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 16°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 40 - 60 cm 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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15 Dec 10, Arthur Davis (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
I have a very healthy lebanese cucumber vine but no fruit - what do I need to do to fix this?
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20 Nov 10, Di Liversidge (Australia - tropical climate)
I have lots of small cuces on the plants but they go yellow and rot when they are still about 3cms long. What's wrong with them? The plants have lots and lots of flowers and look healthy. It's wet season in Darwin so they are getting plenty of water and are in a rectangular pot with plenty of drainage.
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21 Nov 10, Sri (Australia - temperate climate)
You may also want to consider little bugs chewing the stems behind your cuces try spraying them with some dipel or pest oil some of the bugs are so tiny its difficult to see them and with it being the wet season where you are caterpillars could also be the culprit. Also if you have used seeds that you have saved or been given by someone else it could be a case of them being a hybrid which means they wont produce.
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21 Nov 10, (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
It could be that the flowers aren't getting pollinated. You could chase some bees in the right direction or brush the male flowers (with a straight stem and no bulge behind the flower) onto the female flowers (which will have a tiny cucumber behind them).
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18 Nov 10, Russell (Australia - temperate climate)
I planted (seedlings) 4 cucumbers and 6 zucchinis (Zs) in deep well nourished soil (Bokashied food scraps) in an area about 140 X 90cm, put 4 180cm stakes at the corners and strung wire horizontally at 20cm intervals to support the Z leaves which are huge. During growth I am removing many of the Z leaves to let the sun in. I spray any powdery mildew (pm) with Echo Rose which 'eats' pm (and black spot). Fantastic results. Not like last year when the Zs went all over the place on the ground with stacks of pm
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28 Jul 10, Darren (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Has anyone tried growing the armenian type cucumbers up in brisbane if so did you grow on a trellis
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13 Apr 13, Alex (Australia - sub-tropical climate)
Heya did you ever find about growing these? They sound amazing and I was considering giving it a shot on the GC Hinterland.
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28 Jul 10, Chris (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I grew them in Armidale (cool climate) last summer. They did fine growing sprawling across the ground.
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16 May 10, Phil (Australia - cool/mountain climate)
I've heard that leaving sliced or whole cucumber in the garden helps to ward off bugs and beasties. Is this true?
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05 Jun 10, Martyn (Australia - temperate climate)
We've had success with sliced cucumber on aluminium trays. Maybe its the taste (to the slugs and snails) or a chemical reaction with the Al but they've stayed away
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Showing 431 - 440 of 498 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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