Cucumbers on a trellis are clean and easy to pick. Use a trellis small enough for tendrils to grab.
A tropical vegetable, cucumbers thrive when the weather is hot and water is plentiful. Plants are so frost-tender that they shouldn’t be set into the garden until soil temperatures are reliably in the 70-degree range (no less than 2 weeks after the last frost date).
Cucumber plants grow in 2 forms: vining and bush. Vines scramble along the ground or clamber up trellises, while bush types, such as Burpless Bush Hybrid, form a more compact plant. Generally, vining cucumbers yield more fruit throughout the growing season. Bush selections are especially suited to containers and small gardens. You can increase the season’s yield of bush varieties by planting several crops in succession 2 weeks apart. Lemon cucumber makes a wild, lanky vine. It needs a tall trellis.
Whether you want a cucumber for slicing or pickling, there’s a variety to suit your taste. Lemon cucumber offers smaller fruits perfect for a single serving, while Boston Pickling boasts classic heirloom taste. The long Armenian cucumber is a specialty ethnic cucumber prized for taste and the fact that a single cucumber yields so many slices.
Set cucumber transplants at the base of your trellis, and mulch after planting unless the soil could use a little more warming.
Cucumbers need warm, fertile soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8, although they will tolerate a bit more alkaline soil to 7.6. Work compost or composted manure into soil.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. If you have 2-3 plants in one biodegradable Bonnie pot, then you can plant the whole pot on one hill and let the plants grow together from that spot.
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, 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. Wire is easy for the tentrils of climbing cucumbers to grab as the plant grows.
Cucumbers grow fast and don’t 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.
Cucumbers bear male and female flowers. Female blooms have a small swelling at the base, the makings of a fruit.
If vines bloom but don’t 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 don’t 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 don’t and they fall off after a day. Cold weather, rain, and insecticides that kill bees can hamper pollination. You can’t 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. Several pests bother cucumbers. Squash bugs may attack seedlings. Slugs like ripening fruit. Aphids can colonize leaves and buds. Straw mulch helps keep slugs at bay, as can trellising vines to get the fruit off the ground. Vines are also bothered by cucumber beetles, which chew holes in leaves and flowers and scar stems and fruits, but worse than that, they spread a disease that causes the plants to wilt and die. Powdery mildew is a disease that leaves white, mildew-like patches on the leaves. Apply fungicides at the first sign of its presence. To minimize disease spread, avoid harvesting or handling vines when leaves are wet.
You can pick cucumbers whenever they’re big enough to use. Check vines daily as the fruit starts to appear because they enlarge quickly. Vines produce more fruit the more you harvest. To remove the fruit, use a knife or clippers, cutting the stem above the fruit. Pulling them may damage the vine.Don’t let the cucumbers get oversized or they will be bitter and will also keep the vine from producing more. Overripe fruit has hard seeds that are difficult to chew. Yellowing at the bottom (blossom end) of a cucumber signals overripe, bitter fruit. Never leave overripe fruit on the vine just because it is too far gone. Remove it.Harvest lemon cucumbers just before they begin turning yellow. Although they are called lemon cucumber becuase the little oblong or round fruits turn yellow and look like a lemon, by the time the fruit turns yellow it may be a little too seedy for most tastes.
You can keep harvested cucumbers in the refrigerator for 7 to 10 days, using as soon as possible after picking. If you don’t eat a slicing cucumber all at once, cover the unused portion in plastic wrap to prevent dehydration in the refrigerator. In fact, it’s a good idea to wrap your whole cucumbers in plastic or store them in a zipper bag in the fridge. Remember that store bought cucumbers are waxed to keep them from losing moisture. Yours aren’t. Keeping them in wrap or a plastic zipper bag will keep them crisp longer.
I read that cucumbers are to be planted in hills. How do I do this?
Should you stake cucumbers?
Which varieties of cucumbers can be grown in containers?
My cucumbers bloomed but failed to set fruit. Why does this happen?
Why do my cucumbers taste bitter?
It is cold in the spring where I live. How do I protect my cucumbers from the chill?
How often should I water my cucumbers?
When should I harvest pickling type cucumbers?
We have had decent success with cucumbers in the past in a very sunny backyard garden with very foamy soil. We moved recently and are starting our garden over. Now we have a lot of clay in our soil and a lot more shade. Any recommendations to have a successful cucumber crop?
Hello Sarah,
Great question! Good vegetables start with good soils. That means amending with organic matter, building a healthy soil! This link should really help you to understand the basics of improving soils. As for the sun – if there is any way to cut some branches back to allow more sun in, it would really help. Cucumbers do best in full sun. Good Luck on the new garden spot! – danielle, Bonnie Plants
My cucumbers blooming but some of the small fruit are turning brown. This happened last year as well.
What can I do? My wife loves cucumbers.
Hello Matt,
If the fruit comes out and grows only and inch or two before starting to turn brown or rot, the female flowers of the cucumber plant may not be getting pollinated. This detailed article in the Bonnie Plants library will explain pollination (or lack of) and remedies. -danielle, Bonnie Plants
Implanted 4 cucumber plants, all of them have their first set of leaves and all the leaves on all the cucumber plants have turned yellow and have not grown any new leaves, what is happening? I also have bush beans in the same bed and their leaves are all yellow as well
Hello Ralu,
Leaves turn yellow for a variety of reasons. Leaves turn yellow when they need fertilizer. Did you incorporate fertilizer into the bed before you planted? Beans usually only need an initial application of fertilizer while other heavy feeders will need additional application throughout the growing season. Overwatering also leaches the soil quickly of nutrients and can also be attributed to yellow leaves – especially with beans. The soil should be moist, but plant roots need to breathe, so it should not be kept soggy. The soil needs to drain well. Watering basics are detailed here. Watch for annual insects and diseases as well. -danielle, Bonnie Plants
i planted my cucumbers with organic pot.they had pretty leaves already. the next day the leaves all withered layed over and now i see nothing. what to do?
Hello Richard,
First of all, keep the plants watered. Were the cucumbers planted with the peat pots? It is best to remove the bottom of the peat pot before planting to ensure good root to soil contact. It is very important to remove the top of the pot…if a portion of the pot is left sticking above ground – it can actually wick moisture away from the plant. The seedling will dry out very quickly. Here is a quick video on how to plant the peat pots. Make sure the new seedlings get water daily as their roots begin to establish into your garden soil. – danielle, Bonnie Plants
I live in zone 5. There was a scattered frost forecast last night so I covered my cucumbers & tomatoes with sheets. I felt that the tomatoes weren’t covered as well as the cucumbers because of the cages (I did weave the sheets between them to get the sheets closer to the plant) but it looks like the cucumbers leaves are white. Are they ruined? I just planted them 2 days ago….
Hi Cheryl,
They are not ruined. They may be set back. My squash leaves turned white … a couple of frosts after they were planted. New growth should be green and healthy. I wouldn’t give up on the plants just yet. -danielle, Bonnie Plants
i planted 2 cucumber plants and there leaves have turned white and dried out a little bit. i gave them nutrients and water. they have been this way for about 2 weeks. do i need to replant?
Kelly
Hi Kelly,
Two different things cause white leaves on cucurbits. One is cold and wind damage. Did the nighttime temperatures dip while they have been planted? If so, new leaves should be green if temperatures are right. Another cause is powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease of cucurbits. You may see white spotting on the leaves that resembles baby powder. I have included two links for you to compare. – danielle, Bonnie Plants
Whoops. I just sprung up in bed realizing that I didn’t remove the bottoms from the pots of cucumbers I planted today. They were watered deeply… Will the pot dissolve or should I dig them up tomorrow?
Hi Dana,
Oh my…you do that too! If they were just planted, you can dig them up carefully. Saturate the peat pot well so it ‘just comes off’. Be careful so that the roots of the cucumber are not greatly disturbed. If the peat pot was sufficiently wet when planted (and you saw some roots already poking through) it will be ok. Do not let the pot stick up above ground – that will wick moisture from the plant itself. – danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hi, I have 2 burpless cucumber plants, in a raised bed, that look very happy. I am planning to trellis them. What is the optimum height for this? In the past I have let them grow on the fence that shares our neighbor’s yard, but he doesn’t live there anymore. On the fence, they would travel down quite a ways…so I imagine I need a pretty tall trellis. Is that correct?
Hi Deana,
Not necessarily – You could make a cucumber tent trellis like the one shown here. You could get by with a 4 foot high fence style trellis and run the vines up and down if you didn’t want to make it any higher. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hello… This was the most helpful article I found on the net for growing cucumbers. Especially the picture of the trellis. Just what I needed. I got ya bookmarked for future reference. Now I’m off to plant the first my first ever cucumbers with confidence!! Thanks!
Good Luck, Swinny! – danielle, Bonnie Plants
I have a cucumber plant and there is actually a cucumber on it, but the cucumber is yellow. What did I do wrong?
Hi Judy,
How big is the cucumber? If you let it go without picking it – a green cucumber will yellow after it is mature – so you have to watch for them everyday. If the cucumber is small and yellow, the plant may be stressed. This can happen if the plant is receiving too much / not enough water / high temperatures / or even if the plant has not been fertilized correctly. If this is the case, identifying and correcting the stress will help you with your cucumbers. -danielle, Bonnie Plants
My dog ate the dirt around the plant when you first buy it and i just wanted to know if it is harmful to them
Hi David,
Their is nothing in the soil around the plant that would be harmful to your dog. Glad to hear you have a gardening partner! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I am so happy to find Japanese cucumber at Home Depot since I was looking for it for a while. But the plant did not survive after I planted them to the ground. The two pieces little leaf are down to the ground. What did I do mistakenly. Maybe the weather is too hot? Or too windy those two days. I read the instruction on the container . I am in Sacramento, California area. What suggestion do you have. I will try one more time.
Hello Brian,
Sorry to hear you are having problems planting your cucumbers. Cucumbers like other cucurbits have fragile roots, so be very careful not to disturb them when you are planting. Cucumbers grow best in a well draining soil so amend the soil if you need to. Not sure what your weather is, but cucumbers are a warm season vegetable, but will need plenty of water when first transplanted into the ground. Keep the soil evenly moist until the cucumber plant becomes established. Good Luck! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I’ve got a bunch of questions.
I bought your burpless bush hybrid cucumbers, do these being bush cucumbers still need to be trellised?
Do you recommend growing them on the perimeter of a fence rather than in a corner of the garden?
My tomato plants, have been getting blight for the past few years. I have been applying chlorthalonil after symptoms appear with little success. Being carcinogenic, I decided to by neem oil concentrate to use as a fungicide. Do you have any tips on how to use it and how to prevent blight in my tomato plants?
Hello Justin,
You do not have to trellis the bush cucumbers. If you need the space, though, you can trellis the plants – the vines grow about 2 feet. Using a preexisting fence is a great way to save space in the garden.
A note about fungicides – they are preventatives. Once fungus and/or bacteria become a garden pest, it’s not too late to apply fungicides, but they are more effective as a preventative. If you use them after the fact, remove any unhealthy leaves then spray. Rotating crops, mulching, an avoiding overhead irrigation certainly helps. While these sustainable practices can not prevent annual fungal/bacterial diseases, they can help slow down the spread. -Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I am growing cucumbers, and a few other veggies, in smart pots. I used Viagro soil which claims to feed the plants for 6 months. I also purchased fish fertilizer and I did research about compost and egg shells. Should I use these fertilizers on my plants or should I trust the soil I have to feed them for a full 6 months? I don’t want to over or under feed them.
Thank you so much, I found lot of helpful information here so far!
Hi Sarah,
I would trust the soil to feed the plants for a good length of time. If the heat turns up and the container is watered a lot, the fertilizer will not last as long since the all the water will leach the nutrients from the soil. Keep an eye on your plants – you may find that once they start producing they need some nutrients to keep them going. Caring for Vegetables in Pots is a great section in the Bonnie Plants library! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I HAVE A GREEN HOUSE BUT AFTER READING YOUR COMENTS ABOUT HOW FRAGILE THEIR ROOT SYSTEMS ARE WOULD I BE BETTER TO PLANT THE SEEDS IN THE GROUND? IN HOUSTON TEXAS LAST YEAR OUR DROUGHT CAUSED MY CUCUMBERS TO GROW ODD SIZES AND WERE BITTER,DON’T WANT THE SAME THIS YEAR. THANK YOU RANDELL
Hi Randell,
Hope you have plentiful rain this gardening season. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
If you are starting from seed indoors or in a greenhouse, start the seed about 6 weeks or so before you would like to plant them outside for the earlier harvest. You can wait later when the weather is warm if you want to direct seed. A lot of veggies have fragile root systems, best the plant them all with care
Hello, I just planted my Japanese cukes a couple weeks ago, here in far west AZ it’s already 100 degrees during he day, so I have my plants shaded most of the day.but they do get the morning sun. I’ve got the cukes, tomatoes, zucchini and strawberries. They are potted bc we have these terrible ground squirrels that destroy everything. I water them, every evening, but they don’t seem to be happy plants. The leaves all have yellow spots on them, like they were being burned, but since moving out of direct sun, they still haven’t seemed to pop back, still a little droopy and sad looking. Should I be adding plant food? Water more or less? More drainage? Anything I can do to help?
Hi Shirley,
Veggies grown in containers will regular fertilizer added for healthy growth. The amount of watering needed for containers flushed out the nutrients quickly. Water containers when the top of the soil starts to dry – which will be often in those temperatures! If your container has plenty of drainage, the water will run out of the drainage holes instead of pooling in the bottom. Also keep an eye out for insects and disease which will show up as spot on plants. University of Arizona extension has great resources here that may help you with insects and disease in home veggie gardens. – danielle, Bonnie Plants
I have never grown cucumbers before. Can I grow them next to tomatoes or bell peppers? I have raised garden beds.
Thanks!
Hi Molly,
You sure can. In fact, some of the Bonnie Plants raised bed gardening plans have tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers planted together. You may want to trellis the cucumbers or let them trail over the edge. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Thanks, I trellised them on the edge.
I was given three free cucumber plants at a local festival last weekend. They are relatively small. How can I determine which kind of cucumber plant they are, so I am able to plant and care for them properly?
Hello Amanda,
You may have to wait until the cucumbers are born on the plant to guess which kind it is. You may not know if they are bush or climbing cucumbers, but if you see them starting to vine, think about a trellis to keep the fruit off the ground. Other than that, care is the same. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
The leaves have turned white from the cool weather. Will the plants grow or will I need to replant new seeds.
Hi Frankie,
Keep the plants and healthy, and you will see new green leaves soon! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Great information and great plants
my roma tomatoes are growing in a big pot and outside the top gets dry quick cause its 89 to 96 degrees in cali i water a little every morning is that ok
Hi Barbra,
Water pots when the top of the soil starts to dry. Your container needs to have plenty of drainage holes so you can water the pot thoroughly without water pooling at the bottom. I love to grow in containers, but you do have to keep an eye out on the soil moisture. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
i am growing lettuce and the red romaine has a long stem and then the leaves topple over it says full sun so its 80.00 degrees plus in cali right now 60 in the morning they seem to grow better in the house in a sunny window but the still grow long stems and the leaves then come out and the plant topples over.
also in the house they draw nats and i have to use a citronella candle or i bought some spectride triazicisssssssssssssssssssssde insect killer which i spray around the plants outside and around the window inside and i bought take down garden spray-rtu from the nursery which says spray on the plants the nats reduce but i am still not sure if th should use on the plants i got two dif answers from the nursery help when buying for the nats
also in the house i find holes in my collard leaves where is that from if they in the house it looks like some one took a cigarette and burned a hole in the middle of the leaf why
Hi Barbara,
It may get a little warm for your lettuce soon. Lettuce grows best within a temperature range from 45 to about 80 degrees. It really thrives in those cooler nights. Are you starting the lettuce from transplants or from seeds indoors? You may have fungal gnats. Fungal gnats reproduce in potting soils rich in organic matter, and are common in potted plants in greenhouses and houses where the temperature is kept nice and cozy for them. You can read more about them and their control here. Letting the soil dry out helps break the cycle. Make sure any pesticides you use are labeled both for the plant and safe to use indoors. There are plenty of pests that attack plants indoors – your best bet is check the collard plants daily to look for any pests that may be on the prowl. -Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Some of my cucumber plant leaves are turning white but still have some green leaves……Don’t know if they will survive….should I just get new plants…or do you think they will pull thru and produce cukes?
Hi Sue,
Have you had cold weather? If the leaves are turning white it could be cold damage and new leaves will grow. There is also a fungal disease called powdery mildew – like the name it is a white powder on the leave that will rub off. I have cold damage on some of my cucurbits now, but new leaves are coming out pretty and green. I am attaching this publication with pictures of powdery mildew for you to compare! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Hi, I listened to the groundhog and expected and earlier spring. I started my cucumbers inside with a grow light and this worked well. A bit too well it turns out as the cucumbers are flowering…indoors! I’m in NYC and the temps are barely staying over 65. Can I move them outside?
Hello Giselle,
Silly groundhog! Cucumbers are sensitive to cold weather so just cover if you think a cold night is in store. You will need to harden these plants off…place them outside for a couple of hours a day to get them used to the bright, outdoor lights. Gradually expose them to longer time outside for a few days and give them their new home. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I am planting cucumber this year, but I notice it say plant on a hill? Is that some saying that I am not aware of or do you literally mean on a hill. I have just a box garden outside. Do not have a hill to plant them on. Thanks!
Hi Sherri,
Hills are small mounds built so the soil will drain better around the cucubmers. Usually a couple of plants are planted per hill. Since you have a raised bed, you do not have to create the hills since you have a well drained soil already! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I planted Bonnie’s Burpless Bush Hybrid Cucumber, The leaves grow alright then loose thier color. We have had some extra cool nights, could that be my problem? Best Regaeds,Howard
Hello Howard,
You are correct – the leaves of cucumbers will quickly turn whitish when they have been subjected to temperatures lower than they like! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I started squash and cucumbers from seeds this year Ive done in the past.. however I forget when transplanting how far into the soil to transplant them thy are starting to how their first leaves after the seed leaves and about 5 inches long how deep do i plant them? thank you…chris
Hi Chris,
Cucurbits like cucumbers and squash should not be planted deep like tomatoes. Plant them only as deep as the soil they are growing in. Be careful with the transplants, cucurbits have tender roots. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
it never actually says if they like full sun or not? and is there a way to test the soil ph in my garden? love this website, now its in bookmarks. thanks for helping us have happy growing seasons.
Hello Chantiel,
You can measure the pH of your soil with a quick test kit sold at garden centers, or you can get a soil test kit from your Extension office for a nominal fee. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Cucumbers will grow well in the full sun
Could I grow my Japanese cucumber in a pot with basil? I live in an apartment so I don’t have much room. Worse comes to worse, I will try transplanting my basil to another container so my cucumber could get more space to grow
Japanese cucumbers are long vines. They will need a little leg room. If you have a place to trellis them, that would be great. A 14 inch pot is recommended for basil, so you would need a pot at least 2 to 3 times that size to grow both. Good Luck!! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Can I plant cucumbers in a meadow garden with wildflowers? I live in northeast and will start planting cucumber seeds in the ground in the next few weeks, mid May. I was thinking the flowers, and their bees, would be beneficial to the cucumber growth, but I can not find confirmation of this anywhere. I’ve also planted dill in the meadow garden.
Sure, the bees would be great for pollination. You understand what we’ve already demonstrated in this article on cucumber pollination. However, you might want to ensure a trellis or support system so that the fruit is not touching the ground. And, make sure you have an irrigation or water source if that is a concern. It sounds pretty! ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
I will be planting my first attempt at cucumbers this season. I live in the north east (NY) and was wondering how often I should water them. From what I read it says keep moist so I assume water daily, however I was wondering how LONG do I water them for?
Hi Bill,
Veggies need about an inch of water per week (more depending on soil and temperatures). Once established, most veggies benefit from being watered deeply 2 – 3 times per week . Keep the soaker hose or watering system going until the soil is wet about 5 – 6 inches down. Mulch well to hold the moisture in! Watering deeply encourages deep roots. Use a rain gauge to measure rainfall so you do not overwater. – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I am on my third year of gardening, and we usually have trouble with our cukes (the leaves look diseased and the cukes don’t taste really good even though the rest of the garden is booming). We are trying to train our plants onto a metal trellis this year (no trellis first year, web box shaped off the ground) to see if we get better results.
We planted two bonnie burpless hybrids Easter weekend, and they have already died. I have purchased 2 boston pickling, a burpless hybrid and a straight and I am trying to diagnose the problem before I replant.
I watered every day (except when it rained) about a half a can. It did get a little cold a few days, but all my other plants are doing fine – herbs, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, zucchini. They didn’t turn yellow. They turn almost white. We did add new soil mix this year (cow manure, soil, woodstuff) and worked it into the current soil. Can I train the burpless and the strait to the trellis?
Hello Kim,
I am sorry to hear you are having problems with your cucumber plants. Cucumbers are in family of plants called cucurbits – and they all have very tender roots. When transplanting be careful not to disturb those roots. If the cucumbers turned whitish in color they may have been bitten by the cold weather. There is a picture here on the Utah State Extension page for you to look at. Cold injury can occur below 40 degrees. Watering often to get established is a good idea, but once established, water deeply but infrequently. You can train them both to the trellis. Trellising a good idea, it keeps the fruit and leaves off the ground! – Danelle, Bonnie Plants
I am having trouble over the last few years with cucumber plants. They start out looking promising and then turn yellow and die. I have tried them in various parts of the garden woth leaving them “run” along the ground and some climb a fence. They is plenty of sunlilght . I spade in my plants in fall and rotter tile the spring. Open to suggestions. I have not had my soil tested so I do not know the Ph level.
Thank you,
Tony
Hi Tony,
Are you having problems with any other veggies? Cucumbers are bothered by several pests – insects and disease. Fungal diseases like powdery mildew, cucumber beetles, and squash bugs to name a few. Check out the troubleshooting in this article for more description. Keeping an eye out for the first sign of one of these ‘bad guys’ is key to controlling the problem. When fall comes, it is to remove all the plant debris (spent plants) from the garden. Insects and diseases can both overwinter on old plants. I hope this helps! – Danielle, Bonnie Plants
growing plants is hard!!!
Hi Bonnie,
Growing veggies can be hard work, but good soil preparation and gardening habits can make it lot easier! Read here for the gardening basics that may help.
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
Dear Sir or Madam:
The type of cucumber you named it Armanian Cucumber is wrong, that type of cucumber it has been known as Persian Cucumber and its been in the Market all over the world since 1945. Refere to 1995 Tokyo Anual garden fair reports .
Hi,
Sure is a long lineage in the cucumber family! Armenian cucumbers are cloesly related to the muskmelons even though they are eaten like cucumbers and commonly called by many common names such as yard long cucumbers. I, personally like them all!
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
My cucumbers are growing its first flower but there’s only two surviving leaves and a small leaf about 2 mm not growing big and three other leaves died too, is that normal?
Hello Edmund,
Leaves dying does not sound normal, although on older cucumber vines, older leaves will start to yellow before they fall. Be sure and keep the soil evenly moist with infrequent, deep watering several times each week. How long has the cucumber been planted? Any fertilizer used? You may consider posting a picture to our Ask an Expert service with details of when you transplanted. We can help with a little more information.
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I had a cucumber in my garden and how do I know when it`s ready?
Hi Beth,
You can harvest a cucumber whenever it is big enough to use. Different cucumber varieties mature at different sizes. For instance, the Boston Pickling Cucumber is usually harvested around 3 to 7 inches long. The Straight Eight cucumber may grow to 8 inches long before it is harvested. I like to harvest at the smaller sizes, if left on too long, they become bitter tasting with hard seeds.
-Danielle, Bonnie Plants
I’m trying to grow cucumbers in a flower pot in my bathroom, ( I know weird place) I have a skylight in there and also a grow spot light. It is growing up the tomato cage but I get flowers but none turn into cucumbers, what am I doing wrong ( other than trying to grow them here in Chicago in the winter)? I also just started some tomato seeds any info would be greatly appreciated by both my rabbit & myself.
Hi Sandy,
Your cucumber blossoms are not becoming cucumbers because they need to be pollinated. Unless you have bees and beneficial insects in that bathroom with the rabbit, you’ll have to crack a window or do the handiwork yourself. Our popular article, Give Hand Pollination a Try, gives you the step by step on how to do it. We sell tomato plants at these locations: find.bonnieplants.com. Many first time gardeners find it hard to start seeds due to space and lighting requirements, so our plants can give you a healthy head start if you don’t have the time. ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
No judgement here — we would plant anything in every square inch possible.
my cucumber fruit has a shape of a pepper,
Question: Is it normal?
Hi Amado,
It sounds like your cucumber was not fully pollinated. It will be edible but misshapen. You can also encourage better pollination by hand. ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants
Hello,
I have a few questions so please sit tight
Q1. My cucumbers have green bubbles growing on them, is this a disease forming, is it just normal or is it them spike things?
Q2. My cucumbers plants are growing in about a 55x20cm rectangular pot with other plants such as chives, thyme and parsley which are about 15cm away so will the roots eventually interfere with each other?
Q3. The cucumbers are growing in the edge of the rectangular pot and are growing out the side where there is a fence made of wired mesh and the vines are wrapping around it, is that ok?
Q4. I have one last question… One of my cucumber has grown pretty big but the top of it is skinny,yellow and small but the bottom of the cucumber is massive and green and look healthy it is sort of half half So please help!
Thank you so much for your time and help.
Kind Regards, Abbey.
Hi Abbey,
It is perfectly find to underplant your cucumber with other herbs and lower-growing plants. You will want to allow enough room for them all to root in for optimal spacing, so count on at least a 24″ diameter pot for the collection you mention. If you plant tighter than that, it should be fine as long as you water and fertilize appropriately. Yours sounds great. The cucumber is vining as it should and you did the right thing in supporting it. It will not hurt the wire and vice versa. Structures like this ensure your cucumbers can hang freely as they develop. The funky shaped cucumber was not fully pollinated when in flower. If you’re curious about pollination of cucurbits, read this article. As for the bubbles, I’m not sure what you mean. If you mean the tiny, teeny bumps from which tiny prickles grow all over the cucumber, that is natural. If you mean something on the leaves or fruit that sounds different, consult this guide on the diseases that affect cucumbers. Happy growing. ~Mary Beth, Bonnie Plants