Cucumbers are vegetables that require little care and are highly yielding once you get them to take root. Read on to learn how to grow chubby, delicious cucumbers in the garden.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Preparation
Step 1. Wait until the soil temperature is warmer
Cucumbers are very sensitive to cold, and even a faint frost can kill them. This is especially true when plants are in the most vulnerable stages of development.
- Typically, cucumbers should be planted between April and May, depending on the region you live in, and when temperatures start to rise. A more precise way to determine when to plant cucumbers is to pay attention to the date of the last frost. In order not to be mistaken, wait at least two weeks after this date.
- The soil temperature should be at least around 18 degrees. Note that the ground temperature can be a little colder than the air temperature.
Step 2. Choose a sunny spot
Cucumbers grow best when they can have full sun throughout the growing period.
- Sunlight is important as a source of nutrition for cucumber plants, which make full use of photosynthesis.
- Sunlight is also important for temperature regulation. Continuous sunshine means a consistently warm temperature for the soil, and the seeds need it to germinate.
Step 3. Eliminate weeds
Dig up and clear weeds from the garden before planting cucumbers. Apart from the unsightly appearance, weeds remove the necessary nutrients from your plants.
- For best results, pluck up weeds with your hands, removing as many roots as possible. If you leave the root, the weed is likely to continue growing.
- Avoid the use of herbicides. Both chemical and organic herbicides can make the soil unsuitable for any plant, making it unsuitable for cucumbers as well as weeds.
Step 4. Fertilize the soil
Sprinkle and mix granular fertilizer into the garden soil to improve its qualities before planting cucumbers.
- Use a transplanter or small rake to chop up the soil before adding fertilizer or whatever. By loosening the soil, you allow these additives to mix completely, creating ideal conditions for rooting cucumbers.
- Rich compost and mature manure are the best natural fertilizers to use for cucumbers. Stir them into the soil to a depth of about 5 cm, and work them gradually to bring them to a depth of about 15 - 20 cm.
- If you use an inorganic fertilizer, choose a slow release one and follow the instructions on the label to determine how much to add to the soil.
Step 5. Balance the pH of the soil
The ideal pH for soil should be slightly neutral to slightly alkaline, so you should have a pH level very close to 7.0.
- Check the pH of the soil with a test kit, available at specialty stores and department stores.
- If you need to increase the pH of the soil, add agricultural silt.
- If you need to decrease the pH of the soil, add sulfur or aluminum sulfate.
Step 6. Improve the soil quality
If the soil is too firm or too sandy, cucumber plants can struggle at root level and dry out, or fail to produce good cucumbers for the season.
- The ideal soil for cucumbers is loose, light, and sandy, as these soils warm up earlier and hold temperature more easily.
- Improve clay soils by adding organic substances. Enhance compact, heavy soils with peat, compost, or decomposed manure.
Method 2 of 3: Planting
Step 1. Choose the best varieties for your garden
In general, there are climbing and bush varieties. The former are more common, but the latter can be better controlled especially if you have little space available. There are also varieties to be sliced or pickled. The former are fine if you want to eat freshly picked cucumbers, and the latter are fine for storage.
- Freshly picked climbing varieties include burpless, marketmore 76, and straight 8.
- Freshly harvested bushy varieties to eat include the bush crop, fanfare, and salad bush.
- The varieties to be made in brine include the bush pickle and Carolina, the latter is to be considered a climbing plant.
Step 2. Start with the seeds
Cucumbers have a very fragile root system, so starting from the seeds is preferable to the transplanting system.
- Transplant seedlings only when necessary. For example, if you want to have cucumbers as the first fruits in the season, you need to start inside first and be very careful when the plants need to be handled to be transplanted.
- Start with the seeds by planting them in small pots placed in heated saucers or by using lamps. Sowing should be done about 4 weeks earlier than when you intend to transplant.
- When transplanting cucumber plants, take all of the structure out of the pot, with soil and all. The soil will protect the delicate roots as you transplant cucumber seedlings. If you try to transplant a cucumber with bare roots, the plant is likely not to survive.
Step 3. Water the soil
If the soil is dry, use a watering can or pump to water before adding the seeds.
- Abundant watering is vital in all stages of growth. Giving the soil water before planting the seeds, however, reduces the risk of dispersing the seeds with the force of water.
- If the soil is completely dry, add more water using a watering can or pump gently.
Step 4. Press the seeds lightly into the soil
Press one or two seeds on top of the soil for 1.25 - 2.5 cm.
- The seedlings should be about 45 to 90 cm apart from each other. Note that bushy varieties can be planted a little closer than climbing ones.
- Alternatively, you can space the seeds 15 to 25 cm apart and thin out when the seedlings reach 10 cm in height. At this point it thins out again until they are at least 45 apart.
Step 5. Prepare a trellis
Most cucumbers, especially climbing varieties, need vertical support to grow. Prepare it right after planting, save yourself some trouble later.
- Cucumbers grow horizontally, being able to grow them vertically will improve air exchange and sun exposure, improving overall production.
- You can use a trellis made from a cage, a fence, or any other vertical structure.
- Accompany the vines in the trellis. As the plants get larger, accompany them into the trellis by rolling up the tendrils.
Method 3 of 3: Heal and Collect
Step 1. Add mulch when the seeds sprout
Covering the soil will limit the return of weeds, keeping the soil warm and in the conditions suitable for cucumbers.
- Organic mulches, such as straw and wood chips, must be done after the seedlings have sprouted and the soil has warmed up enough. Plastic mulches, on the other hand, could be applied immediately after planting the seeds.
- Dark mulch is particularly suitable for keeping the soil warm and moist.
Step 2. Water regularly
Cucumbers need a lot of moisture during their entire life cycle.
- Water thoroughly at least once a week, gently using a pump or watering can. You should give at least 2.5 cm of water at a time.
- Alternatively, install a drip irrigation system to regulate the flow of water. This is particularly useful for keeping the leaves dry, avoiding the risk of fungal diseases.
- Note that adequate humidity is particularly important when the fruit begins to grow.
Step 3. Give fertilizer approximately every two weeks
Use a liquid non-aggressive fertilizer every two weeks to keep soil quality high for hungry plants.
- If you didn't use a granular fertilizer when you prepared the soil, you should use liquid fertilizer every two weeks. Do not use inorganic fertilizer on the leaves or fruits.
- If you gave some fertilizer before planting cucumbers, you should give it more when the suckers start to sprout and the flowers to bloom. If you prefer organic fertilizers, use compost or seasoned manure.
- If the leaves turn yellow, you need a lot of nitrogen fertilizer.
- Note, however, that you don't have to overdo the fertilizer. If you do, you can stop fruit development and reduce the yield.
Step 4. Protect the plants with a net
You're not the only one hoping for a good batch of cucumbers; wild animals in your area are also interested when they smell it. Putting safety nets prevents those a little older from creating problems.
- The net should be tightly meshed to keep rodents and the like away.
- The net is very useful from the earliest stages of growth, when animals could dig into the ground for seeds and suckers. You could also cover the plants with a small berry net at this stage.
- Note that you should remove the net when the plants have grown too large to fit inside.
Step 5. Watch out for pests and diseases
For insects, fungi, and other small pests and diseases, you should use some organic insecticide or fungicide.
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Common weeds include:
- Cucumber beetles
- White flies
- Aphids
- Mites
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The most common diseases include:
- Wilting by bacteria
- Mosaic virus
- Anthracnose
- Fluff
- Peronospera
- Mosaic
- Mange
Step 6. Harvest cucumbers when they are young
The cucumbers to be sliced should be about 15 - 20 cm long. Cucumbers, as a rule, can be harvested from climbing plants without the use of scissors.
- Pickled cucumbers should be harvested when they are about 5cm long and gherkins should be harvested when they are 10 to 15cm long.
- Cucumbers that get too large or too yellow can turn bitter. You shouldn't turn a cucumber on the plant yellow.
- During the peak harvest period, you should harvest cucumbers every two to three days.
