How to Grow Cucunbers
by: Hans DekkerThe versatile cucumber (cucumis sativus) is tasty pickled, in a salad, as a salad, in a sandwich, or just eaten raw. How to grow cucumbers depends largely in part on how you plan to eat them. Cucumbers come in over 120 varieties that range from small picklers to large slicers and from dark green to the yellow of the lemon cucumber. They come “burped” or burpless, seeded or without seeds.
Originating in India where they have been cultivated for over 3,000 years, the cucumber is a quick growing subtropical vine. In fact, many varieties of cucumber are ready to harvest after 50 days. However, some gardeners shy away from learning how to grow cucumbers because of their peculiar pollination habits. The traditional cucumber produces both a male (staminate) and a female (pistillate) blossom. Male blossoms appear first and soon drop from the vine without bearing fruit. However, the vines soon bloom again with both male and female flowers and continue blooming throughout the growing season. Cucumber vines bear fruit in abundance as long as you harvest them before they reach full maturity.
Relatives of squash, melons, and pumpkins, there are a variety of ways to learn how to grow cucumbers. Grow them in hills, in rows along a wire trellis, or train your cucumber vines to climb a wall or wooden trellis. In addition to growing directly in the garden, cucumbers make an attractive container plant. The cucumber is an appealing plant with lovely blossoms that permeate the air with the heady fragrance of — what else? — cucumbers!
When getting ready to learn how to grow cucumbers in your garden, it’s best to prepare the soil about a month ahead of planting them. Cucumbers are not good at competing for space and nutrients. Remove weeds and spade in rich organic material. You’ll have plenty of time to do this, since cucumbers are subtropical vines that prefer the sunny days and balmy nights of summertime. Seeds need about an 80F temperature to germinate, but then will do so in four to five days. Although seeds can be planted directly into the garden, cucumbers can also be started indoors for transplanting. If you use peat pots to start the seed, you can bury the whole pot in the garden lessening the risk that you’ll damage the tender vines.
Once established, in addition to keeping the fruit cleaner, a layer of mulch in your cucumber patch minimizes weed growth and helps your soil retain moisture. Although cucumbers hate wet feet and won’t grow in standing water, the more moisture they can absorb the juicier and sweeter they will be.
Harvest cucumbers at whatever size you like, as long as you don’t wait for them to turn yellow (unless they are a yellow variety). Once they begin to turn yellow, they’re past their prime. Flavor turns bitter and the fruit begins to dry out. Besides, frequently picking your cukes will promote more prolific blossoming resulting in larger harvests.
About The Author
Hans is gardener and owner of Gardening-Guides.com and Patio-Furniture-Ideas.com.
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 | Fanfare Slicing Cucumber - $ 1.89 The Cucumber Fanfare, 'Cucumis satiovus (Hybrid)', is an All America Winner. The Fanfare is a semi-dwarf plant that is resistant to many diseases, and is a great slicer. It is almost the perfect cucumber. The compact vines produce over a long period of time rather than all at once like some varieties. They produce quickly and taste great. Do not let cucumbers get too big because the vines stop producing if over mature cucumbers stay on the vine. |
 | Bitter Melon - $ 1.89 The Bitter Melon Short Fu Qwa, Foo-Gwa, 'Momordica charantia', is widely used in the Orient. You will quickly enjoy its bitter flavor. It is refreshing, cooling, and a compliment to beef, poultry, and seafood. The Bitter Melon is also called a Balsam Pear. The bitter flavor of bitter melon is due to quinine, and is a taste that is quickly acquired by adults and kids. Keep the plant moist but not soggy. Harvest the fruit when they are no longer than 6 inches and are still light green in color. |
 | Homemade Pickles Pickling Cucumber - $ 1.79 The Cucumber Homemade Pickles, 'Cucumis satiovus', is arguably the best cucumber available for pickles. Homemade Pickles has a solid and crisp interior that is perfect for 1 to 5 inch pickles. Making pickles at home is easy with Homemade Pickles. This plant has excellent disease resistance, has very high yields, and is ready to harvest early. Do not let cucumbers get too big because the vines stop producing if over mature cucumbers stay on the vine. |
 | Armenian Slicing Cucumber - $ 1.79 The Cucumber Armenian Burpless, 'Cucumis satiovus', is a slicing cucumber that is slightly sweet, crisp, and never bitter. The Armenian Burpless is very long and is best harvested short at 18 inches. Want to try something new in your garden? This is the variety. It has excellent flavor and absolutely gorgeous light green, thin skin. Cucumbers have a shallow root system and therefore require regular moisture. Do not let cucumbers get too big because the vines stop producing if over mature cucumbers stay on the vine. |
 | Lemon Cucumber - $ 1.69 The Cucumber Lemon, 'Cucumis satiovus', is a very good slicer or pickler. The Lemon cucumber is very sweet, crisp, easy to digest and looks just like a lemon. If you love cukes, eat these like an apple. Don't dismiss their unusual lemon-shaped cucumber variety as a simple oddity; the white flesh has excellent flavor, plants are somewhat drought tolerant, and they are a great slicer or pickler. Do not let cucumbers get too big because the vines stop producing if over mature cucumbers stay on the vine. |
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