Cucumbers: How to Grow Your Own

Summer is the season to go out and enjoy the sun, go to the beach, have picnics with your friends, and grow nice, refreshing cucumbers in your own garden. After all, no summer salad is complete without those fresh cucumber slices, and even drinks and your favorite recipes can be freshened up with a serving of cucumber or two. The good thing about these vegetables is that they actually grow quite fast and if you take care of them well enough, you will even find yourself with more cucumbers than you know what to do with.

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Vining and Bush

One of the things you first need to know about cucumbers is the fact that there is more than one kind. For one, cucumbers can grow in either of two ways. They can grow from vines or they can grow from bushes. Many home gardeners appreciate the fact that cucumbers can grow from vines as this means that even a small amount of space should be enough to yield a lot of crops. Bush cucumbers on the other hand grow in more compact spaces, making them ideal for containers or small gardens.

Prepare your Site

The next thing you want to do is to prepare your gardening site. Cucumbers grow best in an area with full sun. The soil should also be warm, with a temperature of at least 60 degrees to 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and ideally with a neutral or faintly alkaline pH level. Your garden site should also be filled with rich garden soil. To provide more nutrients for your plants, you can mix in some rotted organic material such as compost or manure as well.

Planting Tips

Once you have your site picked out and prepared, you should be ready to plant your cucumbers. Remember that cucumbers love the heat and should only be planted in ideal temperatures. Most often, gardeners will have to wait at least three to four weeks after the last frost of spring before they can safely plant their cucumber seeds. If you want to have an early start, you can also plant your seeds in small containers indoors in as early as six weeks before the outside conditions are more ideal.

The soil should be mixed with compost or manure and the seeds should be planted at least two inches deep. You should also remember to keep proper spacing as cucumbers need at least six to ten inches of space in between the seeds for the plants to grow properly. If you want your cucumber vines to climb, install a trellis made out of wood or wire or anything that the plant can hold on to.

Cucumber Growing Tips

Cucumbers do not really demand a lot of care and they also grow quite fast. However, you can help provide ideal conditions for their growth by implementing the following guidelines.

1. Keep your plants hydrated – Cucumbers are known to want a lot of water and food. Provide the plants with lots of moisture especially during the flowering and fruiting stages. Also, keep the soil moist and water deeply at least twice a week.
2. Mulch – Mulch or use a cover to keep the soil warm. A black plastic bag is often used for this purpose or for organic alternatives, wheat straw, shredded leaves or pine straw should do well. Using straw as mulch has also been found to keep the slugs away.
3. Cover Up – Putting covers on your plants such as plastic or cartons will help get them to a favourable start. The shade helps the plants to grow quicker and the flowers are able to develop sooner. Additionally, covers give protection against insects and other pests. Just remember to remove the cover once your plant starts to flower so that the growth of the fruit is not hindered.

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