How To Grow Cucumbers

 
Welcome to our guide on How To Grow Cucumbers and growing cucumbers. Cucumbers can be grown either indoors or outdoors depending on what type of seed and the variety of cucumber you wish to grow. There are varieties which have only female flowers and some that produce both male and female flowers. Fruits that are fertilised by male flowers will generally be more bitter in taste. F1 cucumber varieties have been bred to form only female flowers to avoid this problem.

Sowing Cucumber Seed

If you are growing indoors, in a heated greenhouse, or coldframe then sowing of your cucumber seed can begin much earlier, usually from early-spring and onwards. However, sowing in unheated greenhouses and, should be delayed to mid / late spring.

I find that sowing two seeds in a 7.5cm /3 inch pot at a depth of around 2cm / .75 inches, with the seeds on their sides works well. Water, cover and label the pots and place in the warmest part of the greenhouse, or garden.

Growing Cucumbers On

The seeds should germinate depending on light  and warmth ,within a week or so and when they reach a height of 2cm /0.75 inches you should remove the weaker of the two seedlings from the pot. Keep the remaining plants moist and stake with a small garden cane to provide support if necessary.

Planting Cucumbers

 
If you started growing your plants in a heated greenhouse in early spring then by mid / late March you will be ready to plant them into grow bags. Plant two plants, one either end of a grow-bag and support with a framework of canes attached securely to the greenhouse frame.

For later sowings in cool greenhouses then you will probably be ready to do this sometime in mid-late May or the beginning of June.

Outdoor Growing Cucumbers

Outdoor cucumbers should be sown and grown on under cover during late spring and can be planted out in early summer. Plants should be hardened off over a period of 1 or 2 weeks to acclimatise them to outdoor conditions.

The soil should be well prepared with plenty of added organic matter, preferably well-rotted manure.

Plants should be spaced around 90cm / 35 inches apart.

Outdoor varieties can be allowed to trail across the ground, similar to marrows. When the plant has 5 or 6 leaves pinch out the growing tip and allow side stems to grow. Any stems that do not produce flowers can be pinched out at the seventh leaf.

Training Indoor Growing Cucumbers

For those of you wanting to know how to grow cucumbers indoors then indoor cucumbers require regular securing of stems to the cane supports and once the plant reaches roof height you should then pinch out the growing tip. Side shoots should be pinched out from branches holding fruit, leaving two leaves after each.

Varieties that are all female will produce fruit on the main stem so all laterals can be removed completely.

Removal Of Cucumber Flowers

On outdoor varieties that produce male and female flowers, leave the flowers on, but on indoor cucumbers, remove the male flowers when they first appear to avoid bitter fruits.

Male and female flowers can be distinguished between as the female flower has a swelling beneath it which will become a fruit.

Watering and Feeding Cucumbers

Cucumbers like to be kept moist but not overly watered, so avoid soaking.

As the fruit appear, the application fortnightly of a high potash fertilser will help to produce strong, healthy fruits.

Harvesting Cucumbers

Knowing how to grow cucumbers and growing cucumbers is one thing but you need to know when and how to harvest your cucumbers.

Fruits can be removed when ripened, by simply cutting them off with a sharp knife or secateurs. Outdoor varieties will usually be finished by mid / late September, but indoors harvesting can continue well into October, and possibly November.

Suggested Cucumber Varieties

`Burpless Tasty Green`25cm fruits (indoor and outdoors)

`Luxury` 40cm fruits (female variety for indoors)

`Masterpiece` 20cm fruits (for outdoors)

`Zeina` 17cm fruits (indoor and outdoors)

Thank you for reading our simple How To Grow Cucumbers guide, why not check out all our other vegetable growing guides and articles from the menu on the right side of this page. Good luck growing cucumbers.

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