Choosing cucumber seeds for open ground

Every year, before the start of the spring-summer season, a huge number of seeds with photographs of very attractive fruits appear in specialized stores, promising 100% germination, frost resistance and huge yields. When choosing cucumber seeds for growing in open ground, buy only zoned varieties and hybrids, i.e. adapted to the climate where you live, then they will be both productive and disease-resistant. If only parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) hybrids are suitable for greenhouses, then bee-pollinated varieties can also be planted in open ground. Just don’t think that bees are needed to pollinate them, this is just a name, but in fact they are perfectly pollinated by any insects.

Recently, hybrids with a long fruiting period have become popular, for example “Lapland F1”, “F1Annushka”, “Petersburg Express F1” and others. To obtain high yields, summer residents often choose different varieties, among which there must be a variety with a large number of male flowers. “Elegant”, “Muromsky”, “Cascade”, “Movir”, etc. are suitable. If you are not going to preserve cucumbers, then choose salad varieties, they have a more delicate crust, for example “Nugget”. The "Farmer" variety is universal; its cucumbers are smooth, medium-sized and very tasty. There are early-ripening and late-ripening cucumbers; it is better to plant both of them so that your cucumbers do not run out all season long.

If you or your neighbors have had cucumbers before, then you should choose varieties that are resistant to disease: “Adam F1”, “Nastenka F1”, “Vasilyok F1”, “Lastochka F1”, “Vyaznikovsky 37”, “Elegant” and many others varieties and hybrids. And don’t believe me about frost resistance. There are simply no such cucumbers. The best temperature for them is 23-28 degrees, at 15-20 their growth slows down, and if the temperature stays below +10 for two days, they will get sick and die even without any frost. Even if you choose cucumber seeds for open ground, it is better to have temporary shelter for them in case of a cyclone.