Mariya Suvorova wrote:
Nadya, after grafting I gradually pot them up into larger containers—1, 2, then 3-liter (1 to 3-quart) pots, then transplant them into a 5-gallon bucket. The buckets go into the greenhouse, and later when it gets really warm, I move them outside under the apple tree. In early March, I sow 2-3 zucchini seeds, and later they grow in feed bags filled with chicken litter right in the corners of the greenhouse. They produce super early zucchini, just a bit later than the cucumbers. Last year my neighbors came over for a “tour” in May and were amazed at how early my cukes and zucchini were growing. When I offered to teach them how to get an early harvest, they just said, “Nah, it’s too early, don’t want to mess with all that hassle.”
Masha, I do want to mess with all that hassle! ))) So I’m gonna bug you with some questions…
What grafting method did you use?
You mentioned you’ve already started sprouting (“swaddling”) the cucumbers—is this just a test run, or is this actually for your early harvest? If it’s a test, when do you usually start the real ones?
The window in the boiler room—is it just regular room temperature in there? And which direction does the window face?
Are the zucchini grown without grafting? But won’t they get huge in a month? Early April isn’t always warm in the greenhouse. Or is your greenhouse heated?
Julia62 wrote:
Masha, I do want to mess with all that hassle! ))) So I’m gonna bug you with some questions… [snip]
Yulia, always happy to help with advice!
1. I only use the tongue approach graft. I tried the hole insertion graft (or whatever it’s called), but for me, the tongue approach gives nearly 100% survival rate for watermelons, melons, and cucumbers.
2. The cucumber seeds I have sprouting in paper towels right now are actually for the early harvest, not a test. I started them at this exact time in previous years and everything was fine, they didn’t get leggy or overgrown. For me, the timing is just right.
3. It’s warm in our boiler room, just like in the house. My daughter and her husband live on the first floor and they actually sacrificed their houseplants, moving them off the windowsill to make room for my cukes! ) That window faces south. My other windows are completely occupied with other seedlings—I have soooo many. This year it’s an absolute madhouse, every inch is taken up by tissue culture plants—raspberries, blackberries, honeyberries, little roses, strawberries… you name it.
I do have a backup plan: if I need to slow down the growth of the grafted cukes, I can move them to a window in the garage. It’s cooler out there—around 15-16°C (60°F) in the winter.
4. The zucchini are not grafted, correct. The greenhouse is unheated, just a standard one. I sow them in March, keep them indoors for about a month, and then when they have 2, 3, or 4 true leaves, I transplant them into woven poly sugar bags. I fill the bags about 3/4 full with chicken litter (we accumulate a lot of these bags over the winter), and top it with about 20 cm (8 inches) of regular potting soil. Here’s the trick: if you pour boiling water into the bag (takes about a bucket’s worth), the chicken litter “fires up” and starts hot composting. A day later, you can plant the zucchini in it. It keeps them warm from the bottom up, even if temps drop slightly below freezing—mine survived down to -5°C (23°F). Since they are planted deep in the bag, I just pull the sides of the bag up at night so it surrounds the plant, and throw a row cover and some plastic over the whole setup. It basically makes a cozy little zucchini house! )
Mariya Suvorova wrote:
…when they grow to about 3-4 leaves, I sow the ficifolia (fig-leaf gourd). About 10 days later I graft the cucumbers onto it. As they grow, I pot them up… eventually planting 2 cucumber plants per bucket…
Masha, do you graft the cucumbers specifically to prevent root rot? Or do they just grow better on a rootstock? I tried growing 1 cucumber plant per 5-gallon bucket before, and they really struggled. Just trying to figure out why.
Ezhevichka wrote:
Masha, do you graft the cucumbers specifically to prevent root rot? Or do they just grow better on a rootstock?
Natasha, they absolutely take off like crazy on ficifolia rootstock. No root rot, no other diseases, and the plants are so vigorous, it’s a joy to watch! And they stay productive right up until autumn. I do lay the stem down and cover it with compost eventually so it grows adventitious roots, but those original squash roots clearly do the heavy lifting. Last year, the only thing that finally killed the grafted cukes was a hard freeze down to -6°C (21°F)—by that time the buckets were already sitting outside under the apple tree.
Lyuda, I’m so sorry, I totally hijacked your grow journal thread with my chatting! 😁😳
Masha, is it difficult to graft cucumbers? I need to check if Olya has any ficifolia seeds left. Thank you so much for the help, I just couldn’t make up my mind whether to try it or not.
Mariya Suvorova wrote:
Natasha, they absolutely take off like crazy on ficifolia rootstock…
Thank you! My cucumbers in buckets never grew well either, I’ll definitely have to try grafting them.
Ezhevichka wrote:
…is it difficult to graft cucumbers?
Not really, Natasha. It’s not hard, you just need to get the hang of it. Sure, sometimes you might accidentally butcher a cucumber scion or a ficifolia rootstock ))) It’s best to sow extras just in case. You can also practice your cuts on cheap pumpkin seeds first.
ya.lyudmila wrote:
@Ogorod Larionovyh My peppers never do well in open ground. My only hope is the greenhouse. We’ll see how it goes.
It’s the exact opposite for me! I get the best and most abundant peppers outdoors in open ground. I’ve tried growing a few plants in the greenhouse multiple times, and they just grow into massive bushes with only 3-4 peppers per plant. But this year I’m planning to grow all my peppers in the greenhouse anyway (I’m so sick of messing around with row covers outside), plus we just put up a second greenhouse. So right now I’m actively looking for greenhouse pepper growing tips.
Elena 33 wrote:
…So right now I’m actively looking for greenhouse pepper growing tips.
I’m currently reading through Lyudmila’s (@Aleksan9ra) grow journal from last year. Every single page is packed with valuable info, it’s impossible to just skim through it quickly.
Elena, please share if you find some good tips! We also bought a second greenhouse to make the physical work a bit easier and get more stable harvests.
