How to grow cucumbers

Cucumbers are members of the cucurbitaceae or gourd family, which includes summer squash, winter squash, courgettes, melons and pumpkins. Some cucumbers can be grown outside and some indoors and they can be grown in the ground, pots or in growing bags.

All photos by Toni Abram.


Before planting my cucumber seeds, I looked for information on the internet to show me what I needed to do and found the short video below.


I started my plant off on my kitchen windowsill, it germinated quickly and warm weather meant I was able to transfer it outside in early summer. 


As described in the film, I popped a vertical cane into my pot but my plant didn't seem too interested in growing up this, instead growing tendrils and wanting to grow every which way, so I added some extra canes for it to grow around. 

By the middle of July I could see a cucumber flower forming and shortly afterwards a yellow flower appeared.



In early August I saw my first cucumber forming and from there it seemed to grow bigger every day.


 

Harvesting

Cucumber fruits should be cut when they are about 15 - 20cm (6 - 8 inches) long using a sharp knife. 


When my cucumber was ready, I decided to share it with my dad. I felt, as I think contestants on MasterChef must feel but I got a 'that's alright' and 'crunchy' and he ate all the cucumber he was given, so I took that as a seal of approval.

Common problems

  • Whitefly 
    Small white flies suck sap and excrete sticky ‘honeydew’ over the plant, encouraging the growth of sooty mould. 
  • Cucumber mosaic virus 
    Plants and leaves appear stunted and deformed and leaves display a yellow mosaic patterning. Flowering is reduced or non-existent, while any fruit that does appear is small, hard and inedible. 
  • Powdery mildew
    Appears as a white powdery deposit over the leaf surface and leaves become stunted and shrivel.

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