Eating Garden

How to Grow Cucumbers

Cucumis sativus

A warm-season vine grown for crisp green fruit that is picked before it turns yellow.

At a glance

  • Difficulty

    Takes some care

  • Sunlight

    Full sun

    6 hours of sun a day

  • Water

    Thirsty

  • Growing in a pot

    Suitable for pots

  • Plant spacing

    8 to 12 in apart

More about this plant

Wait for warm soil, keep the roots evenly moist and pick often. A trellis saves space and keeps long-vining cucumbers easier to find.

  • Grows for one season.
  • Can grow in raised beds, the open ground.
  • Fine in a small space.
  • A good one to grow together with children.
  • Ready to pick quickly.

Optional local dates

Planting dates where you live

The growing guide above works anywhere. This section adds local frost dates when we have them.

Optional local dates

Get planting dates for where you live

Save a city or a U.S. ZIP so we can turn local frost records into useful dates. Every crop guide still works without this.

A U.S. ZIP uses official NOAA frost records. Other countries use weather-station records, or a climate reconstruction where stations are missing. Coordinates are used once and not stored. We save only a place label and climate summary in a private browser cookie. You can clear it anytime.

Helpful gardening guides

When to plant

Match these relative steps to your local seasons. Where frost applies, use the last freezing night in spring and the first in fall. In frost-free climates, follow trusted local seasonal guidance.

  • Start indoors 3 to 4 weeks before your last spring frostStart no earlier than four weeks before the last frost because cucumber roots dislike being disturbed.
  • Sow outdoors 1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frostSow after frost danger has passed and soil one inch deep is at least 70F.
  • Plant out 1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frostPlant out after frost danger in warm soil, handling the roots gently.

What you need

  • How to start itFrom seed or a young plantYou can sow it straight into the ground, or start it indoors first.
  • How deep to plant0.5 in
    Planting depth: 0.5 in below the soil surface. Drawing is not to scale.
  • How far apart8 to 12 inLeave 36 to 72 in between rows.
    Leave 8 to 12 in between plants and 36 to 72 in between rows. View from above; drawing is not to scale.

Step by step

  1. Wait for warm soilSow after frost danger when the soil one inch deep is at least 70F.
  2. Plant shallow seedsSow about half an inch deep. Thin seedlings to about 8 to 12 inches apart.
  3. Add a trellisTrain long vines onto a three- to four-foot support. Bush types can stay on the ground.
  4. Keep moisture steadyGive about one inch of water a week, adjusted for rain, sand, heat and containers.
  5. Open flowers to beesRemove ordinary row covers when flowering begins so pollinators can reach the blooms.
  6. Pick green fruit oftenClip fruit before it grows yellow or seedy. Regular picking helps the plant keep producing.

Common mistakes

  • Sowing into cold soilCold ground slows sprouting and can rot seed. Wait for warm soil after frost danger.
  • Letting plants dry outCucumbers need steady water. Dry stress can reduce growth and make fruit bitter.
  • Leaving row cover on flowersMost varieties need bees. Open the cover at flowering so pollen can move between blooms.

Water

Thirsty

Aim for about one inch of rain or irrigation each week. Soak the soil well, check sandy soil and trellised plants more often, and keep the leaves dry when you can.

  • Too dry
  • About right
  • Too wet
  • If it goes drySuffers quickly when dryFruit may turn bitter, and leaves can wilt or look dull.
  • If it stays wetDislikes sitting wetSoil that stays soggy can weaken roots and invite disease.

Looking after it

  • FeedingAn occasional feed helpsBegin with finished compost and follow a soil test. Avoid pushing soft leafy growth with too much nitrogen.
  • SupportA trellisTrain long vines onto a trellis about three to four feet high. Bush varieties can grow without one.
  • ThinningThin seedlings to 10 in apartCrowded seedlings stay small. Pull the weaker ones and keep the strongest.
  • MulchMulch after the soil warms to hold moisture and keep fruit cleaner.
  • PollinationBees carry pollen between flowers. Cool, wet or cloudy weather can slow fruit set, so uncover flowering plants unless the variety is seedless.

Harvest

You will know it is ready when: Pick green fruit at the size you like, before it becomes oversized, yellow, seedy or bitter.

Cut the stem with clean clippers. Pick often and avoid tugging or stepping on vines that may have rooted along the ground.

  • Keeping itFor best quality, keep cucumbers in a cool, humid place in a perforated bag and use them soon.

Is this right for you?

Warm weather and soil at least 70F at planting time. Cucumber plants cannot survive a freeze, and cold soil slows sprouting and growth.

  • LightFull sunAbout 6 hours of direct sun a day.
  • ShadeNeeds full light
  • SeasonA warm season cropUsually grown in spring or summer.
  • FrostFrost kills it
  • HeatLoves heat

Soil

  • Soil pH6.0 to 6.5A cheap test kit from a garden centre will tell you yours.
  • Soil it likesLoam
  • DrainageWants well drained ground
  • RichnessWants rich ground

Use rich soil that holds moisture but still drains. Work in finished compost or well-rotted manure before planting.

Do not use fresh manure. A soil test can show whether the bed needs anything beyond finished compost.

The year at a glance

Measured from your last spring frost, because seasons differ from garden to garden. In frost-free climates, use trusted local seasonal guidance alongside these relative steps.

  1. Start seeds indoors

    3 to 4 weeks before your last spring frost

  2. Sow outdoors

    1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frost

  3. Plant out

    1 to 3 weeks after your last spring frost

Questions people ask

Why is my cucumber bitter?

Dry soil, low fertility or unusual heat can lead to bitter fruit. Keep moisture steady and pick before fruit becomes old and yellow.

Why is the fruit bent or misshapen?

Poor pollination is a common cause. Cool, wet weather and too few bees can leave fruit partly formed.

Do cucumbers need a trellis?

Long-vining types benefit from one, but bush types can grow without it. A trellis saves space and can make straighter fruit.

Can I start cucumbers indoors?

Yes, but start no more than about four weeks before the last frost and move the roots very gently.

Also filed under: Vegetables

Where this came from

Advice varies with your climate and variety. Check the sources behind each section.

Sources & review dates
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