Cucumbers – How to Plant, Grow, and When to Harvest
Learn How to Grow Cucumbers in the Garden
Cucumbers – How to Plant, Grow, and When to Harvest. Cucumbers are tropical vegetables that need hot weather and plenty of water for a bountiful crop. They hate the cold so they shouldn’t be planted in the garden until the soil reaches a temperature of at least 70 degrees.
This delicious veggie comes in 2 types – Vining Cucumbers (my preference) as they grow off the ground supported by trellises or plantings of corn and sunflowers. Trellises can be made from wooden stakes, fencing, cages, or whatever you have laying around. I’ve gotten creative and made mine out of PVC piping with rope strung vertically so the runners can climb upwards. AND the Bush Cucumbers which are more compact and sprawl on the ground.
where to plant cucumbers and soil preparation
WHERE TO PLANT CUCUMBERS AND SOIL PREPARATION
Cucumbers need full sun – so make sure to plant them where they will get 8 hours of sun a day. They also need well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. This can be achieved by amending your soil with several inches of aged compost or other rich organic matter before setting the seeds or seedlings out. This will also help create a good root environment for a bountiful harvest.
WHEN TO PLANT CUCUMBERS
Cucumber Seedlings – You can extend your cucumber growing season if you start your plants indoors, which should be done 3-4 weeks before planting them outside. You can pre-warm the soil prior to planting by covering the rows with black plastic.
Cucumber Seeds – direct sow the seeds every six inches. Once they start growing thin them out as follows:
Trellis Cucumber space to 12″ apart
Bush Cucumbers sprawl on the ground so space them 36-60″ apart.
CARING FOR CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers are pretty easy to grow and don’t need much care. But what they will need is at least 1″ of WATER per week, preferably 2″, and FERTILIZER with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Get some organic plant food with the first number lower than the last two (for example 3-4-6). Feed them at the time of planting, 1 week after bloom, and every 3 weeks afterward, by adding the fertilizer directly to the soil around the plants.
MULCHING is best done to keep the soil warm, keeps the fruits clean, and helps to keep slugs and beetles away. This can be done with pine straw, wheat straw, chopped leaves, or grass clippings.
CUCUMBER COMPANION PLANTING
Cucumbers can be planted beside asparagus, beans, brassicas, celery, corn (can be used as their trellis), dill, kohlrabi, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, sunflowers (can be used as their trellis), and tomatoes.
AVOID planting cucumbers near melons (both encourage the same pests), potatoes (they compete for nutrients and water, and also encourage potato blight), and sage (will stunt their growth).
WHEN AND HOW TO HARVEST CUCUMBERS
Cucumbers are ready to harvest when they’re big enough to use. Once you start seeing them get to decent sizes, watch them as they will grow quickly. Some things to watch for – if they get too big they will be bitter and stop the vine from producing, AND if you start to see yellow at the bottom they are becoming overripe.
Harvesting should be done with scissors, a clipper, or a knife, and by cutting the stem right above the fruit. Don’t pull them off or you may damage the vine.
And there you have it – the low down on Cucumbers – How to Plant, Grow, and When to Harvest. I hope you find the above information useful and it helps you to achieve a bountiful kale crop this growing season. Enjoy 🙂 AND AS ALWAYS – HAPPY GARDENING
BONUS – 7 Tips for Growing Cucumbers by Kris Wetherbee
– plenty of water
– mulch
– afternoon shade if your temps are in the high 90’s
– sunlight and good soil
– fertilizer
– no weeds
– row covers or caps when seeds are just starting out
