Pickling Cucumber, coarse-spined, Regina F1, 38 seeds

Cucumis sativus - Regina F1

Cucumbers undoubtedly belong to the most popular types of vegetables. Pickling cucumbers or salad cucumbers are probably the most commonly grown vegetable. Everyone knows long snake cucumbers. The fruits measure over thirty centimeters, are smooth, not bitter, and are suitable for cultivation in greenhouses and polytunnel covers. Cucumbers originate from India, where they have been cultivated for 3000 years. The plant is up to 2 meters long and climbing. It characteristically has large, deeply serrated, alternately growing leaves. Cucumbers produce large yellow unisexual male and female flowers, which are pollinated by insects. The fruit is cucumber - a berry.

Cucumbers contain the enzyme erepsin, which breaks down proteins. Vitamin E protects cells from free radicals. When consuming cucumbers, a feeling of satiety comes quickly, which helps with weight-loss diets.

In addition to basic kitchen preparations of cucumbers, such as salads or for preserving, cucumbers can also be used to make various creamy salads, as well as cocktails and various smoothies.

How to Grow Cucumbers

• It is not advisable to plant cucumbers where potatoes or strawberries were previously grown. On the other hand, beds after peas, onions, beets, or beans are suitable. Cucumbers require a bright, warm location that is sheltered from wind. We keep the soil around germinated seedlings loose and clean. Cucumbers are shallow-rooted, so we don't hoe deeply. We pinch plants at the six-leaf stage after the fifth leaf and later also pinch side shoots after set fruits. Pinching accelerates harvest by at least fourteen days. Watering in hot sun is not suitable as plants suffer from scald and downy mildew. Leaves must be dry at night, so afternoon watering is completely unsuitable and we water only in the morning. For cucumber cultivation, it is advisable to use PVC film which protects seedlings from possible temperature drops. Black non-woven fabric is most suitable.

• Cucumber seeds can be sown directly into the bed around May 20th. Cucumbers are quite susceptible to temperature shocks, so temperatures should not fall below 8°C.

  Another option is pre-cultivation, which helps us avoid cucumber downy mildew. Sowing can be done from mid-April. We sow seeds into sowing substrate, one seed directly into pots or seed trays. We can pre-cultivate by a window indoors or in a greenhouse. Seedlings are pre-cultivated for 12-16 days and the suitable temperature for seed germination is 15-18°C. Over-watering doesn't suit seeds or young seedlings well, as they could easily die. Again, we place seedlings in the target location only after May 20th.

• They require quality, well-fertilized, deeply worked soil.

• It is good to fertilize the location before planting with well-aged manure or composted compost. This prepared mixture should be left to settle for another 2 to 3 weeks. During vegetation, additional fertilization can be done with diluted cow manure mixed with fermented chicken manure. Special cucumber fertilizer Cucumin can also be used. We can also apply Cererit or Floran.

• Sucking pests such as aphids, whiteflies, or spider mites can significantly weaken our cultivated plants during heavy infestation. Among fungal diseases, mainly mildews such as cucumber downy mildew, black fruit rot, and powdery mildew. It is suitable to use ROCK EFFECT as prevention, not only against sucking pests but also against fungal diseases. For treatment against fungal diseases, we can use products Acrobat MZ WG, Aliette 80 WG, Dithane DG Neotec, Champion 50 WP, Kuprikol 50, Ortiva, Previcur Energy, Ridomil Gold MZ Pepite, and Plíseň STOP.

  Symptoms of cucumber mosaic virus can be observed in plants approximately one and a half months old. Greener irregular spots begin to form on leaves, which yellow over time. Leaves wrinkle and deform. The disease is transmitted by pests such as aphids or whiteflies. Protection involves eliminating sucking pests that transmit the disease and destroying plants in case of infestation.

• We harvest cucumbers at least two to three times a week. During harvesting, we take care not to tear the cucumber seedlings and not to damage the shoots. We harvest ripe fruits.