How nice in the winter to open banks with crispy pickled cucumbers!
There is never a lot of cucumbers - this is the most popular vegetable for pickling. And in the summer, no salad, no kebabs, or potatoes can do without it.
It is possible to double the harvest and receive it until September is possible if grow cucumbers under film or in a greenhouse.
Benefits of protected ground
In the harsh climate of most parts of our country, it is difficult to get a full and bountiful harvest. Therefore, the greenhouse on the plot - a necessary attribute. Under the film cucumbers grow faster, they are protected from the weather and temperature extremes. In a properly constructed greenhouse, the risk of disease and pest damage is reduced. Only in a greenhouse or greenhouse can you get an early crop of cucumbers and collect it until the fall.
Greenhouse or greenhouse?
Most often for growing cucumbers greenhouse is used for personal consumption. This is a summer temporary collapsible structure, which is installed in early spring and disassembled in the autumn after harvesting.
The greenhouse is convenient because the film coating is easily removed if necessary and the cucumber bed is ventilated, and the plants bask in the sun. Greenhouse under the film coating, as a rule, is made low.
A greenhouse is a more capital structure, It is built with a height not lower than human growth, so that it would be convenient to enter and process the beds. Coverage of such a greenhouse can be film - it is also a summer option. In the greenhouse it is convenient to work the beds, tie up too long lashes and harvest.
Building a greenhouse requires more labor and financial costs, so many prefer to do with greenhouses. The exception is made by those gardeners who are engaged in winter cultivation of cucumbers or do business on it.
Materials for summer greenhouses for cucumbers
Summer greenhouses are installed on the beds and do not require a solid foundation. For the manufacture of the base of the ridge under the greenhouse, wood is used, waterproofing is made from roofing felt, and the base of the ridge is poured with rubble and sand.
Coating
Film is best for coating. The choice of its types is extensive, but many of them are just a marketing ploy of manufacturers. What films should pay attention to:
- reinforced film. They promise a service life of up to 3 years;
- polyvinyl chloride - has good light transmission and protects from ultraviolet radiation, the service life is 3-7 years;
- perennial films - polyethylene with improving additives, for example, hydrophilic (it does not form condensate inside the greenhouse), light-transforming (with UV protection), etc.
Frame
For a greenhouse that most often has an arched shape, the ideal frame would be arches of metal or plastic. They are durable and comfortable.
A photo
Visually see how the greenhouse looks for cucumbers in the photo below:
Preparation for construction
Before the construction of the greenhouse, choose a place. It should be sunny, not very windy, not swampy. A greenhouse should be a convenient approach, so it is better to build it a little away from the main beds. Free space around it is necessary for minor repairs and for assembling the structure. Greenhouse orientation should be from east to west. The surface of the site should be flat.
Drawing and calculations
The size of the greenhouse is calculated based on the number of beds on it. If it is convenient to approach it on both sides, you can make 2 ridges of 60 cm each. The length depends on how many cucumbers you want to grow. The height of the film greenhouse is usually not more than 1 m. To avoid difficulties and inaccuracies during construction, make a drawing with an indication of dimensions.
For the construction of the greenhouse will need more material, as it will be higher - up to 2.5 meters. The foundation for it should also be more solid for greater stability of the structure.
Foundation
Wood is often used as a foundation for a greenhouse - tarred boards are laid in a prepared trench around the perimeter, placing them on the edge and holding them together with corners. He will stay no more than 3-5 years. The best option for a removable design would be pipes dug into the ground. To them it is possible to mount and the arc under the coating. Often, greenhouses are installed without foundation at all.
During the construction of a large greenhouse, foam concrete blocks or slag blocks are laid out as a foundation in a trench around the perimeter. Anchor bolts fasten the top bar to which the frame is attached.
For more information about the construction of a small greenhouse for cucumbers, can be on the video below:
Growing cucumbers in the greenhouse in winter
The optimal size for her:
- width - 2.5 m
- height - 2.3 m
- length - 4.5 m
With such dimensions you will need about 55 square meters on the roof and side walls. m of film, on the facades - 10.5 square meters. The number of arcs is 6 pcs., the length of each of them is 9.95 m. The bars from the metal profile are calculated along the length of the greenhouse — there must be at least 5 and the number needed for the entrance door and the air vents for ventilation from the opposite side .
Operating procedure:
- a trench is dug to a depth of 40 cm and covered with rubble and sand;
- At the bottom of the beds you can put biofuelwhich will constantly warm up the bed, which is very important for heat-loving cucumbers;
- foam blocks are laid under the foundation, the bar is fixed on top of 100 x 100 mm;
- every 75 cm on the beam are fixed arc;
- cross bars are fixed on arcs so that cells of 75 x 75 cm are formed (bars can be made of a narrow metal profile);
- The arcs are covered with a film, which is fixed below the perimeter of the greenhouse with a strip.
- The facades are closed separately, and the door and window leaf are mounted.
If used to cover the greenhouse reinforced film, it is not necessary to disassemble in the fall. Such a film can withstand the severity of snow and can serve for several years.
Choose the most convenient greenhouse, build and enjoy a rich harvest of tasty cucumbers.
