In the Tomsk region, farmer Igor Zhigalev harvested more than two tons of winter greenhouse cucumbers

Igor Zhigalev's peasant farm located in the village of Porosino in the Tomsk region has been harvesting cucumbers grown in closed ground for a month and a half. During this time, about two tons of products have been collected and sold.
This year, the entrepreneur equipped the greenhouses on his farm with a total area of 500 square meters, set up computer programs, purchased seeds of smooth cucumbers and started growing vegetables.
"Growing cucumbers requires its own algorithm for equipment operation, certain agricultural techniques and actions to preserve and grow the crop. Therefore, it was necessary to prepare microcontroller programs for the equipment to operate in a certain mode," says Igor Zhigalev.
The regional department for social and economic development of the village helped the farmer equip the greenhouses for growing vegetables by allocating a subsidy to reimburse part of the costs of family farms. The entrepreneur additionally purchased new LED modules necessary for lighting plants in the greenhouses and special carts used to harvest the crop.
In the reconstructed greenhouses, 1,200 roots of smooth long cucumbers grow and bear fruit. As the farmer explained , not all varieties are suitable for winter cultivation. It is necessary to choose those that are less demanding to lighting and can self-pollinate.
In the fall, cucumbers were planted in two stages with a gap of three weeks between plantings. This was done so that the plants yielded a harvest throughout the winter period. In February, the second stage of green vegetables will be planted so that it will be possible to harvest until the end of spring. The farmer collects up to 70 kg of cucumbers from one square meter. On average, he removes 150 kg every two days. He sells the products to wholesale companies in Tomsk.
"In principle, the result I was counting on is close. But the improvement of agricultural processes still needs to be continued. I also plan to automate the operation of gas boilers, due to which CO2 is obtained, which is necessary for plants. It is necessary to work with computer programs that are necessary for setting up the equipment. They should be convenient for use by a wide range of farmers, and not just those with a special technical education. After all, my main goal is to make the process of growing all protected soil crops in winter accessible to small and medium-sized businesses," noted Igor Zhigalev.