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Growing cucumbers is not hard.  Like most plants, cucumbers have preferences for what type of soil they grow in, how they are watered, and how much room they have.  However, they can grow in most areas even if those preferences are not met when given some extra attention.

A good start.  To get a good crop of cucumbers, you must build raised rows that are 4-6 inches high and the rows must be at least 36 inches apart.  This is to give the cucumber room to spread out.  The raised bed also improves drainage, as cucumbers will not grow with wet feet.

Varieties of cucumbers.  Cucumbers come in varieties that are primarily suited for pickling and varieties that are primarily suited for eating.  You can pickle eating cucumbers when they are small.  Pickling cucumbers are not so good when eaten raw, though.  Pickling cucumbers should be picked when they are 3-4 inches in diameter (think small enough to stuff in a jar).  Eating cucumbers are best when 6-8 inches long.  Any larger and they get tough and bitter.

When to plant.  It is important to wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting your cucumbers.  They will die in the cold.  Once you have made the raised rows I mentioned, then make a furrow about an inch deep down the center of each row.  Plant the seeds in clumps of 3-4 every foot or so.  Cover them with about an inch of fine soil.

Small gardens can still have cucumbers.  You simply trellis the vines so they spread up and not out.  You can also use wire cages to train the vines up.

Thinning cucumbers.  When the plants come up and have four or five leaves, pick the healthiest plant in each clump and then clip the stem of the losers off at ground level.  Do not pull them out, as that will damage the roots from the healthy plants.  To save space in the garden, you can plant fast maturing crops such as radishes, lettuce, and other things that will be harvested before the vines get big enough to over run them.

A cucumber’s needs.  Cucumbers require a lot of fertilizer and water.  You should have taken a soil test to see what nutrients your garden needs.  If you do not have one, you will have to use a 10-10-10 scattered at a rate of 1 cup per ten foot of row, then worked into the soil with a hoe.  You will need to fertilize again at the rate of 1/2 cup per ten feet of row when the cucumbers are about ten to twelve inches long.  After each fertilization, you need to water the cucumbers good to work the fertilizer into the root zone and prevent fertilizer burn.

Keep them weed free.  Cucumbers should be kept weed free to prevent the weeds from stealing their water and nutrients.  Cucumbers have two types of flowers, male and female.  The male will drop off first, with no cucumber.  The female should stay on the vine and grow a cucumber.  If the female flowers start dropping off, you can take male flowers and pollinate the females by hand.  This process is described in my post on squash rot.

Bugs eat cucumbers.  Bugs are a constant problem with cucumbers.  The banded cucumber beetle and squash bug are common.  The spotted cucumber beetle is the greatest offender, though.  When you find a bug, try to identify it so you know what you are dealing with.  You will then have to go to the store and look at the pesticides and find one that is allowed for use on cucumbers and that kills that bug.  Remember to follow the label and to use pesticides sparingly, as they kill the beneficial insects, too.

Harvesting is the fun part.  Remember to harvest at the right length for the purpose you have for the fruit.  Do not let cucumbers turn yellow.  That is a bad cucumber.

Did this article answer your questions?  What else would you like to know about cucumbers?

For more help gardening, buy my book, Preparing A Vegetable Garden From The Ground Up
Available in print or ebook from Amazon.com or other retailers, this book walks you from choosing the site of your garden all the way through what to do after the harvest. Buy a copy for yourself or a friend today!