Got Cucumber Questions?
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{ 50 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi! I am a Master Gardener for the Rutgers University Cooperative Extension in Bridgewater NJ. I run a vegetable gardening program for 3rd graders in a local school. The children have asked if we can grow cucumbers this year. We generally plant in the first week of April and harvest the 3rd week of June. Our frost date is mid – May. (We are zone 6). Could we start cucumbers indoors, plant them out in May, and harvest by June15? If so, when would you recommend we start the seeds and what variety?
Thanks!!!
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I help out with our elementary school’s edible schoolyard program, and understand the dilemma of the school calendar year versus harvest season. I would like to say yes. But you could be pushing it, especially if you have a later frost.
Here are some suggestions:
1) Sometimes it is a good gardening lesson for kids is that you can’t control the weather. If the cucumbers are not ready for harvest, the kids could have a harvest party shortly after school is out. A pickling variety, a smaller variety, may be a better choice. Also, remember to warm the soil with black fabric or a mulch to get them in the ground as soon as possible.
2) You can also plant cucumbers in the fall. This I’m guessing you know. But, about six weeks after harvest you can plant again. Looks like that may bring you to mid August. If a group volunteered to plant them, it may be perfect timing for the beginning of the next school year. Watering may be a problem, but usually some staff is around or use a timer and soaker hose.
3) Don’t forget you can plant a smaller variety in a hanging basket. They could take them home at the end of the school year. Maybe by letting them take them home, it would encourage kids and parents to garden over the summer.
Let us know how it goes!
why are the cucumbers i grow here in so. alabama bitter?
what will make them sweet?
thank you for your time.
admin Reply:
January 27th, 2010 at 1:50 am
@harry courtman,
Thanks for your question. I answered with a blog post. I hope it’s helpful!
http://www.cucumbergrowingtips.com/what-makes-cucumbers-bitter/
Thanks for the help! I’ll let you know how it goes
what would cause yellowing on the outer edge of my 4 week old cucumber leafs. they are grown hydroponicly in deep water culture in my basement and the temp is 23 degrees and humidity is 32%
My cucumbers are not bitter i get a few off the vine just fine then they start turning yellowish gold whats up with that ???????? I live in Ga.
dear i found curling in my cucumber just like virus on leaves and also round shape fruit on lower side please guide me is it virus or excessive uptak of phosphorus weather does not suit virus condition
I have some cucumber plants in my garden that I was experimenting with before planting the same on my farm. I have used the farms soil which has a ph of 8.5. We are trying to amend slowly with compost. The plants grew up healthy and strong but once they started to spread and flower the leaves started drying from the bottom up and now entire plants have dried up and dying with no fruit. We are in very hot and humid climate with day time temp well over 90s and night times in the 70s.
I have heard that planting cucumbers with other type of vegetables such as zucchini will effectively control bugs in the other vegetable, is this true? which vegetable might this work with?
lars Reply:
April 5th, 2010 at 9:11 pm
@Juan,
That’s a concept called Companion Planting, and it is indeed a real thing that actually works.
Here’s a good Organic Gardening magazine article about it.
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-108,00.html
They recommend Nasturtiums with Cucumbers.
Peas, beets, radishes and carrots are also recommended.
http://www.ghorganics.com/page2.html
Hi, Last year I grew a cuc. in my greenhouse. this was my first attempt. I grew it vetically in a pot, like the tomato plant it was alongside. I only had 5 fruits, I am sure it was because I just do not understand what I have to pinch out, and what I have to leave. the plant remained healthy looking, I fed it regularily. I stopped it when it reached about 5 ft. high. Can you offer any advice. thankyou.
I live in Arkansas and my cucumbers have white skin and are curly. I was hoping to plant some again this year and want to know what I need to do to try and not have the same results?
Can I save my wilted cucumber seedlings?? Last night the temperature here in Raleigh, NC dropped down to 45 degrees. When I woke up this morning my cucumber seedlings (about 3 in) were wilted and drooped over to the side of the container. Are they dead? Is there anything I can do to save them??
Thanks for your help!
I bought a cucumber plant but did not notice until I was putting it in the ground that it was a pickling variety. Will it be good for salads? I don’t plan to do any pickling and my space is limited.
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Any homegrown cucumber is tasty to me. They are definitely going to be smaller cucumbers than slicing cucumbers, so keep that in mind.
Can I stake cucumbers?
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Yes, you can stake cucumbers that grow on a vine, not bush cucumbers. You do not have to stake them, but it’s much easier to see what’s growing when they are growing on a trellis. Also, staking cucumbers can help prevent many pests, diseases, and rot by lifting them up off the ground and off the moist soil.
I decided to grow cucumbers this year. After only a couple of weeks I had good strong healthy storks about 3″ long. Then they all appeared to break about half a cm from the bottom and just died. Was I supposed to support the stem? Will the remaining piece grow back or should I just plant some more?
We have trouble growing cucumbers here in southern Idaho. We buy and plant plants, and they last a week or so, then wilt and die, some breaking off. Don’t know if it’s the soil, or what.
lars Reply:
May 11th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
@Jan Fish,
Have you tried raised bed gardening, or growing in containers?
With either of those, you can have full control over your soil, and you’d be less likely to run into trouble, as long as you have a good spot with at least 6 hours of direct, full sunlight.
My cucumbers are curling. Do you know why they do this and how i can fix it ?
Hi! I planted Burpee Cucumber Picklebush seeds in a seed starting kit on April 26th, and they had been growing really well and strong. The first true leaves were just beginning to sprout, and each seedling was about four inches tall. One day when I came home, the plants were wilted – the stems were weak and rubbery after being fairly strong just the day before, some of the leaves (not the true leaves) were beginning to curl up and die, and they were not standing up straight anymore. I watered them and tried putting them in direct morning sunlight for a few hours every day and they’ve perked up a little bit, but they’re still really weak. What do I do? Should I transplant them now, and if so how and to what?
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Cucumber seedlings are usually ready for transplanting around three weeks. If they perked up after watering, I’m thinking they weren’t susceptible to damping off, which is an early cucumber seedling problem. It’s usually from overwatering or could have been from contamination.
Yes, try popping them in the ground depending on your soil temperature. You may need to hold off or try to raise your soil temperature with black plastic, again depending on where you live. Also, just in case these don’t make it, consider also planting a few seeds in the ground. Usually direct sowing cucumber seeds works pretty well.
i have limited space, thus i would like to grow cucs wtrmln catlp up the side of a section of dog kennling i have will this work,( i had some pumpkins that did it on their own last year) and what is the best across the board fert. for them ? thank you!
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Yes, this should work. But, you will need supports for the cantaloupe and watermelon. Some gardeners use pantyhose as slings to support larger melons. I like an all purpose fertilizer for my garden. I would suggest this organic all purpose fertilizer, especially if there are pets near your garden.
I recall someone teling me to put blue paper or blue plastic under my cucumbers to make them grow better. Have you heard of this, if not what will help them?? I live in NW Pa-raininy and gloomy:(
Can you have too many blooms per plant and would it cause a problem?
What would cause your tiny cukes, that have just started to grow, turn yellow and fall off?
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Having too many blooms on a cucumber plant is not a bad thing. But, what sounds like the case for your cucumber plant is that possibly there are not many male flowers or not enough pollinators. Perhaps, the “tiny cukes” are really the female portion of the flower. And, they are not getting fertilized and falling off. Try hand pollinating and see if things change.
Hello,
I planted small cucumber plants 3 weeks ago, before it got strangely cold in NYC (Down to 45 degrees at night) for about 1 week. The plants don’t seem to be growing very fast a of the few leaves they have some are turning yellow and brown. Should I be worried about them, and start from scratch with new plants?
Any help is appreciated
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Cucumbers like warm temperatures. Cooler temperatures can impact the growth of the plants. Did the plants come back to as the soil and air temperature warmed back up? Don’t forget you can start another crop late in the summer or early fall depending on your climate.
I planted a tomato plant in a nice big pot and I planted cucumber seeds in the same pot. 2 of the cucumber plants came up and are blooming now. The vines are hanging over the pot and it is about 3 ft. to the deck where the vines will eventually reach. Is this okay or do I need to get a trellis? I also thought about putting a chair next to the pot so that the vine can “sit” in the chair. Any ideas or comments?
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Some gardeners grow cucumbers in a hill and do not trellis at all. But, it is really hard to see what is growing. A cool thing to do with a container garden on a deck is to train these vines on the railing. Try moving the pot closer to a railing.
my cucumbers are spreading more than I expected! Can I trim the leaves that are overgrowing smaller plants?
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It’s a better idea to trellis them. Cucumber vines tend to go all over the place. So, trimming now wouldn’t work for the long haul. Set up a trellis and train the vines to grow away from your other plants.
My question pertains to the leaves of the cucumber plant – every time I try to bag the little cukes before they get stung, I have to reach between the leaves and something from the leaves make my skin itch and rashy. Is there something on the leaves that is not good for the skin?
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This is more common than you think. The cucumber leaves are prickly and they become a skin irritant. It can leave a rash on the skin. Try protecting the skin by wearing long sleeves or gardening clothes.
I am growing cucumbers in a Topsy Turvy, and the plants are growing like wild fire. My problem is that some of the stems and leaves just suddenly start wilting and dying. The rest of the plant looks great. I wasn’t sure if cucumbers have this characteristic or if something is wrong with my plants. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for your help,
Judi Williams
I planted cucumbers last year and had wonderful results. Can cucumbers come back the following year? I have been weeding the garden and it looks like I have cucumber seedlings all over the place.
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It is possible that you had cucumbers fall to the ground last year and reseed themselves. Try leaving them there and see how they do.
We have healthy looking cukes, flowering etc., however, when the cuke gets to about 1-2″ they yellow and die… HELP
They are flowering and growing quickly around the trellis.
I live in the Houston TX area. I’ve planted cucumbers in a container garden. Some of my plants have put on little cucumbers, but when they’re about 2 inches long they turn yellow and dry up. Any idea what I’m doing wrong? Thanks
I´m growing cucumbers for the first time. I was told I did not need to pollate this plant. Anyway when the fruit is like a finger it starts wilting ad turns yellowish-gray and falls of. New ones keep koming and I water them enough and give organic fertilizer.
Also some older leaves curl up at the edges. There is no insect in the solarium room were I´m growing them ant my tomato plant is fine.
I´m so sorry to see them all die, I was looking forward to my harvest.
Can you please help me?
yours Steinunn B.
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You will need to help your cucumbers produce fruit by hand pollinating. Here’s more information on how to hand pollinate cucumbers: http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/fruitsetproblems.pdf.
Help?
I’m growing cucumbers for the first time, I was off to a great start, but now the leaves have a white powdery mildew growing on them, I’m assuming a virus? What can I use to stop / kill this powdery mildew?
Thanks,
Jeff
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Powdery mildew is a very common plant disease. You can try a fungicide to treat powdery mildew. Here are some organic fungicides: http://www.cleanairgardening.com/organic-fungicide.html.
my cucumbers are growing the only prblem is that they only get about 6-7 inches long and start turning yellow…
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There are a couple of things that could be causing the cucumbers to turn yellow. If you’re growing a smaller variety (like a pickling cucumber), the cucumbers could be too ripe. Also, yellowing cucumbers can be a sign of too much water, improper nutrient balance, or a virus. Make sure to pick all the yellow cucumbers off the plant, promoting new fruit to set.
I grow cucumbers every year, however, the problem that I am having is that the blossom end is not developing the same as the rest of the fruit, why is this and can it be fixed?
Thanks in advance,
Shirley
My cucumber plants are very healthy, lots of blooms, but no cucumbers. In past years, we have not had this problem.
do you soak your seeds before planting them? if so, how long do you soak them? and do you let them dry out before you plant them??
Help! After years of raising a rather large vegetable garden, I have some creature eating my cukes and my squash. I find shredded, gnawed in-half new veggies! Have not been able to discover what it is. I live in Upstate SC and yes, we have seen deer in our yard, as well as raccoons and an opossum but they have been there with us for several years and I have not had trouble before. I know that cukes and squash are prone to trouble with insect pests and various diseases but I thought they were relatively “immune” from animals who enjoyed them. Any ideas for me? Thanks.
I am growing pickling cucumbers. I have very healthy looking vines. I have one major problem. The vines have had tiny cucumbers on them for a couple of weeks and they do not get larger. These cucumbers are located just in back of a blossom. Why is it that they refuse to get larger? I always thought cucumbers size up very fast.
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Those tiny cucumbers are immature cucumbers that are actually the ovary to the female blossom. They are not growing because the female blossom is not getting pollinated properly. Try attracting honey bees or hand pollinating. Here’s more information on cucumber pollination: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=991&storyType=garden.
I have cucumbers in two seperate beds. The plants that are “sunburned” have produced several cukes already. The vines and leaves don’t look healthy but produce good cukes.My other bed has vines and leaves that are climing all over but no cukes. I prefer to eat cukes not vines or leaves. What can I do to get them to pollinate or make them more attracted to bees? Thanks in advance for your help.
soil needs to be refertilised and needs time for a break,so that soil to get prepare for next crop
my cucumber vines looks great,lots of blooms. when the fruit starts to grow,they only get 2 inches and stop growing.
please help !!!!!
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It sounds like the small cucumbers that stop growing are actually immature cucumbers on the female blooms. They will not grow if there is not proper pollination. You might need to try hand pollinating to encourage the fruit to set.
I am a 4th year gardener, and I am baffled. My cucumber plants look awesome and are producing lots of cucumbers, but when they get big enough to pick, I cut them open and they are almost hollow, with very few seeds, and are rubbery. I have never had this happen before. I hope you might be able to shed some light on this problem for me. Thank you.
What causes my cucumbers to curl and not fill out to the end?
My husband started growing various veggies in our yard this year. We have gotten many cucumbers, but some of them have a wierd taste (i.e. they almost taste spicy or peppery leaving a bad aftertaste). What could be the reason for this?
what causes leaves to turn yellow and thin out
Cucumber plants look beautiful. Lots and lots of large fruit but they don’t turn dark green like the store bought cucumbers. If I let them stay on the vine they’ll get as big as squash. Why aren’t they turning dark green all over?
my plants have all female blossums no male flowers . will the plants poduce male blossums or not at some point. I can’t pollinate them as there are no male flowers.
Hello. I have been trying to turn my brown thumb a bit more green over the past few years. Last year I grew cucumbers in 5 gallon containers with great success. This year I am doing the same but have run into a few problems. I purchased starts from a local nursery and notice that they have four starts per 4″ pot. Should I have tried seperating these or just planted the whole 4″ pot in its entirety into one 5 gallon container. If memory serves me correctly I planted multiple starts in one container last year. Also does this apply to melons. Thankyou for any advice you can give to this confusing dilemma.
This is the first year that I have tried growing cucumbers and everything seemed to be going fine until I went to check on the few that were getting close to being ripe today and one of them had a huge split down one side like the fruit inside just got too big for the skin and it split. I haven’t been able to find any information about it. At first I thought that I just had guessed wrong about when to harvest it and let it get too ripe, but when I cut it open it didn’t look ripe at all. What did I do wrong??
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If it was just one cucumber that split, don’t worry too much about it. But, think back to and see if you had substantial rainfall after a dry period or you recently fertilized. It doesn’t sound like a problem that’s affecting the whole harvest, though.
Why are my cucumbers a little bitter tasting?
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Cucumbers can be bitter if the plant has been stressed and becomes unhealthy. Some possibilities for a stressed cucumber plant can be: plant disease, not enough water, or low fertility. Once the plant starts producing bitter cucumbers, it is likely all the cucumbers from the unhealthy plant will be bitter. Also, cucumbers if harvested too late can be bitter. Try picking a little early and see if that helps produce a good tasting cucumber.
A few of my cucumber plants are producing round cukes…..why?
lars Reply:
July 28th, 2010 at 5:46 pm
@Robin M
Could be several things. It might be incomplete pollination or weather extremes. It might be a second generation from a hybrid cucumber which could cause a funny shape.
This is my first year planting cucumbers – when do I know that the fruit is ready to pick? Should they look like I see them in the grocery store? I have a large fruit, but it still seems very light so I’m not sure if it’s ready.
Thanks so much!
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The variety or use of the cucumber will depend on when to harvest. Slicing cucumbers grow longer than pickling cucumbers. Here’s a helpful website with when to pick cucumbers for common garden varieties: http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1608.html.