Cucumbers are warm-season plants. Some form long vines that can climb a trellis; compact bush varieties fit more easily into a small garden. Pickling cucumbers are also tasty when eaten fresh.
- Sow seed after the last frost, once the soil is warm. Cucumber seeds do not germinate well in cold soil.
- Plant seeds about ½ inch (1.25 cm) deep. Thin vining plants to stand about 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm) apart, or follow the spacing on the seed packet.
- You can also sow three or four seeds together in a small mound called a hill. Leave plenty of room between hills for the vines.
- A trellis saves space and keeps fruit straighter. Put it in place early so you do not disturb the roots later.
- Check soil moisture often. Cucumbers generally need about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water each week. Water the soil rather than the leaves when possible.
- Once flowers open, bees and other insects may be needed for pollination. If you used a row cover for warmth or pest protection, remove it when flowering begins unless your variety produces fruit without pollination.
- Harvest often, before cucumbers become oversized and yellow. Leaving very large fruit on the vine can reduce the plant’s yield.
- A soil test is the best guide to fertilizer. If you use a garden fertilizer, follow its label and never use a lawn “weed and feed” product on vegetables.
- Before eating a cucumber, wash it thoroughly under fresh, cool, running water—even if you plan to peel it. Produce wash or soap is not needed.
Fascinating Facts!
- Botanically, a cucumber is a fruit because it develops from a flower and contains seeds.
- Cucumbers belong to the same plant family as squash, pumpkins, melons, and watermelons.
- A cucumber plant usually grows separate male and female flowers. The tiny cucumber-shaped swelling beneath a female flower is the ovary that may develop into fruit.
- The first flowers are often male, so it is normal for them to fall without producing cucumbers.
- Cucumbers contain a great deal of water, which gives them their crisp, refreshing texture.