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How to grow a cucumber plant


How to Grow and Plant Cucumbers

Learn expert tips for growing cucumbers in your vegetable garden. Cucumber is a relatively easy plant to grow and really easy to eat!

A tropical vegetable, cucumbers thrive when the weather is hot and water is plentiful. Growing cucumbers is for warmer weather: Plants are so frost-tender that they shouldn't be set into the garden until soil temperatures are reliably in the 70-degree range (no less than 2 weeks after the last frost date).

Cucumber plants grow in two forms: vining and bush. Vines scramble along the ground or clamber up trellises, while bush types, such as Burpless Bush Hybrid, form a more compact plant. Generally, vining cucumbers yield more fruit throughout the growing season. Bush selections are especially suited to containers and small gardens. You can increase the season's yield of bush varieties by planting several crops in succession 2 weeks apart.

Whether you want a cucumber for slicing or pickling, Bonnie Plants® has a variety to suit your taste. Lemon cucumber offers smaller fruits perfect for a single serving, while Boston Pickling boasts classic heirloom taste. The long Armenian cucumber is a specialty cucumber prized for taste and the fact that a single cucumber yields so many slices. Whichever cucumber variety you choose, you can rest assured that you'll get a strong start with Bonnie Plants, a company that has been around for over 100 years.

Quick Guide to Growing Cucumbers

Soil, Planting, and Care

Cucumbers need warm, fertile soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8, although they will tolerate a bit more alkaline soil to 7.6. To improve the soil and help create the root environment needed for a big harvest, work several inches of aged compost-enriched Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® All Purpose In-Ground Soil into the top few inches of your existing garden soil. (Compost or composted manure will work, too.) Plant seedlings 36 to 60 inches apart, depending on variety (check the stick tag). For vines trained on a trellis, space plants 1 foot apart.

In areas where spring is long and cool, you can warm the soil 3 to 4 degrees by covering the hill or row with black plastic.If you do not plant in black plastic, then mulch with pine straw, wheat straw, chopped leaves, or your favorite organic mulch shortly after planting. If the weather is unseasonably cool, you can wait a while to mulch until the ground is warmed by the sun. Mulch is especially important to keep the fruit clean for bush types and vines not growing on a trellis. Straw mulch is also thought to be uncomfortable for slugs and creates an uneasy footing for cucumber beetles, helping to keep them at bay.

If you can, trellis your vines. This keeps the fruit clean and saves space. A 12- to 18-inch diameter cage made from 4- or 5-foot welded wire fencing or hog wire will support 2 or 3 vines. Wire is easy for the tendrils of climbing cucumbers to grab as the plant grows.

Cucumbers grow fast and don't demand a lot of care. Just keep the soil consistently moist with an inch of water per week (more if temperatures sizzle and rain is scarce). Inadequate or inconsistent moisture causes oddly shaped or poor-tasting fruit. If possible, water your cucumbers with a soaker hose or drip irrigation to keep the foliage dry. This helps prevent leaf diseases that can ruin the plant.

For best results, high quality plant food is just as important as starting with great soil. You can fertilize with a water-soluble food, such as Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition, applying it directly to soil around plant stems. Or, you can use a continuous-release fertilizer, like Miracle-Gro® Performance Organics® Edibles Plant Nutrition Granules, worked into the soil. Both plant foods feed both your plants and the beneficial microbes in the soil that help them thrive. Either way, be sure to follow label directions.

Troubleshooting

If vines bloom but don't fruit, something is probably interfering with pollination. First, make sure that you see both male and female blooms. Male blooms usually appear first and then drop off, so don't be alarmed if this happens. Within a week or two, female flowers will also appear; each one has a small cucumber-shaped swelling at the base that will become a cucumber. If you're still not seeing those swellings turn into fruit, you may need to do a bit of hand-pollination.

Several pests bother cucumbers. Squash bugs may attack seedlings. Slugs like ripening fruit. Aphids can colonize leaves and buds. Straw mulch helps keep slugs at bay, as can trellising vines to get the fruit off the ground. Vines are also bothered by cucumber beetles, which chew holes in leaves and flowers and scar stems and fruits, but worse than that, they spread a disease that causes the plants to wilt and die. Powdery mildew is a disease that leaves white, mildew-like patches on the leaves. Apply fungicides at the first sign of its presence. To minimize disease spread, avoid harvesting or handling vines when leaves are wet.

Harvest and Storage

You can pick cucumbers whenever they're big enough to use. Check vines daily as the fruit starts to appear because they enlarge quickly. Vines produce more fruit the more you harvest. To remove the fruit, use a knife or clippers, cutting the stem above the fruit. Pulling them may damage the vine. Don't let the cucumbers get oversized or they will be bitter, and will also keep the vine from producing more. Yellowing at the bottom (blossom end) of a cucumber signals overripeness; remove the fruit immediately. Harvest lemon cucumbers just before they begin turning yellow. Although they are called lemon cucumber because the little oblong or round fruits turn yellow and look like a lemon, by the time the fruit turns yellow it may be a little too seedy for most tastes.

You can keep harvested cucumbers in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, but use them as soon as possible after picking for best flavor. If you don't eat a slicing cucumber all at once, cover the unused portion in plastic wrap to prevent dehydration in the refrigerator. In fact, it's a good idea to wrap your whole cucumbers in plastic or store them in a zipper bag in the fridge to keep them crisp.

Cucumbers grown on a trellis are clean and easy to pick. Use a trellis slender enough for tendrils to grab. Cattle panels work beautifully for this purpose.Set cucumber transplants at the base of your trellis, and mulch after planting unless the soil could use a little more warming. Cucumbers bear male and female flowers. Female blooms have a small swelling at the base, the makings of a fruit.Cucumbers on a trellis are clean and easy to pick. Use a trellis small enough for tendrils to grab.Short vines make this plant ideal for a variety of containers.

FAQs

I read that cucumbers can be planted in hills. How do I do this?

Make a hill before planting the cucumber. Just a small rise in the ground is adequate. Build the hill, or mound, about a foot in diameter and about three inches high; this is to drain water from around the stem. Plant the cucumber in the mound.

Should you stake cucumbers?

Stakes or cages hold plants up from the ground. Cucumber vines have little tendrils that will grab a string or wire and climb up a wire cage or trellis. Staking makes it easier to pick the cucumbers and keeps them cleaner than if they are on the ground.

Which varieties of cucumbers can be grown in containers?

Use our bush-type cucumber because it is more compact and is bred for containers and small gardens. The vines do not grow as long as standard types.

My cucumbers bloomed but failed to set fruit. Why does this happen?

This is a pollination problem. The flowers must be pollinated to set fruit. Did you use a pesticide that might have killed bees that pollinate the flowers? Look to see if any bees are visiting your plants in the morning. This is when they are most active.

Why do my cucumbers taste bitter?

Some varieties grown under stressful conditions — weather that is too warm or too cool, poor soil fertility, or disease — can develop a bitter flavor. The same thing will happen to fruit that is left on the vine too long and is overmature. To help minimize the potential for bitterness, plant varieties that are not prone to becoming bitter, such as Armenian cucumber, lemon cucumber, small pickling varieties (like Boston pickling), or “burpless” slicing varieties.

It is cold in the spring where I live. How do I protect my cucumbers from the chill?

Cucumbers are sensitive to frost. Plant at least two weeks after all danger of frost has passed. You can use plastic sheeting on the ground to help retain the earth's heat. You can also cover plants with a row cover until they start blooming, if needed. After flowers appear you have to uncover them for the bees.

How often should I water my cucumbers?

Water often enough to keep the soil slightly moist all the time. Cucumbers will be small and can taste bitter if they get stressed for water. Mulch the soil around the plants to keep in moisture. It also keeps the fruit clean.

When should I harvest pickling type cucumbers?

Pickling cucumbers should be harvested when the fruit reaches 3 to 4 inches in length; for big pickles let them get 6 to 7 inches long if they are still tender.

Cucumbers Growing Cucumbers Growing Techniques Summer Garden Urban Gardening Vegetables

How to grow cucumbers – in pots and in the ground

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Learn how to grow cucumbers for a bumper harvest of the veg plot’s coolest resident. Whether added to a salad or sandwich, pickled with flavorsome spices, or popped into a summer cocktail, the humble cucumber is a versatile, and most refreshing, crop.

The plant makes an attractive feature in the garden, with its quirky fruit and pretty yellow flowers. In addition, cucumber’s climbing nature makes it highly space-efficient, so it’s worth making room for a couple of plants when planning your kitchen garden ideas, even in containers on the patio.

‘They are such a good-looking crop, adding height and presence to the vegetable garden,’ says Aaron Bertelsen, in Grow Fruit and Vegetables in Pots . ‘Given a warm spot and sturdy support from pea sticks or trellis, cucumbers will grow very happily in a pot.'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How to grow cucumbers from seed

Cucumbers are so easy to grow from seed that unless you missed the growing window, you should sow your own, rather than buy plants from the garden center.

‘Sow cucumbers in pots or small trays on the windowsill or greenhouse in spring, for planting out once all danger of frost has passed,’ advises gardening expert Matt James. Alternatively, you can direct sow outdoor varieties in early summer.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Which type of cucumber?

Recommended cucumber varieties to try are Crystal Lemon, Marketmore, Bush Champion, Mini Munch and Spacemaster. 

If you want to grow cucumbers just for pickling, then choose a variety with small fruits, such as Boston.

Bear in mind that some varieties are better suited to growing in the greenhouse, so if you are researching how to grow cucumbers outside, then check the seed packet description to see if it is suitable.  

Outdoor cucumbers usually have ridged skin and need to be pollinated, whereas greenhouse cucumbers tend to be smoother and shouldn’t be pollinated as it can produce bitter fruit. This means that unless you buy a variety bred to produce only female flowers, you will need to remove the male flowers – which have no fruits behind them – as they grow.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How to grow cucumbers vertically

Although cucumbers can be left to trail on the ground, it is much more space efficient to grow them vertically, and better protects the fruit.

There are lots of great vegetable garden trellis ideas to explore. ‘Grow cucumbers up tripods or climbing frames,’ says gardening expert Leigh Clapp. You can also add netting to vertical frames, which offers good support for the fruit.

‘You could even grow one up a fruit tree. Ardent cucumber fans can put two or three next to each other to create a screen – handy if you do not like your neighbors,’ says Bertelsen.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Do cucumbers need to climb?

Cucumbers do not need to climb – they can just sprawl across the ground. However, growing them as climbers is the most space-efficient method and makes a more striking feature in the garden. 

Keeping the plants off the ground can also help reduce the number of pests that visit them.

Cucumber plants produce side shoots and tendrils, so can easily be trained to grow upwards. They also make striking overhead plants, and can be trained over an archway, which looks stunning with the fruits dangling down.

How to grow cucumbers in pots

Growing cucumbers in pots is a fantastic vegetable garden container idea. The key is to choose a large enough container – at least 5 gallons – and to use good multipurpose or vegetable potting mix. You can plant two per container.

In hot weather, containers can grow out more quickly than if the cucumbers were planted in the ground, so keep on top of watering. Don't let the soil dry out, but equally don't flood it.

You can let the plants sprawl over the side of the container and across the ground, or place the pots next to a support. You could also make a cane support inside the container.

To keep the plants to a manageable size and encourage growth, pinch out the main growing tip when the plant has seven leaves.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

How to harvest cucumbers

Cucumbers should be harvested when they are around 4-8 inches long, depending on the variety – check the packet instructions. The fruits should be evenly green – if they have gone yellowy or soft, then they are overripe.

‘When harvesting, snip them off with scissors or secateurs (pruning shears). If you try just to pull the cucumbers off, you could pull the whole plant down with them,’ says Bertelsen.

Some varieties of cucumber can be cut in half on the plant, which is ideal when you only need a small amount. The remaining fruit will grow a callous and stay fresh on the plant.

Cucumber growing tips

A great growing tip is to experiment with cucumber companion planting to help their growth and to ward off pests.

‘Plant with nasturtiums to attract blackfly away from crops, and include companion plants that attract beneficial insects, such as marigolds and daisies,’ says Clapp.

Herbs such as oregano and chives can also deter pests, while beans and peas will add nitrogen to the soil, which cucumbers can benefit from.

In harvest season, make sure you know how to pick cucumbers correctly, to prevent damaging your cucumber plants. 

(Image credit: Leigh Clapp)

Cucumber problems

Slugs and snails can be a problem for cucumbers when the plants are small, so cover them with netting or use other preventative measures.

The plants can be susceptible to mildew, which can be reduced by moving them to cooler conditions or spraying on comfrey or seaweed solutions.

Look out for mosaic virus, which is spread by aphids and will stunt the plant’s growth. The only cure is to destroy affected plants.

Whitefly can also be an issue in the greenhouse – use biological control or traps.

What is the best way to grow cucumbers?

The best way to grow cucumbers is in a heated greenhouse, as this will create the right conditions for a much more reliable crop. However, you can have a successful harvest by growing outdoors – just make sure you choose the right variety.

How do cucumbers grow for beginners?

Cucumbers are not the easiest crop to grow for beginners – indeed, many experienced growers struggle with them. However, as they taste so much better than shop-bought, it’s definitely worth learning how to grow cucumbers.

As editor of Period Living, Britain's best-selling period homes magazine, Melanie loves the charm of older properties. I live in a rural village just outside the Cotswolds in England, so am lucky to be surrounded by beautiful homes and countryside, where I enjoy exploring. Having worked in the industry for almost two decades, Melanie is interested in all aspects of homes and gardens. Her previous roles include working on Real Homes and Homebuilding & Renovating, and she has also contributed to Gardening Etc. She has an English degree and has also studied interior design. Melanie frequently writes for Homes & Gardens about property restoration and gardening.

cultivation, planting, care in the open field

Cucumbers are a very early ripening crop, early varieties give a harvest in 40 days after germination. However, even the later ones begin to bear fruit early - after 60 days. However, few people manage to get maximum yields - cucumbers quickly get sick and dry out. Often this is due to improper care. Therefore, it is important to provide this culture with the most comfortable conditions.

Growing cucumbers

To get a good harvest of cucumbers, they need to provide two main conditions: good light and heat (1). Therefore, they should be planted in the sunniest area - there they will receive the maximum amount of light and heat. nine0003

Almost any soil is suitable for cucumbers, with a reaction close to neutral or slightly acidic. But they grow best in fertile areas with light soils rich in organic matter. If the land on the site is too dense, it is useful to add humus or compost to it before sowing cucumbers, and then dig it up.

Planting cucumbers

In the middle lane, cucumber seeds are sown directly into open ground - usually after May 25th. Before sowing, it is useful to soak them for 12 hours in water at room temperature (18 - 20 ° C) (2). And then they need to be wrapped in a damp cloth and sent to the refrigerator for 2 days - hardening the seeds will later help the plants to better tolerate cold snaps. nine0003

Before sowing, the seeds can be germinated in a damp cloth in a warm place - this way they will sprout faster.

But note: soaking can only be applied to seeds that have not been treated with anything. And recently, cucumber seeds are often sold brightly colored, a sign that they are coated with a protective compound against disease. These seeds are best sown dry. The maximum that can be done is to germinate. All other "water procedures" are contraindicated for them - the protective layer will be washed off. nine0003

And one more thing: it is best to sow old seeds that have lain for at least 3-4 years - they are the most prolific. Fresh seeds produce a lot of barren flowers.

Seeds of cucumbers are sown in holes 2-3 pcs. to a depth of 1 - 2 cm. If in the future the cucumbers are tied to the trellis, then the distance between the holes should be 25 cm. If it is supposed to grow them in spreading, then the sowing scheme is as follows:

  • in a row - 30 cm.

    • When the seedlings have their first true leaf, they should be thinned out to leave only one of the strongest shoots in each hole.

    Care of cucumbers in the open field

    Cucumbers are very prolific, they have a great yield potential, especially in modern hybrids. But in order for them to be able to express themselves to the fullest, they must be watered frequently and plentifully and fed in a timely manner.

    Watering

    The frequency of watering depends on the stage of development of the cucumber. The scheme is as follows:

    Irrigation rate - 2 - 2.5 liters per 1 sq. m.

    Photo: pixabay.com

    And there are 3 more watering rules that are important to follow:

    Top-dressings

    It happens that they spill it well, with warm water, but the ovaries still fall off. The reason is the lack of fertilizers. It even happens that humus was introduced under the cucumbers, they were fed with nitrogen for good growth, but the ovaries still fall off. This is because nitrogen alone is not enough for them - they need good nutrition. And in order to provide them with all the elements, plants need to be fed 4 times over the summer:

    Cucumber Harvesting

    Cucumbers set very quickly and in large quantities, so they need to be harvested often - 2 - 3 times a week, and even better - every other day (4).

    - Do not let the cucumbers outgrow on the bushes - advises agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova . - Overripe fruits take away a lot of nutrients from the plant, but they are of little use - they are no longer very good for conservation and are not suitable for salads, because they are too rough. The rule is this: the more often you harvest, the faster new greens are tied. nine0003

    Rules for storing cucumbers

    Cucumbers do not last long fresh - they can lie in the refrigerator for up to 20 days, provided that the temperature there is about 0 °C. But since it is usually in the region of 4 - 6 ° C, they lie much less. But there are 2 ways to help extend their life.

    In bags. Fold the cucumbers in tight plastic bags, squeeze them to remove air as much as possible and tie them up - in this form, at a temperature of about 10 ° C, the fruits can be stored for up to 30 days, and sometimes longer. nine0003 Photo: pixabay.com

    In egg white. Pick cucumbers with long stalks, wash and dry. Lightly beat the egg white and spread it over the fruit in an even layer. Then hang them by the stalks in a cool and dry place - so they can stay fresh for several months: the dried egg white forms a dense crust that protects the cucumbers from wilting and spoilage.

    – And to prolong the fruiting season, I definitely sow Chinese cucumbers, because they give a harvest almost until the very cold weather, – Svetlana Mikhailova shares her experience. “They are the tastiest, thin-skinned, perfect for fresh salads. And the rest are good mainly for salting. nine0003

    Popular questions and answers

    We talked about growing cucumbers with agronomist-breeder Svetlana Mikhailova.

    Which cucumber varieties are suitable for outdoor cultivation?

    Absolutely any varieties and hybrids can be grown in open ground, both bee-pollinated and paretnocarpic. But it will always not be superfluous to check with the State Register of Breeding Achievements (it is on the Internet) - it says in which regions they are regionalized. If you choose cucumbers specifically for your area, this will guarantee a good harvest. nine0003

    Which varieties of cucumbers are suitable for greenhouses?

    Only parthencarpic varieties can be grown in greenhouses - they set fruit without pollination. Bee pollinators will not work - without insects they will not produce a crop.

    After which crops is it better to plant cucumbers?

    The best predecessors for cucumbers are onions, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and peas. But after pumpkin crops (watermelons, melons, pumpkins, zucchini and squash), they should not be planted.

    What is the best way to grow cucumbers: spread or on supports? nine0037

    Growing cucumbers on supports requires extra work, but this method is better - the less contact the plants have with the soil, the less they get sick. In addition, with this method, cucumbers will take up less space and it will be much more convenient to collect fruits.

    Sources

    1. Pantielev Ya.Kh. ABC vegetable grower // M .: Kolos, 1992 - 383 p.
    2. Fisenko A.N., Serpukhovitina K.A., Stolyarov A.I. Garden. Handbook // Rostov-on-Don, Rostov University Press, 1994 - 416 p.
    3. Group of authors ed. Polyanskoy A.M. and Chulkova E.I. Tips for gardeners // Minsk, Harvest, 1970 - 208 p.
    4. Yakubovskaya L.D., Yakubovsky V.N., Rozhkova L.N. ABC of a summer resident // Minsk, OOO "Orakul", OOO Lazurak, IPKA "Publicity", 1994 - 415 p.

    Formation of cucumbers: how and why it should be done

    Every gardener can get a good harvest of cucumbers. However, for this it is necessary not only to regularly water and feed the plants, but also to form bushes, pinching off extra shoots. nine0003

    There is an opinion that this popular crop can grow and bear fruit perfectly on its own: weaves on the ground as it wants, and pleases us with fruits. You can also grow cucumbers this way, especially bee-pollinated varieties intended for open ground. Only they need to be planted at a great distance from each other, so that there is enough light and nutrition for all the shoots, otherwise the cucumber stems will intertwine and the fruits will rot, lying on the ground. Nevertheless, it is much more convenient to grow cucumbers on a trellis and form them correctly, especially in protected ground, where space is always limited. nine0003

    What gives the formation of a cucumber bush

    How can a bush be formed? nine0005

    There are many ways to form a cucumber bush. The choice depends on the characteristics of the variety and growing conditions. Let us first consider the classic version of formation, which is suitable for both modern bee-pollinated varieties and parthenocarpic hybrids.

    1. In the axils of the first four leaves, all ovaries and shoots are removed, i.e. "blind" the entire lower part of the bush and tie it up to the horizontal trellis.
      2. nine0025 In the axils of the next four leaves, leave all the ovaries and one side shoot, pinching it after the second leaflet.
    2. Pinch off the next 2-3 shoots after the third leaf.
    3. Shoots in the upper part of the bush are pinched after the fourth or fifth leaf, attaching them to the trellis. Stepchildren on these shoots are removed.
    4. The main stem is thrown over the trellis, fixed and pinched after it has grown 60-70 cm from the trellis. On the side of the trellis where the main stem is fixed, the side shoots can be shortened after the third leaf, depending on the conditions. nine0026

    This method is suitable for varieties that produce female flowers on both the main and side stems. However, if you notice that there are no ovaries at the level of 6-7 leaves, only male flowers are formed, you can cut off the main stem, leaving 2-3 of the strongest lateral shoots on the bush. Then you need to attach them to the trellis, and after the fifth sheet, remove the growth points. Cucumbers will be tied on these stems and growing shoots of the second order.

    Male flowers (barren flowers) must not be removed. They are needed for pollination of female flowers and crop formation. nine0003

    Slightly branched parthenocarpic hybrids with a bouquet type of flowering, experienced gardeners advise to form according to the "umbrella" principle. For this method, it is desirable to build not one, but several horizontal trellises in the upper part of the greenhouse.

    1. First, also in the axils of the first four or five leaves (at a level of 40-50 cm from the ground), all ovaries and shoots are removed, i.e. "blind" the entire lower part of the bush and tie it up to the horizontal trellis.
      2. nine0025 Then, up to a height of 1.3-1.5 m, pinch all side shoots after the first or second leaf.
    2. At a height of approximately 1.5 m leave 2-3 strong side shoots and fix them on the trellis. These stems are pinched after 6-7 leaves.
    3. Pinch off the top after it reaches the top trellis.
    4. Shoots of the second order are pinched after the second or third leaf. It is important to ensure that the bushes are well lit.

    Pinching shoots and cutting off leaves should be done with a sharp and clean tool. It is advisable to do this in the morning, so that by the evening the wound of the plant has dried up.

    Should I prune cucumber leaves?

    It is known that the process of photosynthesis takes place in the leaves, as a result of which the nutrients necessary for the formation of the crop are formed. There is a generally accepted rule: near each ovary there should be a leaf that provides nutrition to the greens. You can remove only yellowed, diseased, damaged leaves, as well as those that thicken the planting too much and interfere with the airing of the bush. First of all, it is worth removing the lowest leaves lying on the ground. Then cut off the side shoots from which the crop has already been harvested. Thus, the microclimate of plantings will improve, and the bush will direct all its forces to the development of new shoots. nine0003

    Leaves are cut close to the stem, leaving no petioles.

    What can thick bushes affect?

    Bushes that grow on their own in a greenhouse, without any formation, gradually turn your plantings into an impenetrable jungle that is very difficult to work with: harvest, process, tie up. This is especially true for branched bushes. Thin, elongated lashes are poorly ventilated and illuminated, which can provoke the occurrence of various diseases. nine0003

    If absolutely all the shoots are left on the bush, the yield will not only not increase, but will also noticeably decrease: the fruits will not be able to form either on the main stem or on the side shoots.

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