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Untreated cucumbers from your own harvest cannot be compared with those from the supermarket. They are much fresher and more aromatic. You can also grow your own cucumbers in raised beds.

In a nutshell

  • Growing cucumbers in raised beds is uncomplicated and has a number of advantages
  • rotting organic matter in the raised bed provides adequate heat
  • Soil for cucumbers will be well aerated with proper stratification
  • Raised bed particularly suitable for heavy feeders such as cucumbers
  • first cultures in newly created raised bed should be heavy feeders

Prepare raised bed

A loose and humus-rich soil can warm up faster and store enough water, which is ideal for cucumbers in raised beds. So that the bed offers ideal conditions for growing cucumbers, it should be constructed accordingly.

  • from fresh layers of rotting plant parts, compost and soil
  • the right stratification helps to make the difference between success and failure
  • before filling wire mesh to protect against voles on the ground
  • then a ten centimeter thick layer of coarse tree and shrub cuttings
  • followed by four inches of chopped twigs or unrotted compost
  • in the next step, mature compost soil, 15 cm thick
  • followed by a 20 cm thick layer of mature compost
  • or a mixture of regular garden soil and coarse compost
  • A 20 cm thick layer of garden soil forms the end

Notice: Due to the natural rotting process, the contents of the raised bed collapse by about 10-20 cm within a year. This shrinkage can easily be compensated for with soil.

Prefer - guidance

Cucumbers can be preferred or sowed directly in the raised bed. The trade will also offer pre-grown young plants in due course. However, direct sowing is risky because the seeds do not tolerate frost. Preparing the plants in the greenhouse or on the windowsill is relatively easy and has the advantage that you can choose between several varieties.

  • start with the pre-cultivation from the beginning/mid-April
  • no earlier than two to three weeks before planting
  • If necessary, soak seeds for 24 hours
  • Fill small pots about halfway with potting soil
  • Put one to three seeds in each pot
  • cover thinly with substrate
  • Moisten the substrate and keep it moist
  • Put cling film over the pots
  • put in a bright and warm place
  • Germination temperature at least 20 degrees
  • keep a little cooler after germination
  • plant out the strongest seedlings

Before planting cucumbers you have grown yourself in a raised bed, it is advisable to give them a hardening phase beforehand. You can do this by placing them outside in a warm, partially shaded and wind-protected place from around the beginning of May during the day. The plants should spend the night in the house.

Best planting time

Cucumbers can be planted in raised beds after the ice saints at the earliest, because the plants do not tolerate frost. If you plant them out too early, they can suffer from cold shock and die. It is best to also measure the soil temperature, as it should have warmed up to at least 15 degrees at the time of planting. The plants themselves should already have developed two to four true leaves in addition to the cotyledons in order to be able to survive outside. Incidentally, after the ice saints is also the right time to sow cucumbers directly.

Cucumber plants must be preferred. The young plants can then be planted out in the raised bed.

Tip: If you can't decide between lettuce, snake, pickled or mini cucumbers given the abundance of cucumber varieties, it is best to start with simple cucumbers, which almost everyone likes.

Instructions for planting

Cucumbers are plants that need warmth and therefore love sun-drenched, warm, humid and wind-protected locations. It is best to place them on the south side of the raised bed.

  • first planting holes in the ground, depending on the number of plants
  • as deep as possible and about 30-35 cm apart
  • Sufficient planting distances important for good ventilation of the plants
  • otherwise danger of powdery mildew infestation
  • Carefully remove young plants that have been brought forward or purchased from the pots
  • try not to damage fine roots
  • so deep into the earth that the cotyledons are covered with earth
  • Leaves should be above the ground
  • finally press on the soil and water the little plants

Notice: In the two years following the cultivation of cucumbers, so-called medium consumers such as kohlrabi, chard, carrots or leeks can be grown in the raised bed, and from the fourth year weak consumers such as rocket, lamb's lettuce or herbs. This ensures the best possible utilization of the raised bed.

Attach climbing aids

As soon as the plants start to grow, you should give them support with a trellis. These can be individual rods that are connected with cords or wires or between which an insect protection net is stretched, but also ready-made trellis or so-called cucumber supports.

  • without a climbing aid, the cucumber plants grow downwards
  • spread around the bed
  • Fruits lie flat on the ground, risk of rotting
  • Plants are large enough and well branched after a few weeks
  • Fasten the main shoot and lateral tendrils to the climbing aid
  • don't leave too many branches on the plant
  • Cut side shoots and main shoots above a certain height or length

The more power goes into the lateral shoots, the less goes into the main shoot and thus also into fruiting. If you do without climbing aids and the cucumbers in the raised bed grow towards the ground, there is a risk that snails will take advantage of this and get into the raised bed via the tendrils. They can do a lot of damage there.

Care in the raised bed

Once the cucumbers are in the raised bed, regular watering is important, and not just on particularly hot and dry days. The soil should always be kept moist and the irrigation water should not be too cold. In addition, you should not pour over the leaves, but only below, i.e. on the ground. If the raised bed is newly created, you can usually do without additional fertilizer. Otherwise it is sufficient to fertilize regularly with nettle manure, of course diluted accordingly. Or you can administer a commercial vegetable fertilizer every two weeks, ideally in organic quality.

frequently asked Questions

Can you use seeds from your own cucumbers for sowing?

Seeds you have grown yourself can cause damage to your health. Like zucchini and squash, the cucumber belongs to the cucurbit family. Their fruits from their own seeds usually contain toxic bitter substances (cucurbitacins). A taste test provides information about the palatability, so to speak.

What are good plant neighbors for the raised bed?

Cucumbers in the raised bed harmonize very well with leeks, celery, peas, beans, fennel, dill, savory, cabbage, kohlrabi, carrots, zucchini and potatoes. On the other hand, they do not get along with tomatoes, radishes and radishes at all. Diseases could also be transmitted more easily.

What happens to the raised bed after the cucumber harvest?

Cucumbers should only be grown in the same place every four years. But the raised bed is now also suitable for many other crops. The best way to improve the soil in autumn is to apply green manure. The exhausted soil is again enriched with organic matter, supplied with nutrients and loosened.

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Vegetable garden