{"id":2241,"date":"2019-06-06T09:02:02","date_gmt":"2019-06-06T09:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gardener.guide\/?p=2241"},"modified":"2020-01-22T08:49:16","modified_gmt":"2020-01-22T08:49:16","slug":"14-easy-steps-in-planting-cucumbers-from-seeds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardener.guide\/14-easy-steps-in-planting-cucumbers-from-seeds\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Easy Steps in Planting Cucumbers From Seeds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Cucumbers are easy to plant from seeds. It only takes a few easy steps to follow in order to be sure that you\u2019re planting them correctly. Cucumbers grow fast, so you will be able to enjoy fresh cucumbers in a few weeks. That is if you follow the directions on how to plant them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The main thing you\u2019ll need to remember is to plant them when the weather is warm or hot. This is usually in May but can be planted in April. Plant cucumber seeds after the last frost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cucumbers will grow, but they will be tender. Once the cucumbers are ready to be picked, they can be sliced and placed in salads, pickled, or eaten alone. It is important to wash them thoroughly in hot water before eating them to get rid of any bugs or other germs from them being outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, there are only a few things that are needed to plant cucumber seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Place high-quality soil in a pot or on the ground where you want to plant the seeds. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When placing soil in a pot, fill it up about halfway to the top. The pot doesn\u2019t have to be big since once the cucumber plant starts to grow you will need to transfer it to an area outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can make your own compost and use it as soil. This can be done in the winter so that when you start planting, the soil will be ready by the summer. When placing the soil outside, find an area where you don\u2019t have to worry about anyone stepping on it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spread the soil evenly on the ground. You may want to dig up the area beforehand, so that you\u2019re not planting on the grass. That way when you place the soil down it mixes in with regular dirt. Everything should go down smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Place your seeds into the pot or ground.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The seeds should be a couple of inches apart from each other. You can place a couple of seeds in one hole. Cover the hole where the seeds are. The cucumber seeds need to be deep in the soil so that they can\u2019t be dug up, especially if you\u2019re putting them in the ground first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Depending on how large you want your cucumber area to be, you\u2019ll need to place the seeds in a few pots. When planting directly outside, use a digging shovel. That way you can just drop the seeds in and cover them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you purchase your seeds, get a few packets, so that you have enough. You don\u2019t want to be planting and find out you need more seeds, especially when planting outside. If you plant outside, you\u2019ll need to put a couple of seeds in one hole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Place the potted cucumber plants in the sun<\/strong>. <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Plants need the sun to grow. Cucumbers do well in the hot summer months and with the sun, they will start to bloom out quickly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When planning directly outside, find a sunny spot. The cucumbers will bloom quickly when the hot sun bears on them. With potted plants, you can move them to a sunny area. When the sun leaves an area, just move them to another area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The plants can continue to get sun. By planting them on the ground, the sun won\u2019t be continuously on them. That\u2019s why it\u2019s a good idea to find an area where the sun shines on an area for a long period of time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cucumbers will still grow if there is some shade, but they do well when there is sun beaming on them. When there is a day and there is no sun, don\u2019t worry, but they will still grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Water the soil once you finish planting the cucumber seeds. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make sure the soil is moist. Don\u2019t drench them. The soil will stay moist for days. In fact, you don\u2019t have to water cucumber plants any more than once a week. If the weather is extremely hot, you\u2019ll need to water them more often. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soil doesn\u2019t need to get dried up. If it rains, you don\u2019t have to worry about watering them. When you water the cucumber plants, you only need an inch of water. You can feel the soil to see if it needs any extra water. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The less water your cucumber seeds have the better. Some people think if you drench the plants, they\u2019ll grow quicker. That\u2019s not the case. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cucumbers don\u2019t need that much care like other vegetables. Just give it a small amount of water and go. The cucumber seeds will grow into cucumbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Apply plant food to the soil after watering.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This will allow the cucumbers to grow strong as well as the roots. Most people figure if they just use water it will help the cucumber plants to grow healthy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes you need to add a little bit more to your plants to make them grow strong. Water alone won\u2019t do it. They need to plant food. Plant food only needs to be applied once every 10 to 15 days. Some plant food only needs to be applied every 60 days. It just depends on what type of plant food you decide to purchase. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miracle-Gro plant food is the best plant food you can buy for your plants. When your cucumbers are completely sprouted, they will be shiny and have a crisp taste. They won\u2019t even taste like the plant food. Some people don\u2019t want any chemicals in their plants because it\u2019ll get into them, but that\u2019s not the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Apply mulch after watering the plants.<\/strong> <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mulch doesn\u2019t need to be done to potted plants. Mulch will allow slugs and beetles from ruining your plants. Mulch can be hot, so only place it down once it has cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soil should be warm when you place it down. Spread the mulch evenly on the ground. The cucumber seeds will still be able to grow. Mulch has many benefits. It will keep weeds away, allow the soil to retain moisture, and keep it cool. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people like to put mulch down to make their garden look more attractive. Mulch makes the area smell nice also. Mulch doesn\u2019t need to be reapplied once it\u2019s put down. It just needs to be kept watered. You can water the mulch once a week. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once the cucumber seeds start growing, there is no need to water the plants themselves, just the mulch. The mulch will allow you to have beautiful cucumbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Put wiring around the planted area outside.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When you grow the cucumbers, they will start to have tendrils of leaves to sprout. The tendrils need to climb on something, so having a trellis is the best option. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The trellis can be fixed any way you want it. When you first make a trellis, use hog wire. You can make it as big or small as you want. It just depends on how big the area you planted cucumbers seeds in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In potted plants, you don\u2019t necessarily have to make a trellis right then, unless you already know how big the area where you will plant the cucumbers will be. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might want to wait anyway because it\u2019ll be difficult to plant the cucumber plants if the trellis is in the way. The trellis allows the cucumbers to stay off of the ground and stay clean. You won\u2019t have to worry about too many bugs crawling onto the cucumbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Check your cucumber plants every day. <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

They will grow fast. It will be almost as if they grew overnight. You will also need to be sure that the soil doesn\u2019t get dry. Even though you have mulch on the cucumber plants and they retain moisture, you still need to keep it watered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They don\u2019t need to be watered no more than once a week or more often when it\u2019s hot and dry. Once the cucumbers are ready to be picked, you need to cut them with a knife or scissors. Cut the cucumbers from their stems. If you don\u2019t check the plants often the cucumbers will sit and become rotten. You will have wasted good cucumbers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you get your first batch of cucumbers, you will need to eat them within a week to enjoy their freshness. Some more will sprout soon, so it\u2019s important to keep an eye on cucumber plants on a daily basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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9. Vertical Gardens<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The secret to growing the best cucumbers comes from your site selection for your garden. Cucumbers require full sunlight for at least 6-hours of the day. Establish your planting site in an area of your yard that receives the morning sun, and has shade in the late afternoon. The more sun your cucumbers receive, the more the plants will produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cucumbers need fertile, loamy soil, packed with nutrients to produce the highest yields. Cucumbers are a vine crop, so you can train them against a wall using a trellis. Choose an east-facing wall, and let the cucumbers grow. Trellising is an excellent way to keep cucumbers from falling on the floor and rotting if the plant gets weighed down by rains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Growing a vertical garden also reduces the number of pests and disease that may cause root rot or bore into the cucumbers. You can also make a stand-alone trellis in your vegetable garden using an A-frame trellis to support the plants.
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10. The Best Time to Plant<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best time of the year to start planting your cucumbers is in the two weeks after the last frosts fall on the ground. Springtime may catch you by surprise and send a cold front in the first two or three weeks of spring. A cold snap might kill your cucumber plant, so we recommend that you cover your plant in the evenings until you are confident that winter is gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to get ahead of the season, you can start your cucumber plants indoors four to six weeks before the planting date. Germinating the seeds is easy, and they grow readily in containers as well. You can start your cucumber in a pot and transplant it to the garden as the spring season start, and the ground heats up and thaws from the winter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plant your cucumbers planter pots that you can transfer to the ground without transplanting to reduce the stress involved with transplanting.
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11. Managing Pests and Disease<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pests are a severe problem for gardeners, and cucumbers are not very disease resistant. The primary pest involved with destroying your cucumber crop is spider mites, cucumber beetles, and aphids. All three of these pests are notoriously challenging to eliminate from the garden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all of the pests, cucumber beetles are the worst, burrowing into the roots, stems, and fruit of the plant where they cause leaf wilting. If you notice wilting on your leaves, then it’s almost a certainty that you are dealing with a beetle outbreak. While we don’t recommend the use of pesticides, even organic pesticides, if you get a beetle infestation, then you’ll have to resort to insecticides to take care of the beetles before they ruin your crop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Diseases are also a problem for cucumber plants, with many suffering from the effects of powdery mildew, especially in humid or over-watered conditions. Other diseases affecting cucumbers are anthracnose, downy mildew, as well as mosaic and scab diseases.
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12. Crop Rotation Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you intend on planting cucumbers in the ground, then it’s vital that you pay attention to crop rotation techniques. Cucumbers, tomatoes, squash, and some types of berries draw plenty of nutrients from the ground. As the plants mature, they may experience the buildup of pathogens in the soil that make the land unsuitable for planting a successive crop in the same location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To rotate your crops, choose one-quarter of your vegetable garden, and don’t plant anything in this space. After harvesting your first batch of cucumbers, you can pull up the plant and transplant it to the open area to allow it to fruit again before the end of the growing season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the late fall starts to close in on the winter, remove all the plants from your garden and till the soil. Add the necessary fertilizer to adjust your soil nutrition and pH, then let the ground rest over the winter. By the time spring rolls around again, your soil will be fertile and filled with nutrients, ready for springtime planting.
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13. Harvesting Tips
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Each variety of cucumber finishes in a different period. Therefore, it’s vital that you adhere to the directions of the seed packet for harvest dates. As a general rule of thumb, it’s best to harvest cucumbers before they get too big. The bigger they get, the less flavor they have, and you may also notice that they turn out mushy after cooking. Large cucumbers also tend to get too seedy, giving the vegetable a slimy mouthfeel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the plants start fruiting, it may surprise you at how quickly they develop, and you’ll need to check your plants every day for ripe cucumbers that are ready for harvest. Another great tip is to leave plastic trays around the base of the plant to catch any falling cucumbers. Those cucumbers that land on the bare ground may start to rot before you have the chance to pick them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When harvesting cucumbers, it’s better to cut them from the vine than pull them off, pulling may damage the vine, stunting the fruiting process.
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14. Storage Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

After harvesting your cucumbers, you need to wash them to remove the dirt and pathogens from the surface of the vegetable. Fill a sink with warm water and add a few tablespoons of baking soda. The baking soda turns the water alkaline, which is deadly for fungi, bacteria, viruses, and pests. You may find that if you dump a bunch of cucumbers into the weather, that bugs start running from their hiding places in the cucumbers as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After cleaning the cucumbers, dry them thoroughly before packing them into plastic bags and storing them in the crisper tray of your fridge. If you have more cucumbers than you know what to do with, then consider researching a pickling recipe to make pickles out of your cucumbers. Pickled cucumbers can store in the fridge for months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In general, cucumbers don’t store well, and you’ll need to eat all the raw produce within a few weeks after harvest, and pickle the leftovers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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