Cucumber Smelt

The demand for seeds of bundled early-ripening cucumbers is due to their high yield and disease resistance. Such hybrids require a minimum amount of processing, the harvest is environmentally friendly, and the cucumbers are devoid of bitterness. A cucumber with an unusual name Smelt is conquering the Russian market from Siberia to the Kuban thanks to such excellent qualities.

The Smelt hybrid is a recent novelty of the selection of the Altai Seeds agricultural firm. The company was founded in 1995 and today is one of the leaders in sales of Russian and foreign seeds. The pride of the company has become its own breeding developments: resistant to diseases, unpretentious and capable of acclimatizing in any regions of Russia. The experimental station is located near Barnaul.

Why does cucumber have such a name? This can be explained by the size and even elongated shape of this small northern fish. Well, the well-known fact that fresh smelt has a bright cucumber aroma, due to the presence of a specific aldehyde, also played a role.

Cucumber Smelt F1 - parthenocarpic, early ripening small-fruited hybrid of the first generation with a universal purpose, grown in open ground and greenhouses. High-yielding, hardy, resistant to major diseases, tolerates the vagaries of weather and frost well. Fruits 7-9 cm long, crispy and tasty, without bitterness.

The bushes are compact, with medium branching and bundle-type ovaries.

The leaves of the Smelt bush are medium-sized, rich green, slightly wavy, heart-shaped. The flowers are female, do not require pollination. A whole bunch of ovaries is formed in each node on the stem and lateral shoots (on average 3-5, but sometimes up to 7-10).

The cucumber itself is small, gherkin type (weight 30-50 g), slightly curved cylindrical in shape. The color is bright green, darker at the stalk. Stripes are visible along the fruit, the tuberosity is quite pronounced, there is white pubescence. The pulp is aromatic and crunchy, without voids, the seed chambers are small.

The hybrid Smelt is used fresh and for canning. Depending on the time of collection, pickles (greens with a length of 3-5 cm) or gherkins (7-10 cm) are obtained.

Baby pickles are good for a fresh snack, but are most often marinated in spicy brine. Pickled crispy pickles are added to burgers, salads or served as a cold snack with an assortment of other micro-vegetables (small onions, garlic, bean pods, carrot slices).

Gherkins are also most often allowed for whole-fruit pickling: they make quick summer salted cucumbers or roll them into jars for the winter. But you should not transfer the entire crop to conservation, fresh Smelt cucumbers have an excellent taste: they are juicy, dense and do not taste bitter. This is a low-calorie and healthy product.

The ultra-early hybrid is ready for the first wave of picking fruits (pickles) within 37 days after germination. On the 42-45th day, the cucumbers reach their maximum size. Cucumbers ripen in bunches together. Usually fruiting begins in the second decade of June and can be extended until August.

Like other bunch-type cucumbers, Smelt gives a bountiful harvest.When picking pickles, the yield ranges from 5 to 7 kg / m², and the main harvest “pulls” by 11-14 kg / m². Cleaning should be done in the evening before watering. The crop is well transported, it is advisable to process cucumbers in a short time or put them in the refrigerator for storage.

Altai seeds are distinguished by enviable frost resistance. This hybrid is grown without any problems without shelter in the southern regions of Russia, the seedling method allows you to plant Smelt in open ground in the Central region and the Volga region. In climatic zones with late spring and short summer, the hybrid is successfully grown in greenhouses.

Smelt's bush is neat, with limited growth. For planting seedlings, a single-row or two-row method and a scheme of 30x50 cm are used. 3-4 plants are placed on 1 m².

Seeds for seedlings are sown after April 15, a month later the bushes are transferred to the site. One of the main conditions for it is good illumination.

Care is simple: watering 2 times in 7 days, hilling and loosening. Organic dressings alternate with mineral ones.

You can grow it horizontally, on a warm bed, or lead the bush into one stem and tie it to a trellis. In lateral shoots, growth is limited in the zone of 2 leaves.

Smelt grows well on loose light soil, loam or sandy loam is suitable. You can fertilize the soil with ash. Seedlings are transferred to an open area only after sufficient heating of the soil to 12-14 ° C.

Smelt has strong immunity to the cucumber mosaic virus, root rot, powdery mildew fungus. Prevention will help to avoid infections and damage by pests: weeding and loosening, airing the greenhouse, inspection and sanitary pruning of plants.