I planted cucumbers in different ways – tied up and not tied up, in open ground and in a greenhouse, even on a windowsill in an apartment.

I don’t recommend the latter at all. I liked growing it outside the most, and not just like that, but in the form of a Christmas tree.

I’ll tell you how now.

I live in the Saratov region, where spring and summer are quite warm (although it all depends on the year).

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse, as I understand, makes no sense.

They grow well in open ground, although they bear fruit 1-2 weeks later.

For me, this is not critical.

But I also plant them in open ground in a special way. My aunt from Ukraine told me about this method a hundred years ago + I saw it all in person. It seemed like a very convenient method.

Then my assumptions were completely confirmed.

If you plant cucumbers in beds and don’t tie them up, they grow too big. It’s inconvenient to pick the greens by climbing on them – you’ll get all scratched up and your hands will itch.

If you plant in long beds and tie them up, you will need to construct a decent-sized trellis. But the “herringbone” method requires only one support.

I sow cucumbers in early May, when the warm weather outside settles. I make a round hole with a diameter of at least 1 m.

You can also use 2 m, then the “tree” will be bigger and more lush. I loosen the soil well, add compost (1 bucket) and ash (2 cups), mix everything.

I dig a 3-meter metal pipe with a diameter of 30 mm into the center of the hole (there were some left after changing the heating). It is important that a meter of the pipe goes underground, so the structure will be stronger.

I place seeds along the edges of the prepared holes. 9-10 seeds are needed for one such circle. I keep the distance between the seeds at about 30 cm. I sprinkle them with soil, water them thoroughly and wait for the shoots to sprout.

I have hooks welded to the top of the pipe made of metal wire. Luckily my husband is a welder and thought of everything.

I then tie ropes to them that go to pegs in the ground. Each sprout has its own peg.

And these are my parents’ “Christmas trees.” My father stuck plastic bottles into the ground to water the cucumbers (photo by the author)

The main thing is to tie up the cucumber vines and direct them upwards at first, then they will do it themselves.

The end result is a green “Christmas tree” made of cucumber vines. Harvesting from it is a pleasure.

Please note! Instead of a metal pipe, you can use a wooden stake. The type of support does not matter, it will just last longer if made of metal. And the height of the support can be adjusted at your discretion. 2 m is enough for me.