a place for the future planting of cucumbers. It must be sunny. We dig with the turnover of the reservoir without sampling the roots of a strip 1.5 meters wide of any desired length. Let me remind you that for a family of 3-4 people, one 10-meter bed is enough. After digging, we form a longitudinal high bed, throwing earth on both sides. Then at the top we make plate-shaped recesses (the size of a large plate for the first). The distance between the center of each recess is 80 cm. We deepen the dish-shaped holes again by adding a nutrient soil mixture (from peat and humus). And mix with ordinary earth. We add a shovel of sand to each recess, mix again and tamp. And now – attention! Each hole must be poured with plenty of water: 2/3 buckets for each. And quickly start sowing seeds after the final absorption of moisture. Now you will understand why this is extremely important. We plant seeds of 8 pieces in each recess sideways in a circle and one in the center. Top with sand or peat. As a rule, not all seeds will hatch and not in every hole. Therefore, we plant with a margin, given this factor.

The next most important step is to evenly stretch the film around the perimeter of the entire garden bed with careful digging along the edges so that there is no air access. Keep in mind that the bed will be under the film until the fall, while cucumber lashes will bear fruit. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

So, after stretching the film, the gap between the center of the recess and the top of the film should be at least 3–4 cm. The holes usually fog up immediately, and this is very good. That means enough water has been spilled. Every week I looked through the film to see if the cucumber seeds had hatched. This happened about two and a half weeks later. Since we make our plantings in June, the cucumbers will hatch much earlier. Then she carefully made cruciform cuts on the film above the recesses with scissors in order to quickly saturate the seedlings in the holes with water. Imagine, because they were under the film without drinking for a long time. Now you understand why it was so important to shed the recesses abundantly on planting day. The next stage: you need to leave 4-5 plants in each hole, seating and planting in those places where it is necessary. Scourge will be oriented to 4 cardinal directions. After about June 20, you should expect a rapid growth spurt and bud set, if you’re lucky with the weather. There will be at least 3 such jumps. This is due to the fact that the weeds that are under the film will grow, rot and create natural bioheating for the roots of cucumbers. And these pimply creatures need only that: heat and moisture. By the way, last year I picked the first cucumber in such a garden already on June 8, because I made the plantings at the end of April! At first, you need to water the wells with water (preferably warm, from a barrel) through the slots once every 3 days. And after 2-3 weeks – already every day in the evenings. After all, the larger the cucumber plant, the more moisture it needs. To be honest, in July we went on vacation for 4 weeks and let the situation go to self-regulation. When we returned, we were pleasantly surprised. Cucumbers held out, waited for their owners, and the whips pleased with new ovaries. We were lucky that it rained a few times in our absence.

Yes, some fruits were slightly bitter. After all, rain watering was not enough. But bitterness in moderation is also good for the body. By the way, Valentina taught me to determine whether a cucumber is bitter or unleavened, by the color and shape of its buttocks: if the buttocks are too dark green and not pointed, but more “blunt” in shape, then most likely there may be bitterness in the sample. And vice versa, if it is light and slightly pointed, then the cucumber will please with a sweetish-aromatic taste. And in general, the fetus itself should be with appetizing whitish pimples

Bottom line: I harvested the crop in bags, not particularly bothering with the care.

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And how surprised the neighbors were, who day and night on their beds without raising their heads. Already in the fall, they asked me in detail about new planting technologies. And if before meeting Valya, when meeting with neighbors, I experienced an inferiority complex, listening to stories about the incredible varieties of cucumbers that they managed to grow on their site, today I understand that those simple secrets that you now know about are much closer to life.