How to grow cucumbers from seeds

Introduction

Cucumber is known to be native to Asia. These plants can grow up to 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Cucumbers come in two types namely vine variety and the bush variety. Vine varieties produce large leaves and the crop yield is relatively high compared to the bush varieties. Bush varieties grow upto 3 feet tall and they can be grown in containers. Cucumbers grow best in spring and early summer seasons. This article discusses how to grow cucumbers from seeds.

Growing conditions for cucumbers

Sunlight: Cucumbers love warmth and require 6 to 8 hours of sunlight daily.
Temperature: Cucumbers require temperatures between 21 to 28°C to grow well.
Soil: They require fertile well-draining soil to grow well. Soil pH should be between 6 to 6.8.
Water: Water your cucumber plants regularly to keep them moist.

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Grow cucumbers from seeds.

Take some cucumber seeds. You can soak seeds for 8 hours before sowing them. Sow seeds indoors before transplanting them outside. Make sure your careful when you transplant them as the seedlings can be quite delicate. Sow 2 to 3 seeds in a single cell of a seed tray. Sow the seeds an inch deep. Seeds will germinate within 7 to 10 days. Remove the weak seedlings keeping the stronger ones in a single cell. Once they have grown 6 inches tall you can transplant them outside when the soil temperature is about 21°C.

Soil mix for cuccumbers:

If you are growing cucumbers in containers take a pot that is at least 10 inches deep. For the potting mix take 15% of perlite, 15 % of vermiculite, 60% of compost and 10% of coarse sand. You can grow a single plant in a container. Cucumbers grown in containers should be fertilised once in 3 weeks. When they are flowering they can be fertilised once in 2 weeks. Cucumbers need more potassium for producing fruits. Burying banana peels can increase potassium levels in the soil.

If you are growing them in the ground. Make sure the space of the saplings is between 12 to 18 inches. Choose a site that gets full sun. Add 2 inches of organic matter. After planting mulch the area with straw and chopped leaves. You can fertilise cucumbers grown in the ground 3 times during the growing season. Use a trellis if you are growing the vine variety.

Cucumbers flower within 35 days after germination. They start to fruit 70 days after germination. Cucumbers are susceptible to frost. Make successive plantings for continued harvests. Cucumbers grow faster in warm soils and they ripen within 6 weeks.

Common pests and diseases of cucumbers

Aphids. Mealy bugs, cucumber beetles and thrips are some of the common pests that attack your cucumbers. Using diatomaceous earth is an effective way to control these pests. Companion planting can also be a great way to control these pests.

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