Cucumber: what is it, description, cultivation and care, benefits and harms, application
Many gardeners are interested in what it is - cucumber, its description, cultivation and care. This term is understood as a hybrid of cucumber and melon, which was created as a result of selection. Saraev was working on improving the resistance of crops to frost and decided to cross them with each other. The result is a rather unusual plant that many gardeners love.
Description of the hybrid
In fact, there is no consensus on the origin of the cucumber today. Some people consider this plant a tropical vegetable-fruit, others say that it is a hybrid that was obtained by crossing a cucumber with a melon.
In any case, it has been established that the cultivation of this plant began to be practiced in Central Asia. Breeders managed to get a hybrid by crossing early melon varieties and undemanding types of cucumbers. In appearance, the culture is similar to a cucumber bush, but it has larger leaves and grows up to 2 meters in height. It is grown both vertically and horizontally.
The shape and taste of fruits is affected by the stage of their maturity. Early specimens resemble cucumbers, but have thinner skins. Their size is 8-12 centimeters. These fruits are light green in color. At the same time, the surface is covered with soft fluff.
Expert opinionZarechny Maxim ValerievichAgronomist with 12 years of experience. Our best gardening expert.Ask a QuestionRipe fruits are more like a melon and can reach a length of 60-80 centimeters. Their average weight is 6-8 kilograms. At this stage, the peel acquires a yellow color and is covered with green stripes. If you cut open the fruit, you can see some seeds inside.What does it taste like
At the initial stage of ripening, the cucumber almost does not differ from cucumbers - neither in taste nor in smell. As they ripen, the fruits more closely resemble a melon. They are characterized by juicy and sweet flesh of a yellow-orange hue. It has a delicate aroma and pleasant taste. It's hard to describe it in words. The pronounced melon taste seems to mix with banana, orange, cucumber and honey notes.
Instructions for use
In the stage of milky maturity, the fruits can be consumed fresh. They are often used to make salads, marinated and s alted. The product does not lose its taste and retains its original smell and color.
Composition
Cucumber is characterized by high nutritional value and diverse chemical composition. It consists of the following components:
- vitamins of group B, A, C, E, PP;
- minerals – sodium, magnesium, iron, potassium, calcium.
Useful and harmful properties
When eating cucumber fruits, you can achieve a number of positive effects:
- destroy free radicals;
- get an anti-sclerotic effect;
- restore the functions of the digestive organs;
- clear the body of excess s alts and cholesterol;
- stimulate metabolic processes;
- rejuvenate the body;
- get a mild diuretic and choleretic effect.
Cucumber does not harm the body. However, cases of individual intolerance to this product are sometimes recorded. Therefore, it should be introduced into the diet carefully.
Varieties
Thanks to the efforts of breeders, more than 15 varieties of this plant were obtained. All of them are characterized by excellent taste, resistance to frost and strong immunity. The most popular varieties of this plant include:
- Queen Anne - has a high yield. This is an early maturing variety. From planting seeds to harvesting takes only 2 months. The fruits are covered with stripes. There is some pulp inside. When fully ripe, it has a slightly bland taste.
- Matsarin - this variety has unusual fruits. They are elongated and look like zucchini. The skin is light green in color. At the stage of maturity, the weight of one fruit reaches 400 grams. From 1 plant it is possible to get up to 4 fruits. The flesh is greenish-yellow in color and has a pleasant taste.
- Manduria - differs in juicy fruits, the mass of which reaches 1 kilogram. It takes 100 days from planting seed to harvest.
- Orenburg - the fruits of this melon are distinguished by an oval-oblong shape. Harvest can be harvested 1-1.5 months after planting. When unripe, vegetables grow up to 12 centimeters and have a pronounced cucumber taste.Ripe fruits can weigh up to 2 kilograms and are characterized by juicy and sweet pulp.
How to plant
It is recommended to plant seeds for seedlings at the end of April. In open ground, seedlings are moved a month after planting. It is important to prepare the bed in advance. Since autumn, the site needs to be dug up and fertilized. 25 grams of superphosphate, 12 grams of potassium sulfate, 15 grams of ammonium nitrate and half a bucket of humus are used per 1 square meter.
As containers for planting seedlings, it is worth using peat pots that decompose in the ground. Seeds are recommended to be soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate, and then treated with growth stimulants - for example, Epin.
Before planting seeds, the soil needs to be well moistened, and then the treated material should be deepened into it by 1-1.5 centimeters and sprinkled with earth. Care consists in moving the container to a sunny place with protection from the wind, timely watering and airing the sprouts.
It is recommended to plant seedlings in open ground in warm and sunny weather. The soil needs to be loosened, holes made at intervals of 1 meter and fertilized. After transplanting, the plants need to be well watered and insulated with greenhouses.
Features of cultivation
Vegetable does not need frequent watering. It is important to use only warm water for humidification. After fruit set, the number of procedures is reduced. This helps to avoid cracking and reduce water content.
It is also worth carrying out the formation procedure. After the appearance of 5-6 leaves, it is necessary to pinch the main stem. Equally important is the introduction of dressings into the soil. To do this, use a mixture of 0.5 buckets of manure and 1 tablespoon of s altpeter. It is required to fill it with 1 liter of water, mix and pour the soil around the bush. This composition must be applied at intervals of 2 weeks.
To speed up the growth of greenery, the cucumber should be fed with bird droppings. When the plant begins to bloom, stop fertilizing the plants.
Harvesting
A distinctive feature of the cucumber is that you can collect its fruits at the initial stage of ripening or at the stage of full maturity. Vegetables on the bush are constantly formed until the fall. Therefore, the collection of cucumber melon can be done all summer.
In this case, you should adhere to the following rules:
- For the preparation of s alty dishes, vegetables must be harvested 30-40 days after planting the seedlings. At this stage, they taste like cucumbers.
- To make jam, the fruits are plucked only after full ripening.
- Ripe vegetables need to be removed from the bush in time. This will prevent them from sapping its nourishing juices.
- Ripe fruits must be picked carefully so as not to damage the delicate peel.
- To increase the shelf life of fresh fruits during harvest, it is required to leave a stalk up to 5 centimeters in size.
Nuances and difficulties
The main difficulty in growing a crop is to provide enough water without waterlogging the ground. Excess moisture provokes ovary rotting and bacterial infections. Before watering the plants, it is worth lifting the foliage and inspecting the soil. If it remains wet, the crop does not need to be watered.
When choosing a growing method, it should be borne in mind that ripe fruits are easily separated from the shoots. When they fall to the ground, they are damaged. Such fruits are only suitable for obtaining seeds.
Although cucumber is considered a heat-loving plant, it does not withstand extreme heat well. Therefore, when grown in greenhouse conditions, crops often drop the ovary at very high air temperatures.
Cucumber recipes
Cucumber is a versatile product. In addition to fresh consumption, it is suitable for making salads, desserts, jams, compotes, jams. To make delicious jam, you will need the following:
- 1 cucumber;
- 350 grams of sugar;
- 1 star anise;
- zest and juice of 1 lemon.
The fruit needs to be washed, cut into 2 parts and seeds removed. It must be washed and cut into pieces. The peel may not be removed. Place the pulp in an enamel container, add star anise and sugar. Put on a small fire and cook until the sugar dissolves. When signs of boiling appear, add lemon zest and juice. Mix and cook for 5 minutes. Put the composition in jars, close tightly and keep in a cool place.
Cucumber is a tasty and he althy product that is becoming more and more popular among gardeners. For a crop to be successful, it needs to be properly cared for.
