When to grow cucumber

Growing cucumbers in home gardens

Home
Yard and garden
Find plants
Vegetables
Growing cucumbers

Quick facts

Cucumbers grow best in warm weather.
Start seeds indoors in late April for transplants.
Sow seed directly in the garden after soil has warmed, usually in May.
Plastic mulch and row covers allow earlier planting.

A summer vine crop

Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are common garden vegetables in all regions of Minnesota. You can eat them pickled, or raw in salads.

Like other vine crops such as squash, melons and pumpkins, cucumbers grow best in warm weather. Some varieties form long vines that may need a trellis. Others are bush-types that fit better in a small garden.

Soil pH and fertility

Selecting plants

Planting

How to keep your cucumber plants healthy and productive

Managing pests, diseases, and disorders

Many things can affect cucumber plants. Changes in physical appearance and plant health can be caused by the environment, plant diseases, insects and wildlife. In order to address what you’re seeing, it is important to make a correct diagnosis.

You can find additional help identifying common pest problems by using the online diagnostic tools What insect is this? and What's wrong with my plant? or by sending a sample to the UMN Plant Disease Diagnostic Clinic. You can use Ask a Master Gardener to share pictures and get input.

Authors: Marissa Schuh, Extension educator, Vincent J. Fritz and Carl J. Rosen

Reviewed in 2022

Share this page:

Page survey

Recommended Time to Grow Cucumbers | Home Guides

By SF Gate Contributor Updated January 21, 2021

Growing cucumbers isn't difficult if you understand their needs. Cucumbers originated in the tropics and thrive in moist, warm conditions. Depending on your climate, they grow best from late spring to late fall. Cucumbers need plenty of room in the garden. If space is lacking, plant them on a trellis or try compact bush varieties.

Planting Time

Cucumbers are warm-season crops that don't tolerate frost. In mild climates with long growing seasons, plant them outdoors between April and June. In very warm climates, plant cucumbers as early as February or March through July. Plant only after soil and air temperatures are predictably above 65 degrees Fahrenheit. To warm soil and accelerate the planting process, spread black plastic over the garden and secure it with stones or landscaping pins. This raises the soil temperature by as much as 10 degrees. Cut holes in the plastic for the seeds and keep the soil evenly moist through drip systems or soaker hoses.

Growing Season

Cucumbers need 55 to 70 days to grow and produce fruit, depending on the cultivar. To speed up the process, start cucumbers indoors five weeks before outdoor planting time or buy nursery seedlings. Soil type also affects growth. Moist, clay soils produce abundant cucumber crops, but sandy, light soils warm up faster and accelerate harvest times. Both soil types have their benefits and drawbacks, but sandy soils produce a crop faster than clay. Amend very heavy soils with compost or manure to improve drainage and growth.

Harvest

Slicing cucumbers are ready to harvest when they grow 5 to 8 inches long and are 2 inches in diameter. Harvest pickling cucumbers when they are about 3 inches long. Don't leave cucumbers on the vine to grow larger. They become bitter, shriveled and dry, and the plants stop producing new fruits. Twist the fruits gently from the plants, rather than cutting them, which can spread disease.

Tips for Success

A few years ago, cucumbers were plagued by disease and pests, and the fruit was often bitter. Modern growers have bred cucumbers to eliminate most of these problems. Select a cucumber cultivar known to perform well in your area. Well-known varieties include "Sweet Success," "Sweet Slice" and "Bush Champion." Mulch cucumbers with dried grass clippings or black plastic to conserve moisture and plant them in full sun. Shade and dry conditions can cause bitterness. Some cucumber seed packets contain mostly female seeds with a few male seeds, which are brightly colored. Plant both types to ensure pollination.

References

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Time to Plant
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Planting
University of Califiornia Agriculture and Natural Resources: Harvesting and Storage
University of California Davis: Cucumber

Resources

University of California: Fruit Set Problems in Squash, Melons and Cucumbers in Home Gardens

cultivation, planting, care in the open field

Cucumbers are very early maturing crops, 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.

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.

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.

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:

before flowering - once a week;
during fruiting - once every 3 - 4 days, and if the heat and drought - every day.

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:

water strictly under the root - if water gets on the leaves, fungal diseases will begin to develop faster;
water only with warm water - otherwise, at least the ovaries will begin to fall off, and in the worst case, the plants will die, because cold water causes the death of root hairs (3);
Water early in the morning to allow the top layer of soil to dry out during the day - wet soil combined with cool nights lead to disease outbreaks.

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:

2 weeks after germination: 15 g of ammonium nitrate (1 tablespoon), 20 g of double superphosphate (4 teaspoons) and 20 g of potassium sulfate (1 tablespoon) per 10 liters of water - 1 liter per bush ;
at the time of flowering: 0.5 l of mullein, 15 g of nitrophoska (1 tablespoon), 100 g of wood ash (1 glass) and trace elements (0.5 g of boric acid and 0.3 g of manganese sulfate) per 10 l water - 3 liters per 1 sq. m;
during mass fruiting: 50 g of urea (5 tablespoons), 100 g of ash (1 glass) and 40 g of potassium sulfate (2 tablespoons) per 10 liters of water - 1 liter per bush;
2 weeks after the third feeding - 1 glass of ash under the bush.

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.

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.

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.

Growing cucumbers - a modern approach, the secrets of experienced gardeners!

Preface

Who doesn't know how to grow cucumbers? He threw the seeds into the ground, sprinkled them with earth, watered them, and after 35-50 days he gathered the first crispy crop. Everything is so, but this is if we are talking about a basket of Zelentsy. But what if you want to stock up on cucumbers for the whole year?

We select a variety for giving

By investing their time and effort into sowing cucumbers and caring for them, every gardener wants to get a decent harvest. But what to do if there is a small “patch” of free space for a cucumber bed?

The yield of cucumbers, depending on the variety and growing conditions, can reach 500-800 kg per hundred square meters. Excellent results, but not the limit. How about the idea of getting more than 1 harvest per year?

Most of the popular varieties are intended only for greenhouse cultivation and in the open field they cannot please the gardener with a good yield. What varieties and hybrids should be chosen in order to end up with record numbers when growing cucumbers in the open field?

Crispina . An early ripe hybrid, which is not so common in the Russian Federation and many neighboring countries, but is included in the register of crops that are recommended for industrial cultivation. Over the past 25 years, it has remained virtually unchanged and has not been improved, it is perfectly acclimatized in the middle lane and withstands high temperatures and periods of drought well. Suitable not only for eating raw, but also for pickling, salting. The yield reaches 650 c/ha in one season, it is grown mainly in open ground, but is also suitable for greenhouses. Up to 4-5 greens hang on 1 node of the bush, due to which up to 25 kg of products can be collected from one square meter throughout the season.
Zozulya F1 is a variety of Volgograd selection, acclimatized in almost all regions of Russia, is industrial and successfully exported abroad. The yield reaches 400 kg / ha or up to 10-15 kg from one bush in home-grown conditions. Its advantage is excellent resistance to weather conditions, it feels good in hot weather (you still have to water it), it grows in the sun and in the shade. Pinching of lateral shoots is not required, sufficiently resistant to olive blotch, insect pests and many pests characteristic of these vegetables.
Emelya . A relatively new variety that has been on the domestic market for only a few years. During this time, he has proven himself well not only as a greenhouse plant, but also when grown in the garden, as it is resistant to diseases, gives good yields of up to 17-22 kilograms per bush with perfect care. Suitable for canning, consumption at the stage of technical ripeness, salting. It has a fairly dense pulp, crunches when biting, very sweet, for which many gardeners liked it.
Krypton . Hybrid introduced in 2012. Zelentsy have a very sweet taste, juicy, small. They are used primarily for conservation and sale, since each fruit has an excellent presentation and the best characteristics. The yield reaches 35 kg from one bush for the entire season, which is almost a record figure. When grown at home, this figure will decrease significantly, but, nevertheless, the yield will certainly please you! Resistance to various types of rot and spotting is high, treatment with pesticides is required only in some cases.

These were the most popular hybrids and varieties with which you can get a record harvest of cucumbers in your country house. But remember that only 35% of success depends on the variety, and everything else is your task.

Planting cucumbers in the open field and its features

First of all, you need to decide what aisles you will have. They can be made small, about 50 cm, but then a mandatory garter and careful care of the vine are required. It should be borne in mind that the vegetative growth of the vine is quite fast and in a few weeks it can grow up to 5 meters or more. It is best to plant at a distance of 80-90 centimeters between rows.

The planting process is quite simple and there is no need to invent anything extra - just dig a shallow trench (10-14 cm) and put the seeds there. Fill the trench and pour it with plenty of water so that the soil is saturated with moisture, and the seeds can easily germinate. You can still apply fertilizers, but their effectiveness is extremely doubtful at the stage of seed germination. It is best to use a foliar application before flowering or compost well in advance. But this should be done at least 5-6 months before planting, since cucumbers can simply burn out from a high concentration of fertilizers.

Co-seeding is encouraged. Moreover, it will be very useful for a vegetable, especially if corn is adjacent to it. Let us consider in more detail all the advantages of this planting method:

Corn will protect cucumbers from wind and sun, which will immediately affect their yield and development rate.
It will serve as a kind of support and cucumbers can curl along it. This will make it much easier to take care of them.
The shade will retain moisture and the ground will not crack.

It is worth considering that the aisles of corn must be made very wide so that it does not interfere with the harvest, otherwise, 30-40 days after sowing, you will no longer be able to get to either the first crop or the second. The optimal row spacing is 150 cm. At the same time, the row of cucumber should go almost in the row of corn, so that the entire row spacing remains for weaving the stem and for the passage of a person.

Secrets that will help increase the yield

Experienced gardeners grow up to 25 kg from one bush and get more than one green crop, but how do they manage it? In fact, the secret lies precisely in the proper care of vegetables. To do this, you need to learn just a few rules:

Add vine roots. Impossible? Actually, it's easier than ever. When the stem appears from the ground and there are already 3 pairs of leaves on it, it is necessary to do hilling - cover the vine with earth to the first leaf, it can be a little higher. Of course, fill it with water again. Additional roots will begin to appear on the vine, which increase absorption (moisture absorption) and provide the plant with vitality. It is proved that such plants give 40% more yield than without hilling!
Soil loosening. The first 2 weeks of vine growth, it is necessary to loosen the top layer of soil so that more oxygen reaches the roots. Just do not overdo it - the roots are close to the surface, and you can break them. It is necessary to loosen no more than to a depth of 5 cm. The vine will be much better braided and grow longer. As a result, the yield will increase by 11-13%.
Pinching the stem. Have you ever pinched cucumbers? But in vain, since this is the main secret that makes it possible to get record yields. The technology for growing cucumbers does not provide for this procedure on an industrial scale, as it is very laborious. But if you pinch the stem above the fifth leaf, then a large number of side shoots will form, which will give you an excellent crop of vegetables in the end!

By following these simple recommendations, you can increase the number of cucumbers harvested by more than one and a half times. For example, you can treat 2 bushes planted at the same time in different ways, and you will soon see how much vine care can increase the number of collected cucumbers!

Proper agricultural practices are the key to success

Growing cucumbers in the ground is a laborious process, especially if you want to get a yield above the average, and you will not succeed if you do not properly cut the soil. First of all, it is worth noting that mulching the soil with decomposed manure, peat and organic matter allows you to get a larger crop, but only if you do this 1-1.5 years before planting.

The second moment of agricultural technology is harvesting. Do not overexpose the cucumbers on the vine and wait until they "ripe". It is necessary to collect as soon as possible, avoiding their yellowing. The sooner you collect them, the more new ones will be tied - this is worth remembering once and for all. At the same time, you can not damage the vine, because if you step on it, it will begin to supply less organic matter and minerals to the fruits, and they will develop incorrectly.

Watering should be almost constant. In summer, water 1 time in the evening, 1 time in the early morning, or leave the turntable overnight. Do not water during the day - the leaves will immediately burn. Powdery mildew is the main enemy of the cucumber if the summer turned out to be cool. In order not to become a “victim” of powdery mildew, it is necessary to make drip irrigation, or simply put water under the very root so that it does not fall on the stem

The best predecessors for cucumbers are legumes, as they form a large amount of nitrogen macromolecules in the soil during their growth period. Thus, it remains only to add ammonia and phosphorus fertilizers and you will have everything you need to wait for a big harvest of cucumbers. Potatoes, corn, seeds, watermelon, melon and cucumbers themselves are bad predecessors. After them, you need to give the earth a rest or plant beans, for example.

Foliar applications

Cucumbers in the open field need foliar feeding, which will help to significantly increase the vegetative mass and, in the future, yield. Do not confuse foliar feeding and soil fertilization - these are different concepts. Unlike conventional fertilizers, in this case the plants are sprayed with a solution of urea, potassium, iron and other macronutrients. They fall on the leaves and are immediately absorbed by the plant, stimulate its growth, the formation of fruits. The effect is visible after a few days - the leaves become greener, the stem begins to grow, and the fruits ripen.

Top dressing is done 5 times. The first spraying should be done in the third week of growth. For 10 liters of water, 10 grams of potassium, urea, superphosphate are diluted. A tablespoon of sodium humate is added and all this is thoroughly mixed. The mixture for foliar feeding is already ready, then just spray it on 1-2 acres of area. The next 4 top dressings are made with the same composition - 2 before flowering, 2 after with a frequency of 5 days. The last few sprays can be done with a different solution: dilute 1 liter of mullein and 10 grams of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water.