How to Grow Cucumber Plants: Easy Guide to Planting & Harvesting

We're so sorry to hear this. It sounds like Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV).
This is a virus. The leaves become yellow and curl downwards. The cucumbers become distorted and stunted in size. Take a look at https://plantvillage.psu.edu/topics/cucumber/infos/diseas..." target="_blank">this page to see which problem matches, and take the recommended precautions.

Cucumbers end up tasting bitter if they didn't get enough water during the early stages of growth. Cucumbers are made with water and they need a LOT of water to avoid stress. Water cucumbers deeply once or twice a week or place plants on a drip so that the soil stays moist but not wet. Use your finger to measure soil moisture; the soil should not be dry deeper than 3 inches below the surface. Also, make sure it doesn't get too hot. Over 95 degrees will stress the out. Use mulch and a shade cloth if needed ro move the container.

If your cukes are bitter, here's a tip: Cut off the stem end by an inch or two. And peel the skin.

It sounds like powdery mildew. See above and for much more detail, here https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/p...">https://www.almanac.com/news/gardening/gardening-advice/p...

That sounds like dampening off disease, a fungal condition that usually occurs on plant seedlings indoors, when they do not have good air flow (are too close) or are too wet or both. If they are doing that outdoors, they may have brought the condition with them. Reduce water and increase ventilation, if they are still viable. You could try a fungicidal drench...or get new seedlings; the season is young...but coming on strong. 

It's highly likely that your crop of cukes was stressed during the growing season. The stress could have been caused by lack of water, too hot or too cold temps, low fertility, or foliage disease. One source advises removing any plants that produce bitter-tasting cukes because all subsequent fruit on that plant will be affected. 

Hope you have a better harvest this year!

Linda Bender, Thank you so much! Every year I watch and guard my cucumber vines against disease, spraying with copper fungicide to ward off mildew and fungus, but every year no matter how hard I try my plants turn ugly brown, wither, and die after a few weeks of production. I do guide the vines, moving them a bit so they don't grow over a nearby fence. I will try next time to give them a free rein and let them do their thing without interference.

If you don't see many mealybugs, it would be better to simply pick them off by hand and squish them. Check everyday until they're no longer appearing on the plant.

Dying leaves on cucumbers can be caused by several things, including just the age of the plant as it winds down for the season. Make sure that the plant has enough water; cucumbers like about an inch of water per week--if the soil is dry about an inch below in the soil, it is time to water. There are also several diseases (such as powdery or downy mildew, anthracnose, bacterial wilt) and insects that can cause wilting/browning/yellowing/dying of leaves--check for spots or holes in the leaves, or whitish patches. Be sure to provide good ventilation among the leaves; trellising cucumbers can help increase air flow to discourage disease. Remove any plant debris, which may harbor diseases or insects. Water in the morning so that the leaves have a chance to dry out before evening; watering at ground level is preferable than by overhead.

We're not sure we understand your question. From planting to harvest, cucumbers take anywhere from 40 to 60 days to develop. Once they are ready to be harvested, you will want to harvest them every couple of days to make sure that none of them become overripe. The number of cucumbers you get from each cucumber plant depends on the variety and the health of the plant, but most produce quite a lot of cucumbers per season.

Many cucumbers have spines, but some varieties may be spinier than others. You can also get spineless types. As I understand it, the spines (also called trichomes in botanical terms), act as defense by the plant, protecting the developing cucumber from insects. The base of the spiny hairs contain compounds that taste bitter, to also deter hungry pests. As the cucumber matures, the spines become less or disappear. (Cucumbers at the supermarket often have had the spines removed.) Pickling cucumber varieties tend to be more prickly than slicing types. With some varieties, the spines are sparse and easily rubbed off before eating. However, with other types, it is best to peel the cucumber to remove the spiny skin before eating the interior. To check ripeness, carefully check the firmness of the cuke, the color, and size--follow recommendations on the seed packet or plant label, if you have it, for the variety that you are growing. Hope this helps!

We do advise that you use a trellis to grow your cucumbers and any type will do, even a tomato cage. Trellising will protect the fruit from damage from lying on the moist ground.

My experience was that the cukes did NOT appear to like the metal cages at all! I live north of the 45th parallel, so my garden issues are usually cold and water, but this one, I think, may translate to southern latitudes too.

We just recently sliced into an grocery-store English cucumber and it too had seeds, albeit very small ones. A couple of thoughts here: We are inclined to go to the source, first: Have you inquired of your seed supplier what you should expect? And consulted the grower—not to be confused with the vendor—of the starts/seedlings? The "brand" of seedlings, if commercial (as opposed to local), would normally appear on the plant tag/stick.

Then there's this: The proximity to other plants may be part of the problem. English cukes DO have seeds; however, they are considered "undeveloped" because they are, in the truest form, not as large as those in a conventional cucumber. The English cuke is parthenocarpic: It develops fruit without pollination. So, insects that pollinate nearby plants could also visit your cukes and alter the results. There is, according to some, a belief that English cukes do best in a greenhouse for this reason, although at least one other source suggests that you are more likely to achieve the desired produce/harvest, if you plant the cukes 115 feet or more from other cukes—or, presumably, other flowering plants. So, maybe there is something to the greenhouse idea... If that's not feasible (understandably) perhaps row covers tightly secured over plants at a distance (not nec 155 feet) would yield a more satisfactory cuke.

We're not sure what you're asking, but a cucumber plant will keep producing fruit if you keep harvesting. If you stop picking the fruit when mature, the plant will slow down or shut down production.

Lack of water can cause cucumbers to become bitter and you certainly don't want the cucumbers to get too big because that can also cause bitterness. They're too big if the end is getting yellow.

Hi Anthony,

It's hard to say exactly what's the problem without knowing the variety. The cucumbers could be a light colored variety, they could be overripe (pick one and taste it to see if it tastes good), or they could not be getting enough light. If they taste good, you don't need to do anything and can harvest them as you like. Cucumbers don't need to be green to taste good. If they taste bad, then they are overripe. 

Cucumbers that become both too large and pale are likely because they are over-ripe. If you think that might be the case, see the above article for size guidelines, depending on the type that you grow. Cucumbers can also be paler due to lack of sunshine on the fruit (shaded by leaves, for example), or sometimes, too much watering. Hot temperatures can also play a role. Diseases may also turn cucumbers pale or discolored, as can a nutrient deficiency. Some varieties of cucumbers, however, are naturally pale--and some, like the European (English) cucumbers, are naturally long, but slender. Hope this helps!

There are several reasons why a cucumber will curl (called crooking), including pollination troubles (such as not enough pollinators, or hot weather damaging the pollen) or not enough nutrients, water, light, or adequate warmth. Pests and diseases can also cause curling or deformed cucumbers. If the fruit is blocked by an obstacle while it is developing, even a leaf, then it can curl; growing cucumbers on a trellis, so that the fruit can hang, helps to prevent this problem. Check to see if your plants are receiving ideal conditions, and look for any signs of pests and diseases. In hot weather, you might provide some shade during the hottest part of the day.  Also, if you are growing cucumbers outdoors, be sure that the variety you select is not parthenocarpic (for example, 'Sweet Success'); these cucumber varieties do not need pollination and are best grown in the greenhouse, where there are no pollinators; if they do become pollinated, then the fruit can curl or become otherwise misshapen.

If round cucumbers are occurring on just one plant but others are normal, then your seeds are to blame. Occasionally, a hybrid seed will make it into a packet and produce unexpected results, which is probably what happened in your case. Don't worry, though, as spherical cucumbers are essentially the same as normal ones—just a little more well-rounded!

Yes, cucumbers appreciate the warm summer temperatures and should mature in approximately six weeks under good conditions.

It is possible that the plants may grow back, if the roots are intact, especially if the plant is pampered (grown at optimum conditions and protected from extreme temperatures). But it might be safer to start again from seed, or buy transplants. Damaged plants likely will take a while to recover (if they do), delaying harvest, and they may not be as vigorous. You could keep a few, to see if they perk back up, but add new ones, too, as a precaution. Protect against animal and insect pests, such as covering seedlings with a row cover.

Damping off, a fungal disease, is a problem with young cucumber seedlings. Make sure your pots and soil are sterile and plant just a few seeds in a cup. Use room temperature water and keep the soil just moist. Watering from the bottom sometimes helps. Air circulation is also important. Keep a small fan nearby if needed. Thin seedlings if they seem to be crowded in the cup or pot. Good luck!

Hi, Ela: Thanks for this fantastic question! One thing that may be happening concerns the fact that English cucumbers are self-fruiting, not in the sense that they pollinate themselves (as self-fruiting often means), but that they don't need pollination. For this reason, they produce only female flowers. If a bee or the wind or whatever comes along and pollinates that flower, then the resulting fruit will usually be misshapen in some way. So if your cukes are not only not straight, but also bulging or curving, etc., then you may have to take steps to prevent the flowers from being pollinated. However, if your cukes continue to be of uniform diameter as they curve, then the solution may be somewhat more straightforward: gravity. Just grow them from a trellis so that they hang down, and gravity will hopefully keep pulling them down on the straight and narrow--or at least more than they appear to be now. Thanks again, and good luck!

Hi, Jackson: Be sure to read all of the cuke info above about care and watering. They can be moved outdoors OK, but well after the possibility for frost has passed; to find your last frost date, go here: http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-canada. Sometimes the reason for slow cuke growth is simply that they are not warm enough. Cukes need both sun and warmth, but there is a difference between the two. Try using a (low) heating pad underneath, or just put them higher up in the room (heat rises) if possible. Thanks for asking, and good luck!

You can find out the recommended times to plant and harvest in your area, based on local climate, by going to this page and putting in your zip code.

http://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-dates/

For San Diego, for example, sowing cucumber seeds outdoors can be done in October, for a harvest in mid-November through December. Seeds can be sown indoors the month of January, as well as sown outdoors the first half of February, for a harvest from mid-April through mid-May.

Botanically speaking, cucumbers are a fruit, developing from the flower and containing seeds. But as far as seed catalogs and salads, they are treated as a vegetable, in part because they have a more savory than sweet taste.

Cucumbers can turn yellow if they are overripe, diseased (such as by a virus), over-watered, or have nutrient deficiencies. (There are also yellow varieties, but it sounds like yours isn't one of those.) Follow the harvesting recommendations for your particular variety -- pickling cucumbers can be picked for gherkins around 1.5 to 2 inches long, or for dills from 3 to 6 inches long, depending on type. Check the health of the vine and leaves -- any sign of disease or stress? If you suspect that your soil is low in nutrients, you might want to have it tested. You might also remove the yellow cucumbers to encourage more fruit set; it could be that the future cucumbers will be green and healthy.

If you suspect that an animal is getting to your cucumbers - mouse, vole, chipmunk, squirrel, raccoon - then you might try protecting the cucumber plants with wire mesh. It would help to know exactly what pest it is, as some can dig under barricades, or hop/climb over to a certain height. But for starters, for small animals -- you might try a 2-foot-tall or more barrier around the plant, buried 6 to 10 inches deep. For more information, try our animal pest pages, such as:

http://www.almanac.com/blog/gardening-blog/be-critter-det...
http://www.almanac.com/pest/voles
http://www.almanac.com/pest/mice
http://www.almanac.com/pest/rabbits
http://www.almanac.com/pest/raccoons
http://www.almanac.com/pest/squirrels

A yellow, bitter cucumber often means the cucumber is under stress from low moisture, high temperatures, and/or nutritional imbalance. Have you had any drought-y periods? During dry times, provide 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water each time you water, plus mulch to conserve moisture. 

If your cucumbers are still going strong, try harvesting the bitter yellow cucumbers to encourage more fruit set and see if they start to green. Also, try cutting off the stem-end and removing the skin of bitter cucumbers and that should remove much of the bitter taste.

Also, for the future, there are bitter-free varieties, including Carmen, County Fair, Diva, Green Knight, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success and Tasty Green.

Cucumbers need a gallon of water a week. Here is a handy chart to guide you with any other vegetables you might grow: http://www.almanac.com/content/when-water-vegetables

Hmph. Had a similar problem with zucchini. Lots of seeds were set out, but only one germinated. So I planted more seeds and bought a few seedlings. Now half a dozen more seeds are coming along. That doesn't help you, of course, but the trigger seemed to be the heat.

That doesn't explain the two out of four rows of green and yellow haricot vert beans that failed me. All beans were from the same packets. The rows are only a foot or two away. Why would some pop up fine and others never show? When I asked an expert she just shrugged and said, "You never know." Another year, "new" carrot seeds just disappeared in the soil never to send up even a sign.

Maybe the seeds were too deep. Maybe they got too dry. Maybe there wasn't enough heat to keep them going. (I know, you said all those conditions were in favor. I thought so too.)

You can start the seeds indoors and then transplant seedlings. (Stores sell almost everything as seedlings these days. It must be working...) But that would give you an early idea of what to expect.

Look at it this way: If you put in more seeds now, you can thin the weaklings. Or transplant them. It would be unfortunate to think a month from now, "what if..." or "I shoulda..."

We understand your dilemma (and frustration). Give them another day or so, then reseed.

you have a deficiency in your soil..I ran into the same problem..Just think about it the soil is made up of several vitamins and minerals. just simply go buy some powdered milk follow the instructions mix and pour evenly on the base of your plants..this will give them the calcium they need. Also go buy some Epson salt broad cast it through your garden..this will help.. watch your garden grow... make sure not to over water.

We've heard old timers soak cucumbers in salted water for several hours or overnight. Another tip suggests cutting off the end of the cucumber and rubbing it against the cut end and then doing it again on the other end. Good luck!

The sooner you thin your cucumbers the better. You may not be able to save the tiny plant that you pull up. You can try to plant them in small pots with potting mix to see if they will survive.

The cucumber seedlings are very tender, you are more likely to kill all of them if you try to separate them. You are better of thinning them to correct spacing and replanting some new seeds.

Sounds like you have too much nitrogen. Just because a fertilizer is organic manure, does not mean that the nitrogen content is correct. Common wisdom from my parents generation stated you never fertilized with horse or pig manure in the Spring or during the growing season, only after the growing season was done.

For the best crop yield you should choose seeds of a self-pollinating variety. Unless it is a bush-type, the vines will get quite long so consider using a trellis to grow them up or a hanging basket to let them cascade down. They need a lot of light - a minimum of 6 hours of sun per day - to grow really well so you might have to consider using a growlight to supplement natural daylight, especially in winter. They also like it warm, around 70 degrees with a slight drop in the evening. Depending on the variety you choose it could take 60 days or more to get edible-sized fruit. Good Luck!

Here are a couple of thoughts. Cucumbers need plenty of sun to produce flowers. Make sure that your plants are not in the shade. If you have been fertilizing nitrogen in the fertilizer will stimulate lots of green growth at the expense of blooms.

There are a few cucumber varieties that are round. There are also non-cukes that are called cucumbers. For example, the Mandurian Round Cucumber is actually a melon but treated as a cuke. It has a sort of peach fuzz that washes off easily; the skin is a pale green with darker spots--sort of resembling a watermelon. It grows about tennis-ball size. Perhaps this is what you have in your garden?

my cucumbers are growing well, i water them every 2 days, so keep an eye on them, they do grow quickly good luck!!!!

Hi, Steven, The first question is, are you getting flowers? Cukes have male and female flowers; the latter have a small fruit behind them. The male flowers, which form before the female flowers, produce the pollen needed to produce the fruit (cukes), but that's all they do in the process. If you have been getting both flowers and no fruit, you might lack pollinators. Hand pollication is an option in that case.

There is a slight difference in the timing of the appearance of the male and female flowers, often a function of plant variety and/or environmental conditions.

The proximilty of the squash should not be a concern; these plants belong to the same family.

We hope this helps!

I've had crappy turmout this year also, i think it's because of the lack of heat, especially at night

i use a product called fish emulsion, it can be purchased at home hardware stores,i love it, my pumpkins are big so as my cucumbers. try it you may be impressed.!!!!!!

The fuzz should disappear when the cuke matures. Is it possible that your cuke cross-pollinated with something else in your garden?

Cucumbers are sensitive to high heat. The plants need consistent moisture to survive hot temperatures. Mulch will help to keep the soil moist and cool. Provide shade during the hottest part of the day. 

You can prune the lateral shoots, but do keep the main stem. You may want to do this several times during the growing season. The first flowers to bloom are the male flowers. You will recognize the female flowers by a small bump at the bottom of the flower. Make sure that you have enough pollinators around.

Crazy! Mine are too!!!!

You may have a pollination issue. Either you don't have enough pollinating insects right now or it's a timing thing with too many male flowers opening. The male flower has to pollinate the female flower (which are the ones with the swelling beneath the flower). You can try to hand pollinate by moving pollen from a male flower to the female blooms.

Good for you! You'll pick the "burpless" cucumber when it's young and tender -- no more than 10 inches in length.  If it gets too big or old, it get bitter.

Keep harvesting to encourage more yield. Once fruit develops, pinch at the main stem after 7 leaves have formed to encourage sideshoots and more growth.

Hi Dana, Nice to hear that you had such good luck starting your plants from seed. You can try to move the cucumbers carefully outside and maybe set up a trellis to support the long vines. You can also plant the cucumbers in a bigger pot with fresh soil and use a tomato cage to support the vines.

You can successfully grow cucumbers in containers but you may need to water 2-3 times a day. Cucumbers are mostly water and the fruits will wither and the plants will die if the soil dries out for very long. If you put 3-4 inch layer of mulch over the soil, you can water a little less, but still twice a day is best.

Hi Jason,

You are lucky to have such a  nice garden this early in the season. With the warm climate in Texas you don't need to worry about late cold spells hurting the plants. Just keep the plants watered and they should do fine. You may want to plant some more beans so that when you harvest the beans that are blooming now you'll have a second harvest coming.

Hi, Jamie,

Cukes love heat. One thing you write is concerning: daily watering. You might be drowning your plants. The surface soil might appear dry, but if you are watering daily, the soil at the root might be soaked. Another question that has to be asked: does you raised bed have good drainage? Too much water and bad drainage are a recipe for failure.

That said, powdery mildew is a common disease of cucurbit crops in Florida. Neem is recommended for powdery mildew, but use with caution. One resource suggests that it could be harmful to beneficial insects. Others also recommend removing infected leaves and allowing the plants to dry out.

In future, something to think about: try to grow disease-resistant plants.

Make sure that your plants are well watered, but try watering earlier in the day rather than later. Water on the leaves later into the evening does not have a chance to dry, leaving the plant susceptible to fungus and pests. Try using 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 gallon of water for the powdery mildew. Spring this on the leaves as well as onto the roots of the plant will help to kill off the powdery mildew. You can also try putting 1 tablespoon of Epson salts into this mixture. Epson salt (magnesium sulfate), and it helps speed up plant growth, increase a plants nutrient uptake(such as nitrogen & phosphate), deter pests, increase flavor of fruit and veggies, plus increase the output of vegetation.

Dear Jamie, I live 2 hours south of you in Naples. Growing cucumbers has been passion almost my entire life. I just love the plant!!! Although FL is not the right state to grow this beauty I've done everything in my power (and knowledge) to keep them healthy and fruitful. I can't ay I had been 100% successful although I have my own worm farm that produces fresh vermicompost year round. I always have organic fish fertilizer available as needed. For the insects (mainly white fly and powdery mildew) I have tried everything from NEEM OIL to soap and baking soda mixtures etc. Powdery mildew disappeared 2 years ago but almost nothing works for white fly unless you spend a lot of money on sticky fly traps. My main problem is to have all my baby cucumbers to turn to mature ones. Although at least 20-30 female flowers show up on each plant I am lucky if I can get 2-3 out of each plant. Believing this was a pollination problem and lack of bees I have invested on a no pollination required varieties. Problem is persistent. I am well aware of water, nutrition, pollination and aeration requirements of my plants. No problem there. You're saying you planted in March. This is the toughest season to grow veggies in FL as most will die in our hot summer. You can succeed with cucumbers using surround WF spray on leaves. That drops summer temps 15 degrees down and eliminates the powdery mildew. Product is available only commercial qty (50lbs) though. As the FL calendar suggests I mostly transplant my cucumbers in September. I am hoping to be more successful this year as I have improved my fertilizer quality and cucumber variety to heirloom. We'll see. Good luck.

Transplant cucumbers 3 to 4 weeks after sowing indoors. They should be young and healthy plants, with 1 or 2 true leaves (not including the first set of leaves, called the cotyledons). Plant out only after last expected spring frost, and be sure to harden them off for about a week so that they get used to being outdoors. Cucumbers don't like their roots disturbed, so handle them very gently.

If your cucumbers are growing past the 2 true leaves and it isn't time yet to plant them out, keep them indoors until it is past frost--they are very susceptible to cold. Or, you might try employing season extension techniques, such as warming the soil with black plastic mulch, and then planting the hardened-off cucumbers there, with a plastic tunnel overhead to keep them in a warm atmosphere. Make sure they do not get near freezing--or too hot.

Based on your description, there are two diseases which come to mind. 1) Gummy stem blight. Symptoms include sappy substance in any open wounds, wilted vines, and fruit with rotted rind. These plants would need to be destroyed; preventative fungicides could be used on the remaining plants. The problem is often caused by the seed source. Avoid watering the leaves; water at soil level. 2) Blossom-end rot:  Symptoms are darkened rot on the end of the fruit where the flower was. The problem is caused by a lack of calcium in the soil which is often revealed with inconsistent watering and/or over-fertilization. We'd suggest you bring a sample to your local cooperative extension office for a diagnosis!

Hooked cucumbers aren't uncommon and it's related to irrigation. Cucumbers need very consistent, regular water supply as well as ample moisture (about 1 to 2 inches of water per week), especially during the early blossoming and fruit development stages.

Fruitis notdeveloping

Yellow cucumbers are quite inedible, however if you were seeds were of a heirloom variety and not a hybrid, you can cut the cucumber open and harvest the seeds for a future planting.

Yes, you can train vining cucumbers to a trellis. Normally, you want to set up the trellis before planting but you can try to train the vines that are still growing.

Yes, slicing cucumbers are best for eating fresh, but they can also be used in canning. We've tried bread and butter pickles and they tasted great.

Congrats on growing cucumbers successfully! Sure, you can harvest regular cucumbers at any size that you think you can use them. Keep in mind: cucumbers do grow very quickly--check every day once they get going!

You certainly don't want the cucumbers to get too big or they get bitter. They're too big if the end is getting yellow. Also, it helps to harvest them regularly to get more yield.

You'll want to store cucumbers in a cool spot in in the kitchen in perforated plastic bags. Storage in refrigerator for a few days is okay but cucumbers will get water-soaked areas if chilled below 40°F. For best taste, eat them as quickly as you're able. Do not store with apples or tomatoes.

Keep it in a piece of cloth in fridge

Some cucumber varieties just have odd shapes, however, the usual reason is related to moisture. The soil needs to be consistently moist. Perhaps you had a dry spell or under/over-watered.

i have even used mirical grow and still just blooms no cucumbers

Hi Tamm,

It's not uncommon that cucumbers will grow from seeds left in the soil from the previous year. The fruit may not be true to the parent plant and sometimes they don't flower at all.

Cucumbers do not like to be transplanted or moved.  If you must transplant, you need to do it very early before the plant has true leaves and keep the entire root ball intact. Otherwise, they won't make it.

If you can keep the groundhog away, the vine may still produce leaves (put not in the same places) and cukes. Relocating the animal by trapping and moving or driving it out of its den (hopefully not to a new one in the middle of your garden) is the preferred solution. Physical deterrence with a fence (buried) and/or screening (chicken wire over the top) sometimes works. Putting a human-smelling (hair, clothes) border around sometimes works, too, as does using other substances they might dislike. Sometimes. Good luck!

Hi Judy,

It may work if you use a sturdy okra variety like Cowhorn. The only problem is that okra leaves are big and may shade the cucumber plants too much. It's worth a try and please let us know if it worked.

Hi Randy,

It's important to harden off seedlings that have been started indoors. You can try direct seeding in the garden to see if that works. Or, start a new batch indoors and make sure to gradually move the seedlings outdoors.

Chicken manure is very high in nitrogen which is not good for cucumbers. Also, chicken manure must be composted before putting it around plants or it will "burn" them.

It sounds like your cucumbers are getting too much water. You should not water cucumber plants from overhead, it is better to soak the ground around the bottoms of the plants.

I twist my cukes at their base and then tug gently, and they come right off. Although, having a pair of scissors that I use just for the garden is good, because my okra, for instance, really are easier to cut off because their stems are so woody.

Hi Dinah,

We suggest that when seedlings are about 4 inches tall to thin them so that  they are 1½ feet apart. If the plants are healthy you should see flowers soon.

Crops that can grow compactly and great for hydroponic gardens. Cucumbers, tomatoes, and bush beans are great choices. For your first time, you might want to avoid corn, zucchini, summer squash, and melons.

Hi Sem, You have pollination issues.  Either you don't have enough pollinating insects right now or it's a timing thing with too many male flowers opening. The male flower has to pollinate the female flower (which are the ones with the swelling beneath the flower).What to do: You can hand pollinate by moving the male flower to the female blooms.

Plant seed after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. In zone 8, you can often plant in early April but check your frost dates. The soil should be 70 °F and no lower than 50 °F for seeds to germinate. You could get a cheap soil thermometer to check the temps of your soil.

The length of the growing season will depend on your local climate. You can find the number of days in the growing season of several large cities, plust the expected frost dates, at this page:

http://www.almanac.com/content/frost-chart-united-states

For further information by state, see:

http://cdo.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/climatenormals/climateno...

Or, you might try contacting your county's Cooperative Extension, as they should have the best data for your local area. For contact information, see:

http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv...

Cucumbers like warmth. When the weather gets cooler, they may deteriorate until frost hits and stops them completely. They may also die off due to other cultural stresses such as too hot/too much direct sun, too much water, too little water, not enough soil nutrients, etc. Diseases or insects can also cause the plants to die.

Cucumbers will also stop producing and die off if their fruit is allowed to mature fully--keep on picking, and don't allow any cucumbers to turn large and yellow.

Cucumber wilt (bacterial) disease kills cucumber plants -- quickly! The bacteria are transmitted by cucumber beetles. In my area (TN and NC), we lose plants consistently by mid season. Plants wilt and dry up. Spraying to kill beetles in the home garden might provide some protection. Early death of squash/pumpkins is usually attributable to squash vine borers.

'White Wonder' is an heirloom variety that Burpee introduced commercially in 1893, after a customer from NY state gave them a sample. Gardeners say that this is a very prolific plant, and some mention its many branches, so it looks like yours are normal. The difference between your plants and your friend's could be the lighting (it is possible for cucumbers to get too much sun, although this variety tolerates heat well) and the difference in soils and fertilizer. You might be interested in the reviews from other gardeners who have grown this Burpee introduction:

http://reviews.burpee.com/1031/prod002007/reviews.htm

If the nitrogen is from a chemical source, you can not really "undo" fertilizer at this point, especially a fast-release water-soluble type. You could do a good flush of the soil, but don't over do it; that could stress the plants, too. The plants will adapt with time if they can.

You can reduce the amount of heat hitting the plants with shade cloth. Using mulch will increase the amount of water that stays in the soil and misting with cool water will increase the humidity around the leaves.

In most regions, you'd want to plant cucumbers in early July. This produces a September harvest. However, check the seed packets for the "days to maturity" and see if there is a faster-growing variety. Also, make sure that the seed packet says whether or not the cucumber variety is suited for container growing. Some container varieties are: Salad Bush Hybrid, Bush Champion, Picklebush, Spacemaster, Hybrid Bush Crop, and Midget Bush Pickler.

Picking your harvest usually keeps fruit production going, not stopping.  When cucumber fruit doesn't keep growing, the most common reason is that you had low pollinating insect activity at the time due to weather conditions. Or, if you do not have a lot of bees to pollinate, you can self-pollinate by brushing the pollen-coated stamen of the male flower onto the center of the female flower (the one with the bulb or ovary at the bottom) or use a Q-tip if you do not want to pick the male flower. Pollinate in the morning when both male and female bloosm are open. Good luck!

As stated above, bitter cucumbers are usually due to inconsistent watering, especially low moisture. Water slowly in the morning or early afternoon, avoiding the leaves. During dry periods, water 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water in a single application. Apply a mulch, such as straw, shredded bark or newspaper to cool the soil and conserve moisture. You can also plant bitter-free cultivars.
Often (but not always), cutting off the stem-end and removing the skin of bitter cukes will remove much of the bitterness. 

Your cucumbers have powdery mildew fungi. Clip out leaves that show early spotting. For an organic solution, a milk spray works very well. There are also organic fungicidal sprays. Ask your garden center. It's also good make use of resistant varieties of cucumbers which make it difficult for powdery mildew to enter the leaves.

Cucumbers are ready for harvest 50 to 70 days from planting, depending on the variety. In Alabama, July 1-20 are planting dates for a fall harvest. Good timing!

The female flower is the one with a bulbish shape (ovary) at the base and short stem. The male has a long, slender stem. The female flowers are larger.

well, male flowers have a couple things popping out of the middle with pollen on it and female flowers have one thing popping out of the middle with a weird bulb thing that collects the pollen from male plants. But some plants can be both male and female so they have both.

Are you growing a cucumber variety that has both female and male flowers? (Or, are you growing a special variety that doesn't need pollination)? Most varieties need pollination between the female and male flowers--and that means bees--unless you wish to hand pollinate. Most bush types mature in about 50 days. You might see the male flower after 30 to 35 days and the female flower 10 days after that. It depends on the variety.

We only seed indoors to get a 2 or 3 week jump on the season. Once the soil is above 60 degrees F, you really should be seeding or growing outside. You can transplant your cuke and also try starting some new seeds. Just push 2 or 3 seeds an inch into the soil, spacing the plantings 18 to 36 inches apart. If the soil is moist and warm, the seedlings will pop out of the ground in a matter of days.

Damping off, a fungal disease, is a problem with young cucumber seedlings. Make sure your pots and soil are sterile and plant just a few seeds in a cup. For watering room temperature water is best and keep the soil just moist. Watering from the bottom sometimes helps. Air circulation is also important. Keep a small fan in the room if needed. Thin seedlings if they seem to be crowded in the cup or pot. Good luck!

Have you been fertilizing the plants? Too much nitrogen can stimulate lots of growth but no flowers. Cucumbers do need full sun so you may want to move the container back where it was. A normal cucumber plant will produce 10 to 20 male flowers for every female. Hopefully by now you may have some more blossoms.

Hand pollinate early in the morning--and only with freshly-opened blooms. Break off a male bloom, remove its petals and roll the pollen onto the stigma in the center of the female flower. You can also use a paintbrush to transfer the pollen from male to female. The female flower is the one with a bulbish shape (ovary) at the base and short stem. The male has a long, slender stem. The female flowers are larger.

Brown spots on leaves indicate a disease called anthracnose or Alternaria leaf spot. It can be controlled with chlorothalonil sprays applied every 10 to 14 days. Speak to your garden center.

Keep in mind that cucumbers need warm soil and constant water supply to germinate. You need a temperature range of 75 degrees to 80 degrees F during the day. At this optimum soil temperature, the seeds will take 7 to 10 days to germinate.

This usually happens when you seed in dirt instead of sterile or pasteurized potting soil. It's known as "damping-off." Use the proper medium and be careful not to overwater. Give them lots of light and make sure they're not too crowded so they get air circulating. Good luck!

Avoid watering the leaves

Build a frame and have a sheet of tin at the bottom. Then fill it with whatever soil you are using.

The recommended size for cucumbers is: 20" wide, 16" deep with soil volume of 4-5 gallons per plant. Cucumbers have deep root systems and aren't the best choice for shallow boxes. Here are some varieties that do well in containers: Sweet Success, Suyo, Salad Bush, Bush Slicer, Burpless, Liberty, Early Pik, Salty and Crispy.

Your plants may not be getting enough sunlight. They grow best in full sun and after about two weeks of sun and proper watering they should look a whole lot better.

To avoid bitterness, provide 1 to 1 1/2 inches of water in a single application, especially during dry/drought periods. Apply mulch to retain moisture. Plant cultivars that are listed as being bitter-free in the garden catalogs. Examples: Carmen, County Fair, Diva, Green Knight, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success and Tasty Green.

Look for varieties that have "pickling" in the name. Most mail order sources have a section for pickling cucumbers. Pick the cucumbers when small, don't let them grow longer than 4-5 inches.

This sounds like a pollination problem. Next time, try growing plants that attract bees along with your cucumbers. Or you can try to pollinate the cucumbers yourself.

Water cucumbers deeply, applying 1 to 2 inches per week unless weather is especially dry. Cucumbers need good drainage and shouldn't be watered from above. Carefully water at soil level with a hose so as to not get any water splashing on the foliage.

No, do not eat the yellow cucumbers. They are over-ripe and should be discarded or added to your compost pile.

Sometimes it depends on the variety. Cucumber skins can be smooth and thin, or thick and rough.

Misshapen fruit usually happens from incomplete pollination. The bees need to return and again and again. Sometimes, the later fruits will be a proper shape. In terms of the "shriveled" issue: If the female flowers bloom before there are male flowers to supply pollen, they will dry up or produce small fruits that drop off and die. Again, this is often corrected later in the season once the both flowers are blooming and there is plenty of pollination. Lack of pollination can be related to lack of pollinators (i.e., bees) or some rainy, interruptive weather. You can always hand pollinate.

If your cukes are yellow—and they are not supposed to be (they are not a yellow variety, such as "lemon cucumbers"), they are probably overripe: the chlorophyll that makes them green has begun to fade. The color may also signal a virus or that they had too much water. Examine the plant for other signs of disease and/or consider your recent watering habit and the weather. Yellow cukes may look fine, but they are likely to be bitter tasting. By the way, a cuke that has little yellow on the bottom portion that gets little sunlight is probably okay. We hope this helps! –Almanac editors

A yellow cucumber is usually over ripe. But a pale cucumber can also be caused by a virus, too much water, or a nutrient imbalance. Try adding some aged manure or compost to the soil around the plants.

Cucumbers depend on water and you need to make sure they get a consistent level of moisture. Your pots may be too small to retain the water. Consider transplanting to bigger pots. Cucumbers are also heavy feeders. Add a diluted liquid fish emulsion every other week during the growing season.

Cucumbers need a lot of water. Make sure to water often and add mulch around your plants to keep the moisture in the soil. The wooden garden boxes may dry out quickly in hot weather. Add compost or fertilizer to provide nutrients that the growing cucumbers need.

You’ll want to keep the leaves; they make food for the plant. As for pruning, you do not need to do any if you have a bush cucumber. If you have a vining cucumber that will be trained on a trellis, then pruning is a way to encourage yield and quality fruit. In this case, allow the plant to grow until it forms about 6 or 7 leaves on the main stem. A node is where the leaves connect to the stem. At these nodes, there can also be tendrils, a side shoot (also called a growth point, sucker, or lateral shoot), and a flower or fruit. At the first 5 or 6 nodes counting up from the base of the plant, pinch off the side shoot. [Side shoots are vining branches that grow off the main stem, and will form their own leaves, flowers, fruits, etc.] Also, remove any flowers as they develop on these 5 to 6 lower nodes. Many growers allow just one flower to form on the upper nodes, as well. Depending on the training system, side shoots on the upper nodes are either allowed to grow along a wire or other support, or removed so that there is just one vertical stem.

You can prune the lateral shoots, but do keep the main stem. You may want to do this several times during the growing season.

Female flowers are swollen at the base. This swell is the ovary and a tiny pickle. Note that the early flowers are males so sometimes it's just a question of patience. Both flowers need to be available to bees at the same time without fluky weather interference. Here are pictures of female and male flowers if it helps: http://vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/fruitsetproblems.pdf

One crop should produce fruit for about 5 to 6 weeks. The more you pick, the more the vines will produce. Growing vertically increases your yield, too. In terms of the green color of your soil, has it been very wet? Are you using a soluable fertilizer? We'd advise that you add organic matter such as compost and organic mulch to improve your soil.

If you're fertilizing, back off. If you're watering, be sure it's consistent and at the base of the plants, not overhead. Ensure the plants get 6 to 8 hours of sun per day. Otherwise, it's often a pollination issue. You need to plenty of bees which also do not get deterred by fickle weather. You could always hand pollinate. The good news is that cucumbers for pickling should be picked when they are short: 2 to 4 inches long!

There are "vine" cucumbers and bush types. Bush types take up less room and are great for containers. If you have a vine type, you'll need a vertical trellis for the vine to climb--a bamboo trellis would work. In terms of size pot, 1 cucumber needs 1 gallon container. Here's a great source to help you grow your cucumbers and any vegetables in containers: http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/guides/e-...

Sounds like your plant has powdery mildew. Try treating with a safe fungicide. To prevent it in the future, try a slow-release fertilizer and make sure they get good sun.

For disease control, avoid picking cucumbers when wet. Also, be sure to water at base of plant and try not to let water splash on leaves. And ensure your plants have good air circulation.

Cucumbers usually need 1 inch of water each week. The usual reasons for yellow cucumbers are: too much watering, nutrient imbalance, or a virus. In terms of bitterness, this can happen in dry weather. Bitterness also due to the way you eat cucumbers. To minimize their "bite," remove the skin and trim both stem and blossom ends. Scooping the seeds and seed membrane from the center also results in milder-tasting cucumbers. European (or English) cucumbers do not need such treatment; they may be served skin and all.

For climbing cucumbers on a trellis, the side shoots form right where the cucumbers form at the joint of the main stem. Keep the plant to one stem by pruning off all the lateral shoots that appear. Be ruthless as it will keep trying to send out lateral shoots everywhere; it's a daily task. Wait until the vine has 7 leaves before you start. If you a bush variety of cucumber (picking types), you do not need to prune.

It may vary--I'd say flowers form after three weeks. Male blooms are usually first. They may drop off. A week or two later, you'll see female flowers (differentiated by a cucumber-shaped bulb at the base).

Hadn't heard this. You want to let the fruit develop and pick your cucumbers when they're at the right size -- which depends on the variety. For slicing varieties: 6 to 8 inches long. For pickles: they can be no more than 2 inches long. Once they start producing, the fruit grows quickly so expect to harvest every day or every other day.

Usually cucumber seedlings start producing vines after they have their second set of leaves.

Yes, cucumbers need full sun to grow well. They are a subtropical crop and love plenty of sun and long warm days plus balmy nights. If you don't have a long season, there are some newer varieties for shorter seasons.

The cucumber seeds need nice warm soil to germinate. They may still come up when the soil gets warmer. You can start some seeds in pots indoors in case you need to fill in a few spots in the garden.

If these seeds are indoors, then the seedlings stretch for the sunlight. Most likely cause is not enough sunlight. Repotting the seedlings in bigger pots and maybe adding a grow light will help. The seeds may be better planted directly in the garden when the soil has warmed up.

The biggest issue with starting seeds indoors is the need for artificial light or a lighted windowsill. when the plants grow under natural sunlight they stop shooting up thin and thicken out but the leaves are reaching for the light and are staying long to find it. best thing to do is get it in the light or start over with a 4' flourescent over the bed with blue light it reflects spring time and will help too

Planted lemon cuts last year they did great. It takes weeks for the bees to find the plants. Once you see the bees you will see the fruit. This variety will produce a huge plant so prepare for the space. It will also produce a lot of cucumbers.

53-56 days