How to Grow Cucumber in the Garden: Everything you need to know

Good afternoon Agrohuerters, today we are going to see everything about how to grow cucumber, which is one of the most consumed summer vegetables in our country.

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus), native to India, is an annual plant that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae, the same family as courgettes, pumpkins, chayote, watermelon or melon. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the cucumber are the tendrils, these appear as extensions on its stem that wrap around themselves, whose usefulness is to climb or better hold on to the tutor.

How to grow cucumber in the garden

To grow cucumber in our garden, we must take into account the following:

How to plant cucumbers

If you start with seed, you will have to sow after the winter, something late in the spring, around the month of April or May. It takes about 6 days to germinate and 2 to 4 months to produce (depends on the variety). Cucumbers are large plants, so when planting or transplanting the ideal distance between plants is about 80-100 cm and between lines of plants approximately 90-110 cm.

If you have it in a gardener, it must be large and deep at least 1 meter. As it is a climbing plant, it is advisable to place a trellis from when the plant is small. Several seeds can be sown in the same area and then the weakest plant can be removed.

Type of soil that cucumber needs

Cucumber needs very well drained and fertile soils. It is necessary that it is adequately subscribed. A compost that is very rich in organic matter, such as earthworm humus, is recommended. Padding can be done on the ground so that the fruits close to the ground do not get dirty and thus we will also maintain constant crop humidity.

Climate to grow cucumber

It depends a bit on the variety that we are going to grow, but in general, the cucumber needs a very warm climate, because the cold and wind stop its growth. For this reason, despite the summer heat in the greenhouse, it develops very well. It needs a lot of sun during the day, so in full sun they will grow the most.

In the central hours of the day, as the sun can become very strong, if we see that it becomes harmful, we can choose to place a shading mesh on the plantation, and if it is in a greenhouse, it can be painted white, to that the light is reflected and the plants are not burned.

How to water cucumbers

It is a very demanding crop in terms of irrigation, because it needs constant humidity during its growth and flowering; but on the other hand, its roots do not tolerate waterlogging because they would drown quickly, hence the importance of good soil drainage and not leaving it waterlogged.

How to prune cucumbers

As previously stated, it is convenient to place a trellis from the plant’s youth so that the plant clings to it, it will have to be guided by pruning. The first pruning begins when the cucumber plant has about 6-8 leaves, here it can be done in two ways, either cut the apex of the central stem or wait for it to have some branching and start to emerge.

After this first pruning, it will be necessary to continue the following ones, simply blunting the apices, with this we will achieve a production with larger cucumbers and maintain the adequate size of the plant.

How to harvest cucumber

Each cucumber plant can produce about 9-10 cucumbers. The correct way to collect them is when the tip is rounded and the color lightens, so we must make a clean cut at the end of the peduncle. It is advisable not to wait for them to ripen on the plant because they could be more bitter.

Properties and benefits of cucumber

Cucumber provides few calories but a lot of energy. As the main component of cucumber is water, it will help us stay hydrated but at the same time it is a great diuretic, so its consumption should not be abused because it will cause the opposite effect that is dehydration. It provides our body with various vitamins, among them are those of groups A, BC and E, as well as magnesium, potassium and a lot of fiber.

The B complex vitamin helps to preserve the good state of the defenses. It is highly recommended to calm heartburn. It levels the uric acid in the body which is quite beneficial for people suffering from hypertension.

Like many vegetables, cucumber can be consumed raw or cooked, in the first way it maintains all its properties and in the second way there are many recipes that contain it as the main ingredient.

As a last piece of advice, when the time comes to remove the crop due to the end of its life cycle, it is recommended not to deposit its remains in the compost bin or to ensure that the composting process reaches a temperature of 65ºC, so that the sanitization of the materials is complete.

Greetings Agrohuerters!