What are the varieties of cucumbers, full classification

Cucumbers are grown in vegetable gardens, in greenhouses, at home on windowsills. The correct choice of variety is a guarantee of a rich harvest. Competently alternating crops, you can get fresh cucumbers all year round, planting them in open and closed ground.

From the article you will learn on what grounds cucumbers are classified, which variety to choose for a greenhouse, balcony, vegetable garden, what types of pollination are and what to be guided by when choosing seeds.

Botanical description of the common cucumber

The tropical and subtropical forests of India are considered the birthplace of cucumber.

Cucumber (Cucumis) is an annual vegetable crop, belongs to the "pumpkin" family. It has a long, creeping stem up to 2 m. At the ends of the stem there are antennae, with which the plant is attached to the support. The leaves are five-lobed, heart-shaped.

Fruits are green in different shades depending on the variety. Sizes and shapes are also varied: smooth, pimpled, long, short. The fruit is polyspermous.

Classification of cucumber varieties

Often novice gardeners are lost in the variety of varieties and types of crops. Let's talk about them in detail.

By destination

Cucumbers are divided into three groups according to their purpose.

Universal

Versatile varieties are grown in the greenhouse and in the open field. They are used for salads or salted. The peel of the fruit is not dense - the salt easily penetrates into the depths. The average length is from 8 to 11 cm. The disadvantage is that when salted, the fruits are not crispy enough. The thorns are black.

Universal varieties and hybrids:

1. Nord Stream F1 - early maturing, gives a bountiful harvest, pollinates independently. Forms a bouquet-type ovary. It can grow in difficult climatic conditions. The fruits are bright green in color, covered with small tubercles. They grow up to 12 cm, have a mass of 50 g.
2. Diva - early maturing variety of female flowering type. The plant is vigorous, with large green leaves and highly developed lashes. Grown only in a greenhouse. The harvest gives 35 days after planting. Bunch-shaped ovaries, 3-4 pcs. The fruits are tapering at the top, up to 12 cm long, cylindrical in shape. Weight - 110 g. Cucumbers with white thorns, slightly bumpy. Gives a bountiful harvest (for 1 m² up to 28 kg). Suitable for canning and salads.

Salting

Salted varieties or hybrids are used for preservation, pickling, pickling. They have a thin skin and firm flesh. The fruits are lumpy, with black thorns, up to 8 cm in size.

Examples of hybrids:

1. Sigurd F1 - early ripening with high yields. Differs in resistance to temperature extremes, does not shed ovaries in the heat. The fruits grow up to 12 cm, covered with large bumps. The hybrid is resistant to disease. Fruit weight 70-90 g.
2. Magdalena F1 - parthenocarpic early hybrid. Used for growing on pickles and gherkins. Vigorous plant with unlimited stem growth. Lateral shoots grow moderately. The fruits are formed in one node (3 pcs.). Grows under the film and in the beds.

Salad

Smooth salad varieties of cucumbers are grown in greenhouses or under film. it early, productive varieties - White angel, Athlete, Makar, Orlik.

Fruits are elongated, up to 20 cm long, with a thick skin, covered with white thorns. Juicy, loose flesh does not have a bright pronounced taste.Not suitable for canning. Salads are prepared from them and consumed fresh.

By the height of the bush

The choice of a variety depends on the place where the crop is grown - whether it will be a spacious garden bed in the open field or cramped balcony conditions. Varieties vary in bush height.

Undersized

Low-growing - bush varieties. They can be easily identified by their names: Kid, Malyshok, Shorty, Kustovoy.

The length of the stem in the open field reaches 50 cm, in the greenhouse - up to 1 m. The plant of the determinant type has many ovaries. Small fruits are formed mainly on the main stem, lateral shoots are poorly developed. Fruiting takes place quickly, the entire crop ripens in 20 days. Fruit with black pubescence, sparsely tuberous, grows up to 7 cm.

Medium-sized

Medium-sized cucumbers are grown on the balcony, in the greenhouse, in the garden.

Vector is a mid-season variety with small lashes (up to 1.5 m). The fruits grow up to 12 cm and have white thorns. Pollinated by bees. East and West Siberia yields a yield of up to 2.3 kg / m². Suitable for conservation.

Tall

Tall varieties are grown in vegetable gardens, in greenhouses... They are fixed on the trellis. The length of the tops reaches 3 m.

HybridChinese farm F1 - tall (up to 3.5 m), medium early, formed into one stem. Needs tying on a trellis. The fruits grow up to 90 cm, cylindrical in shape. The skin is thin, the flesh is juicy, elastic. Can be grown in garden beds, in greenhouses and under plastic. Resistant to diseases and pests.

Determinant varieties of cucumbers

These include low-growing varieties with a stem length of up to 50 cm.The varieties are high-yielding, the fruits ripen at the same time - Vyazemsky 37, Hector f1. Grown in greenhouses, hotbeds, open ground. The main stem grows upward until a flower bud appears. Then lateral shoots grow, on which fruits are formed.

To increase the yield on the fifth leaf, pinch the top of the main stem. This stimulates the regrowth of lateral shoots. New shoots are pinched on the eighth leaf.

Important! The barren flowers on the main stem are removed.

Indeterminate varieties of cucumbers

These are hybrids intended for cultivation in greenhouses. The bush grows more than 2 m. In good lighting, the central stem is not pinched, ovaries form on it. Plants are tied to a trellis. Examples - Siberian garland f1, Emerald city f1, Courage f1.

Important! It is impossible to grow determinant and indeterminate varieties in the same greenhouse - this leads to fruit bitterness.

By the place of cultivation

In the open field, varieties are planted that are resistant to cold snap, heat, rainy weather, drought:

1. Serpentine - an early ripe variety. The first fruits appear in June. They are ovoid, elongated, light green in color, covered with tubercles with black down. Length up to 10 cm. Fruits weighing up to 95 g, gherkins, not bitter, ideal for conservation.
2. Kristina Is an early ripe popular high-yielding variety. Harvest - 10 kg / m². Can grow indoors and outdoors. The bushes are medium-branched, from each ovary - 2-3 fruits. The leaves are dark green. Fruit length 8-10 cm, weight - up to 90 g. Zelentsy cylindrical shape, without bitterness. The rind is covered with white thorns.
3. Monisia F1 - for open ground, bee-pollinated hybrid with female flowering type. Male inflorescences are rare. Productivity per one hundred square meters - up to 22 kg. The bush grows up to 2 m, the leaves are lumpy, rough, dark green. Fruits in the form of a cylinder, covered with white, subtle stripes and fluff. The fruit grows up to 8 cm, weighs 75 g. Universal hybrid.
4. Grandma's secret - hybrid of early ripening, fruiting at 45-50 days, parthenocarpic. The fruit is dark green, not bitter, covered with white fluff, has a cylindrical shape, large tubercles. Weight 80-90 g. Zelentsy are salted and consumed fresh.
5. Barvina - a hybrid of early ripening, medium-sized with weak branching. Grown in the open field and in the greenhouse. Does not require bee pollination.The growth of the central stem is not limited, it has a female flowering type (1-2 ovaries in the leaf sinus).

In greenhouses, cultivars of the parthenocarpic type (self-pollinated cucumbers capable of forming fruits without the participation of insects). The fruits of these varieties do not have seeds.

Examples of hybrids:

1. Katia f1 - parthenocarpic, grown in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova in the winter-spring period. Early maturing, smooth, medium-sized, elongated fruits. Grow up to 120 g.
2. Caroline f1 - suitable for greenhouses and under film shelters, parthenocarpic, universal. Begins to bear fruit on day 44. The inflorescences are female, the branches are few. Fruits are medium hilly, short, dark green in color, with white down. Small leaves. Fruit weight - 95 g. Harvest per 1 m² - up to 13 kg. The hybrid is resistant to disease.
3. Cucumber Madrilene f1 - grown indoors. In warm weather, according to reviews and descriptions of gardeners, Madrilene cucumber f1 is planted in the beds. The plant is tall (up to 3 m), tied to a trellis. The bush is formed with one stem, the side shoots are removed. An early ripening hybrid, gherkin. Fruits are large lumpy, dense, 9-12 cm long, weighing up to 100 g.
4. Excelsior f1 - for salad purposes, grown in greenhouses in winter. Fruits appear on day 50. The plant only throws out female flowers. Each node has up to three flowers. Large fruits (up to 120 g). The Excelsior f1 cucumber is distinguished by its high yield (from 1 m² to 13-14 kg) and resistance to diseases.
5. Zozulya F1 - a popular hybrid, mainly with female flowers, does not need pollination. Harvest - up to 8-16 kg per m². The culture is bred for growing on a windowsill or in a greenhouse. Early fruiting (45-50 days).

The insulated and glazed balconies facing south or southeast can be used as a small area for growing fresh vegetables.

Suitable hybrids: City gherkin, Balconny, Balagan, Berendey, Courage, Manul, Calendar, Hummingbird, Machaon. These are early ripening, gherkins, bundle hybrids. They have weak branching, short lateral shoots. In knots up to 6 ovaries. Zelentsy tuberous, oval, with light stripes, up to 10 cm long. Parthenocarpic hybrids of the female type, resistant to disease and lack of light and moisture. They have long, branching stems with short internodes.

In winter, cucumbers, specially bred for cultivation on the windowsill, are grown on the windows facing the south or east side. They use medium-branchy, self-pollinated hybrids with high yields.

For early sowing in February, choose varieties that bear fruit under conditions of short daylight hours: Forward, Faust.

In the second part of February, plants with a female type of flowering are planted: Relay, Olympics, Manul, Marathon. Pollinated by hand.

Early parthenocarpic hybrids are planted in early March: Arbat, Flagman, Galina, Elizaveta, Patti, Prima Donna, Athlete. The fruits can be preserved. The bushes have shoots of medium length.

By maturity

The choice of varieties according to ripening terms will help to get a harvest all year round.

According to the growing season, varieties are distinguished:

• early;
• medium early;
• late.

Early varieties begin to bear fruit at 32-40 days.

Early maturing varieties and hybrids:

1. Alekseich f1 - early ripening, with high yield. Plant parthenocarpic type. Zelentsy grow up to 7-8 cm, without bitterness. They have a cylindrical shape, with mild tubercles. Fruit weight 60-75 g. The scourge is medium-sized, lateral shoots grow weakly. The inflorescences are female, forming 2-3 fruits in one node. Grown in beds under a film, in greenhouses. The hybrid is resistant to diseases (powdery mildew, downy mildew). Suitable for pickling and salting in pickles and gherkins, for salads. Productivity up to 13-14 kg per m².
2. Arlecchino - an early ripe hybrid is grown in open areas and under a film. Stems are medium-sized (up to 1 m), fruits grow in bunches of 2-3 pcs.Self-pollinated, female flowering. Zelentsy with white thorns and smooth bumps grow up to 16 cm, have a mass of 100-130 g.
3. Funny boys - a hybrid of early ripening, gives a high yield. Grows in garden beds and greenhouses. Scourges grow up to 2.5 m. The plant is of medium branching, in the greenhouse you need to tie it up. The flowering type is female. The fruits are short, lumpy, with a white downy, cylindrical shape.

Mid-season varieties of cucumbers begin to bear fruit on the 50th day from seed germination.

These hybrids include:

1. Polan F1- the period of fruiting is extended until late autumn. Polan cucumbers f1 are even, bright green in color, up to 10 cm long. Bee-pollinated hybrid, grown under a film, in the beds. Used for conservation.
2. Excelsior F1 - a hybrid for growing in difficult weather conditions. It has a powerful root, two lateral shoots. Each node contains 1-2 fruits: dark green, 12 cm long, cylindrical, with large tubercles.
3. Tatiana F1 - mid-season hybrid for salads. The plant is indeterminate, has lashes of medium length with a female flowering type (up to 3 fruits per node). Fruits are green, with white fluff, cylindrical in shape, a short neck is visible at the base. The fruit is long-fruited up to 18 cm, weighs 130-140 g. It is resistant to powdery mildew.

Late varieties begin to bear fruit on the 50th day after germination. Examples: Phoenix, Athlete f1, Sunny, Crunch f1.

By type of pollination

Cucumbers that bear fruit without pollination are of the parthenocarpic type. The fruits are seedless.

Examples of hybrids: Dutch yellow cucumber, Alliance, Alena, Alice, Buyan, Babylon, Valentina, Vasilek, Willina, Media, F1 Nastenka, F1 Prometheus, F1 Talisman, F1 Tatiana.

How to choose the right variety of cucumbers

When choosing a variety of cucumbers, they are guided by the following criteria:

• landing site;
• ripening terms;
• type of crop use.

Basic rules for growing cucumbers

All cucumbers need care:

• plants are planted in fertilized and dug up soil - they use humus, compost, rotted manure;
• watering - do not allow the soil to dry out, watered in hot weather three times a week;
• loosen the ground in the aisles;
• mulch the soil in the rows and between them;
• fertilized every two weeks - at the beginning of the season, nitrogen fertilizers are applied, from the moment of fruiting - phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.

What varieties are the most useful fruits

All varieties of cucumbers are good for the nervous system and stomach. They are saturated with vitamins, strengthen the immune system, slow down the aging of the body.

It is believed that the fruits of varieties grown in the open field are more useful than greenhouse ones, as they contain less nitrates.

Storage conditions for each variety of cucumbers

Not all varieties are stored in the same way. Salted and universal have a longer shelf life. They can last up to two weeks in a cellar or refrigerator.

Salad cucumbers are stored in cool conditions for 5-7 days.

conclusions

The variety of cucumbers for planting is chosen depending on the goals and growing conditions. Self-pollinated varieties are taken for greenhouses, bee-pollinated for vegetable gardens. Fruits with black thorns are preserved.

In winter, early ripening hybrids are used to grow crops on windowsills and loggias. To ensure continuous fruiting, cucumbers are planted at different ripening periods.