Growing Cucumbers In Pots In A Greenhouse

Cucumbers like to grow in warm climates and it is ready to harvest within 12 weeks. They can’t tolerate cold and frost, so if you want to grow them earlier, you must grow them in a greenhouse. You can easily maintain the temperature and humidity of a greenhouse.

Benefits Of Growing Cucumbers In A Greenhouse

Because of the controlled environment in a greenhouse, you will get a higher yield of cucumber.
When you grow cucumbers in a greenhouse, you can easily extend your growing season. You can use heaters to keep your greenhouse warm. This will make a suitable environment for cucumber plants. Even an unheated greenhouse also provides a perfect protected place for cucumber vines.
Cucumbers are protected from wet weather when they are grown in a greenhouse. It means they are saved from fungal diseases and root rot.

Difference Between Outdoor-Growing Cucumbers And Greenhouse-Growing Cucumbers

Growing cucumber outdoors is very cheap and easy to set up. You can grow anywhere like your backyard, garden, or even in pots and containers. On the other hand, when you grow them in a greenhouse it is very expensive.
Due to a controlled environment, your plants can be grown for longer seasons in a greenhouse which is not possible when you grow cucumbers in your vegetable garden.
Your greenhouse plants are less affected by pests and diseases than outdoor plants.
You need access to electricity and water to maintain your plants in a greenhouse which is not necessary for outdoor planting.
When you grow cucumbers outdoors then you cannot control the weather conditions. The unpredictable threats of weather can affect the yield of cucumber plants. This can’t happen when you grow them in the greenhouse because you can easily maintain the humidity and temperature inside the greenhouse by using humidifiers, heaters, and electric fans. You can start your growing season in April and extend it to October.
The cucumber plants that are grown in the greenhouse are protected from Harsh weather. You should not worry about frost or strong wind.

Best Cucumber Varieties For Growing In A Greenhouse

The color, size, and shape depend upon the variety you have chosen for growing in the greenhouse. You must select those varieties that are disease resistant and prolific.

Following are some varieties that are perfect for growing in a greenhouse. You can choose anyone according to your desire.

1- BURPLESS TASTY GREEN

You can harvest this variety within 60 days. The size of the non-bitter cucumber fruit of burpless tasty green is about 30 cm.

2- CARMEN

This variety produces long, slender, and straight cucumbers. You can choose Carmen because it can easily tolerate cold weather.

3- EMILIE

If you are looking for a variety of cucumbers that produce a higher yield of flavored fruit then you must select Emilie. The important thing about this variety is that it is disease resistant.

4- MINI MUNCH

The fruit of this variety is small but it produces heavy yields. If you are looking for a variety of superb crunchy flavours then you must choose this mini munch.

5- SOCRATES

Socrate has excellent flavor and produces prolific small fruits. The size of the fruit is 15 cm long with a bitter-free taste.

6- TELEGRAPH IMPROVED

If you don’t like small cucumbers then you must try this variety. It produces long and green cucumbers with a mild and crispy flavour.

7- LEMON CUCUMBER

The lemon cucumber is a very unusual variety. It produces round and yellow cucumbers. You can easily choose this variety for growing in the greenhouse. The fruit produced by lemon cucumbers is very exotic.

How To Prepare Seedlings For Growing Cucumber In Pots In A Greenhouse?

The best time for preparing the seedlings of cucumbers is from late February to March for a heated greenhouse. The heaters of the greenhouse will provide desired warmth to cucumber seeds. So you should not worry about the frost date and can grow them throughout the year. In case you are growing cucumbers in an unheated greenhouse then you should wait until April.
You need small pots or seedling trays for this purpose. Fill the pots with peat moss. You can also use little flower pots that are made from peat. These pots are very beneficial because you can transplant them without extracting your plant. So the roots of the cucumber young seedlings will not disturb them at the time of transplanting. Sow the seeds 1 to 2 cm deep in each individual small pot.
The ideal temperature for the germination of the seeds must be 21 degrees Centigrade.
Keeping the soil moist and humid is very essential for the germination process of seeds. It is better to cover the pots with plastic bags to keep the soil moist.
Soon you will see the young seedlings start emerging from the soil.
When seedlings are large enough then you can transplant them into their permanent pot.

Transplanting The Seedlings

When the seedlings are 3 inches tall then it is the right time to transplant them. They are strong enough so you can report them to your desired pots in the greenhouse.
The depth of the pot is very important. If your pot is 20 inches wide enough then you can easily grow 4 to 6 cucumber plants in it. If you are using a 5-gallon bucket or 10 inches wide container then 2 or 3 plants are enough for growing in them. Make sure the pot you are using must have drainage holes at the bottom. drainage holes remove excess water from the soil so your plant is protected from root rot and many fungal diseases.
Fill the pot with soil that is a mixture of compost, potting soil, peat moss, and perlite. When you add aged compost or rotted manure to the pots then your cucumber plants get a good start. You can also add a balanced fertilizer like 10-10-10. You should read all the instructions and tips for using fertilizer on the label of the packet. You should follow them.

TRAINING

Cucumber vines need proper support. You can install a trellis system to run the vines in the greenhouse. Make sure that the trellis you are using must be strong and stable so that it can lift the weight of the fruit easily.

Nowadays the most advanced greenhouse has a high-wire system that has string suspended from the trellis. Following are the benefits of training your cucumber plants.

When you train cucumber plants then you can save valuable space in the greenhouse. Now the small plants have enough space for growth.
When you train the vines of cucumber plants then they will get proper airflow. The leaves and fruit will get fresh air so they are less susceptible to fungus and different pests.
Harvesting becomes easier when you train cucumber vines on proper trellises; the fruit will not hide under the leaves and you can easily pick them without facing any difficulty.
Root rot and many diseases can affect the growth of cucumber vines when you train them then the diseases will spread slowly.
When you train your cucumber vines on a proper trellis then they look very beautiful and charming. This will create an eye-catching focal point in your greenhouse. Another benefit of training is that your fruit will remain clean and yellow spots will not ap

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Tips For Successful Cucumber Growing In A Greenhouse

Following are the tips that are very important when you are growing cucumbers in a greenhouse.

You should set up the greenhouse in such a way that it receives 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.
Some cucumber varieties produce male and female flowers on the same plant. You should remove male flowers so the fruit will not become bitter.
Your cucumber plants need a gallon of water weekly. You should water the cucumber plants on time so they produce healthy and flavourful fruit. Keep the soil moist but not soggy.
You can use insecticide to control pests and insects. These tiny monsters can destroy your crop.
Make sure you are using alkaline soil for growing cucumbers. It is better to use liquid fertilizer twice a month.

Common Problems With Greenhouse Cucumbers

Following are the common problems your cucumber plants face when you grow them in a Greenhouse.

POWDERY MILDEW

When you see white and powdery patches on your cucumber plant it means it is affected by powdery mildew. This disease is caused by underwatering.

You should maintain a frequency of water because a consistent water supply can avoid this problem. It is suggested that you must grow a resistant variety.

CUCUMBER MOSAIC VIRUS

The yellow mosaic pattern on the leaves shows that your plant is affected by the cucumber mosaic virus. You should immediately remove this affected part of the plant. This will stop the disease from spreading.

RED SPIDER MITE

When the leaves of the cucumber plant look rusty then you should remove them.

WHITEFLY

Whitefly is also another problem that affects the growth of your cucumber vines in a greenhouse. Pesticides are the right solution to this problem.

How To Harvest Cucumbers In Your Greenhouse?

You should harvest cucumbers regularly and never let their size grow big. Long cucumbers don’t have sweetness and flavor. The plant stops producing new fruit that is not good.
The young and tender cucumbers are suitable for picking if you wait too long then they will become very tough and full of seeds. I think you don’t like to eat such cucumbers.
For harvesting cucumbers in your greenhouse you need a sharp knife to cut the cucumbers from the wine and help your plant to grow more cucumbers for you.

How To Store Cucumbers From Your Greenhouse?

Sometimes it happens that you have more cucumbers than you need. In such cases, you can store the cucumbers to keep them fresh and crisp.

For storing cucumbers it is necessary to keep them in a cool, dark place. Make sure they will not be exposed to direct sunlight or heat. If you provide such an environment to them then they will stay fresh for a long time.
Another useful tip for storing cucumbers is never to wash them before storing them. You can wash them when you are going to eat them. Washed cucumbers easily spoil and you can’t keep them for a long time.
It is better to keep cucumbers in an airtight container. Keep a paper towel inside the container. It will absorb the excess moisture from the cucumbers and keep them dry. When you need cucumbers for making salad then rinse them with cold water.
Another way of storing cucumbers is by making pickles from them.