Make a hill before planting the cucumber. Just a small rise in the ground is adequate. Build the hill, or mound, about a foot in diameter and about three inches high; this is to drain water from around the stem. Plant the cucumber in the mound.
Five to six feet is the optimal height for a cucumber trellis because it allows the plant to grow to its full potential while making harvesting easier for the gardener. There is no need for a trellis to be any taller. Otherwise, it would make harvesting difficult, especially if you are shorter in stature.
Another popular way to plant cucumbers is in mounds or hills. The mounds are spaced 1' to 2' apart with two to three seeds planted in each mound. The plants are thinned to one plant per mound once they reach about 4 inches in height.
Hills are preferable for cucumbers because most varieties (with the exception of certain hybrid bush types) will need some kind of structure to climb. If you plant 3--5 plants in a hill you can easily put up a teepee style structure of sticks or even a large tomato cages for your plants to climb.
A healthy square foot gardening cucumber plant has a yield of approximately 5 pounds, and can also be grown vertically with support from a trellis. If you use the square foot gardening method in a 4x4 foot raised garden bed you can comfortably grow eight tomato plants and 16 cucumber plants at the same time!
Pinching out shoots
It's a good ideal to restrict the vigorous growth of cucumbers, so they concentrate on making fruit rather than growing too large: With greenhouse cucumbers, pinch out the growing point when it reaches the greenhouse roof.
Wire is easy for the tendrils of climbing cucumbers to grab as the plant grows. Cucumbers grow fast and don't demand a lot of care. Just keep the soil consistently moist with an inch of water per week (more if temperatures sizzle and rain is scarce).
Let Cucumbers Climb
Trellised cucumbers are easier to pick and less susceptible to disease. Cucumbers do best if they can climb instead of spread over the ground. The tendrils of the vines will grab fences, string, wire trellis, or tall cages so that the vines climb the structures.
A high potassium fertiliser, such as tomato feed or a balanced fertiliser mix including potassium can be used as per the instructions.
Depending on the variety, you can expect to harvest around 20 cucumbers per plant.
You'll want to find the sunniest spot in your garden and space plants about 2 feet apart. Or you can plant them closer together and let them climb up a trellis or a fence.
Quick facts. Cucumbers grow best in warm weather. Start seeds indoors in late April for transplants. Sow seed directly in the garden after soil has warmed, usually in May.
Planting cucumbers and tomatoes together? Planting cucumbers and tomatoes right next to each other is often not recommended. These two plants often have similar requirements for nutrients, water and light, which can lead to competition. Both plants are heavy feeders and require a lot of nitrogen for healthy growth.
People often eat both cucumber and radish mixed in salad. However, both can react with each other. Cucumber contains ascorbate, which acts to absorb vitamin C. In such a situation, when you eat radish with it, it creates obstruction in this process, which can lead to a variety of health concerns.
Planting borage, scarlet runner beans, and other flowers near your cucumbers attracts bumblebees, whose presence helps deter cucumber beetles. Grow repellent plants. Flowers like nasturtium and marigolds, an herb such as catnip, and veggies like radishes and corn help keep cucumber beetles away.
Overwatered: Yellow, wilted, but soft leaves. Stems: Underwatered: Thin and weak.
As with other squash plants, it is not advisable to plant zucchini and cucumbers together. Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, just like zucchini and so they will compete for space and nutrients. Also, growing several similar plants in the same area can make it easier for pests to find the plants.
Water correctly: Do not overwater. The first week tomato plants are in the ground, they need water every day, but back off watering after the first week, slowly weaning the plants down to 1 to 1.5 inches of water per week.
Check your young plants regularly for “prickly” shoots and remove them where necessary. If your cucumber plant is thriving, remove the lower leaves to help it stay healthy.
🥒 Unless you chose an all-female variety (recommended), you need to remove the male flowers regularly, or the fruits will have a bitter taste.
Organic Fertilisers for Cucumber Plants
Comfrey fertiliser or nettle feed can be made by mixing the plant's leaves with water to create a nutrient rich tea. Comfrey tea which is high in potassium is good during flowering and fruiting stage while nettle tea which is high in nitrogen is good during active growth stage.