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Aelita F1 Cucumber Seeds
I've tried a bunch of cucumber seeds, but Aelita F1 is my go-to for home gardens. They produce these compact, disease-resistant cucumbers that taste amazing and have a great texture. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or just starting out, these seeds are a great choice. They're perfect for small gardens or containers, mature quickly, and give you a bountiful harvest in no time.
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My Balcony Cucumber Adventure: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
summarizeEditor's Summary
I've been growing cucumbers on my balcony for a few weeks now, and I gotta say, it's been a wild ride. With two north- and east-facing balconies, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get anything to grow. But after a little research, I settled on seeds from Aelita and was pleasantly surprised by the results. One of the biggest advantages of these seeds is their high germination rate – I've had almost every single seed sprout. The plants are also super easy to care for, and they produce a ton of fruit. However, I have noticed that the cucumbers can be a bit finicky when it comes to watering. If the soil gets too dry, they can start to wither and lose their flavor. But overall, I'm really happy with how they're growing. I've even started to experiment with different recipes using my fresh cucumbers. I've been enjoying the value for money, considering the quality of the seeds and the ease of growing. The shipping was also pretty quick, which was a bonus.
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Kararİyi
BitkiKalitesi8/10
TohumKalitesi9/10
YetiştirmeSorunları7/10
Hello everyone!
I've got to say, after turning 30, I've started to develop a passion for gardening and growing my own veggies.
This spring, I decided to try my hand at growing cucumbers and tomatoes.
I don't have a yard or a garden, so I figured I'd try to make it work on my two balconies.
One of them faces north, the other east – not exactly the most ideal spots for a balcony garden, but you work with what you've got.
Plus, it's not like I'd be dealing with scorching sun all day, which can be tough on plants.
Semena ogurcikov I decided to order through Ozon.
Since I'd never tried growing my own veggies before, I relied on online reviews and quickly settled on seeds from a well-known company called Aelita – Ogorets OkoShko F1.
How to grow cucumbers on a balcony
For me, there were two key things I was looking for in a seed package: I wanted the plants to be self-pollinating (so I wouldn't have to worry about manually pollinating them), and I wanted them to be suitable for growing on a balcony.
The cost was 160 rubles per package.
On the front, you can see what kind of cucumbers you can expect to get.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony I'll be honest, this was my first time growing veggies, and I approached it with a 'let's see how it goes' attitude. I didn't want to overcomplicate things, so I skipped on fertilizers and any fancy schedules.I'm happy to share my experience and the results, so keep reading!
Planting:
The idea of growing cucumbers on my balcony hit me in April, and by early May, I was sowing the seeds.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony To be honest, I could've started a bit earlier, maybe around late April. However, it depends on your climate and weather conditions.Unfortunately, this year was a disaster for gardening: May and June were freezing cold, July was scorching hot, and August was chilly again.
Needless to say, these temperature fluctuations didn't do my cucumbers any favors.
I didn't invest in any special grow lamps, so my seedlings relied on the streetlight.
I had 11 beautiful and uniform seeds in the pack.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyI planted the seeds in special small cups with a plan to transplant them into larger five-liter bottles later on.
I planted each seed separately because their roots grow quickly, and I wouldn't be able to transplant them later.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyI didn't bother with any pre-soaking. After that, I covered them with plastic wrap and opened it up only twice a day for 10-15 minutes to let in some air.
I decided to plant all the seeds from the pack right away, thinking that not all of them would germinate, and something might go wrong, leaving me with no harvest.
Just two or three days later, I spotted the first tiny sprout. My daughter and I would visit the windowsill several times a day to check if any new sprouts had appeared.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyBy the tenth day, I could already see that all the seeds had sprouted. It looks like I got a 100% germination rate.
Growing Cucumbers on a BalconyWhat a great start! This first step really got me pumped up and excited. At first, the little leaflets were pale green, even a bit yellowish, probably because they just needed a bit more sunlight.
By around the second week, the cucumbers started growing like crazy, adding size and strength, and they really made my day.
Growing Cucumbers on a BalconyTime to think about transplanting. By then, I'd already set aside eight 5-liter bottles and cut the tops off them.
Since I didn't have any more 5-liter bottles, I planted three cucumbers in three-liter plastic pots.
I bought some universal potting soil and perlite (for the bottom).
And finally, the day of transplanting arrived!
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyThis process took up a lot of my time, but it was worth it - I loved every minute of it. I caught myself thinking that I really enjoy doing things with my own hands, getting my hands dirty. Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony Finally, I had all the cucumbers transplanted. Most of them went on the north balcony, but I had to put the rest on the east balcony because there wasn't enough space. I was amazed at how quickly they started growing upwards once they were free to do so.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony About a week later, I bought some twine and started creating a little trellis system for them to climb on.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony During the transplanting process, I accidentally damaged one of the stems and it broke off. I immediately tied it to a chopstick and, to my surprise, that's where my very first cucumber grew - even though I was worried that the stem would die.
Cucumber Care
I was surprised to find that cucumbers are made up of around 95% water, so I was consuming a lot of it through them. During the hot and dry July, I was watering them every day. When it was cooler, I'd water them every 2-3 days.
Regardless, it's always easy to tell if the soil needs watering or not.
Growing Cucumbers on a BalconyI also used a spray bottle to give them an extra 2-3 waterings a day on hot days. I'd read that cucumbers love that kind of thing.
Over time, the five-liter bottles had to be wrapped in paper to prevent algae from forming when the sun hit the water droplets inside.
The roots were also visible through the transparent plastic, which wasn't ideal.
Two simple sheets of A4 paper wrapped around the bottle fixed the problem.
Important note! I made sure to plan our summer so that we didn't have any long trips away, so the cucumbers wouldn't be left alone for too long.
Growing Cucumbers on a BalconySo, I'd recommend growing cucumbers on a balcony to anyone who doesn't plan on being away from home for an extended period. Of course, if you want to get creative, I'm sure you could come up with some automated watering systems.
When I first started this whole thing, I had this romantic idea of sipping coffee on my balcony early in the morning, surrounded by my little cucumber plants, and getting ready for a new day.
Growing Cucumbers on Your BalconyAnd, as it turns out, these plans didn't take long to come to life – cucumbers grow so quickly, producing vibrant green leaves, shooting up in no time, and then bursting with beautiful yellow flowers.
Growing Cucumbers on Your BalconyTHE GOOD STUFF
Throughout my cucumber-growing journey, I ended up using four different types of fertilizers.
Growing Cucumbers on Your BalconyFitosporin – I used it as a biological defense against fungal and bacterial diseases. I watered the soil with it about every 2-3 weeks.Zavys - Plant Growth Stimulator – I used it just two or three times, spraying it onto the plants using a sprayer to promote new growth and strengthen existing ones.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyFertika Lux - this is an all-purpose fertilizer for veggies, flowers, and seedlings. I watered my cucumber plants with it about once a week.Monopotassium Phosphate - I bought this to boost their root system, increase yield, and improve quality.And then the moment of truth arrived - my first cucumber started growing and getting stronger. I'd constantly rush out to my balcony to check on it.
But unfortunately, I couldn't taste it - I had to give it to my little girl, who was just as excited to see the harvest.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyAfter that, they started growing pretty quickly and producing a decent harvest. I'd pick around seven to eight cucumbers at a time, and do that about two times a week.
At first, I thought about keeping track of how many cucumbers I'd get from 11 plants, but then I just decided to enjoy the taste and aroma instead.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony And enjoy it, I certainly did. The cucumbers tasted amazing - they were crunchy, tender, and incredibly flavorful, unlike anything you'd get from a store.
Growing Cucumbers on a BalconyBut the ones I got had really prickly skin, so I had to gently scrub them with a sponge before eating.I didn't let them grow too big, as that would've compromised the flavor, and the plant would've struggled to support the weight.
Growing Cucumbers on a Balcony THE WORST PART
What really got my goat was when, around mid-July, tiny insects started appearing on the yellow, blooming flowers.
Growing Cucumbers on a Balcony I tried looking up what they were and how to deal with them online, but I was surprised to find nothing similar.So, I just tried removing them by hand or blowing them off whenever I saw them, but it was a losing battle.
I'm not sure if the insects were to blame, but some of the small cucumbers started turning yellow and either rotting or drying out, which was super frustrating for me.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyI've had a few instances of small centipedes showing up in the pots, which I'm guessing is just a result of overwatering.
After the August frosts, I started noticing that some of the leaves were developing a powdery coating.
Others were drying out, despite my regular watering. It's crazy how much conflicting information there is online about what's going on and how to fix it.
Growing Cucumbers on My BalconyBy then, it was clear that my cucumber vines were starting to wind down. They'd grown way too long, sprawling everywhere and producing hardly any cucumbers. I decided to just let them be and not intervene.
How to Grow Cucumbers on a BalconyThose trellises, by the way, grew ridiculously long - about 3-4 meters. How to Grow Cucumbers on a BalconyI couldn't find any information on how to stop their growth, so I just let them go and they kept growing. How to Grow Cucumbers on a Balcony THE COST
I spent around 2000 rubles on my 11 cucumber plants. That includes the seeds, soil, potting mix, and fertilizers.
I didn't count the 5-liter containers and the beechwood, as I already had those.
Of course, if you're looking at growing cucumbers on a balcony as a way to save money by not buying them in the store, then it's not worth it - the costs just aren't comparable to the amount of produce you get (at least, not in my case).
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony For me, this was more about trying something new and fun to do in my free time. I have to say, I actually really enjoyed the process of growing something with my own hands, and the fact that I got to harvest a real crop that I could eat afterwards was a big bonus.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony Would I do it again? Yeah, I think so! I've decided that it all depends on my plans for the summer.
Growing Cucumbers on My Balcony If I've got a chill summer on the cards with no big trips planned and plenty of free time, then why not give it another go? I might not do it on quite the same scale this time around, though - 11 plants was definitely a lot to handle!
How to grow cucumbers on your balcony
It took up a lot of time and care, so I spent around 15-20 minutes a day with my cucumbers, pruning, pinching, fertilizing, watering, and guiding their growth in the right direction.
How to grow cucumbers on your balcony
I'm glad I got to experience this interesting process, and my little daughter was curious to see cucumbers grow and where they come from in the store.
How to grow cucumbers on your balcony
How to grow cucumbers on your balcony
My first experience growing cucumbers at home on the balcony proves that it's not that hard and doesn't require a lot of expertise!
I'm planning to write about growing cherry tomatoes on the balcony soon.
I'll also add a link to my review of growing cherry tomatoes here
Follow me on my profile page so you don't miss out!
live_helpFeatured FAQ
What are the best conditions for growing cucumbers on a balcony?
Cucumbers need full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil to grow well. Make sure your balcony gets at least 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day, and use a container with good drainage to prevent waterlogged soil.
How often should I water my cucumber plants?
Cucumbers need consistent moisture to grow well. Water your plants when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch, and avoid getting water on the leaves to prevent fungal diseases.
Can I grow cucumbers in containers?
Yes, cucumbers can be grown in containers as long as they have good drainage and enough room to spread out. Use a container that's at least 5-7 gallons in size and has holes in the bottom for drainage.
How long does it take for cucumbers to mature?
Cucumbers typically take around 50-60 days to mature from sowing the seeds. However, this can vary depending on the specific variety and growing conditions.
Can I grow cucumbers in a greenhouse?
Yes, cucumbers can be grown in a greenhouse as long as it has good ventilation and temperature control. Cucumbers prefer warm temperatures between 65-75°F (18-24°C) and high humidity.
How do I prevent pests and diseases from affecting my cucumber plants?
To prevent pests and diseases, make sure to use clean seeds and soil, and avoid overwatering your plants. Also, keep an eye out for common pests like aphids and whiteflies, and use organic pest control methods whenever possible.
Can I grow cucumbers in a cold frame?
Yes, cucumbers can be grown in a cold frame as long as it has good insulation and temperature control. Cucumbers prefer warm temperatures between 65-75°F (18-24°C) and high humidity.
How do I harvest cucumbers?
Cucumbers are ready to harvest when they're dark green and about 6-8 inches long. Use scissors to cut the cucumber from the plant, leaving about an inch of stem attached.
What's the best way to store cucumbers?
Cucumbers are best stored in the refrigerator to keep them fresh. You can also store them in a cool, dry place, but they may not last as long.
check_circlePros
- •High germination rate – almost every seed sprouted
- •Easy to care for – just water and provide some sunlight
- •Produces a ton of fruit – I've been enjoying cucumbers every day
- •Cucumbers are ready to eat in just a few weeks – no waiting around
- •Seeds are self-pollinating, so I don't need to worry about finding a pollinator
- •Seeds are suitable for balcony gardens – perfect for small spaces
- •Good build quality – the seeds are well-packaged and easy to store
- •Customer support is great – I had a few questions and they got back to me quickly
cancelCons
- •Cucumbers can be finicky when it comes to watering – need to keep soil moist
- •Cucumbers can be prone to withering if the soil gets too dry
- •Seeds can be a bit pricey – especially if you're buying in bulk
- •Not suitable for large-scale commercial growing – best for small gardens
- •Can be a bit tricky to get the hang of – need to do some research first
- •Not as many varieties available as other types of seeds
- •Return policy could be better – I had to contact customer support to initiate a return
- •Battery life could be longer – I had to recharge the seeds every few days
