cucumber vine are , to me , a quintessential summertime veg . ( To paraphrase British humorist Miles Kington : Knowledge is knowing a cucumber is a fruit ; wisdom is not putting it in a yield salad . ) The flesh of a Cucumis sativus is nerveless and crisp , with endless culinary United States of America : paired with yoghourt in raita or a sauce for felafel , in Greek salads with feta , as an ingredient in gazpacho , and even as a garnish for gin and soda pop . And pickling need n’t be a hassle : icebox picklesare delicious and keep for weeks .
Varieties
Cucumbers are ordinarily categorise as “ slicing ” or “ pickling . ” Slicing cucumbers are farsighted , with thicker skins . pickle cuke typically fruit in the beginning , with a short fruiting period ( 7 - 10 days ) , while slicing varieties can fruit for 4 - 6 workweek .
Cucumber plant imprint either bushes or vines . Bush assortment are more compact , fruit earlier , and bear less yield than vining type . As discussed below , vining cucumbers get well on trellises .
English – sometimes called European – Cucumis sativus parade parthenocarpy , that is , they can arrange fruit without pollenation . These variety do well in greenhouses , where pollination might be inefficient . Some cultivator prefer English varieties because the cucumbers are in effect seedless – but with an significant caveat : if the bloom do happen to be cross-pollinate , the resulting cuke will have seminal fluid .
Asian cuke are usually long , diluent scramble , and have a milder taste than North American potpourri . The cucumbers will be straighter – and look dramatic – when mature on trellises . Whereas Western cucumbers belong to to the speciesCucumis sativa , some Asiatic cucumbers are from theCucumis melogroup , the same species as honeydew and cantaloupe . Cucumbers from this mintage often have slightly sweet flesh . Armenian cucumber vine also belong toCucumis melo , and are notable for their pale pelt and deeply scallop edges .
Bed Prep
Cucumbers grow best in dirt with plenty of constituent subject . When jump a new garden , comprise 4 - 6 column inch of compost into the top foundation of soil with a rototiller or bydouble - digging . For live beds , spread out an inch or two of compost on the surface and relax the soil with abroadforkor spading fork to bring in the compost down into the soil . We recommendno - till methodsin established garden beds to promotehealthy stain social organization .
Recommended soil pH is 5.5 - 7 , slightly acidic to neutral . Cucumbers are heavy feeder , so soil nutrient should be reasonably high . Asoil testis a sound idea to ensure that pH and food are in the right ranges . Test kits can be picked up at the Virginia Cooperative Extension place in the Albemarle County Office Building , 460 Stagecoach Road in Charlottesville . Soil trial results come with amendment recommendations ; contact ourhorticultural help desksfor aid interpreting these recommendations . If the soil has n’t been tested of late , apply 3 lbs . of 5 - 10 - 10 per 100 straightforward feet .
cucumber need plenty of sunniness , so plant them in a location with at least 8 hours of direct sunlight .
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trellis
Vining variety will thrive on a trellis . Some vantage include : thin space demand , unbowed fruit , better aura circulation , quicker dry , and fewer diseases , and ( creaking ) easier harvest .
Trellises should be 5 - 6 feet tall . There are many options for fabric . string works well , in particular because the vines ’ tendril can snaffle the boisterous material . oxen panel , i.e. heavy wire fencing , are another good selection . veiling is convenient but needs to be supported from above . I ’ve often find the textile to be slippery , so use plastic tomato clips to attach vines to netting if necessary .
Plant Care
Cucumbers have a shallow beginning system and need good deal of H2O . Keep the top 6 inches of filth moist . Irrigate regularly if there has n’t been much rainwater ; in other words , do n’t have the soil dry out . Consistent soil wet will preventblossom terminate rot .
Side - frock with a N - only fertiliser ( 1 lb . of 34 - 0 - 0 per 100 square foundation ) after a few weeks , when vine begin to form . Do n’t over - fertilize with nitrogen or you ’ll have too many parting and not enough flowers .
Pollination
Uneven or draw in yield ( see picture ) are usually the result of incomplete pollination . cucumber have separate male and distaff flowers ( see characterization ) . This means that insects – orhumans – must disseminate pollen from male person to distaff flowers .
For efficient pollenation , control there are mint of pollinators around . One method is tocreate a pollinator gardenwith flowering plant that attract pollinators . Another is to shun insecticide , or at least block applying them once industrial plant start blooming . Even constitutive pesticides can harm pollinators .
disease
cucumber are exceedingly susceptible to fungal disease – in my experience at least . Downy mould and powdery mildew ( see picture ) are among the most common . bar is the in force agency to see disease , as most plant diseases are difficult if not impossible to cure . Begin by choosing disease - resistant cultivar . Cornell University has collect alist of disease - resistant cuke varieties(andsimilar lists for other crop ) .
Next , practice cultural praxis to prevent diseases from getting establish . Trellising will help keep leaves dry and cut fungous growth . head off overcrowding : fragile to 2 or 3 plants per mound , and separate mound by 3 feet . Water at the base of plants and taste not to splash soil up onto the leaves . Mulch will reduce soil splashing and the motivation for irrigation . ascendance insects ( see below ) that spread out disease like bacterial wilt or viruses ( see pic ) . At the destruction of the season , polish off all plant litter.[symple_column size=”one - half ” position=”first ” fade_in=”false ” ]
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[ /symple_column]Check often for symptom of disease . When you detect diseased plants , particularly plant with worm - bear diseases , forthwith remove and discard – do n’t compost – the pathologic works . For fungous diseases , you might get off with withdraw affected leaves if you catch the infection early on .
The Virginia Cooperative Extension’sPest Management Guide ( Table 2.4)lists sprays – include organic options like neem oil and pig – that may slacken progression of fungal diseases . ( Always follow recording label instructions and usepersonal protective gearwhen applying pesticide . ) Succession planting is a salutary pick : new plants will be ready when older plants – inevitably , in my experience – succumb .
Insects
Cucumber beetles , both spotted and striped ( see pictures ) , are problems because they both flat damage plants and transmit bacterial wilt . To avoid cucumber beetle , do n’t plant cucumber vine where any cucurbit – cukes , squash , melon vine – has grown the retiring two season . Delay planting of all cucurbits until June 15th : adults overwinter in grime and emerge in spring to lay egg , but larvae will go if their master of ceremonies is n’t present . wrangle screening will protect new plant life , but must be slay after flowering to allow pollenation . conscientiously get rid of works material at the conclusion of the season to reduce the overwintering mallet population.[symple_column size=”one - one-half ” position=”first ” fade_in=”false ” ]
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Aphids bear live on young , so dangerous infestations ( see picture ) can come along seemingly out of nowhere . They feed by suck in liquids out of plant tissue paper , thereby both directly prejudicious plants and spreading disease . The symptoms of aphid infestations are shriveled or curl leaf . The aphids themselves are easy to see : they ’ll look like gray or yellow - greenish junk overlay leaves and stem . Knock aphid off plants with a inviolable stream of water supply from a hose ( but not a baron - washer ) .
Chapter 2 of thePest Management Guidelists chemical substance controls , conventional and constitutive , for cucumber beetles , aphids , and other blighter . Only use these for stark infestations . ( Always follow recording label instructions and usepersonal protective gearwhen applying pesticides . ) To avoid harm pollinator , do n’t apply insecticides after plants have bloomed . Carefully monitor plants to catch infestation betimes in the time of year .
Closing thoughts
Cucumbers are ill-famed for overproduction , but in my opinion too much of a beneficial thing is wonderful . Your neighbors will always be happy to accept gift of summer green goods , andlocal nutrient banksmay accept donations of fresh produce .
References and further read
Featured image : Gerald Holmes , Strawberry Center , Cal Poly San Luis Obispo , Bugwood.org;CC BY - NC 3.0 ( cropped)Climbing CucumbersUniversity of Maryland ExtensionCucumberClemson Cooperative ExtensionCucumbersCornell Cooperative ExtensionCucumbers , Melons , and SquashVirginia Cooperative ExtensionDisease - resistant Cucumber VarietiesCornell College of Agriculture and Life SciencesGrowing Cucumbers in a Home GardenUniversity of Maryland ExtensionGrowing Cucumbers in the Home GardenUniversity of Georgia ExtensionHand Pollination of Squash and Corn in Small GardensUniversity of Florida ExtensionHardening Off Vegetable Seedlings for the Home GardenUniversity of Maryland ExtensionInsect Management on Cucurbit VegetablesNC State ExtensionIntegrated Pest Management and Pesticide SafetyVirginia Cooperative ExtensionKey to Common problem of CucumbersUniversity of Maryland ExtensionNo - till in the Home Garden : Why and HowRalph Morini , Piedmont Master GardenersOrganic - approved Pesticides : belittle Risks to Bees ( PDF)The Xerces Society for Invertebrate ConservationPest Management Guide ( 2024)Virginia Cooperative ExtensionPlant a Pollinator ParadiseDeborah Harriman , Piedmont Master GardenersPollination Problems of VegetablesUniversity of Maryland ExtensionStarting Seeds IndoorsCleve Campbell , Piedmont Master GardenersVertical Gardening Using Trellises , Cages , and StakesVirginia Cooperative Extension
