Garden Cucumbers Cucumis sativus

Cucumbers are an annual vine and common vegetable grown for its crisp, green fruit.  It's most well known for its use in salads and pickling.  Its vining nature lends itself to vertical spaces and, if given proper soil and water, can be an incredibly prolific addition to your vegetable garden.

Cucumbers grow best in full sun and moist, rich, well-drained soil.  It prefers a slightly acidic pH, 6.0-6.5.  Cucumbers have high water needs and require consistent moisture for proper growth, but they need a soil with proper drainage as well.  Keep the leaves dry while watering to prevent fungal diseases.  Vertically-grown plants may need more watering as they lose moisture more easily. 

Begin planting cucumbers well after the last frost date– they are damaged by frost and need warm soil temperatures to germinate and grow.  Black plastic mulch can help to warm the soil and allow earlier planting.  Plants can be direct-seeded or started indoors 3-6 weeks before transplanting or less than 4 weeks before the last frost date; be careful to avoid damaging the plant's taproot.  If putting in transplant pots, sow seeds 3/4 to 1 in deep, and if direct seeding, plant seeds 1-1.5 in deep.  Space plants as close as 12-16 in apart.  Cucumbers can be grown in containers of a minimum size of 1 gal and 8 in depth.  Cucumbers can be grown vertically on a trellis or even a wire fence– this helps to increase air circulation, prevent diseases, and grow straighter fruits.

Cucumbers can be harvested green once they reach preferred size– however, cucumbers that have turned yellow are over-ripe and will be tough and difficult to eat.  Poor pollination may lead to misshapen fruit.  To pick, cut the stem attaching the fruit to the vine with a sharp, clean knife or clippers.  Harvest often to spur further fruit production. 

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Edibles, Bulbs, and Houseplants" a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.