Cucumbers are one of summer’s most refreshing treats.
Their crisp, cooling flesh makes them the perfect addition to salads, beverages, sandwiches, and more.
And with the right care, it’s easy to grow an ample supply of cucumbers right in your own backyard garden or patio containers.
If you’re new to cucumber growing or just want to up your cucumber cultivation game, this comprehensive guide covers everything you need for a successful crop.
From selecting varieties to planting, training, troubleshooting problems, harvesting, and storage, we’ll walk through each step to ensure you enjoy an abundant harvest of crisp, flavorful cucumbers.
Choosing The Best Cucumber Varieties is Key
With their diversity of shapes, sizes, and even skin colors and patterns, there’s a perfect cucumber variety for every garden and taste preference. Here are some of the most popular types to consider:
Slicing/Fresh Eating Cucumbers
• Straight 8: Prolific yields of straight, 8-inch cukes on compact vines
• Marketmore 76: Reliable producer of 8-9 inch, dark green fruits
• Persian: Crisp, burpless cucumbers grow 5-8 inches long with sweet flavor
• Diva: Attractive, nutritious cucumbers with distinctively sculptured light green ridges
• Suyo Long: Pale green, burpless cucumbers can reach up to 15 inches long
Pickling Cucumbers
• Boston Pickling: Heavy yields of 3-6 inch cukes perfect for pickling
• Sumter: Productive plants bear crisp, blocky pickling cukes
• Calypso: Gherkin-type pickling cukes with premium flavor
• Bush Pickle: Compact vines yield 4-inch picklers
Specialty Cucumbers
• Lemon: Rounded, lemon-shaped fruits with a deliciously mild flavor
• Armenian: Long, slender cukes with wonderfully crisp, sweet flesh
• Poona Kheera: Russet-colored fruits from India boast incredible crunch
• Mexican Sour Gherkin: Tiny, oval cukes pack big flavor and crunch
With so many delicious options, you will want to choose two or three varieties to grow. Consider your garden’s available space, whether you want pickling or slicing cukes, and any special flavor preferences.
Planting Cucumbers
Getting cucumbers off to a strong start is critical for productive plants. Here are some tips for sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings:
When to Plant
Wait until after your final spring frost date and soil temperatures reach at least 65°F before direct sowing cucumber seeds or transplanting seedlings. This warm soil is essential for good germination and growth.
Seeds vs. Transplants
You can start cucumber plants from seeds sown directly in the ground or by transplanting seedlings started indoors about 2-4 weeks earlier. Transplants allow you to get a slight head start, but direct seeding is simple and avoids transplant shock. Use row covers or low tunnels to keep planted seeds and seedlings warm.
Spacing and Support
Space seeds or transplants for vining varieties every 12-24 inches in rows spaced 5-6 feet apart. Or plant in hills of 2-3 seeds spaced 3-4 feet apart in all directions. Provide trellises, cages, or netting for vining types to climb on. Bush varieties can be planted more closely in hills or rows spaced 2-3 feet apart.
Amend Soil Properly
Incorporate several inches of compost, aged manure, or other organic matter into planting beds ahead of time to enrich the soil. This gives plants the nutrient boost they need for healthy growth and high yields. Avoid excess nitrogen, which promotes leaf growth over fruiting.
Water Deeply
Once planted, water seeds or transplants thoroughly, providing about 1 inch of moisture. Keep soil consistently moist, watering 1-2 inches per week, depending on rainfall. Inconsistent moisture can lead to bitter or stunted fruit.
Providing Ideal Growing Conditions
For peak production, cucumbers need premium care and the right growing environment. Follow these tips:
Full Sun
Plant cucumber vines where they’ll receive at least 8 hours of direct sunlight each day. The more sun, the better your yields will be. A spot that gets hot afternoon sun is ideal.
Warm Temperatures
Besides warm soil at planting time, cucumbers produce best with warm air temps between 70-90°F. Once summer heat arrives, provide partial afternoon shade to prevent stunted growth.
Steady Moisture
As mentioned, consistent moisture is key. Soak soil thoroughly once or twice a week instead of light, frequent waterings. Apply mulch to retain soil moisture and suppress weeds.
Feed Plants
About a month after seedlings emerge, provide plants with a balanced vegetable fertilizer or side dressing of compost or manure. Reapply when vines begin setting fruit.
Support Vines
Don’t let sprawling cucumber vines sit on the ground! This can lead to diseases, fruit rot, and reduced air circulation. Use trellises, netting, cages, or A-frame structures.
Pollination
Cucumbers produce separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Female flowers have immature fruits behind the blooms. Bees and other pollinators are needed for fertilization and fruit set. Hand pollinate if needed.
Pinch Vines
Once vines reach 3-4 feet long, pinch out the growing tips to force out side shoots and increased fruiting potential. Continue pinching overly vigorous vines.
Common Cucumber Plant Problems
There are a number of cultural, environmental, pest, and disease issues that can impact your cucumber crop. Learn to identify and address them:
- Bitterness: Stress from drought, excess heat, and uneven moisture leads to high levels of cucurbitacins that make cukes taste bitter. Promote steady growth and hydration.
- Misshapen or Underdeveloped Fruit: Poor pollination or cool temps, under 55°F at bloom time, are often causes. Hand pollinate, remove affected fruits, and cover plants on cool nights.
- Mildew and Fungal Diseases: Humidity, overcrowding, and poor air flow can lead to downy and powdery mildew, anthracnose, fusarium wilt, and other fungal issues. Practice crop rotation, prune vines, and apply approved fungicides as needed.
- Cucumber Beetles: These yellow and black striped or spotted pests spread bacterial wilt and mosaic viruses as they feed. Use row covers, handpick beetles, apply neem oil or approved insecticidal sprays.
- Squash Bugs: Huddled gray masses of these pests on leaves can cause widespread damage and wilting. Hand pick egg clusters and bugs and spray neem on undersides of leaves.
- Environmental Problems: Blossom end rot is caused by uneven moisture and calcium deficiency. Leaf yellowing and slowed growth may indicate nitrogen shortage or overly cool conditions.
You should always be vigilant about monitoring your plants and promptly treating any problems that arise. With the proper care and vigilance, most cucumber issues can be resolved or prevented.
Harvesting Cucumbers
In general, cucumbers are ready to harvest 50-70 days after planting seeds or 35-55 days from transplanting – though times can vary a bit by variety. Here are some tips:
• Harvest cucumbers when they reach the desired size for your chosen variety. Don’t allow them to over-mature or get oversized and bitter.
• Check vines daily in peak season. Cucumbers can quickly go from prime to over-mature on the vine.
• Use a sharp knife or pruner to cut the cucumber stem about ¼ inch above the fruit.
• Take care not to damage the vine or plant when harvesting.
• Pick cucumbers regularly, as vines will stop producing if fruits are left on too long.
• Harvest in the morning after dew has dried for the longest storage potential.
• Chill cucumbers soon after harvest to increase shelf life.
You Will be amazed at how prolifically cucumber plants produce once they get going! Keep up with daily harvests, and you’ll have more than enough cucumbers to eat, share, and put up for later.
Curing and Storage
To store cucumbers for extended use, curing, and proper storage are important. This extends shelf life up to 4 weeks.
- Curing: After harvest, spread cucumbers out in a shaded, warm area like a greenhouse, porch, or sunroom for 10-12 hours. This allows them to dry slightly.
- Cold Storage: Transfer cured cucumbers to plastic storage bags or containers and refrigerate at 50-55°F.
Pickling Cucumbers
If you’ve grown pickling cucumbers, you will want to make use of your harvest bounty! Pickling is a great way to preserve cucumbers for year-round enjoyment. Here are some tips:
Use Pickling Varieties
Stick to cucumber varieties bred specifically for pickling, such as Boston Pickling, Sumter, Calypso, and more. Their thick, crunchy texture and smaller size (usually 3-6 inches long) makes them ideal picklers.
Pickle at Peak
For crispest pickles, use cucumbers within 24 hours of harvest when they’re at peak freshness and crunch. Overripe or overly large cucumbers can get mushy after pickling.
Saltwater Soak
Before pickling, soak cucumbers for 1-2 hours in saltwater (2 tbsp salt per quart of water). This draws out extra moisture for better crunch. Rinse and drain well after soaking.
Pickle Recipes
There are countless pickle recipes to explore, from old-fashioned dill chips and spears to bread and butter chips, sweet pickles, and more. Get creative with added ingredients like garlic, peppers, or herbs.
Storage
Once packed in jars with pickling brine, seal lids and process according to recipe times for shelf-stable pickles that keep for up to 1 year. Or refrigerate for up to 6 months.
Cucumbers love summer’s heat and sun! With the right planting, care, and maintenance, you will have all the crisp, fresh cucumbers you need for eating, pickling, and more.
Growing Cucumbers in Containers
Don’t have enough open garden space for cucumbers? No problem! These prolific plants also thrive in patio containers, hanging baskets, or grow bags on balconies, decks, and porches.
Container Qualities
For best results, choose containers at least 12-24 inches wide and 8-12 inches deep. Drainage holes in the bottom are essential. Glazed ceramic, plastic, fabric, or wood containers all work well.
Soil Mixture
Use a premium quality potting mix blended for vegetable growing. Add in compost, aged manure, or slow-release fertilizer to provide ample nutrients over the growing season. Proper soil equates to better production.
Bush vs Vining Types
Both bush and vining cucumber varieties can be grown in containers, though bush types stay more compact. For vining types, choose smaller space-saving varieties like Lemon, Mexican Sour Gherkin, or Patio Snacker.
Support Systems
Install a small trellis, tomato cage, or stakes in the container for vining types to climb up as they grow. This prevents spilling over container sides and allows for easier harvesting.
Watering Needs
Container-grown cucumbers require daily or every-other-day watering to keep the soil evenly moist but not saturated. Feel the potting mix and water whenever the top 1-2 inches begin drying out.
Consistent moisture is vital for preventing bitter or stunted fruits. Using self-watering containers can make watering easier.
Sunlight Exposure
Just like in-ground cucumbers, provide at least 8 hours of direct sunlight daily, keeping plants in a bright, sunny location. South or west-facing decks and patios work well.
Fertilizing
Every 2-3 weeks, provide container plants with a water-soluble vegetable fertilizer or compost tea for a nutrient boost. Look for a balanced fertilizer to promote both foliar growth and fruiting.
Container Benefits
Besides their portability and space-saving attributes, container cucumbers have some other advantages. Their contained root zone results in reduced vine spread, so plants are easier to manage. There’s also less risk of soilborne diseases.
With proper planting and attentive care, you can enjoy plentiful harvests of fresh cucumbers from the convenience of your own patio, balcony, or deck! So don’t let lack of gardening space deter you from growing these garden favorites.
Troubleshooting Cucumber Problems
As mentioned earlier, there are some common cultural, environmental, and pest issues that can affect cucumber productivity and plant health. Let’s look at identifying and resolving some of these in more detail:
Bitter or Off-Flavored Fruits
If your cucumbers develop an unpleasantly bitter, rough, or pithy texture and flavor, it’s likely due to stress from any of these causes:
• Uneven moisture from drought or excessive rains
• Excessive heat and drought
• Cold drafts or temperatures below 50°F during fruit development
• Delayed, inadequate pollination
• Over-maturity and large size
To avoid bitter cukes, mulch plants to retain moisture and provide consistent watering, between 1-2 inches per week. Use row covers to protect from cold temps. Practice vigilant harvesting every 1-2 days at peak season so fruits don’t become over-mature.
Poor Pollination
Proper transfer of pollen from male to female flowers is essential for cucumber fruit to form and develop properly. Signs of poor pollination include:
• Misshapen, bulbed, or curved fruits
• Stunted or underdeveloped fruits
• Few fruits setting despite abundant flowers
To improve pollination, attract more bees and pollinators to the garden with pollen and nectar-rich flowers. Hand pollinate in mid-morning by transferring pollen from male to female flowers using a soft brush or cotton swab. Grow disease-resistant cucumber varieties.
Powdery Mildew
A white, powdery fungal coating on leaves, stems, and fruits is one of the most common fungal diseases afflicting cucumbers. It thrives in humid conditions and can quickly spread, causing poor growth and yield loss.
To prevent and treat powdery mildew:
• Ensure good air circulation by proper spacing, pruning, and support
• Plant resistant varieties like County Fair, Diva, Salad Bush, etc.
• Avoid powdery mildew hosts like lilacs, phlox, and monarda nearby
• Apply neem oil, sulfur, or other approved fungicides as needed
• Destroy all infected plant debris after the season
Mosaic Virus
The mottled yellow and green patterns on leaves are characteristic of mosaic viruses spread by aphids and cucumber beetles. Plants may appear stunted, malformed, or fail to produce. There’s no cure, so prevention is key:
• Scout for and control cucumber beetles and aphids
• Use row covers to exclude pests before bloom time
• Grow varieties bred with resistance like Diamant, Marketmore 80, Khassib
• Remove and destroy infected plants promptly to prevent spread
With some watchful pest and disease control measures, cucumbers can thrive throughout the summer without being bothered by these issues.
There are so many rewards to growing cucumbers, from their productive yields for fresh eating and preserving, to their attractive climbing vines and flavorful crunchy fruits.
Provide these heat and sun-loving plants with their simple but essential needs, and they’ll pay you back with a bountiful harvest! What are you waiting for?
Start planning your cucumber crop today.
