Hello dear friends!

In everyday life, many gardeners call tiny cucumbers that have not reached 5 centimeters in length, pickles. Connoisseurs of English language could fix them.

Literally, pickled means pickled. That is, pickles are not only tiny pickled cucumbers, but generally canned vegetables in a special way. They were cooked in combination with fruit, cut into equal small pieces.

Pikuli were intended as a side dish for meat dishes or as an appetizer. As a rule, real pickles were bought in England and Germany. Pickled vegetables were very popular among Russians in a special way, but we began to call pickles tiny, from 3 to 5 centimeters, cucumbers, thus distinguishing them from gherkins, the size of which reaches 5 - 7 centimeters.

V last years we have the opportunity to appreciate all the charm of canned pickles, since many hybrids have appeared on the seed market, the greens of which are limited to 3 - 5 cm. Mini gherkins are intended especially for gourmets, lovers of exquisite pickled delicacies.

You can grow gherkins or pickles from any pickling or universal variety, if you collect greens in time, preventing them from overgrowing.

However, preference should be given to specially created hybrids and varieties of gherkins and pickles.

Pickles are planted according to the scheme of 30 x 70 cm. Caring for mini-gherkins does not differ from the agricultural technology of ordinary cucumbers. main feature: picking fruits for canning should be done every day, without allowing them to thicken. V otherwise zelentsy will be like round ones. In addition, frequent picking of cucumbers stimulates fruit formation. If pickles are harvested less frequently, the harvest will quickly dwindle.

For lovers of pickled delicacies, the following hybrids and varieties of gherkins and pickles can be recommended.

"Son of the F1 Regiment" is an early-maturing, high-yielding hybrid, used for open and closed ground. Plant predominantly female type flowering, medium height. Gherkins of this variety are light green, cylindrical, glossy, lumpy, with light stripes and white thorns. In a node up to 2 - 3 cucumbers. The bush bears fruit for a long time, it is resistant to downy mildew disease.

"Filipok F1" is an early maturing hybrid. Designed for indoor and outdoor cultivation. Gherkins dark green, cylindrical, with light stripes, large tubercles, do not turn yellow. Resistant to false powdery mildew.

"Angel F1" is a mid-early hybrid. Gherkins are short, light green, have light stripes, sparsely tuberous, with white thorns, genetically without bitterness. Forms up to 2 - 3 cucumbers per node.

"Moth F1" is a mid-early hybrid with a long period of fruit formation. Gherkins are meek, cylindrical, narrow, with a slight gloss and slobly pronounced grooves, the stripes on the cucumbers are light, the fruits are lumpy, with thorns white, without bitterness and emptiness. Forms up to 2 - 3 cucumbers in a knot. Resistant to adverse conditions.

See you, dear readers!

Today, mini-cucumbers do not cause much surprise; they have long been popular among summer residents due to their aesthetic appearance, density and elasticity.

Cucumbers-gherkins and their characteristics

Small gherkins, as they are called in France, where their popularity came from, do not exceed 9 cm in length.The variety of pickles gherkins is even smaller - only 5 cm.Both species, except for the mini-size, do not have voids inside the fruit, they are dense, for which they are valued when salting.

Gherkins are different from regular cucumbers big amount nutrients and the fact that even over-ripening does not exceed a length of 10 cm. Gherkins have a flat surface, a cylinder shape, when salted, these cucumbers turn out to be elastic and crispy, which is not always the case with ordinary cucumbers.

Today, thanks to the tireless work of breeders, varieties of gherkins have been created that have many attractive characteristics: rapid ripening, immunity to a number of diseases (powdery mildew, downy mildew, etc.), safety during transportation, high yield, beautiful appearance and excellent taste.

Did you know? When eaten regularly, gherkins lower cholesterol levels, normalize metabolism in the body, help cleanse the intestines and strengthen the immune system.

Growing features

Seeds of gherkins are sown in open ground no earlier than June, since small cucumbers are afraid of low temperatures. It is preferable to grow gherkins through seedlings, having previously hardened them before planting in open ground. Mini cucumbers grow well in loose, nutrient soils with an acidity index of 6-7 pH.

The importance of watering cucumbers

When growing gherkins during the growing season, watering is required moderate; during flowering, watering is reduced.

During the period of active fruiting, watering is necessary daily, and in the heat it is necessary to irrigate several times a day.

Important! It is advisable to irrigate with settled water. room temperature in the afternoon, spraying either in the morning or in the evening, so that moisture on the foliage evaporates in the sun and does not burn.

Necessary feeding for gherkins

Mini-sized cucumbers need moderate feeding, they do not tolerate excess fertilizers, especially nitrogen. Two weeks after planting, the first feeding is carried out with a balanced complex composition for seedlings ("Solution A"). For a better ovary of fruits and fruiting itself, cucumbers need potassium, the introduction of potassium nitrate once.

Attention! If the weather is unstable with sharp drops temperatures, gherkins can slow down their growth and development. Support the plants with anti-stress foods - Healthy Garden or Ecoberin.

Timely harvest

The mini-gherkins can be picked two days after the ovary is set. Already in this form, they can be canned, despite their size - this is a full-fledged crispy and dense cucumber. Gherkins are harvested daily, upon reaching 3 - 9 cm in height. Cucumbers of varieties from the gherkin group should not be allowed to overripe, and after harvesting, place in a well-cool place for storage until the harvesting process for the winter.

Interesting!The cucumber has many varieties: in addition to gherkins, there are also such as anguria - a horned cucumber, a native of Central and South America; Kiwano is a banana-flavored cucumber grown in Israel, Central America, New Zealand for diet food; dosakai - curry cucumber, a sweet Indian variety; melotria is an African cucumber that has not only edible fruits, but also roots.

The most famous varieties of gherkins

Today in culture there are many names for gherkins. Varieties with different characteristics and growing methods: in greenhouses, greenhouses, in the open field; varieties pollinated by bees and propagating exclusively by the vegetative method. It is impossible to describe all varieties, especially since new ones appear every day. Let's consider several of the most popular varieties today.

Early ripening variety, self-pollinating, one of the best varieties of gherkins, cucumbers for growing both in the greenhouse and in the open field.

Cucumbers in the form of a cylinder, with large tubercles on the surface, grow up to 9 cm. The variety is resistant to many diseases, including root rot.

"Moravian gherkin"

The Moravian variety is loved by bees, so it is better to grow it outdoors. The variety grows fruits from 6 to 9 cm. The surface of the cucumbers is medium-lumpy, cultivation is possible in a greenhouse and in the beds. The Moravian Gherkin is disease resistant.

Say what you like, but small neat cucumbers in seamers look more beautiful, and it is more pleasant to eat them: they are denser, crisp, appetizing ... Growing and preserving such cucumbers is the dream of any housewife.

FAMILY: Pumpkin

CYCLE: Annual herbaceous plant

STEM: Creeping, up to 2 m long

DISEASES: Same as for regular cucumbers

FEATURES: Even outgrowing, such cucumbers do not exceed 10 cm

At first, gherkins were called any small cucumbers, 5-8 cm in size, removed shortly after setting. Now, to obtain gherkins, a group of special varieties has been created that do not outgrow and form tasty small fruits. And if you also pick up an early ripe variety, then the harvest will be earlier, it will accumulate less diseases.

About gherkin cucumbers learned from the articles of an experienced agronomist Luiza Klimtseva. Thanks to her advice, I learned how to successfully raise these "babies".

The word "gherkin" (from French " cornichon") Appeared not so long ago, but in the 19th century the name" gherkin "was used more often

FACT: CORNISHONS TIE IN A NODE FOR 3-7 FRUITS: IN THE LOWER PART OF THE PLANT THERE MAY BE 3 CUCUMBERS IN THE NODE, AND IN THE UPPER PART - 5-7 PIECES.

Gherkins for seedlings

The agrotechnics of gherkins is somewhat different from ordinary cucumbers. So, gherkins are especially afraid of the cold, so you need to sow their seeds in a garden bed either in June, or grow through seedlings. I prefer the second: I plant hardened seedlings on the vacant bed after harvesting the greenery.

Sowing seeds and caring for seedlings - as with ordinary cucumbers, the only thing I choose for gherkins is larger cups: wide, low, with a volume of about 0.5 liters.

Despite the fact that gherkins branch less, I do not thicken them when transplanting to a garden: I plant a maximum of three plants per 1 sq. M. I prepare the soil for them looser, check the acidity: pH 6-7 is needed.

I fill the site with manure every five years (10 kg per 1 sq. M). In other years, I dig trenches on a shovel bayonet, put hay on the bottom, sprinkle it with full mineral fertilizer, sprinkle three-year compost on top with a layer of 15 cm and sprinkle it with a small layer of earth. And I add humus to the holes themselves.

Cucumbers gherkins: care and feeding

I fertilize the gherkins carefully, because they tolerate an overdose, especially with nitrogen, worse. This is where the soluble ones help me mineral fertilizers: 14 days after planting, I feed the plants according to the instructions with Soluble A, where, in addition to nitrogen and trace elements, there are the main helpers of cucumbers - magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. During mass fruiting, I add potassium nitrate once according to the instructions.

In changeable weather, if the cucumbers have slowed down their growth, I can, according to the instructions, treat the plants against stress with the preparations Healthy Garden or Ekoberin.

I water gherkins more often than regular cucumbers, especially during the fruiting period.

I pinch the main stem after the 4-5th node: the less the load in the lower part of the plant, the faster it goes up, which means that the yield will be higher. And I'm not trying to rejuvenate and maintain the life of the bush: the early gherkins, having given their harvest, will not continue to grow, alas.

The crunch of gherkins largely depends on the variety and recipe for canning, but during growth, calcium is responsible for it. Therefore, do not forget to add it when feeding or when laying the beds (they make bone meal, gypsum, phosphorite, limestone).

Despite the fact that the gherkins do not outgrow, they still need to be removed regularly and often, so as not to delay the formation of new cucumbers and not to lose the existing ones: “after sitting”, the gherkins crunch less, may turn yellow or fall off.

Do not delay rolling the cucumbers after harvesting, otherwise they will lose some of the moisture and become soft. If, nevertheless, several days pass before salting, do not refrigerate them: they deteriorate faster in the refrigerator.

Gherkin cucumber recipes

We offer several proven recipes for blanks with gherkins. Let's try them in action!

Recipe 1: Spicy Gherkins

For a half-liter jar: gherkins (about 40 pieces), 1-2 cloves of garlic, horseradish root weighing 10-15 g, dill umbrella, 7-10 black peas and 2-3 allspice peas, 1 tsp. salt, 1 incomplete tablespoon 9% vinegar, 1 tsp. Sahara. I pre-soak the gherkins for 30-60 minutes in cold water... I put it in a sterile half-liter jar with a twisting iron lid on the shoulders. I put horseradish root, garlic, dill and pepper with them. I pour boiling water over, immediately pour the water into a small saucepan, bring it to a boil again, pour in the cucumbers again, close it with a lid, cover it with a towel, leave it for 5 minutes. Drain again, add a few tablespoons of water, salt and sugar to the pan and bring to a boil. I pour in the vinegar. I fill the cucumbers with boiling brine to the edges of the jar, twist the lid, wrap the jar in newspaper until it cools. I store it in the refrigerator.

Oksana RESHETNIKOVA, Krucha village, Kruglyanskiy district

Recipe 2: Gherkins "Like shop"

Relatives in the winter gobble up such cucumbers with pleasure, they go with a bang for a snack, and even when we go to visit friends, be sure to take a jar with us.

Spices: black pepper (peas) - 5-6 pcs., Mustard (whole grains) - 1 tsp, Bay leaf- 1-2 pcs., Garlic - 1-2 cloves, dill. Marinade for 1 liter of water: sugar - 6-8 tablespoons, salt - 2 tablespoons, vinegar essence - 2 tablespoons. Wash cans and lids, sterilize. Put the washed cucumbers in jars. Pour boiling water over, close the lids, let cool, drain the water. Add spices to jars of cucumbers.

Pour over boiled marinade. Roll up. Turn the jars over, leave to cool completely, do not cover.

Valentina STOLYAROVA, Mogilev

Recipe 3: "Apple" crispy gherkins

2-3 black peppercorns, 2 cloves buds, dill umbrella, mint sprig, currant leaf, cucumbers. Marinade: for 1 liter of apple juice - 1 tbsp. salt. I scald the cucumbers with boiling water and cut off the ends on both sides. At the bottom of a 3-liter jar I put a currant leaf, mint, spices, fill the jar with cucumbers and fill it with boiling marinade. Sterilize in a saucepan of boiling water for 12 minutes.

: Memo for growing seedlings -...: When to sow biennial flowers What flower ...

Miniature pickled cucumbers are rightfully considered a real delicacy on our table. Exceptional taste and concentrated content mineral substances makes such a snack not only tasty, but also very useful. How to grow gherkins on your own in the open field. Which varieties are optimal for this, as well as some secrets of a successful harvest, will be revealed to you by our article.

What are they - varieties of gherkin cucumbers for open ground

"Fashion" for such vegetables was established by the French, who came up with a special classification for such pickles. Most often you can find the name "pickuli", which is mistakenly considered the designation of gherkins. In fact, pickles are a generalized name for pickled snack vegetables, but gherkins are something completely different than just not growing to normal sizes cucumbers.

Our gardeners in full confidence pick young cucumbers in the so-called "milk" ripeness, in order to preserve them later for a festive table or for a special occasion. At the same time, there is a separate gradation, according to which "normal" gherkins should not exceed 5 - 9 centimeters in length. Mini - gherkins usually grow from 5 to 7 centimeters, but smaller representatives are referred to as pickles.

The best

The characteristic features of such varieties are considered to be miniature sizes, but the composition of such cucumbers is slightly different from the usual salad or pickling options. There are no voids inside the gherkin, the flesh is quite dense and, when salted, has a crispy structure. Gherkins are considered a special subspecies garden culture cucumbers, therefore, the growing conditions will be slightly different. After what crops you can plant cucumbers, he will tell.

Popular varieties of gherkins for open ground:

• « Parisian gherkin"- early maturing bee-pollinated variety. The first crop can be harvested approximately 41 days after planting. The fruits reach an average length of 6 to 10 centimeters.
• « Moravian gherkin F1"- a variety of cucumbers similar in characteristics, intended for cultivation in the open field.
• "Kai F1" and "Gerda F1"- varieties of gherkins, similar in parameters, suitable for growing in cold climates. The varieties are adapted to low temperatures and will give excellent harvest even in the cold summer.
• "Advance F1"- is considered one of the earliest ripening, fruits reach 7 - 9 centimeters in length, have good taste characteristics.
• "Thumbelina F1"- ultra early ripening variety. Refers to partially pollinated hybrids with good yields. They can be stored for a long time and perfectly tolerate transportation.
• "Accordion player F1"- an excellent variety of gherkins with a long fruiting period. Early maturing species, forms characteristic bundle ovaries.

Find out what parthenocarpic varieties of cucumbers exist.

In addition to the above varieties, excellent results were shown by the cultivation of such gherkins as: "Suzdalsky", "Mademoiselle", "Quadrille", "Bobrik", "Cappuccino", "Mumu" and others. All of them are marked "F1" in the marking of the variety, belong to the parthenocarpic species, which means they perfectly form ovaries without the help of insects - pollinators. This makes them also possible and home cultivation on the balcony.

Read reviews about the best varieties of cucumbers for open ground at.

Mini-gherkins are considered fundamentally different from traditional cucumbers. Characteristic feature there will be an opportunity to harvest already 2 - 3 days after flowering. Moreover, it will be a full-fledged fruit. small size, but with all the characteristics of a full-fledged vegetable. This is a very important difference from cucumbers simply plucked in "infancy" age. How the seedlings are grown from seeds is indicated.

The best mini gherkins

• « Child F1"- suitable for growing on the balcony. Beautiful bush, small leaves and good performance.
• « Marinade F1"- fruits are very crispy, light green color.
• « Moth F1"- mid-season, the period before the first harvest is up to 50 days.
• « Filipok F1"- an excellent hybrid, does not turn yellow or overripe, ideal for canning.
• "Son of the F1 Regiment"- early maturing bee-pollinated variety, ripening period from 40 days.

To relatively less common varieties, but also with good characteristics from gardeners are such varieties as: "Red mullet F1", "Tablecloth - samobranka F1", "Mikado F1", "Red mullet F1", "Nastya F1", "Favorite son-in-law F1" and others.

on video seeds of gherkins for open ground:

The main feature and secret of success will be the need for daily harvesting. This is done for a number of reasons, including fears that the vegetable will outgrow the required size, as well as a deterioration in taste characteristics. At the same time, the bush itself will bear fruit much more actively and form new ovaries only under the condition of mandatory regular collection. You can divide the area with plastic, so it will be easier to divide vegetable crops different varieties.

Pickled cucumber is a favorite snack both on festive table, and in everyday use. Even specimens, with small seeds and up to 10 cm in size, are especially good. For the sake of gourmets, French chefs in the 19th century began to preserve small cucumbers, calling them gherkins.

Standards and varieties of gherkins

Amateur gardeners often call ordinary cucumbers harvested during the period of milk ripeness and have not reached the standard size for their variety as gherkins. Meanwhile, the real gherkin is a separate variety, which has its own characteristics:

• fruit length is in the range of 5-8 cm;
• the cucumber has a bright green thin peel;
• dense pulp without voids;
• small unripe seeds.

Zelentsy-gherkins, although they consist mainly of water (97%), like ordinary cucumbers, contain more useful trace elements and minerals.

The most productive varieties of gherkins

Developing new varieties of gherkins, breeders strive to maximize the useful and taste qualities of fruits, the plant's resistance to different kinds diseases. Gherkin hybrids are distinguished by enviable productivity, good keeping quality during transportation.

The number of varieties of gherkins is constantly growing. The popularity of this subspecies of cucumber forces breeders to work on the creation of new names. In addition to those listed, there is a whole galaxy of varieties that demonstrate excellent performance- F1 Cappuccino, F1 Quadrille, F1 Mumu, F1 Mademoiselle.

Mini gherkins

The peculiarity of cucumbers, called mini-gherkins, is their ability to acquire full commercial qualities (taste, fruit density, crunchiness) in small specimens. They can be harvested when they reach a length of 3-4 cm - while such "babies" are fully ripe, they can be subjected to all types of processing (canning, pickling).

Cucumbers mini-gherkins require constant harvesting - in 1-2 days. Despite the fact that most hybrids are not prone to overgrowing, a delay in harvesting is an obstacle to the formation and filling of new ovaries.

Planting gherkin seeds

Planting gherkin cucumbers can be done both by seeds, immediately in the prepared bed, and by seedlings grown at home. Seedling method will help to get the harvest 12-14 days ahead of schedule.

How to sow gherkins correctly
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Important. Gherkins have extremely tender root system Therefore, seeds for seedlings should be placed in peat pots or paper cups filled with soil. So the roots will not be damaged during handling.

Seeds can be planted during the period when there is a steady heat, the soil temperature does not drop below 12-130 C. Usually, the massive sowing of cucumber seeds occurs in the third decade of May. To avoid diseases of greenery caused by hypothermia, the bed for gherkins can be additionally warmed up with a film - in such cases, special slots are provided for the sprouts.

The seeding rate depends on the variety of gherkins - specific recommendations are indicated on the bag. In general, it is assumed that you need to sow 3 g of seeds per 1 m2.

When planting in the ground, the distance between the holes should be 30-35 cm, in each "nest" it is enough to place 4-5 seeds or 2-3 plants in the form of seedlings.

Choosing a place for the beds

Loose and light soils with an acidity level of 6 to 7.5 pH are good for gherkins. If the soil is excessively acidic, then it is advisable to carry out preliminary liming. The introduction of organic matter during the autumn digging of the garden will increase the fertility of the soil and supply it the required amount nitrogen.

Gherkin is a capricious culture for both light and cold. Cucumber beds are best made in the form of ridges, with a slope to the south - so they will be protected from the north wind. In order to avoid hypothermia of the soil during late spring frosts, special mobile beds with film insulation can be made for gherkins.

For cooking warm beds it is necessary to lay thin old branches in layers on a marked area located in a sunny place, then plant residues that have not decayed and garden soil. After spilling any bed with an ash solution (1 glass per bucket of water) and a humus mash, it is covered with a black film and left to ripen for 25-30 days.

After this period, you can plant seeds that are guaranteed to give a high yield.

Watering and feeding cucumbers

To ensure continued growth of gherkins, it is important to water regularly and timely feeding... On initial stage development of the soil under the cucumbers should be moistened with an interval of 3-4 days. The amount of water is up to 10 liters per hole. With significant watering, the development and growth of the root system improves, which will make the plant stronger and more resistant to negative impacts and diseases.

In the fruiting phase, the greens should be watered every day, in the early morning or in the evening. If the weather is excessively dry and hot, then watering and irrigation of gherkins must be done up to three times a day.

Fertilization when growing gherkins is carried out by the fertigation method, i.e. with preliminary dissolution mineral dressings in water for irrigation. This method of supplying nutrients to the soil provides good efficiency and prevents overfeeding of plants.

Gherkins need regular nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium supplementation. In order not to exceed the recommended feeding rates and to avoid active growth of leaf mass, mineral fertilizers are applied in the following quantities:

• phosphorus (superphosphate) - at the rate of 15-20 g / m2, with an increase of up to 30 g / m2 on poor soils;
• magnesium - 1.5-2 g per 10 square meters;
• potassium salts - 10-25 g / m2.

Top dressing at the growth stage is carried out in the flowering phase - if the plant has developed normally before. For this, a complex fertilizer is used with the obligatory presence of nitrogen - ammofosk or azofosk. Organic solutions can be used - herbal infusion, horse dung or bird droppings.

As soon as the gherkins begin to actively bear fruit, they need additional nutrition. After the appearance of the first fruits, nitrophoska is introduced (1 tbsp.spoon per bucket of water), and after 7-10 days, a second root feeding is carried out - 1 tsp potassium sulfate and 0.5 kg cow dung for 10 liters of water.

After that, during the entire fruiting period, complex fertilizer or herbal infusions are applied weekly. Application is especially important universal fertilizer- potassium nitrate. This drug helps to improve taste cucumber.

Interesting! Gherkins react well to yeast feeding. A pack of dry yeast (10-11 g) dissolves in 10 liters warm water, and after the beginning of fermentation, the mixture is diluted with another 50 liters of liquid. This fertilizer stimulates the active growth of the plant; it can be applied twice a season.

Possible problems when growing gherkins

When growing gherkins on open area problems often arise that significantly reduce the yield of the crop and can even completely destroy the plants:

Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology - sufficient (but not excessive) watering, timely introduction of nutrients, the formation of a cucumber bush and, most importantly, the use of high-quality varietal material - a guarantee that until autumn gherkins will delight vegetable growers.

Video - Seeds of cucumbers Parisian Gherkin

Video - Wagner F1 (Wagner F1) parthenocarpic cucumber-gherkin