How To Plant Cucumber | Cucumis sativus
Is cucumber, a fruit or a vegetable? For many the answer is simple. If you were to ask a botanist the answer is, it is a fruit. They might go into more detail and inform you it is actually a berry. If you ask a chief, they will tell you a cucumber is legally classed and used as a vegetable. Having more of a savory flavor than traditional sweet flavors, we use them in the kitchen like a vegetable.
It is botanically considered a fruit for two reasons. First, humans consume the seed-bearing flower. Secondly, we only eat the flower part of the plant. We do not consume any other part from the plant.
About A Cucumber
What is it about a cucumber that is so delicious? Is it the crunchy outside texture, followed by soft fleshy inside? Is it because you can turn ordinary water into something springy and tasty? I do not know, but cucumbers are good. On salads, sandwiches, cooked with vegetables, pickled or eaten raw, it is a satisfying and nutritious treat.
Cucumbers are annual plants that are widely cultivated throughout the world. There are 4 main varieties, and they come as bushy or vining types. This plant is considered a creeping vine plant, that roots in the ground and climbs up trellises or most other supporting structure. They wrap their long thin spiraling tendrils around the structure, and off they grow. Having large leaves, this vine makes great cover for their fruit. Most cucumbers require pollination. Thankfully we have nature to help us out with this task. Bees, and insects are great pollinators and help the cucumber produce delicious fruit. A cucumber plant is not considered self-pollinating meaning it takes two or more to pollinate the flowers to form seeds and fruit.
A cucumber is an easy to care for plant that absolutely loves the sun and water. Fast growing with the right care, remember not to let your cucumbers get too large before they are picked, or they will taste bitter and terrible.
Cucumber Plant Varieties
Cucumbers are basically classified into four main groups:
- Slicing – These are the varieties found in the vegetable isle of your grocery store. They are grown to eat fresh. These fruits mature while still attached to the vine, protected from the sun under their big leaves. Cucumbers in America tend to be longer and smoother with a tougher skin. European cucumbers varieties are smaller, thinner, with a delicate skin and less seeds created.
- Pickling – Although you can technically pickle almost any variety, commercial pickles come from a specific breed created to form uniformity in length to diameter ratio, and lacks the void areas inside where the seeds are in the flesh. These cucumbers can also be called “picklers,” and they can grow up to 4 inches long and 1 inch in diameter. Compared to slicing cucumbers, picklers are shorter, thicker, less regularly shaped, and have uneven corrugated skin.
- Gherkin – This variety also known as baby pickles or cornichons are very small compared to their counterparts. Only growing 1-4 inches in length, their skin is often very bumpy.
- Burpless – This variety of cucumber tends to be sweeter and can have thinner more delicate skins than other types. They are very tasty and easy to digest. Reaching around 2 feet in length, this seedless type like a “Hot house,” and other cucumbers are usually wrapped in plastic in the grocery store to protect its soft skin. Because this variety is easy to digest, it does not give people gas.
Cucumber Plant Types
There are two types of cucumber plants: vining cucumbers and bush cucumbers.
Vining cucumber- This type grows vigorous up via vines that are shaded by their large leaves. This type grows fast, and it’s fruit yield is bountiful when cared for properly. Training them as soon as you see long string like arms called tendrils emerging out of the plant. Training them correctly to climb up a trellis or fence by wrapping their long tendrils around the structure. This also helps with some pest problems, the plant will produce more fruit, and it will be easier to pick and find the fruit.
- Bush cucumber- This type is generally better if you are container gardening and do not want a vine plant with a trellis.
How To Grow Cucumber
Growing conditions
Cucumber plants do not like the cold, and will not tolerate cold weather. Do not sow your seeds or transplant your plant into the ground earlier than 15 days after the last frost of the season. The soil must be at least 70 degrees for germination to occur.
This plant loves the sun, and when planting, needs a full sun plot with lots of light. Cucumber plants also require fertile soil to produce delicious fruits. If you compost, this is an excellent opportunity to use your nutritious soil. If you do not want to compost, you can use manure and mix it into the top two inches of the soil. Then work that top two inches into the next 6 inches before planting. You want the soil to always be a little moist and well draining however, the root structure does not like soggy or compacted soil.
Test the pH level of the soil before planting. You are looking for soil with a pH that is neutral to slightly acidic 6.5-7.0. A light, sandy soil is recommended for northern gardens, as they warm quickly in the spring. To increase the moisture control for your plant, buy a bag of peat moss. Peat moss is a dark brown fibrous material you can find at the local nursery or hardware department store. Sprinkle the peat moss on top of the soil and it will help absorb and retain water for the roots. Peat moss does not compact the soil, or carry any fungus or bacteria. The down side of peat moss is it is virtually void of all nutrients, and it can run on the acidic side of the spectrum with a ph somewhere between 4-6. If you cannot find peat moss, mulch works just the same.
Watering a Cucumber plant
Bite into a cucumber, and there is no doubt about the water content. Cucumbers absolutely love water! Growing cucumbers require a lot of water and do not like even small spurts of drought. If the top two inches of soil is dry, it is time to water your plant. The plant fruit will change if the plant goes from moist to dry and back again, so I do recommend a drip irrigation system if you have the means.
With a drip irrigation system it is easy to set times in the early morning and early afternoon to avoid inconsistent waterings. The plant will like this, the harvest yield will be greater, and the fruit will be more tasty. Even with a drip irrigation set up, occupational random day watering does not hurt. This plant also thrives in a humid environment, again, loves that water. Throw down some mulch around the plant stem to increase the moisture retention of the soil.
Growing Cucumber From Seeds
The best time to sow your germinated seeds into the soil is after the last frost is done, and the soil temperature does not go below 86 degrees. I would start to germinate your seeds 4-5 weeks before you plan on transplanting outside. If you plan on sowing your seeds straight into the soil, make sure the ground temperature does not go below 86 degrees. Of the two, I would personally recommend germinating your plants then hardening them before transplanting outside.
If you choose to sow your seeds right into your in-ground garden, plant 2 seeds every 2-3 feet apart in rows about 1 inch in depth for the bush varieties. If planting vining varieties, plant the seeds 1 foot apart and have the trellises in place and ready to train the tentacles. Make small mounds for the rows, and space the long mounts 1-2 feet apart. If you live in an area where it is generally colder, you can place black plastic bags over your hill and rows.
How To Propagate Cucumbers
Start by grabbing all the tools you will need. I recommend gardening shears, or a good sharp knife, a pair of gloves, and a glass of water to put your propagated cutting into. Make sure your gloves are clean and the shears are disinfected. You do not want to spread plant disease to your crop or the new sapling. Taking your cuttings first thing in the morning is recommended because the plant will have the sun and heat off the day to recover from the traumatic experience. The sun rays are not so toxic and the plant will be able to strengthen and recover through photosynthesis.
Plan your cut close to the main stem. Find a branch that looks healthy and has at least 4 leaves for this procedure. Using a straight clean cut, cut close to the stem base, but at least ½ inch before the first leaves on the branch. Once you cut the plant, place the stem cut side down in the water. Store in a warm area out of direct sun. After 10 days, new root should be about ½ -1 inch long sprouting from where the branch was cut. When you see this, it is time to transplant into soil.
How to Harvest Cucumber
Monitor your fruit as you see them appear. With cucumbers, you do not want to leave them too long on the stem, or they will get too big, and the taste will turn bitter. When it is time to harvest your fruit, you should be out tending to your plant every other day. Cucumbers grow quickly, so be active to grab all the wonderful fruit you can get in the next weeks. Staying on the vine too long could also slow the plant productivity.
- Slicing Cucumbers- Harvest the fruit when they about 6 to 8 inches long.
- Pickling Cucumbers- Harvest this variety when the fruit is about 2 inches long.
- Burpless Cucumbers- This variety can get up to 10 inches long or even larger.
Pick the fruit before they turn yellow, or become too hard. You want your fruit to be firm, and uniformly green in color. Grab gardening shears or your favorite sharp knife to cut the fruit off the plant. Make sure the tool is disinfected to prevent the spread of disease. You to not want to pull the fruit off because you might cause damage to the plant if the fruit does not want to give at that time. Make sure you keep picking them even if you “have too many.” if you stop picking the fruit, the plant will stop producing the fruit. Better to pick and continue to have a longer harvest than to keep it on the vine and stop production all together for the season.
Pests and Disease
Some common pests for cucumbers include:
- Squash Bugs – Another name is Anasa tristis. These devil insects attack your plants and leaves, causing them to blacken, become brittle, wither, and eventually die. If brown marks on the leaves of the plant are seen, you might have a squash bugs problem. Check under the leaves for oval-shaped brown eggs, and manually remove them.
- Aphids -These soft-body nuisances are found under the leaves and stem of this plant. Infestations will cause discoloration of the leaves, stunt the plants growth, and cause necrotic areas on the leaves. They multiple quickly, so deal with the problem quickly and aggressively.
- Powdery Mildew (PM) – Powdery Mildew is most common when the plant is mature, and in warm dry climates. Examine your plants, if you see powdery white spots on the leaves and stem, you have a fungus problem. Eventually this infection will weaken the plant, decrease fruit production and cause bad premature ripening of the fruit. Spray neem oil, and see results in as little we 24-hours.
- Cucumber Beetles – This insects feeds on the leaves and sometimes the flesh of your plant. They also love potato, corn and tomato plants, and will eat them up as well. Their eggs are oval and yellow to orange in color, and hatch in 7-10 days. Aside from eating your plant, they are a vector of disease.