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To ensure a good harvest, it is important to take care of purchasing quality seeds well in advance. But most people are often at a loss as to which seeds are best for their conditions, which is the first thing to pay attention to. After all, having made the wrong choice of seeds, you can make a lot of effort and not get the desired result, but the whole point will be that this variety simply did not suit you in the climatic zone, or you planted it at a time unusual for this variety of cucumbers. The main mistake of non-professional gardeners, no matter how trite it may sound, is to choose seeds according to the picture on the package, although the most important things are usually written on it, only on the reverse side.
Choosing seeds for seedlings
It is best to choose the winter season in order to systematically acquire seeds of varieties or hybrids for spring seedlings.
So, if you are interested in early ripening cucumbers, then you should know that they are also divided into two groups, according to the ripening speed.
- Early;
- Ultra early (super early).
In turn, both of these groups include hybrid, parthenocarpic, self-pollinated, and insect-pollinated varieties. But on which of these species it is worth stopping your attention, this is already a topic for their detailed analysis.
So which is better hybrid or variety
A variety is a group of plants formed by crossing one type of cucumber. Its peculiarity is the initial support for the growth of male plants, which should subsequently pollinate the female ones. But since the male color takes up a lot of energy, there is no need to expect an early result from these plants. Although there is a way to accelerate the ripening process, by manually removing male flowers, and when the plant reaches a height of more than 70 cm, the main stem should be pinned, after which it will give out lateral shoots on which the flowers will turn out to be female.
A hybrid is an artificially bred group of plants that has mainly female flowering, although professionals on such bushes also initially remove flowers that form on the stem below 70 cm in order to enhance the growth of shoots and foliage. The only drawback of hybrid cucumbers over varietal and self-pollinated ones is in the absence of their seed material obtained from overripe fruits.
Self-pollinated cucumber varieties - such plants have both male and female flowering signs (stamens and pistil) in their flowers. The advantage of this species is that it is possible to collect seeds from the fruits, for planting next year and do not need to manually pollinate them.
Varieties of early and ultra-early cucumbers
Self-pollinated variety Kid
You can start harvesting from this variety after 30 - 38 days from the moment the first shoots appear. These self-pollinated, early ripening cucumbers are suitable both for salads and for pickling for the winter. Other positive and negative factors include:
- Lack of bitterness in the fruit;
- The seeds of these cucumbers are only suitable for open ground;
- The fruits do not turn yellow, even if they are not plucked for a long time;
- It can be kept in good enough condition for 10 days.
Altai early
You will receive the first fruits from this self-pollinated variety about 38 days after planting the seeds. Zelenets medium in size with small but hardy wattle, the fruit itself has an ellipsoidal shape and does not exceed 10-15 cm in length.The palatability of this variety is average, and the fruits obtained from it are suitable mainly for consumption raw.
Elegant
The seeds of this variety are put up for sale as early ripening, and they justify this purpose, but only on open ground. In this case, the first crop is obtained about 40 days after planting the seeds. They reach a maximum length of 13 cm, but for pickling it is better to use fruits up to 9 cm long, and large cucumbers can be eaten raw. The seeds give the best results outdoors, but even in greenhouses the yield drops slightly.
Zozulya
The seeds of this self-pollinated variety will perfectly take root on any soil, even if you plant them in an apartment on a windowsill, you will not reduce the amount of harvest. After planting the seeds, the first greens will begin to be tied at 45 - 48 days. Distinctive features in this variety will be:
- Fruit sweetness;
- The shape is cylindrical with small tubercles;
- Significant disease resistance;
- Universal use in food;
- The ability to plant seeds in a different type of soil.
Voyage F1
Refers to the parthenocaripal species. After you have planted the seeds, the first ovaries will appear after 35 days. Like almost all early ripening self-pollinated cucumber varieties, Voyage is not suitable for pickling, because the peel of early ripening varieties is thin and strongly absorbs moisture.
This is due to the fact that the feeding of the fruit comes directly from the root system, and it, in turn, stops developing after the appearance of the first ovaries. There is a direct pattern on the face, the rapid appearance of zelents does not allow the formation of a powerful root, and its vitality is enough only for a short period of fruiting.
April F1
Belongs to the early ripening family and after you plant the seeds, you can prepare for harvesting about 45 - 52 days. Self-pollinated varieties such as the April one usually have male and female traits in bloom. Zelenets is decorated with large white thorns, reaches a length of up to 20 cm. It is quite resistant to some of the most common diseases (powdery mildew and root rot).
Nightingale F1
Having planted the seeds, the first harvest can be expected from this variety as early as 50 days, it is mainly cultivated in open fields. The fruit has a rich green color, with an average weight of 70 - 90 grams, and a length of up to 10 cm. Many summer residents successfully grow it in greenhouses, its medium-sized bushes are resistant to many diseases.
Spring F1
This bee-pollinated hybrid begins to bear fruit on the 55th day after you plant the seeds. Although the variety is pollinated by bees, it has a mostly female flowering. Well suited for growing in greenhouses, but on open ground it bears fruit no worse. Zelents of this variety reach a mass of 100-120 grams. and lengths 8 - 10 cm, have a lumpy shape. Diseases such as bacteriosis, downy mildew, anthracosis and spotting are not terrible for this variety. With proper care, you can get up to 8 kg of cucumbers from one bush.
Salting F1
Breeders managed to bring out the most successful early ripening varieties for pickling - this is one of them. The harvesting period begins after 50 to 55 days from the time you planted the seeds. This variety is mainly cultivated outdoors. The bush itself has average growth parameters in height and width, and the fruits from it are 10 - 12 cm in length, and weighing up to 125 grams.
Spring F1
The first shoots appear after a week from the moment the seed is planted, after another 43 - 48 days, the first fruits can be expected to appear. The variety itself is intended for open and closed ground. it self-pollinated cucumbers with female flowers, with a fairly medium shoot. The zelents themselves have black thorns on their surface. These gherkins are almost the shortest, only 9-10 cm long, and weighing 80-100 grams. This hybrid is extremely resistant to all types of powdery mildew and root rot.
Gerda F1
This variety begins to bear fruit about 50 - 55 days from the moment the seeds were planted in the ground. It is classified as self-pollinated, but the color is predominantly female. It is used for growing in greenhouses and outdoors. Zelentsy have a rich bright green color, with longitudinal white stripes, with a narrowing at the base. They were genetically devoid of bitterness. They have a relatively short fruit length of up to 10 cm, and a weight of up to 100 grams. The variety is quite resistant to diseases.
Claudia F1
Self-pollinated flowers appear on it by 43 - 45 days after planting the seeds. The variety is intended for hotbeds, greenhouses and open ground, does not take root on the windowsill. The fruits are dark green with light stripes. Zelenets is usually about 8 - 9 cm long, the bush itself has a complex resistance to common diseases.
Cupid F1
One of the earliest ripening varieties. The period before the first ovaries appear on the bush is approximately 42 - 45 days, provided that the seeds are planted in May. If you comply with all the requirements, then by the end of June it will delight you with ripe greens 8-10 cm long, round in shape. The hybrid itself is parthenocarpic, and its seeds germinate successfully at an average temperature of +10 degrees.
Conclusion
Of course, these are not all early ripening cucumbers that are worthy of attention. Breeders in agricultural farms annually bring out a lot of new hybrids and self-pollinated varieties, so many have already chosen leaders for themselves who will perfectly take root in a particular climatic zone. We only hope that this list will be interesting not only for novice summer residents, but also for experienced gardeners who have decided to expand their knowledge.
