Vegetable Garden – Tips on  Growing  Cucumbers From Seed

Days to Maturity: 48-80

Sowing:

• Seed Depth: ½- 1" (13-25mm)
• Germination soil temperature: Indoors-85-95º F, Outdoors-At temperatures below 60ºF the seed will rot before germinating. Should be at least 70ºF.
• Days to Germination:3- 4
• Sow indoors: 3 Weeks before last frost.
• Sow outdoors: 2 Weeks After last frost

Growing:

• pH range: 6.0-7.0
• Growing soil temperature: 70-80º F (21-27ºC)
• Spacing in beds : Trellised, 18", on ground 36".
• Watering: Moderate until flowering, heavy from flowering to harvest.
• Light: Full sun
• Cucumbers need great air circulation.
• Nutrient requirements: N= moderate, P=high, K=high

Rotation considerations:

• Avoid rotating with other cucumber family members.
• Good Companions: Bush beans, broccoli, cabbage family, corn, dill, eggplant, lettuce, nasturtium, pea, radish, sunflower and tomato.
• Bad Companions: Aromatic herbs and potatoes.

USDA Hardiness Zone -First Frost Date- Last Frost Date

• Zone 1  -July 15th -June 15th
• Zone 2  -August 15th- May 15th
• Zone 3  -September 15th May 15th
• Zone 4  -September 15th May 15th
• Zone 5  -October 15th April 15th
• Zone 6  -October 15th April 15th
• Zone 7  -October 15th April 15th
• Zone 8  -November 15th March 15th
• Zone 9  -December 15th February 15th
• Zone 10 -December 15th January 31st (sometimes earlier)
• Zone 11 -No frost. No frost.

DIRECT SOW

In late Spring, after any danger of frost. Soil temperature should be at 70º F. Cooler temperatures can cause the seeds to rot. Sow 2-3 seeds every 5-6",in a row, cover ½" to 1" deep. Thin to 8" apart.

OR SOW INDOORS

4-5 weeks before weather is warm. Can be trellised.

GROWING CONDITIONS:

Plant in rich well composted soil. Before the vine spreads, apply mulch to control weeds.

GARDEN HINTS:

A warm weather crop that should not be planted too early in the spring. Sow in multiple plantings to have consistent production all season. If you want to grow cucumbers in rows on the ground, create hills like you do for squash spaced 4 feet apart. Space 2 to 3 transplants per hill, setting seedlings 6 inches apart. For vines trained on a trellis, space plants 1 foot apart. In areas where spring is long and cool, you can warm the soil 3 to 4 degrees by covering the hill or row with black plastic.

If you do not plant in black plastic, then mulch with pine straw, wheat straw, chopped leaves, or your favorite organic mulch shortly after planting. If the weather is unseasonably cool, you can wait a while to mulch until the ground is warmed by the sun. Mulch is especially important to keep the fruit clean for bush types and vines not growing on a trellis. Straw mulch is also thought to be uncomfortable for slugs and creates an uneasy footing for cucumber beetles, by helping to keep them at bay. If you can, trellis your vines. This keeps the fruit clean and saves space. A 12- to 18-inch diameter cage made from 4- or 5-foot welded wire fencing or hog wire will support 2 or 3 vines.

Cucumbers grow fast and do not demand a lot of care. Just keep the soil consistently moist with an inch of water per week—more if temperatures sizzle and rain is scarce. Inadequate or inconsistent moisture causes oddly shaped or poor-tasting fruit. If possible, water your cucumbers with a soaker hose or drip irrigation to keep the foliage dry. This helps prevent leaf diseases that can ruin the plant.

You can fertilize with a liquid food every 2 weeks, applying it directly to soil around plant stems. Or you can use a granular, slow-release fertilizer worked into the soil when you plant or sprinkled around the plants later.

Important Tips for Cucumber Plants

• If vines bloom but do not fruit, something is probably interfering with pollination.
First, make sure that you see both male and female blooms. Male blooms usually appear first and then drop off, so do not be alarmed if this happens when the plant begins to bloom. Nothing is wrong.
• Within a week or two, female flowers will also appear; they have a small cucumber-shaped swelling at the base that will become a cucumber; male blooms do not and they fall off after a day.

Cold weather, rain, and insecticides that kill bees can hamper pollination. You cannot change the weather, but do avoid spraying or dusting a pesticide toxic to bees; this is always stated on the product label. Also, consider planting bee balm, zinnias, lantana, and other flowers that attract bees to the edges of your garden. Planting a row of these is also a great way to have flowers on hand for cutting, as well as making sure your plants will be pollinated.