How to Grow Cucumbers

 Home Grown Cucumbers

  luv2garden.com  - Abigal Gordon's Gardens ®

Planting Cucumber Trellises	Companion Planting Harvest & Storage
Fertilizer and Soil	Cucumber Insect Problems
Watering Cucumbers	Cucumber Disease Problems
Cucumber Seeds

Cucumbers, relatives of squash, melons, and pumpkins are a nutritious and tasty fruit [veggie-fruit], and are a good source of many essential minerals. They are also said to help aid digestion and constipation. Many people use cucumbers on their skin as a beauty aid, a cleansing cosmetic to soften and whiten. Cucumber juice is used in  beauty products

 

Cucumbers can be planted directly from seed, or from transplanted seedlings. Place cucumber transplant or Seeds outside only after the danger of frost has passed in your region  In USDA zone 4 and north [USDA Zone Map], though, you'll need to use short-season varieties and utilize cold frames.   I generally plant my seeds indoors , in peat pots several weeks before moving them outdoors, this practice leaves time for a second planting for fall harvest in mid- to late summer.

Loose, sandy loam soil is preferable, but cucumbers are a highly adaptable plant and will thrive in any well drained soil. Remove rocks, large sticks and trash before preparing the soil. Leave fine pieces of plant material such as dead grass and small weeds. They will help enrich the soil when turned under.

About a month ahead of planting, Spade the soil to a depth of 8 to 12 inches. This is about the depth reached by most shovels or spading forks, and is ideal for growing cucumber transplants.

Plant cucumber seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep and thin the seedlings to one plant every 12 inches in the row or to three plants every 36 inches in the hill system.   Plant cucumber transplants 1 to 2 feet apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart when they have two to four true leaves

 Don't allow the transplants to become overgrown within the containers this will hinder the transplant and adaptation process. Cucumber vines have shallow roots and require ample soil moisture at all stages of growth. When fruit begins to mature, adequate moisture becomes essential in growing cucumbers.

For best yields, incorporate compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the vines begin to develop. A cucumber fence or similar support is also recommended Cucumber plants in individual peat pots or cell packs experience little or no transplant shock and become established quickly.

Tip: Pinch off the growth tip of the plants after they have developed 6 or 7  true leaves. This will encourage the production of side shoots