Cucumbers are an easy culture to grow in the garden. Whether direct sowing or preculture: under the ideal conditions, cucumber seeds have a germination time of a few days. This is how you succeed in growing cucumbers.

In a nutshell

  • Preculture from mid-April
  • Plant out after the last frost
  • Harden young plants beforehand
  • Direct sowing from mid-May
  • Pile cucumber plants

prefer cucumbers

Start with the pre-cultivation of the cucumber plants no earlier than mid to late April. When planting out, the cucumbers should have formed a maximum of one or two leaves after the cotyledons. Compared to other plants, cucumbers don't appreciate being pricked out. Therefore, sow only a few seeds directly into a small pot.

Guide to preculture

  • Fill pots with potting soil
  • Mixture of seed and vegetable soil suitable
  • Press 2 seeds 2 cm into the soil
  • lightly cover with substrate
  • pour on
  • cover with foil or place in indoor greenhouse
  • Keep pots warm (at least 20°C)

As soon as the cotyledons show - the germination period is usually about 10 days - put the plants in a bright place. Plants should get full light for at least eight hours a day. If the temperatures are around 15°C, you can also place the plants outdoors during the day.

After about a week, select the plants in the pots in which two seeds have germinated. Remove the weaker plant in each case so that the stronger seedling can develop better.

Short preculture

If you prefer cucumbers, plan the time of sowing well. Not only do the seeds germinate very quickly, the seedlings also grow quickly. If you sow cucumbers in pots, there is a great risk that due to insufficient light and too high temperatures, indoor plants will shoot.

To prevent wilting, place the plants in a light and cool place. Temperatures around 12°C and a south-facing window are ideal. If you cannot offer the plants this climate, the rule of thumb is: the higher the temperature, the more light the plants need. This also allows you to counteract a shooting. However, the use of suitable plant lamps is then indispensable.

Tip: If you prefer cucumber plants, use grow lights that have a light spectrum with a high proportion of red and blue.

Plant young plants

Cucumber plants are sensitive to frost and they are allowed outdoors at the earliest in mid-May, when there is no longer any risk of late frosts. If you prefer cucumbers, you should accustom the seedlings to open ground. At least one week before planting out, you should get the plants used to being outdoors, provided the temperatures have not previously allowed it.

Place the young plants in a sheltered spot during the day. If the cucumber plants come into the greenhouse, you can use the young plants directly, as they are protected from UV radiation there.

Tip: In the greenhouse, you can usually plant out the plants one to two weeks earlier due to the higher temperatures. This allows you to start pre-culture a week earlier.

no-till

You can put the cucumber seeds directly into the ground. The best time to do this is around from the second week of May. This also applies to cultivation in the greenhouse.

Cucumber plants appreciate a nutrient-rich soil, which is why the soil gets an organic basic fertilizer before sowing. A combination of manure or compost and a long-term fertilizer such as horn shavings is ideal.

No-till instructions

  • loosen soil
  • Plant seeds 2-3 cm deep
  • cover with earth
  • pour on

If you place a fleece over the soil, you can inhibit evaporation somewhat. You also create a microclimate under the fleece that promotes germination. Alternatively, you can also put glasses or transparent cut off bottles on top and create a kind of mini greenhouse. As soon as the cotyledons appear, you should remove the "roof" to prevent overheating and the plants dying again.

pile up

When planting cucumbers, always plant the plants a little deeper. Cucumbers form lateral roots on the trunk, which means that the plants can be better supplied.

If you put the seeds directly into the ground, there is no longer any possibility to plant the plants deeper. Instead, pile up the plants. Since cucumber plants do not appreciate damage to the roots, you should not rake the soil to the side of the plant. Instead, use soil from another spot in the garden or use compost soil right away. Pile the cucumbers up to the first leaf.

If you forgot to put the planted cucumber plants deeper, you can also pile them up.

Notice: Grafted cucumber plants are not placed deeper. If the grafting site is underground, the rootstock may grow through, causing the grafted strain to yield less.

cucumber plants in the pot

If you generally want to cultivate cucumbers in pots, you can prefer them and transplant them or prefer them directly in a large bucket.

Instructions for sowing in the tub

  • Fill in drainage from expanded clay
  • Fill in the vegetable soil
  • Plant seeds 2 cm deep
  • water seeds

The ideal time to plant the seeds directly in a bucket is around the beginning of May. The bucket stays protected in a bright indoor location until around mid-May. As soon as it no longer freezes, place the plant outdoors.

Notice: Don't forget to provide the cucumber plants in the pot with a trellis.

frequently asked Questions

What distance should cucumber plants have from each other?

There should be a distance of at least 50 centimeters between the cucumber plants or other vegetable crops. If you direct the cucumbers to a trellis, you can reduce the distance to 40 centimeters.

Are all cucumber varieties the same in pre-culture or no-till?

Yes, regardless of whether you sow field or snake cucumbers, there is no difference when it comes to growing. Only special cucumber varieties such as the luffa cucumber, which are only distantly related to the vegetable cucumbers, are different in the pre-cultivation.

Can I leave cucumber plants in the house if there is a threat of forest?

Yes, as long as the time for planting out plants that have been brought forward is not delayed too long. If there is still a risk of frost after mid-May, you should place the plants outdoors at least during the day so that they do not wither.

Category:

Vegetable garden