Growing Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a warm-weather crop and are grown for eating fresh or preserving as pickles. They may be grown during the warmer months over a wide portion of the country, but are not adapted to winter growing in any but a few of the most southerly locations of the U.S. Moreover, the extreme heat of midsummer in some places is too severe, and there cucumber growing is limited to spring and autumn.

The cucumber demands an exceedingly fertile, mellow soil high in decomposed organic matter from the compost pile. Also, an additional application of organic matter and commercial fertilizer is advisable under the rows or hills. Be sure the organic matter contains no remains of any vine crops; they might carry injurious diseases.

Three or four wheelbarrow loads of well-rotted organic matter and 5 pounds (2.1 kg) of commercial fertilizer to a 50-foot (15 m) drill or each 10 hills are enough. Mix the organic matter and fertilizer well with the top 8 to 10 in. (20 to 25 cm) of soil.

For an early crop, the seed may be started in berry boxes or pots, or on sods in a hotbed, and moved to the garden after danger of late frost is past. During the early growth and in cool periods, cucumbers may be covered with plant protectors made of panes of glass with a top of cheesecloth, parchment paper, or muslin. A few hills will supply the needs of a family.

When the seed is planted in drills, the rows should be 6 or 7 ft.(2 m) feet apart, with the plants thinned to 2 to 3 ft. (60 to 90 cm) apart in the rows. In the hill method of planting, the hills should be at least 6 ft. (2 m) apart each way, with the plants thinned to 2 in. (5 cm) each hill. It is always wise to plant 8 or 10 seeds in each hill, thinned to the desired stand.

Cover the seeds to a depth of about 1/2 in. (1 cm). If the soil is inclined to bake, cover them with loose earth, such as a mixture of soil and coarse sand, or other material that will not harden and keep the plants from coming through. Cucumber roots reach down 36 to 48 inches (1 to 1.3 m), so do not plant where tree roots will rob them of water and nutrients. Do not plant cucumbers until all danger of frost has passed and the soil begins to warm

Cucumbers require almost constant vigilance to prevent destructive attacks by cucumber beetles. These insects not only eat the foliage but also spread cucumber wilt and other serious diseases. Success in growing cucumbers depends largely on the control of diseases and insect pests that attack the crop.

Pick cucumbers and summer squash when they reach a usable size. If very large cucumbers are left on the vine, the plant yield will decline. Harvest often, but be careful not to disturb the vine. Do not pick fruit when the vines are wet, because of the danger of spreading diseases. Do not wait until they turn yellow. Yellow cucumbers are overmature and will be strong flavored and of poor quality.