Growing cucumbers in a barrel

We will talk about the features of step-by-step cultivation of cucumbers in a barrel in this material. Summer gardeners always grow cucumbers in the garden, this is one of the favorite types of vegetables. Because cucumbers eat fresh, pickle, salt. Alternatively, cucumbers can be grown not only on the plot in the garden, but also in the barrel. It looks incredibly beautiful and even increases productivity with the right approach.

Among the dozens of common methods of planting cucumbers, these are not only beds, but also greenhouses, trellises and nets, bags and tents, even plastic bags, barrels, too, take their place and the popularity of this method is growing every year.

Important benefits of growing cucumbers in barrels:

1. If the summer cottage is small, but you want to grow not only cucumbers and tomatoes from vegetables, barrels will help save space and usefully use the area that is available in every corner.
2. Can plant cucumbers in a barrel a few weeks earlier than even in the greenhouse. All because the soil in the barrel is not afraid of frost.
3. The decorativeness of this method of growing vegetables also attracts attention. Cucumbers grow vines and on the lawn such greens look great.
4. A beautiful barrel with green vines can decorate not the most beautiful places on the site, create a temporary hedge. This is despite the fact that the yield from this garden will be large and good with the right standard care for the vegetable.
5. Even in the photo of step-by-step cultivation of cucumbers in a barrel, it is clear that this is convenient. Moreover, even when caring for vegetables, it is especially important for people with health problems, when you do not want to bend over again to remove weeds, water the crop or just harvest.

As for the shortcomings of this method, something serious cannot be noted. Judging by the reviews, in order to get a good harvest in a barrel, the only thing you need to do is to water the crop more often, the rest of the care features remain classic.

How to choose and prepare a barrel

The video shows relevant information with a step-by-step description of how to grow cucumbers in a barrel. But before you start the process itself, you will need to prepare a barrel. You don’t have to lay out any additional funds, because old and unnecessary barrels with a volume of about 200 liters are great. Barrels can be rusty or dry. Great for cucumbers as plastic and wooden containers, as enameled and iron barrels.

But best of all, as already experienced gardeners say in their reviews, a holey barrel, or at least one that has no bottom, is suitable for cucumbers. Why is this a plus? Because, an additional exchange of air in the soil is created and the microclimate of the vertical bed itself is improved. In addition, worms and other microorganisms useful for healthy soil can easily get into the barrel.

How to prepare the ground

You can start preparing a barrel for growing cucumbers in it since the fall, but, in principle, if you start preparatory work in the spring, you will also be able to do everything with everything. It will be necessary to fill the barrel with three layers of earth. The first layer is drainage, which is needed to remove excess moisture and to store nutrients. As a drainage, you can safely use the remains of cabbage and corn, just chopped branches. Put fallen leaves and food waste on top (to speed up the decomposition of waste, you can add special preparations to the first layer). Which cucumbers need additional nutrition?

Important! It is better to prepare the described first layer of soil in a barrel in the fall, so that during the winter everything has time to decompose and in the spring an excellent nutritious extract is ready for growing cucumbers.

Manure is used as the second layer - it will provide additional heat to the lower layer, as well as to the cucumbers themselves. This is important for growing in early spring. If you can’t add manure to the barrel, then it is worth making the first layer of humus thicker.

The third layer, of course, is fertile loose earth. A mixture of soil and humus, peat in the same ratio is perfect. Instead of peat, feel free to take sawdust, chopped into small pieces. Features growing cucumbers in a greenhouse.

Advice! When the barrel is filled with earth, before planting seedlings for several weeks, you just need to leave it alone so that the earth settles. As a rule, the earth settles by twenty centimeters, during this period decomposition processes will also start, which can be activated by pouring three liters of warm water into the vessel.

Then, with step-by-step cultivation of cucumbers in a barrel, you just need to transplant the finished seedlings into the vessel itself and provide normal care. Only increase the amount of water for irrigation several times, because the soil layer under the roots is quite large.