How to grow Cucumbers

Learn how to grow Cucumber in your garden with this helpful guide that includes sun requirements, planting tips, feeding instructions, and more.

Cucumber vines require rich, well draining soil with plenty of compost mixed in.

Cucumbers do well in a sunny position, sheltered from strong winds. 

No, Cucumber plants are not frost tolerant. 

Plant Cucumbers roughly 1 meter apart.  

Cucumbers are warm season crops that are generally planted out in spring, once the danger of frost has passed. 

Cucumber seeds will germinate well in soil temperatures above 15.5°C (60°F).

Outdoor temperatures should ideally be around 20°C (68°F) before transplanting. 

If transplanting a seedling, plant out in the early morning or evening and/or on an overcast day. Avoid planting at peak sun times or on windy days, this will allow your plants to settle in comfortably and protect them from windburn and sunburn.

Give your Cucumbers a regular application of organic fertiliser throughout the season.

Harvest regularly while Cucumbers are still young (size will vary depending on the variety planted). If left on the vine too long cucumbers will become bitter and turn a yellow colour, the plant will also slow down in production. The more you harvest, the more the plant will produce.

Pests that affect Cucumbers include: Aphids, Slug, Snail, Mites, Cucumber Beetle, Cutworms, Flea Beetle, Stink Bugs, Thrips, 28 Spotted Ladybug, Cabbage Looper, Squash Bugs. 

Diseases that affect Cucumbers include: Mosaic Virus, Anthracnose, Downy Mildew, Powdery Mildew, Leaf Blight, Fruit Rot, Leaf Spot, Fusarium Wilt, Gummy Stem Blight, Verticillium Wilt, Bacterial Wilt, Aster Yellows, Phytophthora Blight, Scab. 

It is beneficial (however not essential) to grow Cucumbers up a trellis to save garden space and to keep cucumbers off the ground. Water the vines regularly and mulch well. Water deprived or heat stressed plants are more likely to produce bitter fruit.