How to Grow Cucumbers
Cucumbers, commonly called "cukes", are a favorite garden vegetable. Most
gardeners grow at least one variety, if not more. Although quite susceptible
to insect and disease problems, they are easy to grow. They are also prolific
producers.
Cucumbers are vining plants, members of the Cucurbita family which includes
pumpkins, squash, and gourds. They grow best when allowed to sprawl along
the ground in your garden. This is because secondary roots will develop along
the vine at the junction between the vine and the leaf. Secondary roots are
a source of additional nutrients for your plant and fruits' growth.
If you have limited space, cucumbers are very successfully grown in a small
space by training them up a fence or trellis. If a trellis or fence is your
only choice, go for it. You will not be disappointed.
Fresh cucumbers are great on vegetable trays with dip, sliced or in salads.
Varieties of Cucumbers:
Days to Maturity:
55 to 65 days. Once cucumbers begin to ripen, you can usually harvest
them for several weeks.
Sowing Cucumber Seeds:
Plant in rows or hills, planting them one to 1 1/2 inches deep. When planting
in rows, sow seeds 2 to 3" apart. If you are planting in hills, plant four
to five per hill. After they have germinated, keep the best two to three.
Cover very lightly with soil.Water the first day and if there is no rain,
every two to three days until they germinate.
Growing Cucumbers:
Cucumber plants require well drained soil. Like other members of the cucurbita
family, they are big eaters. Provide plenty of fertilize high in nitrogen.
Switch over to a more balanced fertilizer, after the flowers begin to bloom.
A side dressing of fertilizer and regular feedings of fertilizer will
significantly help the health of the plant and the size of the harvest.
Also make sure to provide lots of water to for fast growth.
Tip: Cucumbers grow quickly and are at their best when picked before
they get too big. Encourage new fruit development by picking regularly. Do
not allow them to get overripe on the vine or they will slow down, if not
cease bearing new fruit.
Insects and Pests:
Like all members of the Cucurbita family, the Cucumber Beetle is the dreaded
pest of cucumbers. Cucumber Beetles are either striped or spotted. They feed
on the leaves of the plants and can cause even greater damage as they spread
disease from one plant to another. They are effectively treated with most
insecticides. Mild insecticides like Sevin are most commonly used for effective
treatment.
Public enemy number one to the cucurbita family is the Squash Vine Borer
which bores into the vine, usually near the tap root ,and will eat right
through the vine. Once it gets inside, the only way to kill it is to surgically
remove it. Cutting Squash Vine Borers out of your vine is done by slicing
up or down from the entry area until you find the pest. Then, apply fungicide
around the wound to minimize disease.
A variety of other pest can also cause problems, depending upon where you
live.
Disease:
As a member of the Cucurbita family, cucumbers are susceptible to the same
diseases as pumpkin and squash. These include both fungus and bacterial problems.
Treat with fungicides at the first sign of problems.
Hardiness:
Cucumbers are susceptible to spring and fall frost. They grow best in
temperatures between 60 to 80 degrees.
Veggie Cages This revolutionary cage makes
a great cucumber trellis. It expands a whopping 7ft! Stores flat in almost
no space. Try them on cucumbers, sweet peas, tomatoes, pole beans,
and other climbing climbing flowers and vegetables.
More information:
Cucumber in a Bottle - An amazing story about
a cucumber grown and preserved in a bottle, then forgotten for decades.
Buy Cucumber Seeds
Nutritional Value of Cucumbers
Cucumber in Sour Cream Recipe
Dill Pickle Recipe
Our Garden Recipe Collection
Buy Vegetable Seeds Finest quality Ferry Morse Seed,
America's oldest seed company with their famous "guarantee to grow". |
