How to Grow the Best Heirloom Cucumbers

In this growing guide I will explain some of the best tips and tricks to get a big harvest of cucumbers from your plants. I will tell you everything you need to know from requirements on sunlight and water to trellising, fertilizing, pest control, and diseases to watch out for.

Botanical Name	Cucumis sativus
Plant Type	Annual vegetable
Sun exposure	Full sun
Soil conditions	Rich soil that has a neutral or slightly acidic PH
Bloom and harvest time	Summer
Difficulty	Easy, Medium, Hard, Extreme

Location, location, location

When I plant cucumbers I plant them in my larger garden. The reason I do this is to give them ample sunlight.

Cucumbers are native to tropical areas so they do enjoy full sunlight. They also enjoy warmer areas. You will want to plant them in fertile soil that is not waterlogged or too dry.

If you cannot find well-drained soil adding organic matter to your soil will help “soak” up the extra moisture. Finding the right location is key for good cucumbers.

When to start cucumbers

Cucumbers do not do well when they are transplanted so I always direct sow mine. They germinate best in a soil temperature that is around 70^oF (21^oC).

If you do live in a climate that is colder than me (zone 5) you may be forced to start them indoors. If you are in my zone or one warmer you can start them outdoors after all danger of frost have passed.

If you do have a very short growing season and need to start cucumber plants indoors here are a few tips for success. (Direct seeding has given me the best results in the garden but getting a head start on the season can be good idea)

Tips for starting cucumbers indoors

• Start them only three to four weeks before your last frost. This will prevent them from getting too big and root bound in their pots.
• Sow them in a large pot, not a seed starting tray. This will minimize the amount of time the roots are exposed.
• Use a grow light to prevent plants from getting leggy.
• Keep well watered and fed with fish emulsions. Just try to minimize the stress on the plant.
• Grow the young plants in a biodegradable pot. This can be a peat pot, soil block, or homemade newspaper pot. This keeps the roots from further root disturbance of transplanting.
• Harden off the plants before planting.
• Transplant the cucumber seedlings on a cloudy day. The clouds will shield the plant from the sun so it will adjust better to strong sunlight.

How to plant cucumbers

Plant your cucumber seeds no deeper than 1/4 of an inch in good soil. Any deeper than this and your cucumbers will have trouble emerging from the soil.

If you go any more shallow you will not have a good root base. Once you have planted them you need to water the soil and keep it moist until the plants emerge.

Growing methods

There is debate as to which style of growing is best for cucumbers so I am going to share with you all the methods and provide some pros and cons to each method.

Hilling

Pros

• Soil heats faster due to being raised
• Not expensive to create

Cons

• Harder to harvest cucumbers
• Invites pests and fungal diseases
• Fruits lay on the soil and are prone to rot and discoloring

Hilled rows

Pros

• Soil heats faster due to being raised
• Not expensive to create
• Less disease with better airflow

Cons

• Does not conserve space
• Fruits lay on the soil and are prone to rot and discoloring

Trellising

Pros

• Fruit is off the ground and easy to harvest
• Fruit is straight due to gravity pulling on it
• Good airflow reduces disease and pest pressure
• Conserves space
• Allows for shade loving crops to be grown underneath

Cons

• More expensive to set up

I have tried all these methods and have found the best way to be trellising. The fruits are blemish free, straight, and bitter free. Plus if you can plant lettuce underneath the trellis to maximize growing space.

Cucumbers are natural climbers and I have found that they really benefit from a trellis.

You can learn how to build what I think is the best trellis for cucumbers here. This trellis is great for the cucumber vines to grow on.

Watering requirements

If you have eaten a cucumber then you know that they are mostly water. The plants will need to get lots of water so that your cucumbers are not bitter or mealy.

They need about an inch of water a week. If you do not get this much rain you will have to water them. I usually do not go off a rain gauge, but I test the soil moisture with my finger.

Even though they do enjoy water keep in mind that it is possible to overwater them.

Fertilizer requirements

I have found that cucumbers do enjoy a good amount of fertilizer to grow well. I use organic fertilizers like compost tea, fish emulsions, and Epsom salts.

My soil is pretty nutrient dense and I amend it before planting, so I usually only fertilize it every other week.

When should I harvest my cucumbers

Cucumbers can grow too big and seedy and become gross and bitter if left on the vine too long. For those reasons it is best to harvest them when they are small, but this is not the case for all cucumbers.

Pickling varieties are better picked shorter; while slicing varieties are usually better when they are longer. Read your varieties seed packet to learn the best time to harvest.

Heirloom cucumber varieties I like

I am not one who enjoys pickles, but I crave a sliced cucumber. For those reasons I have been on a quest to find the best cucumber variety.

I like fresh cucumbers that are sweet, crisp, and never bitter. I always seemed to find varieties that were bitter, slow to mature, and gross.

Finally last year (2022) I think I found exactly what I was searching for. The JIBAI SHIMOSHIRAZU cucumber is now my all time favorite slicing cucumber.

If you cannot figure out how to pronounce it that is alright because it is a Japanese variety. This variety has disease resistance, pest resistance, and THE BEST CUCUMBER TASTE EVER! When I share these with others all I hear is, “Where did you find these cucumbers? They taste so sweet.”.

This cucumber variety also has a high yield of cucumber fruit. You must give this cucumber a try.

Common diseases

Here are a few common diseases that can affect your cucumbers giving you a smaller cucumber harvest. If you want healthy plants follow these tips for fighting disease.

Powdery mildew

The most common disease is powdery mildew. This disease can devastate your plants by shading the light out. It looks like white powder on the leaves and spreads from plant to plant.

One natural remedy is milk. I make a mixture 40% milk and 60% water. If you coat the cucumber leaves with this mixture once a week you can kill the powdery mildew or at least extend the plant’s life.

Blossom end rot

Blossom end rot is exactly what it sounds like – a blossom rotting. When the female flowers rot it usually destroys the entire cucumber.

This is sometimes called a disease, but I have found that it is not a disease, but a deficiency. Blossom end rot is a deficiency of calcium. My blossom end rot disappears when I add calcium to the soil. A few ways I naturally add this to the soil is by pouring milk at the plant’s base and adding ground egg shells.

Common pests

I have struggled with both cucumber beetles and squash bugs. Although these insects are different in the way they attack cucumbers they are treated in the same manner. Here are a few options to ease the pressure of the pests.

• DE: If your pest problem is devastating your plants you can sprinkle DE on the plants to kill the pests naturally. Just be mindful that this will kill other beneficial insects as well.
• Wood Ashes: While these do not kill cucumber beetles they do deter them
• Companion plants: Three plants that have helped me are nasturtiums, marigolds, and radishes. I simply plant these at the base of the trellis.
• Hand picking: I will get a bucket of soapy water and pick the beetles off the plants. Once they come in contact with the water they will die.

For all the best ways to get rid of cucumber beetles your can read this great article.

Tips

Experience is the best teacher in the garden, but here are things that have helped me get the best results in the my vegetable garden.

Trellising really helped me grow good cucumbers that are blemish free and straight. This also helps with bitterness as they are under the shade of the leaves.

Mulching offers benefits for every single plant in the garden especially cucumbers. Companion planting is very helpful for keeping pests at bay too. It’s time to start growing the best heirloom cucumbers!

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