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Do you “relish” the idea of growing your own cucumbers at home? If so, read on to find out how to grow this refreshing culinary veggie in your own home garden.
Types of Cucumbers
There are nearly 100 varieties of cucumbers grown all over the world, each with their own unique taste and nutrition profile. There are even cucumber varieties that are white, yellow and orange-skinned and some heirloom varieties like lemon cucumbers that are oval or round in shape!
While that may seem overwhelming, it’s less complicated than you think. Overall, there are three main types of cucumber: pickling, slicing, and seedless (or burpless), each consisting of numerous cultivars. Let’s explore each type in more detail!
Pickling Cucumbers: These cucumbers, sometimes called ‘picklers’, are specifically bred with characteristics making them ideal for pickling (think gherkin!). For instance, these cucumbers are uniform in their length to diameter ratio, are shorter (up to 6 inches or 15 cm long), thicker, less-regularly shaped, with lower moisture content and have thinner skin, which is bumpy. These can also be eaten fresh and are delicious as they have smaller seeds, a sweet flavor and skin that isn’t tough. Some examples are Kirby and Northern Pickling.
Slicing Cucumbers: These cucumbers are grown to eat fresh, though smaller ones can be pickled. In general, they are longer (up to 12 inches or 30 cm long), smooth-skinned, and uniform in color with tender flesh and thick skin. Some examples are Armenian and Tyria.
Burpless Cucumbers: Also known as seedless, these cucumbers are sweeter, have thinner, delicate skin, and as the name suggests are nearly seedless. They are commonly grown in greenhouses, and are sold shrink-wrapped in plastic in grocery stores. The name ‘burpless’ refers to the fact that the seeds and skin of other varieties are said to give some people gas! These cucumbers do not contain cucurbitacins – bitter tasting compounds found in the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes squash, gourds, zucchini, cucumbers and melons. Some examples are English and Persian (Lebanese).
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Getting Started
Success depends on picking the right variety of cucumber. If you plan on only growing a couple of plants, make sure to choose a cultivar that is “parthenocarpic” as these varieties can produce fruit without pollination. Other varieties may require you to plant seven plants or more to ensure that at least one of them is able to fertilize the others and some varieties require insects for pollination so you need to make sure you can attract pollinators. Depending on spacing requirements, you may have a preference of bush cucumbers versus vining plants. And, of course there is taste to consider – do you want pickling or slicing cucumbers? Do you like small cucumbers or larger types? Some varieties mature early and some are quick-producers. Most importantly you need a type of cucumber that will grow well in your area ensuring high yields. If you can’t decide, you could always plant a mixture, with the added bonus of potentially extending your growing season.
Where Best to Plant
All cucumber plants require full sun, well-draining soil, amended with plenty of composted organic matter. In general, cucumbers thrive in warm climates and require lots of water. To begin, seed germination requires warm soil temperature that’s at least 60 °F (16 °C), but optimally 70 to 90 °F (21 to 32 °C), and air temperature above 50 °F (10 °C), even at night. Cucumber seeds should be planted half an inch deep, lightly covered with soil and watered thoroughly so that the soil is kept moist, but not soggy. When sprouts reach about 5 inches tall (13 cm), thin them to approximately one foot (30 cm) apart. However, specific spacing depends on the variety of cucumber you are planting and how you want the plants to grow. For instance, there are vining cucumbers with sprawling vines that will grow from 4 to 15 feet (3.5 to 4.5 m) long but there are also bush types that take up less space, growing 2 feet (60 cm) tall and spreading out 18 inches (50 cm). However, vining plants can actually take up less garden space than bush varieties if given a trellis or fence to climb, making them perfect for small gardens. Alternatively, you can also start seeds indoors 4 weeks prior to the last frost date and transplant them once the weather is ideal. However, cucumber seedlings don’t like to have their roots disturbed so make sure to plant in biodegradable pots so that you can plant the whole container directly into the ground. After planting seeds, cover with plastic wrap and once sprouts appear, immediately place in a sunny window.
Overall, plants require 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water per week; water at the base of the plant as wet leaves are at higher risk of developing diseases. Roots are shallow, so keep the soil weed-free. Once the vines send out runners, apply a side dressing of fertilizer to keep the plants growing, but err on the side of applying too little, rather than too much!
Pests & Diseases
Common pests and diseases affecting cucumber plants include insects such as aphids, cucumber beetles and cutworms. Diseases include fungal diseases (e.g., alternaria leaf spot, powdery mildew), bacterial diseases (e.g., Bacterial Wilt), and viruses (e.g., Cucumber Mosaic Virus). If you’re worried about these issues, disease-resistant varieties of cucumbers are available (e.g., marketmore).
Harvest Time
To harvest cucumbers, make sure to check your cultivars’ guidelines with respect to optimal size at maturity in order to ensure optimum taste and quality. Pick ripe fruit regularly so plants keep producing. Clip the fruit from the vine using scissors, so as not to disturb the plant.
If you’re limited on space in your vegetable garden, you can even grow cucumbers in containers!
With a little bit of effort, you’ll be enjoying this refreshing “veggie” straight from your home garden in no time at all!
Grow Your Own Garden
If you’re looking for help on how to grow other foods check out these posts!
