Growing cucumbers
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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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.
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 ??
Cucumbers are flowering alot, but no cucumbers?
What is wrong?
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.
my cucumbers are growing great and have lots of flowers, but my leaves are turning yellow……is it because of the root not getting enough water???????
All the leaves? or older leaves? Do they have spots on them? You don’t mention feeding them. Cucs need additional fertilizer when they start to vine and keep the soil moist for good fruit formation. One *source recommends spraying the plants with kelp when the first blossoms appear.
*Rodale’s garden
Our plants are producing bitter cucumbers - what causes this?
I am planting cucumbers for the first time.The variety on the package said pickle bush.They are now in full bloom and are the size of pumpkins how are they to be used?
Just wanted to add to the information regarding . Reading the comment s left above, in regards to minimizing the bitterness in some cucumbers, be sure to pick the fruits early in the morning before the heat of the day sets in.
Thanks, that’s a good idea
I am growing cucumbers and squash, and tomatoes. All my plants leaves are turning brown a bit and have some holes in them. Is this a disease or bugs, etc.
I am growing cucmbers for the first time. I live in the Bahamas, so I kept the cucumbers in pots & growing up a trellis on a verandah with part sun. I am pleased to report that I have already harvested one lovely tasting cucmber & are looking forward to some more soon! I found them to be very easy to grow.
My cucumbers are blooming nicely, but I seem to have many more male than female blooms. Also, the very young fruit is not looking well. They went from a pale green (the same color as the stem)to a yellowish brown color. On these, the blooms also look unhealthy, i.e., they have turned brown and are beginning to fall off
What am I doing wrong?
I live in Southwest Missouri and, even though I’ve planted resistant bush variety cucumbers, at least one plant seems to have succumbed to mosaic virus anyway. Although I’m still picking, I expect to have to pull it soon. Once I do, can I do a second planting of cucumbers to harvest later?
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My cucumber plants are doing okay with lots of flowers and also what seems to be tiny little cucumbers (less than 1/2 inch long). Some have whithered and die, others are starting to look yellow/brown. Also some of the leaves are turning yellow. It gets watered twice a day (morning before the hot sun and after 4pm) and I see plenty of bees in the area. There’s no sign of other insects. The plants get at least 8 hours of full sunlight. What can be the cause of the death of my potential cucumbers? Is it normal for the some to die for others to grow?
Thanks for your help,
Lasia