Growing Cucumbers in an Established Vegetable Garden
Growing cucumbers in established vegetable gardens can be tricky if you don’t use the right method. Cucumbers originate from India, so it should come as no surprise that when they’re growing they crave warmth. In fact, cucumbers need it at all steps of the growth cycle, from germination to fruiting.
Here are Some Tips for How to Grow Cucumbers in Your Vegetable Garden
- Choose a spot in your garden that sees all-day sun, except in hot, dry regions, where cucumbers like some afternoon shade.
- Dig deep and turn the soil over and enrich it with plenty of compost and well-rotted manure.
- Sow cucumber seeds directly into the soil at least two weeks after the last frost and when both soil and air temperatures are around 65 degrees (a high temperature is okay but no less!)
- Spray the cucumbers with fertilizer and organic weed control about four weeks after germination. You can use compost if you don’t have any fertilizer.
- Mulch the soil once the plants are well established. This will act as a form of pest control to help to control weeds and conserve moisture in the soil and root areas.
- Regularly water the cucumbers – weekly if you can.
- Pick the cucumbers from your garden when they are still moderate-sized - between 3 and 4 inches for pickling varieties and 6 to 8 inches for slicers. Picking them at this size prevents the cucumbers from becoming seedy and bitter.
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