vegetable
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Once the warmth of summer come on , cucumbers are a favorite improver to summer salads and sandwiches . produce cucumbers at domicile is surprisingly easy , and you ’ll find that the I you grow are far superior to anything you may purchase at the store .
Whether used to make pickles , rust invigorated from the vegetable garden , or used for their juice , cucumber is a great source of vitamins and micronutrients . They ’re packed with weewee and fiber , two things indispensable to our health . And they ’re downhearted - calorie , gain them a best-loved nutrient of the diet - conscious .
Let ’s not blank out that the plant life themselves are a bright fleeceable and will inspire your vegetable garden outer space with a matte of dense , fat leaf . Hiding within those vine or bushes can be an abundance of yummy nutrient if you just succeed this guide !
Cucumbers: Quick Care Guide
Types of Cucumbers
Cucumis sativus , the cuke , has a wide routine of varieties , but these are mostly separated into two categories : how it grows , and what it ’s used for .
Cucumbers By Use
loosely , there are two , sometimes three , categories that cucumber fall under in term of how they ’re used .
slice cucumbersor fresh - eating cucumbers are those which are used in salad . These tend to be crisp , racy , and tasty in most fresh - use situations . Many slicing cucumbers also have slight skins .
Pickling cucumbers have thicker skin and slightly denser , drier flesh which take well to absorbing jam saltwater . These are a common repositing cucumber . While pickle cucumbers can still be eaten fresh , they ’re most popular for pickling use .
Sometimes there ’s a third category , the snacking cuke . These are used both for fresh eating and for pickling , but be given to be much smaller in size than either pickling or slicing cuke . Sometimes these are referred to as cocktail cucumbers . However , snack cuke can easily be categorize in one or both of the other categories .
Cucumbers By Growth
All cucumber are a descriptor of vine , but not all cucumbers are bush types .
Bush cuke lean to be more thickset and right for humble - space ontogeny . These are count great greenhouse flora , hydroponic plants , or container plants . The best containers for cucumbers are correct in our computer memory . essay the5 - Imperial gallon Air Potthe next time you grow bush cucumbers .
Some variant of support or treillage may be need , but bush cucumbers usually only take up 2 - 3 straight feet of space . In addition , some greenhouse or hydroponic types are self - fruitful , intend that they do n’t need outside pollination .
Vining cucumbers are those which dislocate out long vines from a central industrial plant root . These are often grown on a trellis if blank is limited , but may also be grown matt on the ground . These can take up a heap more real estate than a bush cuke might , but they make up the immense majority of cucumber varieties .
Recommended Cucumber Varieties
We have a much more extensive piece oncucumber varietiesthan what we cover here . For simplicity ’s sake , I ’m going to intermit this listing up into slicing , pickling , or strange cuke types .
Bush varieties will be mark next to the cucumber name with a(B ) . All others are vining type .
Slicing Cucumbers
Pickling Cucumbers
Unusual Cucumbers
How To Plant Cucumbers
cucumber are extremely frost - sore , so you do n’t want to establish cucumber vine too ahead of time . At the very earliest , plant your Cucumis sativus seeds at least two weeks after the last potential frost appointment . You should only imbed in warm ground , at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit is needed for seeds to germinate .
Those of us who like planting cucumbers indoors ahead of time can utilise a seedling heat mat set to 70 degrees . Sow seed 3 - 4 week before you want to transplant your immature seedling flora . This should get them off to a great commencement .
Cucumbers are a full - sun plant life , so no matter where they ’re placed , you ’ll want at least eight 60 minutes of sunlight a day to keep them happy . Bush cucumbers are quite happy as container plants . When space is special , these are perfect options for planting cucumbers .
By compare , vining Cucumis sativus can take up quite a plenty of space , so be after ahead for these . you could also civilize and grow cucumbers up a trellis to keep down infinite .
Or grow cucumber upside - down using a modify five - gallon bucket or an upside - down tomato industrial plant container . Just be measured to on a regular basis pick your produce so that you do n’t put focus on the plant ’s solution !
These plants can be susceptible to various fungous plant disease if they ’re too tightly packed together . This is especially genuine if their leave are regularly wet and do n’t dry out quickly .
Container - grown cucumbers are grow in popularity , and we ’ve generate a fantastic telecasting with hint for observe them grow throughout the time of year !
Transplanted cucumber plants spring up up a treillage can be space about a foot apart , where bush plant prefer about 36″ aside . Vining types that are n’t grown upwards should have at least 60″ spacing to enable them to spread .
immediately - seed cucumbers should be handle in a similar space pattern as transplant cucumber vine seedlings . position 3 - 4 cucumber seed in each 1″ cryptic hole , and once they ’ve germinate , thin down to the potent flora or two . find out morecucumber spacinginfo in our slice on the topic .
Often , people will institute their vining cucumbers in hill . Make a mound of dirt , 3 - 4″ tall , and engraft your seeds in the heart of the J. J. Hill . The vines will then grow downward and around the mound .
And , to set you and your plants up for achiever , plant somecucumber companion plantsnearby .
Caring For Cucumber Plants
Growing cucumbers is in reality quite easygoing . Read through the following tips to find the best way to treat your plants !
Light and Temperature
Sunlight is perfectly essential for spry cucumber increment . These plants have large leaf to shade their treasured fruit , but they call for full sun to do their affair .
industrial plant cucumbers in one of the sunny persona of your vegetable garden for best output , and be certain they receive at least eight hours of sun per day .
Cucumbers like it lovesome – between 60 - 90 degrees !
They ’ll germinate at soil temperatures of 80 - 90 as well , but at anything below 68 degrees , it ’ll be slow or not at all . For the best conditions for cucumbers , ensure your soil is at least 70 degree consistently before direct - sowing your semen .
Once your plants are institute , red-hot conditions are just fine . They can handle even extremely raging ( over 90 degree ) weather for inadequate period of clip , as long as they have enough weewee .
However , as the weather starts to ferment colder in the fall , you will detect your cucumber drooping once the temperature regularly sink to the 50 ’s . At that point it ’s time to remove the plant and get your fall covering crop in position .
Water and Humidity
Consistent heavy lachrymation is all important to grow good yield . After all , a cucumber is made up of mostly pee !
A good principle to follow is to finger - trial run . If you jab your finger’s breadth into the land and it ’s dry past your first metacarpophalangeal joint , it ’s time to urine . keep the filth evenly moist is usually just , specially when there ’s fruit on the vine .
An inch of water per week is urge for most cucumbers , but they ’ll need more once the atmospheric condition draw spicy . During the summertime , check them regularly . You do not want your Cucumis sativus plants to get thirsty , because a lack of water system makes your works bring forth bitter fruit .
Bottom - watering is preferred . stress not to wet the leaf too much , as this can create problems such as powdery mould . If you have a trickle lacrimation organization or soaker hoses , these are ideal .
Soil
Cucumbers require a lot of nutrients , because they ’re expectant self-feeder . Before planting , it ’s recommended to commix in compost or aged manure to a depth of about eight in .
The pH range should be inert or slightly alkalic , as cuke opt something close to 7.0 pH.
It ’s essential to have well - draining soil . If your soil is too moisture - retentive , it can cause fungal diseases which will put down your plants .
Similarly , Lucius DuBignon Clay - type territory are not idealistic for cucumber as the antecedent will find it too difficult to diffuse . Your soil should be indulgent and constituent - rich . Slightly sandy soils will work well as long as they have pot of nutrients .
For people planning on container gardening , a good soil blend is made up of one part rich compost , one part perlite , and one part peat moss or coconut coir . This portmanteau contain water without wrick to mud or getting overly soggy , but will drain off overabundance easily . If you ’d like to experience cuke in a quite a little , we have a objet d’art that detail that process .
Fertilizing
clayey feeders like cucumbers need a ample stain to set about with . They can survive without supplemental fertilizing if the soil is nutrient - packed from the root . However , applying a balanced fertilizer in the former summertime and early gloaming provides soil replenishment .
Nitrogen is most important for plant growth . Potassium can aid the plants withstand disease . Phosphorous is of the essence for flowering , which is necessary for fruit set .
stress to ensure whatever you use is well - balanced . If it ’s nutritive - sullen on one of these , aim for it being higher in N than the other two .
A unspoilt , rich compost distribute at the base of the vine during the time of year can act in place of the fertilizer . Slow - firing granule are also good , as is the use of compost tea .
Pruning and Training Cucumber Plants
We have an in - depth slice onpruning cucumbersthat we ’ve summarize here for you public toilet . While Dubyuh - case cuke rarely need pruning , a cucumber vine can speedily branch out and expand out of control . If you palpate you need to rationalize your vine to keep it under mastery , pop out near the very basis of the theme .
To prune , snip off petty vine as close to the main vine as you could without damaging the main vine . A good pair of bypass pruners helps to avoid squelch damage . likewise , you could prune off yield that shape in that first 5 - 7 leaf nodes , as this will advance further development of the vine .
Remove the first 4 - 6 lateral ball carrier that come along near the base of your plant as well . Anything beyond those , leave to develop as they will fruit .
If you ’re wonder howgrowing cucumbers verticallyworks , we ’ve touch on that issue in a separate piece . To sum up ,
A 5 - 6 human foot magniloquent trellis is plenty for cucumber . Ensure it ’s able to wield weight , as cucumber fruit can become heavy . Start by planting hills of cucumber plant space about 12″ apart at the root of the trellis . Once the vine have get a few inch long , mulch the hills lightly to serve keep the grease moist .
Then guarantee the vines in berth with a soft necktie of some sorting . Leave lot of elbow room for the vine to inspissate as it grows .
Cucumber Propagation
As we ’ve covered propagating cucumber vine from seed elsewhere in this bit , let ’s discourse cuttings . The cutting should be choose from green , healthy plants . Take your cuttings in the former mornings when the stems are well hydrated .
Cut 1/8″ behind the 2nd hardening of leaves and their folio node at the end of the stem , making your cut straight across the stem . Gently remove the 2d exercise set of leave-taking , keeping the first intact .
Dip the trimmed end of the stem into rout hormone , and then engraft 1/2 column inch deep in a tidy sum of pot filth , pointing straight upwards . Water your cutting daily with a misting bottleful , being sure to moisten all the soil thoroughly . Do n’t overwater , but make certain that the ground always stay moist . Roots should form within three workweek .
Before you decide to save the seeds you ’ve gotten from growing cucumber , ensure your flora are not hybrids . Hybrid plants often bring out uninventive germ and should be spread through cuttings .
secondly , see your industrial plant did not cross - pollinate with other variety show . grumpy - pollenation can make the works to not breed rightful . Provided that you have viable seeds , slit your cucumber down the center and utilize a spoonful to scoop out the pulp with the seeds . Separate as many seeds from the pulp as you could , and place them in a bowl with some luke - warm body of water .
treat the bowl and leave the seed in the water for three days . After three days , tense out your seeds , take out as much of the colloidal gel particulate as you may , and spread them out on a tray to dry .
Check on a regular basis to see if your seed have dried , and once they have , place them in a newspaper publisher envelope , marked with the date and variety . Store your seeds in a dark , dry , and cool fix . Airtight computer storage tend to be in force , but if you ca n’t provide an airtight container , endeavor to subdue airflow as much as possible and keep them dry .
Harvesting & Storing Cucumbers
Deciding when to pick cuke is more difficult than the harvesting itself . lay in can also be a challenge . Here ’s some helpful hints for both !
How To Harvest Cucumbers
Depending on what eccentric you have , check your get cucumber vine every day or two as the fruit begin to dilate in size to determine if it ’s fourth dimension to set out harvest home Cucumis sativus . For many form , it ’ll be eight to ten days after the female flowers opened , but that ’s not always a good guaranty .
The foresighted , “ burpless ” mixed bag of cucumber mean for smart eating are best harvested when they ’re an inch to an column inch and a half in diam . Take a clear pair of pruning shear and prune through the root word 1/4″ above the yield . debar twisting the vine so as to not damage it .
Begin harvesting cucumbers of the pickle kind at around 6 inches long . They should be harvested the same way as new - rust cukes . The strange varieties of cucumber , such as the “ shiner melon vine ” types , should be harvested when they ’re the estimated sizing submit on the seed packet .
It ’s significant to glean cucumber vine when they ’re right . provide them on the vine too long will cause them to set out to scandalmongering , and that turns the yield sulphurous . Harvest cucumbers when they ’re fleeceable to dark fleeceable and the right size for their salmagundi .
Storing Cucumbers
Cucumbers are considered perishables . They will rapidly deteriorate once harvested . Therefore , storing them is a challenge .
At supermarkets , cucumbers are typically surface with wax . This helps to keep wet inside the yield while in the refrigerator . you’re able to wax your cucumber vine if you bid , or wrap them loosely in plastic wrapper if they ’re not cut open .
cuke which are wrapped can be store in the crisper draftsman in the electric refrigerator for about a week . Those which are waxed may last as long as two week . If you ’ve used part of your cucumber vine , wrap it tightly in pliant wrap and use the ease within a few 24-hour interval .
Other Preservation Methods
If you have an overabundance of new - eating Cucumis sativus and do n’t have time to use up them all before they spoil , think establish cucumber juice . Peel the skin off six cucumbers ( you may also opt to remove the source if you opt ) and roughly chop up them into clump . Place them in a food CPU and turn them into a puree .
For a less - pulpy succus , strain this mixture through cheesecloth or deep brown filters . you could also run your cucumber frame through a juicer . Juice can be frozen until need , but should be thawed easy in the refrigerator to bear on their flavor . Once thawed , apply the juice up speedily so it does not spoil .
you may also add calcined lime juice and other good - twin flavors such as powdered ginger and make a granita out of the succus if you ’d like .
Unfortunately , cucumbers themselves ca n’t be immobilise , as the flesh will become mushy . However , they make phenomenal pickles , specially varieties grown for pickling . There are a million pickle formula online , and both fresh - wipe out and pickle sort can be used to produce them .
Pickling cucumbers are a routine denser and hold up better to dill treatment or canning . Fresh - eating cucumber vine make great refrigerator pickles to be exhaust within a few days ’ time .
Troubleshooting
For the most part , if you take care of your flora and buy immune metal money , you should n’t have problems . But if you do , here ’s a list of the most common 1 to encounter .
Growing Problems
Cucumber flowers incline to be one of the least - note by pollinators . It may be because they ’re hidden under a dense mat of leave . But often , one of the most uncouth problems is that the plant flowers just do n’t bring forth fruit .
In world , there are both manly flowers and female flowers on the Cucumis sativus works . It ’s comparatively easy to identify female flowers , as they have a much longer flower which looks like a tiny cucumber in shape . You may need to reach - cross-pollinate your female flowers to encourage fruit .
To do this , take a cotton swob or a ok paintbrush and sweep some of the sticky pollen off of one of the virile flush . Then , dust the pollen from the manly flowers just inside the distaff flower . Repeat this until all distaff flowers have been pollinated . This should help them fruit more readily .
Pests
Thecucumber beetleis the largest cuss of cucumbers , as evidenced by its name . The larvae of cucumber beetle sham cuke plants at the roots , while the adults will junket upon the wide leaf . A tidy population of beneficial dirt ball will keep them at bay .
To champion your plants against this beetle , you ’ll require to apply a pyrethrin - based nebulizer . I advocate Safer Brand Yard and Garden Spray , which tends to be quite effective . If necessary , move up to a strong pyrethrin solution , but essay not to spray pyrethrins flop before reap whenever possible .
Aphidsare an ever - present gadfly in most garden . With billion of variations , these tiny sap - suckers are found in all contribution of the world . whitefly , wanderer speck , andthripsare also have sex to go after the flora juices of your Cucumis sativus . Again , many beneficial insects control condition aphid for you . imbed their host plant to draw them in .
you could protect your plants against these pestis by spraying all leafage and vine surfaces with neem rock oil . This deter further plague while slowly killing off any which are there .
If you arise cucumber with pumpkins or other squash racquets , you might have issues with thesquash bug . Squash microbe will readily crunch on cucumber plant , although their preferred intellectual nourishment is other cucurbits like pumpkin .
you’re able to useneem oilor pyrethrin - based spraying like Safer Brand Yard and Garden Spray against squash rackets bugs as well .
Thesquash vine boreris another blighter which can become a major issue . Its larvae burrow into the vines of squash , melon , cucumbers , and other cucurbit plants .
Repelling this stone drill , which turn into a moth in its grownup form , can be a challenge . Spinosad sprays such as Monterey Garden Insect Spray have been shown to be useful .
Once the larva has dug into your Cucumis sativus prow , you may have to perform larva - removal surgery on the root word and cover it with soil to promote rout .
Finally , we have the pickleworm . This unassuming moth larvae will nibble at the leave of absence and stems of your cucumber plant , but what it ’s really interested in is the yield . Pickleworms will tunnel deep into cucumber yield , damaging the fruit and rendering it uneatable .
Avoiding the pickleworm ( and indeed all of these other louse ) can be done by using floating wrangle covers over your plant . Once those covers are removed for pollenation , it ’s more complex .
Preemptive spray or powder the plants and their fruit with bacillus thurigiensis ( BT ) incline to be the most effective way to prevent larvae from dig in . I recommend a spray formula such as Monterey BT . For a powdery option , I paint a picture Garden Dust .
Cucumber Diseases
Sphaerotheca fuliginea and Erysiphe cichoracearum are fungi which cause the dreadedpowdery mildew . This whitened , powdery growth will form on the leaf of your cucumbers . Left untreated , your cucumber folio will wilt , and the industrial plant begin to die off from lack of chlorophyll .
Thankfully , mildew is readily treatable with a number of methods . I prefer using neem crude , which coat the leaves and protect them from mildew growing . However , there ’s a issue of other constitutional method which bring just as well .
you may readmore about powdery mildew preventive here .
Downy mildewis due to yet another fungous infection . This one causes yellow patches on the top of cucumber leaves , with purplish or brownish speckle on the underside of the leaf . discourse for downy mildew requires a cop fungicide such as Bonide Copper Fungicide to kill off the fungous growth .
Bacterial wilt disease is make by a bacteria ( Erwinia tracheiphila ) spread by both the patched and striped cucumber beetles . Initially , it stimulate folio wilting along the stem , but over prison term it will spread throughout the plant and die .
To avoid this wilt , eradicatecucumber beetlesand their larvae as cursorily as potential . If you find an infected plant , remove and destroy it to prevent further bedspread , and monitor your other cucurbit .
Cucurbit rat is an interesting works disease , as it reacts other than to unlike types of cucurbits .
On cucumbers , it creates snowy to greyish leaf spotting , sometimes with a yellowish gloriole around it . Over meter , these folio spot will dry and accrue out , creating ragged leave .
It can also make sunken spot on the cucumber fruit which become covered with a greenish - black fungous emergence .
handling of scab requires coating all plant life surfaces in a antimycotic such as Dr. Earth Disease Control Fungicide . If necessary , stronger meter include the usage of Bonide Fung - Onil , but the lighter method acting should eliminate the scab .
Fusarium wiltis a vulgar problem in many a veg garden . In newly - germinating cucumber seeds , the filth pathogen Fusarium oxysporum will have damping off . In Old plants , it can tardily cause the plant to droop and die off .
regrettably , this pathogen lie in in the territory , and anything which it can attack , it will . Plant resistant varieties for best protection . If a plant present signs of fusarium wilt , it should be removed and destroyed to foreclose further soil bedspread .
Phytophthora crown and root decomposition is also a risk to cucumbers . This is because of overly - wet soil , and can almost be entirely eliminated in a vegetable garden scope if one provides well - drain land for their plant .
If it educate in your soil , debar engraft more plant in that spot for a yoke years . There are resistant plants for this grunge infection as well .
Finally , we have thecucumber mosaic computer virus . Spread mostly byaphids , this virus will cause cucumber leaves to wrinkle and become patchy in color . Fruit may become bumpier than normal , create unmated pattern , or depend sick or greyish .
The good way to protect your plants from CMV infection is to pass over out aphids when they appear on the underside of your cucumber plant life leaves . Infected plant should be dispatch and destroyed to foreclose further spread .
Many kind of cuke are resistant to CMV now , and planting those is encouraged .
Frequently Asked Questions
Q : Do cucumbers need to climb ?
A : While technically they do n’t have to , cucumbers grow well vertically . A sustenance or trellis will not only promote healthier growth , it will prevent disease and make maintenancing vine easier .
Q : What is the best path to arise cucumbers ?
A : Grow cuke in full sun , and fat dirt . Provide support to vining mixture , and give them enough pee and nutrition and you ’re set .
Q : What calendar month do you plant cucumbers ?
A : Many gardeners start maturate graft in late natural spring . Most often initial transplanting occur in May , and potentially a second crop is planted in July .
Q : How long do cucumbers take to amply grow ?
A : From seminal fluid to reap , cucumbers grow in about 50 to 80 twenty-four hours .
Q : Can I plant tomatoes and cuke next to each other ?
A : Yes ! In fact , they are swell companions .
Q : What pass off if you do n’t trellis cucumber ?
A : They may not grow as promptly and will be harder to get at for care and harvest .
Q : How many cucumbers do you get from 1 works ?
A : depend on variety , you ’ll get 10 to 15 cukes from one industrial plant .
Q : How often should cucumbers be irrigate ?
A : water them once per workweek .
