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Growing cucumbers

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Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. There are a number of varieties ranging from green slicers, small picklers, light green, yellow and white, not to mention the “burpless” cultivars and novelty dwarf bush plants.


PlantingSow seeds directly into the ground when soil and air temperatures are around 60 degrees F. Warm soil is necessary for good germination. Plant seeds either in a hill or row. To plant a hill, mound up soil to make a 12′ circle plant 4-6 seeds 1/2-1″ deep. The hills should be 2-3 feet apart in each direction. Thin seedlings to 3 plants per hill. For row planting, thin seedlings to one per foot. Add compost to soil to help retain moisture and provide nutrients. You can have a second planting 5 weeks after the first for a fall harvest. Cucumbers should produce 50-60 days after seed planting.

Care
Cucumbers are shallow-rooted and require uniform moisture throughout the growing season. Water deeply. Hot, dry conditions will produce bitter and poorly shaped fruit. When seedlings are 1 ft. tall and begin to vine, side-dress with compost or a nitrogen fertilizer and mulch to maintain even moisture. Provide a sturdy support such as an A-frame trellis or plant next to a fence for cucumbers to climb on. It will make the cucumbers easier to find and is a more efficient use of space.
Harvest cucumbers every other day. Pick when they are uniformly green, firm and crisp. If left on the vine too long the fruit will become fat, yellow and bitter and will slow down new production. The more you pick the more you get. Do not handle plants when wet.

Pests:
Cucumber beetle is a yellow or greenish yellow beetle with black spots or stripes that feed on the leaves and blossoms. The beetle infects the plant with bacterial wilt which causes the plant to wilt and die when half grown. The beetles are attracted to stressed plants. Preventative: Cover the seedlings with floating row cover until flowers emerge and when the beetle is present spray with Rotenone , Carbaryl or Pyrethrins.

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4 Comments on Growing cucumbers»

  1. I am growing cucumbers for the first time,the plants are coming on really healthy looking and no pests on them,but there doesn’t seem to be any sign of flowering on any have you any idea why this is.thanks.

    If your plant is healthy and growing, it may be just a matter of maturity. They need a certain amount of time to develop and then start to produce flowers. It takes 50-70 days for cucs to be ready to harvest.

    Comment by davinia wilkinson — 9/1/2006 @ 5:03 pm

  2. Why are my straight cucumbers curling. They are suposed to be straight 12 to 14 inches long and they are all growing in a circle ??

    If your cucumber vines are growing on the ground they can have a tendency to curl. They should hang off a trellis or fence to develop straight fruit. Curling can also be caused by poor uneven pollination. If some of the seeds are not pollinated, the cucumber still continues to grow causing a misshapen fruit. If there is anything in the way (vine) of a young developing cucumber, it will also distort to avoid the obstacle.

    Comment by Dave Brashears — 6/24/2007 @ 8:18 am

  3. Cucumbers are flowering alot, but no cucumbers?
    What is wrong?

    The first flowers are usually the male flowers, therefore there is no fruit. If you have both male and female flowers(swelling at the base of the flower)and no fruit then it can caused by several factors. Hot days and warm nights above 70 degrees, dry winds and no wind can prevent cucumbers from setting fruit. Another reason is the lack of bees to pollinate the flower. You can help by hand-pollinating the flowers, take a small brush, q-tip and transfer pollen from the male flower (stamen) to the female flower part (pistil). Another easier method is to take the male flower’s stamen and rub it in the pistil of the female flower.

    Comment by Gary W. Lacy — 7/24/2007 @ 5:45 pm

  4. I am growing burpless hybrid cucumbers. But they are not turning the dark green color. I know you should pick them before they turn yellow, but they don’t seem to green up very well.

    Some hybrid cucs are a lighter green color, it might just be the variety. If they are the right size pick one and try it -better to pick them young than overgrown.

    Comment by Sheri Baker — 8/6/2007 @ 11:59 am

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