Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) from the Cucurbitaceae gourd family grows like a creeping vine plant. A lot of home gardeners choose to grow their own cucumbers in summer since it is easy to care for variety.

Adding cucumber to your diet has numerous benefits:

• Full of nutrition

• Contains antioxidants

• Promotes hydration in the human body

• Aids in weight loss

• Lowers the blood sugar

Where To Grow Cucumber

Cucumbers are easy to grow at home. Cucumbers once planted do not require much attention. You can grow them in pots, kitchen garden, terrace, and even indoors. Cucumber plants come in two forms - bush and vines. Bush cucumber plants are the best option to grow indoors and in containers.

Cucumbers can easily be grown in kitchen gardens that receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight everyday. While growing in containers, choose a planter that has the soil holding capacity of minimum 12-20 KGs to accommodate 2-3 plants. They are vines hence you need to build a trellis to support the plant. Bush cucumbers are the type to grow easily. Cucumbers are prolific plants and that grow really fast, so they can grow in terrace gardens too. Plastic or ceramic containers are the best type of containers to use. Grow cucumbers near peas, pumpkin and squash and avoid growing them with herbs and potatoes.

How To Grow Cucumber From Seeds

Before you start planting cucumber seeds, assess the space you have. To grow cucumbers in small space gardens, it’s best to go for vertical gardening. Shop quality cucumber seeds online from AllThatgrows and follow these steps to grow them.

• Direct planting is the best way to grow cucumbers. 

• Cucumber plants need warmth and light. Hence, the best location to keep the pot/container in sunlight.

• Sow the seeds at least 1 inch deep in the soil and 4 inches apart. Water them regularly for seeds to germinate.

• To speed up the germination process, you can follow either of the techniques: soak seeds in a wet paper towel, or soak seeds in water for 24 hours

How To Maintain And Harvest Cucumbers

Soil

To grow cucumber plants, you can use an organic potting mix or seed starter mix. Mix equal parts of aged manure or compost and loose potting soil. Pro-tip: Press the soil slightly in the container to remove any air pockets. The soil needs to be moist throughout and at a temperature of at least 20℃ to 35℃. Soil needs to be neutral or slightly acidic. The pH of the soil should be around 5.5 to 6.8.

Supporting Cucumber Plants

Cucumber vines can benefit from having a trellis, or cage in place at the planting site. This ensures cleaner and well-shaped fruits. A cage with 15 to 20 inch diameter can easily support 2-3 vines of the cucumber plant. Adding a vertical support can also help make more use of your gardening space.

Fertilizer

Prepare planting beds prior to sowing seeds by adding aged compost. Low-nitrogen and high-potassium compost mixture can help grow better cucumber fruits.

Managing Pest & Diseases

Pests can harm the seedlings at a very young age. Cucumber plants are susceptible to pests like aphids, cucumber beetle, squash bugs. You can keep pests away by maintaining a regular check up schedule and using organic neem spray.

In addition to this cucumber plants can get affected by powdery mildew, fungal diseases,  and mosaic. To avoid this, ensure proper soil drainage and ample air circulation around the plants.

Watering

Cucumbers prefer constantly moist solid for growing well since they are composed of 95 percent water content. Keep the planting bed evenly moist throughout the growth.

Harvesting Cucumbers

Cucumber fruits will get ready for harvest in 55 to 60 days after germination. The germination process of the seed may take 7 to 10 days. Harvest cucumbers as soon as they are ready. If the cucumber fruits are allowed to get too large, they will start tasting bitter and suppress the growth of new fruit. Do not let it turn yellow. A good and healthy cucumber is green in colour, firm in shape, and crisp. Snip the mature cucumbers with a pair of gardening shears gently off the vine. Cucumber will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week.

Take a step ahead and plant your own cucumber plant today to embrace a healthy lifestyle this summer.