Cucumber Seeds

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have been around since long before written history, originating somewhere in modern day India likely between the Himalayan Mountains & the Bay of Bengal. Mention of cucumbers is speckled through literature from ancient Greek, Roman, & Chinese cultures. Christopher Columbus was responsible for introducing them to the Americas when he brought them to Haiti in 1494. Fernando De Soto cultivated cucumbers in Florida in 1539. 

Today, cucumbers are one of the most common vegetables grown in backyard gardens around the world, probably because they are so easy to grow & are highly productive. That being said, it is important to grow the right varieties for their intended use. Pickling cucumbers are bred to stay crisp when processed into pickles, but can also be eaten raw. Slicing cucumbers tend to turn to mush when pickled & are best suited for fresh consumption. Within the two groups lies many different varieties, all with different attributes that suit the needs of different tastes.

Cucumber seeds should be planted in hills. The term “hills” simply refers to planting a group of seeds in one location rather than evenly spacing the planting in rows. Hills should consist of four to five seeds per hill, with the hills being spaced two to three feet apart. Plant seeds one inch deep after soil temperature is above 60°F in the spring. Don’t get in a hurry to plant in the spring because cucumber vines grow extraordinarily quickly, & seeds planted before soil temperature has warmed up sufficiently typically fail to germinate or create weak plants lacking in vigor. 

It is quite beneficial to mulch with hay or straw, especially if you plan to allow the vines to sprawl on the ground. Trellising is an attractive way to grow cucumbers as it saves on space & provides for easy harvesting. Vines can be trellised using concrete reinforcing wire cages, fencing or cloth netting.

Although cucumbers are touted as easy to grow, they are affected negatively by a slew of pest. Aphids, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, leaf miners & pickle worms are some of the most common pest you’ll stand to encounter. Although there are at least a few options of organically controlling most of these pest, it’s often easier to simply let the problem play out until it is serious enough to destroy the planting & start again. Cucumber plantings have such a quick turnaround that replanting often makes more sense than attempting to treat the issue because treatment doesn’t always work & requires significant input from the gardener.