Basic Cucumber Growing Tips
Want to grow your own cucumbers? Thinking about using chemical fertilizers? First, read about how you can grow things organically and have huge gardening success? Click here to learn more!
Cucumbers are a subtropical plant and require full sun. Cucumbers also require a decent amount of growing space in your garden, so you’ll need to take this into account. If you’re short on space, vertical structures such as trellises can help make up for limited space in your garden. There are also a number of dwarf varieties if you’d like to grow your cucumbers in containers.
Cucumbers are happiest when the average temperatures are around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Plant your cucumbers in the late spring or early summer when there is no risk of frost. Even a light frost can kill your plants.
In general, cucumbers are not picky about soils. However, make sure your soil is well-draining and has a pH of around 6.5. Add plenty of organic compost to your garden soil before you grow cucumbers. This will ensure that they have the proper nutrients to grow strong and healthy. Additionally, your soil will have the proper drainage to let your plants thrive when you add compost. Adding organic compost is really one of the best ways to improve both soil drainage and balance soil pH.
To further increase the productivity of your soil, we recommend that you use an organic fertilizer and a Mycorrhizal root builder. These natural products will boost your plants’ immune systems and make them more resistant to pests and diseases. Mycorrhizal fungi are natural, beneficial fungi that create a sort of second root system for your plants, allowing them to make better use of water and nutrients. You can use the Mycorrhizal root builder early in plant development, but wait to fertilize your plants until the flowers appear. To maximize fruit growth, apply the minimal amount of fertilizer needed.
Applying mulch to your garden can also help your cucumbers. The mulch will retain soil moisture, keep weeds from establishing, and can add nutrients to the soil. Use at least 4 inches of an organic mulch such as wood chips or bark. A permeable synthetic weed barrier can also help to retain moisture and keep weeds out of your garden.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
how long does it take cucumber seed to hatch out of the grow and what signs to look for after planting them.
lars Reply:
March 19th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
@SUEANN,
It takes up to 3 days for a cucumber seed to germinate if you are doing it indoors.
If you plant it outside in the ground, it can take 6 to 10 days for the seed to germinate.
You’ll see the seedling come up, and that’s really the only thing to look for that I can think of. Good luck!
Actually, I planted cucumber seeds this year and tried to start them off in an old egg carton (the cardboard-ish sort, mind, not the styrofoamy ones) and it took them a little over a week and a half to start showing!
These were sitting on the windowsill in the kitchen, with plenty of sunlight. I was certain that they were dud seeds, but with a bit of patience they did eventually pop up.
just planted cucumbers 5 little ones in a bunch,should i have separated them?
—–
If these are cucumbers on the vine, you should be okay. Some gardeners plant vining cucumbers in hills. Just separate the vines as they grow or trellis them to give them space.
You just can´t beat the taste of your own cucumbers! And growing cucumbers is so easy. Picking an all female variety also makes life a lot easier and you don´t have to worry about bitter cucumbers.
I GET GREAT YELLOW FLOWERS AND THEN I SEE THE LITTLE CUKE BUT THEN IT FALLS OFF FLOWER CUKE THEN GONE WHAT THE HAY ?
I have a 3 month old cucumber plant that has a lot of vines, some 5′ long. It has lots of flowers, but no cucumbers.
When can I expect to see some cucumbers on the vines?
Tim from Arizona
I get great yellow flowers and then little cues but after a few days they just fall off. What is the problem?
——
It sounds like the cucumbers are not getting fertilized properly. Try the hand pollinating technique. Here’s a helpful website to learn how: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/hs398.
I picked about 5 cucs this year and all of them have holes on the inside and are kind of dry instead of moist when we cut into them. Do they need more water or what? The plants look great. A big disappointment so far.
——
It could be due to a watering issue or weather conditions. Cucumbers do not grow well in dry conditions. But, also check out this information on pickleworms: http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ag295/html/pickleworm_melonworm.htm.
My sister said, “if cucumbers are left to grow on the ground they will rot” but your site states that they only have to grown off the ground because of lack of space. Is my sister wrong?
——
It is possible for cucumbers to rot if left on the moist soil. A layer of mulch around the plants should help, but make sure you spread it out enough to cover underneath the vines. Using a trellis for cucumbers is a good idea, for space, and also so you can see the cucumbers for harvest and to keep an eye out for cucumber plant pests.