subject: A Guide To Growing Cucumbers [print this page] One of the most delicious items to grow in your garden are cucumbers. They are easy to plant and are great if you have kids, as the grow large quickly. Cucumbers are members of the cuurtbitaceae family which also includes melons and squashes. They are very delicious and some varieties can be eaten fresh and other pickling varieties can be pickled.
Getting started: Cucumbers can be grown easily by seed, or if you are late in the season you can buy started plants from your local gardening center. For planting seeds follow the directions on the back of the packet, as different varieties have different needs. All cucumbers will need well drained soil and organic compost is a plus to help them thrive. Also plant them in a warm sunny location.
Growing: Once your plants are established you can allow them to grow out on the ground. The vines grow fast and long and can rapidly reach 6-8 feet in length. Often people use a trellis to allow the cucumbers to grow up onto. These are great especially if your space is limited.
As the cucumbers grow make sure to keep all weeds away from the plant, always being careful not to harm the cucumbers roots. Plus water the plant often. Cucumbers are juicy and they need lots of water to get that way. Bees are what pollinate your cucumbers. If you don't see too many bees around your plant and you are not getting cucumbers you may want to hand pollinate the flowers. This is simple and done best in the early mornings. Male and Female flowers are easy to distinguish the female flowers will have a very small cucumber at the base of the flower, males will just be a flower connecting to the stem. Take a q-tip and rub the cucumber around in the inside of the male flower. You will see a small amount of yellow pollen picked up onto the q-tip. Then rub the pollen off of the q-tip and into the center of the female flower. If pollinated properly, the small cucumber under the female will start to grow large rapidly.
Harvesting: You can harvest cucumbers when the have reached their desired size. Generally this is about 50-60 days after planting by seed. The skin should be a dark green and be smooth. You do not want your cucumbers to over ripen as this will cause the sweet flavor to be lost. To pick the cucumber just twist it and snap it from the vine. Then enjoy!
