Balcony Cucumber Growing: Pot Tips & Hand-Pollination Trick (Video)

Transcript

Can you grow crisp cucumbers on a balcony in just a pot?

Can you grow crisp cucumbers on a balcony in just a pot?

Growing Cucumber on a Balcony

In this quick guide you'll learn how to grow crisp cucumbers in a pot on your balcony, and stay for the hand-pollination trick that makes a big difference.

Pot and Soil Basics

Choose a pot of at least twenty litres, about fourteen to sixteen inches across, and fill it with a loose mix of garden soil, compost and cocopeat that holds moisture yet drains well.

Sunlight Needed

Cucumbers need at least six hours of direct sun each day, though a light shade in the late afternoon during May and June helps keep them from scorching.

Sowing Seeds

First soak your seeds in water for six to eight hours, discard any that float, then plant three seeds about an inch deep in the centre of the pot, spacing them a few inches apart.

Watering & Feeding

When the heat arrives, water the vine every morning and again at sunset, testing moisture by pushing a finger two inches into the soil; add a handful of compost every two to three weeks once flowers appear.

Hand Pollination

Before ten a.m., pick a fresh male flower, peel back its petals and dab the yellow powder onto the sticky centre of each open female flower; one male can fertilise two or three females.

Harvest Size

Harvest cucumbers when they’re five to seven inches long, firm and evenly green, before the skin turns yellow; this gives the best texture and flavor.

Common Issues

If fruit turns bitter, peel the stem end; for powdery mildew, remove affected leaves and improve airflow; to keep fruit flies, bag young cucumbers in cloth or paper.

The one trick to boost yield

The biggest boost comes from hand-pollinating each morning, a few seconds per flower can turn a thin vine into a heavy producer.

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Read the full guide

Read the complete guide on thecareonline.com. This is general information, not medical advice.