Growing Cucumber

cucumis sativis : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

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

(Best months for growing Cucumber in Australia - temperate regions)

  • S = Plant undercover in seed trays
  • T = Plant out (transplant) seedlings
  • P = Sow seed

September: Bring on in pots

  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 60 cm 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

30 Mar 20, anon (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
You can probably grow most things in a pot and in a hothouse. Just grow things to their season.
17 Feb 20, Rebecca (Australia - temperate climate)
New to veggie gardening. Is it too late to plant cucumber seeds? I can see from the calender this the last month. Also with a raised veggie garden will mushroom compost be the best?
18 Feb 20, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
This website is a guide, it is not spot on about everything. It tells you to apply local information. Gardening is a lot about trying different things but the times to plant are what they consider the best time to achieve the best results. If it says to plant Nov to Feb then you could probably plant Oct to Mar. I find mushroom compost to be very expensive for what is in it. Any kind of compost will do, manures, grass/leaf compost, seaweed, worm poo/tea, any organic matter that has broken down. An easy way is to put grass clipping/ straw etc as a mulch (only about 50mm thick) around your plants, as the plants grow the mulch will be wet and start to break down, by the time the crop is picked it is half way to compost, then dig it into the soil.
12 Jan 20, Ann O'Hara (New Zealand - sub-tropical climate)
I usually grow very good cucumbers and usually Lebanese variety. This year my plant is covered in cucmbers but instead of starting off green I have an abundance of tiny yellow cucumbers on my vine. What causes this?
13 Jan 20, (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Phone an agricultural depart, nursery, or some agri supply company and ask if they have an agronomist. Could be some trace element deficiency.
06 Jan 20, Kathy Hutchinson (Australia - temperate climate)
it s Jan 6th is it too late to plant apple cucumbers plz
09 Jan 20, anon (Australia - temperate climate)
Plz read the calendar notes at the top of the page.
16 Dec 19, Barabara (Australia - temperate climate)
Why do my cucumbers die and drop off when they are about 1 cm long please? They are neither under nor over watered. I dug cow manure into the bed 6 weeks before planting and have not fertilised further. The plants are very healthy and have many flowers and baby cucumbers on them.
17 Dec 19, anon (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
You need bees to pollinate the female flowers, looks like you don't have any in your area. You can do it by hand, google it. Try planting some bee attracting flowers/shrubs in your yard to bring the bees to your place next time. From my experience only a small % of female flowers end up pollinated and grow into full size fruit.
19 Dec 19, Barbara (Australia - temperate climate)
Thank you. I do have plenty of bees. It is my understanding that if the cucumbers have formed then the pollination has occurred. Am I wrong? I do have plenty of 1 cm cucumbers on the bushes.
Showing 41 - 50 of 387 comments

grow from seed quite easily , transplant and support on trellis , have found west facing wall too hot ...

- james allan

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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