How to Care for Cucumbers
Tip
When thinning cucumber plants, leave the seedlings which appear healthiest and remove weaker specimens. Cucumbers also respond well to black plastic mulching, which can be applied in spring just after planting. Lay down the plastic over the planting area, cut holes for the seedlings to grow, and then secure the edges with soil and/or rocks. This process may provide an earlier yield than using organic mulch alone.
Warning
Never handle or harvest cucumber plants while they are wet from rain or irrigation.
Cucumbers are warm-weather vegetable plants, which are widely cultivated in the United States as a food crop. The edible fruit of the plant grows on a creeping vine and is sheltered by large, flat leaves. Cucumber plants produce fruit 50 to 70 days after planting, depending on the variety, and are easy to grow in home gardens in most temperate climates. Cucumbers are typically eaten fresh or pickled.
Select a garden site that receives full sun and has well-drained soil. Add a 3- to 4-inch layer or organic compost to the soil before planting, and four cups of balanced 10-10-10 NPK fertilizer per 100 square feet. Use a garden tiller to work the compost and fertilizer into the top 6 inches of the soil. Cucumbers are heavy feeders and need fertile soil rich in organic matter.
- Cucumbers are warm-weather vegetable plants, which are widely cultivated in the United States as a food crop.
- Cucumber plants produce fruit 50 to 70 days after planting, depending on the variety, and are easy to grow in home gardens in most temperate climates.
Sow cucumber seeds directly into the garden once all danger of frost has passed. The seeds will only germinate in warm soil with a temperature of 65 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. Plant 4 to 6 seeds every 12 inches, about ½ inch deep. Allow approximately 4 feet in between rows for the plants to grow. Thin to one plant per 12 inches once the seedlings have formed two leaves.
Apply a 4- to 6-inch layer of organic mulch around the base of cucumber plants after the soil has warmed to at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Mulching is necessary to conserve moisture and prevent weed growth around plants. Use grass clippings, straw, newspaper or bark mulch for the best results.
- Sow cucumber seeds directly into the garden once all danger of frost has passed.
- Apply a 4- to 6-inch layer of organic mulch around the base of cucumber plants after the soil has warmed to at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Water cucumber plants thoroughly once per week. Cucumbers have shallow roots and need adequate moisture throughout their life cycle. Provide 1 to 2 inches of water on any week that doesn't receive at least 1 inch of rainfall. Inadequate water will cause stressed plants and bitter, misshapen fruit.
Fertilize cucumbers only after the plants develop runners, which are thin creeping stems that grow above the surface of the soil, but before they begin to flower. Use ¼ cup of high-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 34-0-0 NPK or similar, per 10 feet of row. Side-dress the plants by placing the fertilizer about 6 inches to the side of the row, and then irrigating into the soil.
- Water cucumber plants thoroughly once per week.
- Fertilize cucumbers only after the plants develop runners, which are thin creeping stems that grow above the surface of the soil, but before they begin to flower.
Harvest cucumbers approximately 5 to 7 days after flowering, before the seeds become hard. Cucumbers are eaten immature, and become tough with age. Do not allow them to remain on the vine too long. Check the plants daily and keep the fruit picked to encourage further production.
Related Articles
References
- Watch Your Garden Grow: Cucumbers
- Cucumbers in the Garden
- Book: Lasagna gardening: a new layering system for bountiful gardens: no digging, no tilling, no weeding, no kidding!; Patricia Lanza; 1999
Tips
- When thinning cucumber plants, leave the seedlings which appear healthiest and remove weaker specimens.
- Cucumbers also respond well to black plastic mulching, which can be applied in spring just after planting. Lay down the plastic over the planting area, cut holes for the seedlings to grow, and then secure the edges with soil and/or rocks. This process may provide an earlier yield than using organic mulch alone.
Warnings
- Never handle or harvest cucumber plants while they are wet from rain or irrigation.
Writer Bio
Willow Sidhe is a freelance writer living in the beautiful Hot Springs, AR. She is a certified aromatherapist with a background in herbalism. She has extensive experience gardening, with a specialty in indoor plants and herbs. Sidhe's work has been published on numerous Web sites, including Gardenguides.com.
