Growing Cucumber

cucumis sativis : Cucurbitaceae / the gourd family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
                  P P P

(Best months for growing Cucumber in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed

October: After risk of frost

  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 61°F and 95°F. (Show °C/cm)
  • Space plants: 16 - 24 inches apart
  • Harvest in 8-10 weeks. Cut fruit off with scissors or sharp knife.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Nasturtiums, Beans, Celery, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Cabbages, Sunflowers, Coriander, Fennel, Dill, Sunflowers
  • Avoid growing close to: Potato, Tomatoes

Your comments and tips

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04 Oct 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Just a general vegie fertiliser will do.
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22 Sep 18, KathyCandiotes (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Hi where can we purchase seeds to grow English cucumber We are In Gauteng region in Benoni Should we grow them in tunnels? Is it complicated to grow them
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25 Oct 18, Rianca (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)
Hi Kathy I’m also in Benoni and wondering if you have been successful in growing your cucumber???
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02 Jul 18, Olga haynes (Australia - tropical climate)
My first time for growing veges, i am volunteering at a charity, putting a lot of good stuff in the assigned garden bed, can i plant cucumbers now? What happens if i plant too early? Brisbane location.
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03 Jul 18, Mike L (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
It is a bit like going for a swim in winter compared to summer. It is a spring crop - not winter. It says plant from August - that is only 4 weeks away. There is a reason why you plant at a certain time - different plants need different temperatures to grow - to achieve the best results.
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17 Apr 18, Merinda (Australia - temperate climate)
I am getting lots of flowers on my plant and they are turning into fruit, but die at about 2cm, why? How do I get more fruit, I only got 1 cucumber that grew to 10cm
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18 Apr 18, John Macmahon (Australia - temperate climate)
This may be a bit late for this year but my best suggestion is that after one or two fruit (cucumbers) on each runner have set, pinch off the end of the runner. This means the plant puts its resources into the fruit instead of growing a longer runner. Cheers Arismac
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18 Apr 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
The flower with no fruit is a male flower. The flower with a small cue is the female flower - if it is not pollinated then it dies. You probably no bees (or more like very few of them) in your area. You might have to hand pollinate each day. Or plant some bee attracting flowers to encourage more bees to come to your area.
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19 Apr 18, Mac (Australia - temperate climate)
Plant some Basil and let it flower. Bees just love it and they will keep coming back for most of the summer and autumn. Solved my problem with all my Curcurbits (melons, cucumbers, pumpkins, etc)
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22 Apr 18, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I will try that. Over the summer I had about 20 sun jewel flowers plants in my garden, with hundreds if not thousands of flower heads - saw about two bees all summer. The bee population has taken a massive hit world wide I hear.
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Showing 151 - 160 of 497 comments
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If you have TRUE high humidity: humidex above 95% consistently -- then you have a real issue. If you have a "created" high humidity situation: like a poorly ventilated greenhouse; then correcting the ventilation will fix things. You can create an updraft by placing a screened window/door very close to ground level (or the lowest level that opens to fresh air) and then furthest and highest away from this point another screened window (on the ceiling/roof, or very high on the wall). So if you have a door on the North/East Bottom. the window goes on the South/West Top. When both of the windows are open, you should get a nice updraft that will whisk away all your humidity. It is best to situate the ground level door/window in a shady spot -- because this will be cooler air, and as this comes in it will force the hot/humid air up and out. There are also green house fans that can be installed (but if you do your updraft correctly you will probably not need one) ; and if you are fully indoors even a dehumidifier might work. If you are in a garden setting like the situation above; I think perhaps the cucumber created a roof that was helping hold in the moisture. In this case prune the cucumber to increase airflow. Things like fences can hold moisture; for example if you have a garden between two houses and there is a wood picket fence; this could impede the flow of air, and cause humidity to build up. The answer will ALMOST always be to increase air flow. If this is a true climate issue then you should select what you are growing with care, choosing plants that can tolerate high humidity; and still trying to situate your plants/garden in such a way that air flows freely. I have an allotment, that has "dense" fencing on two sides (I am in the back corner) and I can feel that I have an extra humid situation. I have found that runner beans do well; once they climb higher than fence level, they get a lot of air flow and do nicely. As far a hydroponics; I am not well versed enough to even begin guessing at the issues that may exist in these environments. Just remember that even when the humidex is NOT high, plants still need the airflow to move what they have transpired away from their leaves.

- Celeste Archer

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