Throughout my gardening experience, I have tried numerous vegetables. However, only a few of them meet the criteria for entering my list of favorite vegetables to grow. Cucumber is one of them.
Why is it one of my favorite vegetables to grow? Two precise reasons I can tell. First, the associated gardening processes, from planting to harvesting, are simple and nearly effortless. Second, the yield is surprisingly high.
Some of you may not agree with me due to bad experiences like low yield, high effort requirements, higher expenditure in soil improvement, critical care processes, etc. If you are one of them, this article is for you.
Here, I share my secrets on how to grow cucumbers with tips for care and maintenance. Understanding and applying the approaches will make your journey effortless and fruitful with cucumber growing. Let’s dive deeper.
How to Grow Cucumber
I suggest you strictly follow the below stepwise guide and understand each step. You might find it difficult for the first time. But after becoming habituated to my process, you will realize that growing cucumber is easy.
Step 01: Cucumber Type Selection
At the very first point, you must select the type of cucumber you want to grow. Consult the table below to choose the appropriate one.
| Cucumber type | Suitability |
| Armenian | Seeding directly, low-maintenance, tasty |
| Bush | No support is needed; warm weather is a must |
| English | 6 hours of sunlight per day is needed, easy-to-grow |
| Lemon | Organic material is essential for soil mix, need to sow seeds, well fringe system is needed |
| Marketmore 76 | Lower soil pH is required: 5.7, highly vulnerable to pests |
Step 02: Soil Preparation
If your garden is small, I suggest you grow the cucumber in a 5-gallon container. This container size will allow you to grow 3-4 cucumber plants. You need approximately 0.68 cubic feet of soil mix to fill the 5-gallon container.
On the other hand, if you have ample space in your garden, you allocate 2-3 rows for cucumber growing. The row-to-row distance requirement is 3-5 feet, and the soil mounting requirement is 1-1.5 dia plus 2-3 inches high.
Collect the same portions of native soil, compost, perlite, and peat moss. Mix all these with great care so the soil mix hosts an even proportion of the mentioned materials. It is better to mix and leave it for one day.
Then, do the mixing job again the next day. Then, place the soil into the container. However, you must ensure that the soil pH level remains between 6.0 to 7.0. Also, you have to create a small soil bed for germination.
Step 03: Planting
Select the healthy seeds at any cost to get a better outcome. Consider the region’s climate for planting, as the required soil temperature is 60-70 degrees Fahrenheit. My suggestion is to start planning after the threat of frosting is gone.
If you reside in a warm area, then there is no problem; you can start any time. After ensuring all these, start sowing the seeds by creating 1-inch deep holes in the designated germination soil bed you have already prepared.
Whether using a container or a soil bed, sow the seeds by maintaining a minimum of 3-4 inches seed-to-seed distance. Now, do the following tasks to incorporate effective planting.
- After the seedlings gain heights of 3.5-4 inches, go for thinning the plant. Put a few inches of mulch around the seedling in the thining process and scoop out the plant roots without disturbing the respective soil depositions. Plant the seedlings into the respective 5-gallon container or the designated area.
- Ensure that the soil’s moisture level around the root and the planning container are the same.
Finally, you have successfully finished the cucumber planning work.
Caring and Maintenance of Cucumber Plant
Once you have planted the cucumber seedlings into the designated container or soil bed, it is time to start caring. I have generated some crucial tips to care for and maintain the cucumber plants. Check out those.
Tip 01: Creating Support for the Cucumber Plant
Well, the physical structure of the cucumber plan is not rigid. For the plant to grow healthy and get a substantial yield, you have to support the plant. Here, I want to notify you that not all cucumbers require support.
For instance, vining cucumber requires a support structure, but bush cucumber does not require any support. However, to create support, you have two options, vertical and horizontal supporting, based on the space availability and cucumber type.
I prefer using bamboo-made support or trellising as the bamboo is bio-degradable and does not negatively impact the environment.
Tip 02: Pest and Diseases Control
Here, I discuss the pest and disease-related issues of cucumber plants. Please go through the following points to learn about the problems and approaches to address them.
Fungal Infection
If you see the leaves and some parts of the body of the plant have yellow-brown dots, the plant is infected by fungus. To address this issue, you can use fungicides that contain zoxamide, flunisolide, cyazofamid, and famoxadone.
Anthracnose
It is also a fungal disease. The fungus named Colletotrichum Orbiculare causes the issue. Due to this fungal infection, the leaves host brown holes and yellowish edges. You have to use high-quality seeds and fungicides to deal with this problem.
Downey Mildew
If you see that the leaves are hosting purple-color fluffy spots, it is sure that the cucumber plant is suffering from downy mildew. The best-addressing approach is to sow seeds that are treated with quality fungicides.
Belly Rot
This disease causes damage to the cucumber fruit. In this case, the cucumber hosts yellow or brown rotten areas. You can prevent belly rot’s orientation by facilitating an effective drainage system and creating a thin barrier between the soil and the roots using mulch.
Verticillium Wilt
It is also a fungal infection, triggering discoloration of roots and leaves. The discoloration usually occurs on one side only. You can restrict this disease’s occurrence by planning early.
Angular Leaf Spot
It is a bacterial disease. Pseudomonas syringae pv. Lachrymans causes this disease. To restrict this disease’s orientation, use high-quality seeds. You can spray protective copper to get rid of this issue.
Pest Control
Pests like whiteflies, cucumber beetles, spider mites, and aphids threaten cucumber plants. I prefer to use natural methods to do pest control as I favor the concept of eco-friendly gardening. I use ladybugs or lacewings that prey on the pests.
Here, using repellent is also an effective approach if pest-related problems are big. However, you can spray neem extracts, dish soap solution, etc., to protect the plant from pests.
In the case of chemical-based pesticide use, you can go for endosulfan sulfate, pyrethrin, oxalyl oxime, Endosulfan I, etc., depending on the pest type.
Tip 03: Pruning
Pruning is crucial to restrict diseases and direct the plant’s strength to produce fruits. I do pruning when the plant is about 2.5-3.5 feet high.
Pruning also ensures adequate air circulation, which contributes to higher yield. In the pruning process, I remove yellowish leaves, foliage from the bottom part of the plant, and unnecessary side-wise extended portions.
Tip 04: Harvesting
When harvesting cucumber fruit, I suggest you strictly follow the instructions below.
- First, always use a sharp knife or scissors to harvest the fruit. Do not extract the fruit by twisting; it will harm the plant and impact future yield.
- Second, before harvesting, ensure that the fruit is mature enough. Also, you need to ensure that the fruit is not overripen.
Final Words
I hope that the knowledge you gain by reading my elaboration on how to grow cucumbers with tips for care and maintenance will help you enormously. By applying the tips and step-by-step guide, you can enjoy fresh cucumbers effortlessly at a minimum expense.
Finally, I suggest you go for crop rotation to ensure better yield while preventing the degradation of soil quality. It is better to use the respective soil bed and container for different crops after harvesting cucumbers from the respective plants for two years.
