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Growing cucumber
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Two cucumber seedlings
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We consider this to be a very attractive garden plant, which just happens
to be a vegetable. It's trailing vine, big green leaves and long cucumbers
are very aesthetically appealing.
We've been growing cucumbers since the first time we made a half baked
attempt at vegetable gardening. Back then we didn't know a thing about
gardening. We planted the seedlings into unprepared soil, watered them
when we remembered and still got a few good cucumbers. But with only a
little preparation you can have big green juicy cucumbers coming out of
your ears this summer.
Growing conditions
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Cucumbers can only be grown in the warmer months of the year unless
you live in a subtropical frost free climate.
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Grow these guys in full sun and if you're conserving space a trellis
might be handy.
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They like a rich organic soil with added compost and manures. A little
lime in acidic soils will also help them along.
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In a 4 bed rotation system cucumbers
are grown with summer vegies like sweet corn, pumpkins and melons.
Garden care
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It's usually easiest to directly sow your seed where you want your
cucumbers to grow. Create a foot wide mound of soil about an inch
taller than the surrounding soil. Plant 3 or 4 cucumber seeds as deep
as your first knuckle.
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It'll break your heart but it's important to thin the seedlings down
to 1 or 2 plants.
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Cucumbers are very thirsty so keep the water up to them especially
on warmer days.
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Feed them fortnightly with a potash and liquid manure drink.
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The main disease problem with cucumbers is powdery mildew on the
leaves (which eventually kills the plant). Avoid watering overhead
in the afternoon. We've tried a number of 100% organic ways of dealing
with this disease (eg milk and water spray) without much success.
Instead of heading for the heavy duty chemicals we use (an almost
totally organic) wettable sulphur spray. This has done a great job.
Harvest time
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You'll know your cucumbers are ready when they're as big as the ones
you buy from the green grocer or supermarket. Another tell tale sign
is small spikes forming on the skin. These are easily rubbed off.
Cucumbers that are going yellow should be avoided (although a little
yellow where the sun doesn't shine is OK if the rest of the cucumber
is green).
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Using scissors or a knife cut the cucumber stem to minimise impacts
on the plant.
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Remember, like beans, frequent harvesting encourages more flowers,
which means more cucumbers.
Last Updated
17 November, 2008
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