Some call them cucumbers, others cucumbers. Whatever you call it, here's how to grow the snake cucumber.
Cucumbers are very heat-requiring plants. This applies in particular to the snake cucumber, i.e. the cucumber. While a few years ago it could only be found here and there in gardens, today almost all gardeners grow it. No wonder, because growing cucumbers is very easy and they also taste wonderfully fresh.
If you've also decided to grow cucumbers, there's one thing you should clarify beforehand: do you want to grow the vegetable in a greenhouse or do you want to grow it outdoors? Cultivation outdoors looks different than in a greenhouse.
Because the cucumber is very sensitive to wind, many people choose to grow it in a greenhouse. But if you don't have one, don't despair, because of course it can also be cultivated outdoors. For both variants, here are instructions on how to grow cucumbers.
Instructions for growing in the greenhouse
Step 1:
You can buy young plants in garden centers or hardware stores, but it is advisable to grow cucumbers from seed in pots yourself. It is best to use special potting soil and mix it with a little fertilizer or mature compost.
Step 2:
Now plant three seeds per pot and cover them with a two centimeter layer of soil.
Step 3:
The seeds now need a temperature of at least 20 degrees to germinate. You also need to keep the soil evenly moist. However, there must be no waterlogging!
Step 4:
After germination, you should remove the weaker two seedlings from each pot, leaving only the strongest plant in the pot.
Step 5:
You can place the young plants in the greenhouse from mid-May. The distance between the individual plants should then be about 40 centimeters. Since the cucumbers will expand a lot over time, you should also provide them with a trellis on whichthey can climb up.
Step 6:
Now you just have to take care of the cucumbers properly so that they grow nice and big. In this regard, you should know that cucumbers not only need a lot of nutrients, but also a lot of water, after all, most of the vegetables are made up of water. So water the plants regularly and give them some fertilizer from time to time. (Reading tip: Fertilize cucumbers - How to increase your yield)
Instructions for growing outdoors
Step 1:
If you want to grow cucumbers outdoors, you need to prepare the beds accordingly. To do this, you should determine the center of the bed and dig a trench along it with a width of 40 centimeters. You can distribute the excavated soil in the middle of the bed, i.e. along the excavated ditch, so that a wall is created. This wall is warmed up better by the sun and it is precisely this heat that benefits the cucumber plants.
Step 2:
In the ditch along the wall you should first put warm, half-rotted manure and then add compost on top.
Step 3:
In the open field you should start sowing in mid-May at the earliest, because the ice saints could bring frost again and damage the plants.
But when the time comes, you should make several grooves in the bed, into which you put the seeds at a distance of three centimeters. Then cover the seeds only very thinly with soil.
Hint:
For outdoor cultivation, the "Chinese snake cucumber" (e.g. available here) is particularly recommended.
Step 4:
Once the cucumber plants have emerged, transplant them slowly, 20 centimeters apart. But this should be done really slowly, because after all, the plants also offer each other protection. It's not the right time until they touch.
Step 5:
Shortly after the first two leaves have formed, you need to prune the young plants to allow two new tendrils to form. Then distribute the tendrils evenly over the ground. It is best to place some brushwood underneath, as this will prevent rot. Alternatively, you can also let the cucumbers grow up a trellis.
Step 6:
During the growth phase, you must regularly administer a liquid fertilizer so that the supply of nutrients is ensured at all times. You should also always water the cucumbersstagnant water, and plenty of it, because if the plants suffer from drought, the cucumbers can become bitter. In between, you can loosen up the soil a bit by hoeing.