Growing Cucumber

cucumis sativis : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
      S S              
        T T T          
        P P            

(Best months for growing Cucumber in USA - Zone 5a regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed
  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 16 - 24 inches apart
  • Harvest in 8-10 weeks. Cut fruit off with scissors or sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Nasturtiums, Beans, Celery, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Cabbages, Sunflowers, Coriander, Fennel, Dill, Sunflowers
  • Avoid growing close to: Potato, Tomatoes

Your comments and tips

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02 Mar 20, Jason (Australia - temperate climate)
Not a lot of info to go on... what happened to the leaves? And how often did you water? I'd hazard a guess at overwatering/poor drainage, as from your description it happened suddenly. Or possibly pests, but I guess you'd have noticed that
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26 Nov 19, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
Don't have your soil boggy wet either. Have good draining soil. If very hot protect them from the sun a bit while they establish themselves.
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26 Nov 19, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
My first thought is watering. If hot to very hot weather little plants need watering morning and afternoon. Little plants only have a shallow root system so require watering a lot more often. If the leaves are not eaten then maybe watering. If the leaves have parts eaten off, then some kind of grub probably. Big plants need a lot of watering - just common sense. .
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16 Nov 19, Mick (Australia - temperate climate)
What fertiliser can you use on apple cucumbers crystal
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18 Nov 19, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
A comment about WHAT fertiliser to use on different plants. In a hardware store's catalogue last week. Complete Garden Fertiliser NPKS 12-1-5-16, Fruit & Citrus 13-1-5-16, Rose 11-1-6-15. Like really, they are virtually the same fertiliser. We are brainwashed about all the different fertilisers to use. My local agronomist recommends for vegetables what the commercial farmers use Nitrophoska 12 N 5.2 P 14.1K 8S and you can have it with trace elements also. Works for me. Or if you are an organic person use organics but you need to apply about 2-3 time the required amount per square meter to have the same NPKS.
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18 Nov 19, Anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
General all-round vegetable fertiliser.
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11 Nov 19, Bhaidas Bhula (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Sometimes the cucumber plant only has male flowers. Is this normal? and sometimes the female flower forms a cucumber and shrinks and falls off.Why is this?
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11 Nov 19, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Most curcubits (cucumbers, courgettes etc) produce male flowers first. If the weather is cool, no female flowers appear for a while. If the immature cucumber falls off it has not been fertilised. If there are not many bees around, you can use a soft artist's brush or cotton bud, to transfer some pollen from the male stamens to the female flower.
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14 Sep 19, Kirsty (New Zealand - temperate climate)
What cucumbers are suitable for growing in hanging baskets?
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17 Sep 19, Anon (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
A plant needs a preferred amount of soil (nutrient) to grow a reasonably decent crop. Without knowing what size pot you have I always question whether people use a big enough pot for what they want to grow. For myself I would not try to grow cucumbers in a pot smaller than 500-600mm diameter and 300mm deep.
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I am getting lots of flowers on my plant and they are turning into fruit, but die at about 2cm, why? How do I get more fruit, I only got 1 cucumber that grew to 10cm

- Merinda

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