Until March 2, 172,500 tons of winter vegetables were grown in greenhouses in Russia, 28.6% more than in the same period of the previous year (134,100 tons). Russian farmers harvested 106,500 tons of greenhouse cucumbers (+ 12.9%) and 64,700 tons of tomatoes (+ 70.4%).

The gross harvest of greenhouse vegetables in 2020 amounted to approximately 1.5 million tonnes in Russia, 12% more than in 2019 (1.33 million tonnes). According to preliminary data, farmers harvested a record 1.35 million tonnes (+ 18.4%) of vegetables in winter greenhouses.

Proof of the increase in growing vegetables in greenhouses in Russia is Moscow's first vegetable harvest, which will start on March 18 in the greenhouses of the Timiryazevka Academy of the Russian State Agricultural University, offering customers organic products from three varieties of cucumbers: "Relay", "Runner", "Mamiyuk".

Cucumbers of the F1 Relay variety have long been recognized by the Edelstein Plant Experiment Station. The main characteristic of the fruit is a tender and juicy pulp with a pronounced flavor. Cucumbers are crisp, fragrant, not too watery, ideal for preservation, pickling, and fresh consumption.

When growing vegetables in greenhouses, the specialists of the greenhouse complex of the Russian State University use low-volume technology. This direction, compared with traditional technologies, has a number of advantages: vegetable crops are grown on substrates, packed in soft containers. The plants are "fed" by drip irrigation: a special nutrient solution is dosed under each plant. As a result, vegetables receive only the elements they need in the required amounts and do not accumulate substances harmful to health.

The Mamlyuk cucumber variety is being tested in the greenhouses of the Timiryazevka Academy, however, the employees of the Edelstein Plant Experiment Station do not doubt that its cultivation has been successfully completed, so the cucumbers will also delight the regular customers of Timiryazevka's products.

The practice of growing selective varieties of cucumbers at the Moscow Timiryazevka Agricultural Academy of the Russian State Agricultural University dates back many decades. Every year the scientific community of the university works on the selection of new varieties of different horticultural crops (aubergines, tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, etc.). They get sturdier, have an easier time growing, and are certainly tasty.