How to grow cucumber

Cucumbers are tender annuals that grow best in

temperatures ranging from 60° to 90°F (15°-32° C).

Sow cucumber seed in the garden or set out

transplants 3 to 4 weeks after the average last frost

date in spring.

The ideal soil temperature for growing cucumbers is

70°F.

Sow cucumber seed indoors as early as 6 weeks

before transplanting into the garden.

Protect cucumbers from unexpected frost or chilly

nighttime temperatures early in the season. Use

floating row covers or plastic tunnels to keep the

chill away.

Cucumbers require 55 to 65 frost-free days from

sowing to reach harvest.

WHERE TO PLANT CUCUMBERS

Grow cucumbers in full sun. Cucumbers can tolerate

partial shade.

Cucumbers prefer loose, well-drained soil rich in

organic matter. Prepare planting beds in advance of

planting by adding 2 to 3 inches of aged compost,

commercial organic planting mix, and aged manure

to beds. Turn the soil to 12 inches deep

Place black plastic sheeting over the planting bed in

spring to warm the soil in advance of planting.

Cucumbers prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Cucumbers

can tolerate alkaline soil to a pH of 7.6.

Set trellises or supports in place to grow cucumbers

up or mound the soil to create a small hill off which

cucumber vines can run. Use a trellis 4 to 6 feet

tall. Create a mound at least 16 inches across and

several inches high; space mounds 4 to 6 feet apart.

Cucumbers are tender annuals that grow best in

temperatures ranging from 60° to 90°F.

PLANTING AND SPACING

Sow cucumber seeds 1 inch deep.

Sow seeds at the base of the vertical support or on a

mound at 6 to 8-inch intervals.

When seedlings are 3 to 4 inches tall, thin to the

strongest plant spaced 12 to 18 inches apart for

vining cucumbers on vertical supports and 24 to 36

inches apart for bush varieties.

Cut weak seedlings off at soil level with scissors to

avoid disturbing the roots of remaining plants.

Set a trellis, tripod, or cage in place at planting time

if you are growing vining varieties. A 12 to 18-inch

diameter wire cage is ideal for growing vining

cucumbers. You can make a cage from a 4 to 5-foot

section of wire fencing or construction mesh.

To grow an early crop, you can start cucumbers

indoors 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost in spring

then transplant seedlings to the garden 2 to 3 weeks

after the last frost.

GROWING CUCUMBERS IN CONTAINERS

Many dwarf or mini-cucumber varieties will grow in a pot

as small as 6 inches wide and deep, larger is better. Check

the description of the cucumber and its space

requirements. ‘Potluck’ is a small growing variety. Larger

cucumbers for containers include ‘Patio Pik’ and ‘Bush

Whopper.’ Use a 12- to 18-inch trellis, stake, or other

support to increase the yield of container-grown

cucumbers.

WATERING CUCUMBERS

Keep the soil evenly moist with regular watering. Do

not let the soil dry out. Cucumbers are about 95

percent water and require regular water for fast,

even growth.

Set a soaker hose or drip irrigation at the base of

plants. Give cucumbers at least 1 inch of water each

week during the summer.

Always water at the base of plants. Moisture on

cucumber leaves can result in fungal diseases such

as powdery and downy mildew.

Leaves may wilt in the afternoon in hot weather; that

is because plants are taking up water faster than

roots can supply.

If plants are wilted in the morning, the soil is too try

and needs immediate water.

Mulch around plants to slow soil moisture

evaporation and to avoid soil compaction caused by

heavy watering.

Too little water or inconsistent watering can cause

cucumbers to become oddly shaped or bitter tasting.

An easy way to measure soil moisture is to stick

your index finger in the soil; if your finger comes

away dry, it’s time to water.

Side-dress cucumbers with compost tea or a dilute solution

of fish or kelp emulsion or a liquid organic fertilizer

every 10 to 14 days during the season.

FEEDING CUCUMBERS

Add aged compost or commercial organic planting

mix to planting beds before planting. Compost has

all the nutrients cucumbers need for fast growth.

Side-dress cucumbers with compost tea or a dilute

solution of fish or kelp emulsion or a liquid organic

fertilizer every 10 to 14 days during the season.

Feed cucumbers with low nitrogen, high phosphorus,

and potassium formula. Be careful to follow label

directions; over-fertilizing can stunt or harm plants.

Side-dress cucumbers at midseason with aged

compost to renew soil nutrients.

Keep planting beds free of weeds; weeds compete

for soil nutrients and water. Cultivate shallowly to

avoid disturbing roots.

More tips: Cucumber Growing .

CARING FOR CUCUMBERS

Mulch around cucumber plants with straw or

chopped leaves. Mulch will help conserve soil

moisture, keep vines and fruits clean. Slugs and

snails find if difficult to move across straw or pine

straw mulch.

COMPANION PLANTS

Grow cucumbers with beans, corn, peas, pumpkins,

and squash. Do not grow cucumbers with potatoes

and herbs.

Cucumbers have separate male and female flowers. The

first flowers to appear are male flowers. Female flowers

have a small bulge at the stem end–as shown here.

FLOWERING AND FRUIT FORMATION

Cucumbers have separate male and female flowers.

The first flowers to appear are male flowers that

will not produce fruit.

Female flowers appear a week or so after male

flowers. A female flower will have a cucumber-

shaped swelling at the stem end of the flower; this is

the unpollinated fruit.

Female flowers are pollinated when bees or other

insects carry pollen from the male flower to the

female flower. Some male flowers may die and

drop before female flowers appear. Be patient or

sow seeds every couple of weeks so that there are

male and female flowers in the garden at the same

time.

To attract bees to flowers, spritz plants with dilute

sugar water.

If plants are in a greenhouse or hoop house where

pollinating insects cannot come or if pollination is

slow or does not occur, use a soft-bristled brush to

hand pollinate flowers; dust the inside of a male

flower then carefully dust the inside of a female

flower. A female flower will have an immature fruit

on its stem, a male won’t.

Gynoecious, hybrid cucumbers require pollinator

plants; monoecious plants with female flowers.

Cucumber fruits hanging from a trellis or vertical

support will grow straight under the force of

gravity.

Cucumbers growing on the ground should be set on a

tile or piece of wood so that the fruit does not have

direct contact with the soil; this will allow

cucumbers to mature with less exposure to disease

and insects.

Cool-weather, rain, and insecticides can delay or

harm pollination.

CUCUMBER PESTS

Cucumbers can be attacked by aphids, cucumber

beetles, squash bugs, and slugs.

Control aphids by hosing them off with a blast of

water or pinching out infested vegetation.

Cucumber beetles chew holes in leaves and can

spread cucumber bacterial wilt when feeding on

plant tissue. Hand-pick them off the vines and

destroy them.

Squash bugs suck plant sap causing leaves to wilt.

Squash bugs will also attack seedlings. Dust plants

with diatomaceous earth around the base of plants.

Slugs can scrape ragged holes in leaves. Spread

diatomaceous earth around the base of plants.

CUCUMBER DISEASES

Cucumber plants are susceptible to scab, mosaic, and

mildew.

Keep the garden clean of debris and weeds that can

harbor pests and disease.

Remove diseased plants immediately; put them in a

paper bag and throw them in the trash to avoid the

spread of disease.

Plant disease-resistant varieties. Look for the

following coding to indicate disease resistance: leaf

spot (LS), anthracnose (A), bacterial wilt (BW),

mosaic (M), scab (S), and downy mildew (DM).

Bacterial wilt is spread by cucumber beetles; plants

suddenly wilt and die just as they begin to produce.

Control beetles as soon as they appear.

Powdery mildew and downy mildew, fungal

diseases, will cause cucumber leaves to turn grayish-

white late in the season. Slow the spread of fungal

diseases by spraying plants with horticultural oil or

neem oil.

To help prevent fungal diseases, plant resistant

varieties, and space plants further apart to increase

air circulation.

More on cucumber problems: Cucumber Growing

Problems: Troubleshooting .

Check and harvest cucumbers daily to stay ahead of the

harvest.

HARVESTING CUCUMBERS

Cucumbers will be ready for harvest 55 to 65 days

from sowing.

Harvest cucumbers as soon as they reach mature

size; cucumbers left on the vine past maturity will

suppress the production of new flowers and fruit.

Check and harvest cucumbers daily to stay ahead of

the harvest.

Slicing cucumbers are best picked when they are 6 to

8 inches long.

Clips cucumbers off of plants with a garden clipper,

scissors, or knife. Pulling cucumbers off plants can

damage plants.

A fruit that turns yellow at the blossom end opposite

the stem is overripe and will be seedy.

Pickling cucumbers–sweet or dill–are best picked

when 1 to 6 inches long. Pick pickling cucumbers

every two days.

Regular dills are best picked when 3 to 4 inches

long.

Burpless cucumbers should be picked at about 10

inches long.

Hothouse-grown English or Armenian cucumbers are

best picked when 12 to 15 inches long.

Cucumbers left on the vine too long will have tough

skins and will lose flavor.

More harvest tips: How to Harvest and Store Cucumbers .

STORING AND PRESERVING CUCUMBERS

Pickling and slicing cucumbers will keep in the

refrigerator for 7 to 10 days.

Hothouse cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator for

1 to 2 days. Be sure the temperature is not too low or

cucumbers will freeze and turn soft.

Wrap refrigerated cucumbers in plastic or store

them in a zipper bag to keep them crisp.

Pickled cucumbers will keep for up to 1 year.

MONOECIOS AND GYNOECIOUS CUCUMBERS:

THE DIFFERENCE

Most cucumbers are monoecious, meaning plants

produce both female and male flowers. Female

flowers are commonly pollinated by insects after

visiting male flowers.

Hybrid cucumber varieties are gynoecious.

Gynoecious cucumbers produce only female flowers.

These plants must be set near a monoecious plant for

pollination or must be pollinated by hand.

Gynoecious cultivars include ‘Conquest,’ ‘Early

Pride,’ and ‘Bush Baby.’

Cucumbers growing up A-frame trellis.

TYPES OF CUCUMBERS

There are many types and varieties of cucumbers. Here

are the differences:

Bush cucumbers can grow 24 to 36 inches tall and

wide forming a compact plant. Bush cucumbers are

well-suited for container growing or small gardens.

Plant bush varieties every two weeks for a

continuous harvest.

Vine cucumbers can grow to 6 feet high or more and

2 to 3 feet wide. Vining cultivars require more space

but produce more fruit. Grow vining cucumbers on a

fence, trellis, or tripods when possible to keep fruit

off the ground.

Pickling cucumbers have thin, pale green skin, bear

fruit early, and concentrate fruiting in a 10-day

period. Pickle cucumbers a few hours after

harvesting for crisp pickles.

Slicing cucumbers, for fresh eating, commonly are

green-skinned and set fruit for 4 to 6 weeks. Slicing

cucumbers include “burpless’ cultivars which are

mild-flavored and easy to digest.

European, English, or greenhouse cucumbers are

seedless cultivars developed for greenhouse growing.

Lemon cucumbers are yellow oval-to-round heirloom

cucumbers. Lemon cucumbers are ideal for a single

serving. Harvest lemon cucumbers just as they turn

yellow; do not wait too long or they will be seedy.

Asian cucumbers are thin, heavily ribbed cultivars;

the fruit grows from 12- to 24-inches long.

Gherkin is a term used for any pickling cucumber;

however, a true gherkin is not a cucumber but the

fruit of a different species, Cucumis anguria .

Cornichons is the generic French term for any small

cucumber.

CUCUMBER YIELD

Grow 2 to 3 cucumber plants per household member

for fresh eating.

Grow 3 to 4 plants per quart for pickling.

Slicing cucumbers include “burpless’ cultivars which are

mild-flavored and easy to digest. Harvest burpless

varieties at about 10 inches long.

CUCUMBER VARIETIES TO GROW

Lemon cucumbers on vine in November.

Cucumbers are divided into the slicing cucumbers for

fresh eating and pickling cucumbers. There are dozens of

varieties to choose from. In the list below “gyn” denotes

gynoecious which produce only female flowers and must

be grown near a monoecios plant; others are monoecios,

they produce both male and female flowers.

Slicing:Ashley (66 days); Comet II (gyn-60 days);

Dasher II (55 days); General Lee (gyn-55 days);

Jazzer (48 days); Marketmore (76 days); Poinsett (65

days); Revenue (gyn-48 days); Slice King (49 days);

Spacemaster (60 days); Speedway (gyn-56 days);

Supersett (53 days); Sweet Slice (62 days); Tasty

Green (55 days); Ultra-Slice Early (56 days).

Pickling:Baby Bush (51 days); Calypso (gyn-56 days);

Conquest (gyn-50 days); Cross Country (51 days);

Edmondson (70 days); Green Spear (gyn-55 days);

Pik Rite (gyn-63 days); Salty (53 days); Spear It

(gyn-52 days); Sumter (56 days).

Burpless: Comet II (gyn-60 days); Green Knight (60

days); Jazzer (48 days); Perfection (60 days); Sweet

Slice (62 days); Tasty Green (55 days).

Greenhouse:Aidas (gyn-65 days); Carmen (gyn-65

days); English Telegraph (65 days).

Container varieties: Patio Pic (50 days); Potluck (50

days); Spacemaster (60 days); Bush Whopper.

Others: Lemon (64 days); Long White (65 days);

White Wonder (60 days).