Here are my top cucumber gardening tips, because every salad needs a home-grown cucumber, and I love making cucumber water and cucumber martinis.
- You might be wondering, “How much sun do cucumbers need?” Plant them where they will get full sun; at least 8 hours of direct sunlight. When in a hot climate afternoon shade is best so they get partial shade.
- Space plants 3’ apart and rows 4-5’ apart and make sure they have plenty of good drainage. Cucumbers need uncrowded space to grow, and it helps keep the pests at bay as well.
- When planting cucumbers, add plenty of compost and aged manure to the soil. After the cucumber vines and first flowers develop, they’ll need a side dressing of compost and organic matter.
- If yellow leaves appear, your plant may need more nitrogen. Nitrogen-rich fertilizer or coffee grounds will do the trick.
- Trellising helps to keep fruit available for quick harvesting. Trellised cucumbers are cleaner and grow straight and more uniform.
- They need between 1 and 2 inches of water per week but keep the soil slightly moist at all times. Water deeply about once or twice a week and more often if you’re gardening in sandy soil.
- Cucumber beetles will attack plants and spread wilt. Cover plants early with row covers, but once flowers form you must remove for pollinators.
- Fertile soil should have a pH between 6.0 and 7.0.
- The more you pick cucumbers, the longer they will produce.
- To harvest your cucumbers it is best to use a knife or shears. Grasp the fruit and cut the stem 1/4 inch above it.
Before long you will be pickling and slicing cucumbers that you grew in your very own garden!
Additional Cucumber Gardening Tips:
Harvest your cucumber varieties; American slicers are generally best when harvested at 6 to 8 inches long; Middle Eastern types such as ‘Amira’ at 4 to 6 inches; most picklers at 3 to 5 inches; and Asian varieties at 8 to 12 inches.
If your cucumbers taste bitter, remove the ends, that seems to be where most bitterness is contained.
Danger of frost comes when the soil temperature gets below 55 degrees fahrenheit. You’ll want to plant after the last seasonal frost has passed but if you can’t you’ll need to cover them with light fabric or paper.
Don’t miss my other Gardening Tips:
10 Tips for Growing Green Beans
10 Tips for Growing Blackberries
10 Tips for Growing Brussels Sprouts
10 Tips for Growing Melons {coming soon}
My cucumber leaves turn to yellow after a few days? can you help me how to solve this problem ?
Cucumbers are my favourite and I’ve always wanted to have a go at growing them but I thought it would be a bit too advanced for me. I’ll definitely be giving it a try with this guide though! Thanks so much for sharing your tips!
You should definitely give them a go Eric. Nothing better than a sun ripened cucumber.
Cucumber plants plants like to be on their own? is that right?
Do you mean not planted next to each other? I plant them about 2′ apart, but you should follow the instruction card that comes with your plant, if you are a first time gardener.
Thanks for this post.