What you’ll need:
– Germination tray
– Good quality medium, learn how to make it here
– A wide container which is around 2 – 3 ft. deep and 2 – 3 ft .wide.
– Organic fertilizer.
– Organic cucumber seeds
Instructions:
Fill your germination tray with cocopeat, put one seed per cavity, spray some water, be careful to not overwater it, we just need the soil to be moist, spray water every three days.
In 10- 15 days your seeds will be ready for transplanting.
Temperature:
Cucumbers grow well at 70 F
Soil PH for cucumbers: 5.5 – 7.5
Fix a trellis before transplanting your cucumbers, if you do so later, it might kill the root zone of your plant.
Cucumbers can grow both in bright sunny spot and partial shade.
If you are growing cucumber in earth then make sure the selected area is well drained and soil is loose and rich in organic matter.
Most Cucumbers are monoecious, meaning plants produce both male and female flowers. Female flowers are commonly pollinated by insects after visiting male flowers.
Hybrid cucumber varieties are gynoecious which means they produce only female flowers.
Cucumber plants that are stressed during the growing season produce bitter flavored fruit. Commonly a lack of water or temperature variations cause bitter cucumbers. Another reason for bitterness in cucumber is the compound called cucurbitacin. Cucurbitacin is produced as temperature rise, harvest your cucumbers early in the morning.
Cucumber is a heavy feeder, ensure rich medium and consistent watering.
Keep it moist, keep checking for new growth or any intruders.
Once a week add organic fertilizer rich in phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil.
Watch out for cucumber beetles, slugs, fruit flies, fusarium wilt, powdery mildew, downy mildew, mosaic virus, aphids, spider mites, overwatering. If watered inconsistently cucumbers can become bitter or oddly shaped.
Cucumber fruits should not be in direct contact with soil to avoid exposure to diseases and insects.
Companion plants to grow with cucumber : beans, corn, peas, pumpkin, squash. You can surround other vines from Cucurbitaceae family but ensure the distance and keep feeding your soil for additional nutritional supply!
What not to plant with cucumbers: potato or herbs.
Companion Flowers: plant lots of marigolds and chrysanthemums around your gourds, not only do they invite pollinators but will also enhance the gardens aesthetics.
Companion Herbs : you can grow mints around your gourds, off Course in different containers… there are 600 different known varieties of mints, it’s time to get a couple of them in your garden.
Especial tip: spray cucumbers with diluted jaggery water, and see the difference!
