Eco‑friendly cucumber harvest: Boost yields with ash and cone infusion

Every vegetable enthusiast who decides to grow their crops desires plentiful and healthy yields. Growing cucumbers can be quite challenging for beginner gardeners. To enjoy bountiful harvests, it’s important to ensure proper fertilization of these vegetables.

One of the most effective and eco-friendly methods is using ash as a fertilizer. This method not only helps you achieve healthy and tasty cucumbers but also allows you to recycle waste from your home fireplace.

Coal ash contains many valuable plant minerals, such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Therefore, it is an excellent source of nutrients for cucumbers, which have high nutritional needs. Moreover, using this type of fertilizer helps maintain the proper pH of the soil, which is crucial for cucumbers' correct growth and fruiting.

Ash fertilizer is effective not only for cucumbers but also for cauliflower, cabbage, and tomatoes. It can also be used if you have chives, garlic, onions, radishes, or carrots in your garden.

Ash fertilizer will work even better if you add a cone infusion. Most of us probably don’t have this at home, but fortunately, a short trip to the forest can help. Collect a bucket of fresh cones, and pour 1 litre of cool water at home. Once the cones are completely covered with water, boil the mixture until the water starts to bubble. Reduce the temperature and cook the mixture for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Let the infusion sit for 5 days to ferment slightly. After that, strain it through a sieve. For the fertilizer with added ash, you need 2 cups of cone extract, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 litre of wood ash, and 10 litres of water.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly to create a nutrient-rich mixture. Apply this solution to your crops at intervals of one to two weeks. This treatment will strengthen the cucumbers, giving them energy and vitality. As a result, the plants will gain the potential for increased fruit production, translating into more bountiful harvests in your garden.

Remember that you can use ash independently, but avoid using it on plants that prefer acidic soil. This mainly applies to coniferous plants, shrubs, trees, and some ornamental species, such as azaleas and rhododendrons. Additionally, ash is not a suitable fertilizer for cranberries or blueberries.

It’s essential to use ash from burning natural, untreated wood only. You should not use ash from wood coated with varnish or paint, cardboard, or household waste. Such ash may contain harmful chemical substances that, instead of helping, will harm your crops, leading to undesirable effects.