Cucumbers are hungry, thirsty plants native to China and southeast Asia. Though they're one of the most popular garden vegetables worldwide, planting and growing cucumbers takes some care and attention to do well. They need lots of organic matter, regular watering, and even occasional fertilization.
Though cucumbers demand a lot of nutrition and water, they're easy and rewarding to grow once you understand their needs. This guide covers everything you need to know about growing cucumbers, from choosing a variety and sowing seeds to planting, trellising, cucumber spacing, and growing cucumbers in pots.
Skip Ahead: Cucumber varieties • Growing and planting cucumbers • Cucumber spacing • Trellising cucumbers • Cucumbers in pots • Harvesting cucumbers • Cucumber sun requirements • FAQ
Choosing a cucumber variety
There are two types of cucumbers to choose from: bush vs vining cucumbers. Beyond that, you can also choose between slicing cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. Here's essentially how those break down:
- Bush cucumbers: Bush cucumbers were bred to be more manageable and space efficient. They also include dwarf varieties, and are an excellent choice for gardeners looking to grow cucumbers in a small space without worrying about the vines clinging to nearby plants. Spacemaster 80 is one popular variety.
- Vining cucumbers: Vining cucumbers produce more fruit than bush cucumbers, but they also take up more space. They can grow up trellises or supports, or along the ground. Varieties like Marketmore and Poinsett 76 are the classic cucumber that most of us imagine growing.
- Pickling cucumbers come in vining and bush varieties. Some dwarf varieties grow to only a few inches long.
- Slicing cucumbers are what most people imagine when they think of growing cucumbers: large, crisp, with a softer skin. They come in both bush and vining varieties.
Growing and planting cucumbers
Cucumbers are tropical plants, so it's important not to plant them too early. Wait to sow or plant cucumbers until temperatures are consistently around 70º F, at least two weeks after your last frost date. For growers in colder climates, starting the seeds indoors two to three weeks before the last frost date can enable the plants to fruit before the end of summer.
Wherever you plant cucumbers, be sure to meet their essential requirements: full sun, heat, very rich soil, and consistent watering. Here are a few tips for planting cucumbers in the right conditions:
- Full sun: Plant cucumbers in a position that will get at least six hours of direct sun daily, all summer.
- Rich soil: Cucumbers need lots of compost in the soil. If your container or raised bed soil isn't already rich in organic matter, dig in a few extra inches of compost.
- Consistent watering: Cucumbers' soil shouldn't go through periods of drought and drenching. Instead, maintain a moist soil by watering regularly. You can also use a watering spike or similar device, or plant trellised cucumbers next to a ground cover plant.
Cucumbers need to be fertilized about every month, even when planted into rich soil. Low cost, organic options include homemade compost tea and comfrey tea. Other popular options are bone meal, blood meal, fish meal, and kelp meal.
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It's not necessary to overcomplicate fertilizing cucumbers; a well-rounded fertilizer like homemade comfrey tea will always do well. But if you go with a packaged option, keep in mind that cucumbers need more nitrogen early on, and more potassium and phosphorus when they fruit. One balanced approach would be to fertilize with composted manure or blood meal early in the season, followed by bone meal when the fruits start to develop.
When planting cucumbers, keep in mind that they need pollinators to produce fruit. Companion planting cucumbers with flowers like marigolds, dill, or nasturtiums is a great way to improve pollination and attract beneficial pests. Otherwise, you may need to hand pollinate female cucumber flowers with a small paintbrush. You can identify female flowers by the slight swelling behind the bud. Once female flowers are pollinated and that swelling begins to grow, prune off excess male flowers.
Growing cucumbers from seeds
You can grow cucumbers from seed either by sowing directly or starting them indoors. Direct sowing cucumbers is ideal if you live in a warm zone with a long growing season. If you live in a colder climate, it's best to sow cucumber seeds indoors about two weeks before the last frost.
Cucumbers do have sensitive roots, so the advice is often not to bother with sowing cucumbers indoors. For those of us in cold climates, this is overly cautious. Cucumbers started indoors can transplant very well as long as you let the plants establish good root systems and transplant them gently.
- To sow cucumber seeds directly, place them about an inch deep and water them in well. For trellised cucumbers, get the trellis or supports in place before sowing. This will avoid damaging the sensitive roots once the plants have started to grow. Sow two seeds to each hole. Once they've grown to 4" to 6" tall, pinch out the weakest.
- To start cucumbers from seed indoors, sow two seeds about an inch deep in each pot and water them in well. Cucumbers need darkness to germinate-- hence planting them deeply-- but they will need lots of light as soon as they breach the soil. Place them in the brightest spot available and water from the bottom as needed. Sow two seeds to each pot. Once they've grown to 4" tall, pinch out the weakest.
Don't be tempted to start cucumber seeds indoors more than one or two weeks before your last frost date. Cucumbers grown indoors in plugs will struggle to get adequate nutrition, encouraging them to flower too early. Ultimately, sowing cucumber seeds too early will result in fewer fruits to harvest.
Cucumber plant spacing
Cucumbers need plenty of space, whether they're trellised, hilled, or grown in pots. Here's how much space to give cucumbers depending on what type you're growing:
- Vining cucumbers: Space trellised cucumbers 12" to 18" apart, in rows spaced a few feet apart so you have room to walk between plants. To grow vining cucumbers in a raised bed without trellising, space them about 36" apart.
- Bush cucumbers: Plant bush cucumbers at least 36" apart in rows wide enough to walk down comfortably. To grow bush cucumbers in containers, give each plant its own 14" pot.
Growing cucumbers vertically
Vining cucumbers grow best on trellises. This can help them access more sun, but it can also provide shade for other plants and prevent the cucumbers from vining onto neighboring plants and potentially damaging them.
Growing cucumbers on a trellis will also prevent them from rotting, or developing 'field spots' where part of the fruit doesn't ripen because it was in contact with the ground.
Cucumber trellises come in many designs, including arches, a-frames, and upright fences. Any of these will work as long as they're stable enough to support the cucumbers as they develop.
To grow cucumbers vertically, plant them 12" to 18" apart at the base of a trellis or support and water them in well. Check in frequently to tie in the new growth, if needed. Once the cucumbers reach the top of the trellis, pinch off their tops to encourage more side shoots and fruits.
Growing cucumbers in pots
Bush cucumbers are ideal for growing in pots, though you can grow both bush and vining varieties in containers. Growing cucumbers in pots is not only space efficient, but it allows you to move the plants throughout the day if needed to ensure they get at least eight hours of direct sunlight.
The main challenge with growing cucumbers in pots and other containers is the soil drying out. You can prevent this by using a watering spike, adding generous amounts of compost, and planting into a large enough pot.
For vining and bush cucumbers, use a large pot at least 12" wide and 15" deep. A pot of this size will support one healthy plant. Bush cucumbers should always be grown in their own containers, while vining cucumbers can share a pot if trellised, pruned well, and fertilized regularly.
Don't overcrowd your cucumber pot with other plants, as this will hamper growth and encourage downy mildew. Keep in mind that cucumbers in pots will also need more frequent watering and fertilization than those grown in raised beds.
When to harvest cucumbers
Harvest cucumbers when they have reached their full length (for their variety) and achieved a dark green color.
Some cucumber varieties, like lemon cucumbers, naturally ripen to a light yellow color. But for most other varieties, that rich green color will be your cue to harvest.
Harvesting cucumbers too early isn't much of a concern, as long as they're at least somewhat ripe. But letting cucumbers grow on too long can result in tougher skins and a bitter flavor. If in doubt, it's better to harvest too early than too late.
How much sun do cucumbers need?
Cucumbers need full sun, which is at least 6 hours (and ideally 8 hours) of direct sun or more daily. They'll take as much sunlight as you can give them!
What is the best soil for cucumbers?
Cucumbers need rich, fertile, well draining soil with plenty of organic matter. An all-purpose vegetable potting mix or raised bed mix with added compost or composted manure does very well.
If you are planting into clay soil, prepare the ground by digging it to a depth of about a foot, amending the soil with compost or composted manure, and adding some drainage (like perlite or vermiculite.) This will ensure that the cucumber roots are able to access the nutrients they need and don't sit in compacted, wet soil.
How long do cucumbers take to grow?
All varieties of cucumber take 50-70 days to grow. Cucumbers can take 7 to 10 days to germinate. The first male flowers appear after around 50 days, followed by the female flowers. Once a female flower is pollinated, it can take 10 to 15 days for the cucumber to be ready to harvest.