How to Grow Cucumber

There are several varieties of Cucumbers available in Australia, including elongated dark green Burpless, Lebanese and Long Green, round creamy-skinned Crystal Apple, and small Gherkin Pickling Cucumbers. Lebanese Cucumbers are popular for their mild sweet flavour and are eaten skin and all. Burpless Cucumbers are low in acid and Gherkin Cucumbers are perfect for pickling. Crystal Apple Cucumbers have been grown for generations and have crunchy white flesh.  

Cucumber seed can be sown direct where the plants are to grow. Or, you can raise your own seedlings in trays or punnets for later transplanting.  

To sow seed direct into a garden bed, sow 4-5 seed 12 mm deep in mounds of moist soil, at the distance indicated on the seed pack (usually 30–40 cm apart). Firm down and water gently. Keep the soil just moist and seedlings will emerge in 6–10 days. Later, thin to the two of the strongest seedlings at each position.  

To grow your own seedlings for transplanting, sow seed 12 mm deep into trays or punnets of Yates Specialty Potting Mix Cuttings & Seeds, firm down and water gently. Keep the seedling tray or punnet in a warm sunny spot and keep moist. Seedlings will take 6–10 days to emerge and can be transplanted into their final position when they're large enough to handle (after 3–4 weeks).  

Cucumbers are not frost tolerant, so sow seeds or transplant seedlings once the danger of frost has passed.

Choose a position in the garden with well-drained soil that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day and sheltered from strong winds. Cucumber vines can trail across the ground or be grown up a trellis, tripod or support up to 1.5 m tall. Growing Cucumbers up a support helps make the most of garden space and keeps the fruit off the soil.  

Where plants are to grow, enrich the soil with Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser. It contains rich organic matter to help improve soil health and provide the plants with gentle slow-release organic nutrients as they establish.

When sowing seed direct where the plants are to grow, sow 4-5 seeds into mounds of moist soil spaced 30-40 cm apart and water well. When growing Cucumbers vertically, sow seed at the base of a support.   

When starting with seedlings, gently remove the Cucumbers seedlings from their tray or punnet, disturbing the roots as little as possible. Dig small holes in the soil big enough to accommodate all the roots. Plant the seedlings so the roots are covered but not the stem. The final level of soil around the seedlings should be at the same depth as it was in their punnet or tray. Water in well and keep the soil moist. Give each seedling 30-40 cm of space to grow.  

As soon as Cucumber seedlings appear, protect them from snails and slugs with a light sprinkling of Yates Snail & Slug Bait. As seedlings grow, thin to two of the strongest.  Mulch around the base of the plants with organic mulch like sugar cane or pea straw to retain soil moisture. 

When growing Cucumbers vertically, as the plants grow, tie young stems to the support. Eventually, tendrils will develop and cling to the support on their own. 

Keep the soil moist as the plants grow. Water gently around the base of the plants, rather than over the leaves, to help reduce the chance of leaf diseases.  

Cucumber plants will be hungry and need regular feeding to make sure they have enough nutrients to promote lots of healthy growth. Every week, dilute two capfuls of Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food in a 9 L watering can and apply around the base of the plants. 

Pick fruit regularly to prolong the season. Harvest Cucumbers while they're young and tender. For example, pick Gherkin Pickling Cucumbers when they're 5-10 cm long, Lebanese Cucumbers when they're about 10 cm long, Burpless when about 20 cm long and Crystal Salad Cucumbers when they're apple-sized.  

Cucumbers grow best in the garden but can still grow well in pots. They like to spread, so if you're short on space, it's best to train vines to grow up on a trellis. 

Choose a pot or trough at least 400 mm wide and deep that has good drainage holes. Place in a position that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day and is protected from strong winds.   

Fill the pot with a good quality premium potting mix like Yates Premium Potting Mix with Dynamic Lifter.  

When sowing seed direct where plants are to grow, sow 4-5 seeds into moist potting mix spaced 30-40 cm apart and water well. When growing Cucumbers vertically, sow seed at the base of a support or tripod inserted firmly into the potting mix.   

When starting with seedlings, gently remove the Cucumber seedlings from their tray or punnet, disturbing the roots as little as possible. Dig small holes in the potting mix big enough to accommodate all the roots. Plant seedlings so the roots are covered but not the stem. The final level of potting mix around the seedlings should be at the same depth as it was in their punnet or tray. Water in well and keep the potting mix moist. Give each seedling 30-40 cm of space to grow. When growing Cucumbers vertically, plant seedlings at the base of a support or tripod inserted firmly into the potting mix. 

As soon as Cucumber seedlings appear, protect them from snails and slugs with a light sprinkling of Yates Snail & Slug Bait. As seedlings grow, thin to two of the strongest.  Mulch around the base of the plants with organic mulch like sugar cane or pea straw to retain potting mix moisture. 

When growing Cucumbers vertically, as the plants grow, tie young stems to the support. Eventually, tendrils will develop and cling to the support on their own. 

Keep the soil moist as the plants grow. Water gently around the base of the plants, rather than over the leaves, to help reduce the chance of leaf diseases.  

Cucumber plants will be hungry and need regular feeding to make sure they have enough nutrients to promote lots of healthy growth. Every week, dilute two capfuls of Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food in a 9 L watering can and apply around the base of the plants. 

Pick fruit regularly to prolong the harvest. Cucumbers should be picked while they're young and tender. For example, pick Gherkin Pickling Cucumbers when they're 5-10 cm long, Lebanese Cucumbers when they're about 10 cm long, Burpless when about 20 cm long and Crystal Salad Cucumbers when they're apple-sized.  

To promote healthy plant growth and lots of Cucumber fruit, feed plants regularly.  Every week, dilute 2 capfuls of Yates Thrive Vegie & Herb Liquid Plant Food in a 9 litre watering can and apply around the base of the plants. 

As Cucumber plants mature, they develop tendrils that can wrap around wire supports and climb on their own. Until tendrils develop, plants will need to be tied gently to the support.  

Cucumbers like warm weather and are not frost tolerant. So, in cool and temperate climates, Cucumbers are best started during spring and summer. In sub-tropical and tropical climates, many Cucumber varieties can be grown year-round. Check the seed packet for details about when to grow Cucumbers in your area.

Yes, Cucumbers are best grown in a spot that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day. Shadier positions will lead to less vigorous plant growth and fruiting.  

Cucumber plants can grow up to 1.5 m tall, if given a trellis or other support to climb up.  

Cucumber fruit can become bitter if the plants are moisture stressed. To reduce the chance of bitter fruit, keep the soil or potting mix consistently moist and apply a layer of mulch around the plants to reduce moisture loss.

Failure to set fruit can be due to cold weather. Once the weather warms up, fruiting will often improve.  

Plants not fruiting can also be due to a lack of pollinating insects. As your plants mature, you will see small yellow flowers. There are two different flowers that grow on the one plant—male and female—so you don't need more than one plant to grow Cucumber fruit. Male flowers are on short thin stalk and female flowers have a tiny Cucumber at the base. 

Pollen needs to be moved from the male flowers to the female flowers, for the Cucumber fruit to develop. Bees and other pollinating insects usually do a good job in moving pollen around, but you can also try hand pollinating to improve the number of Cucumbers you'll get.

Using a soft small paintbrush, gently wipe around the inside of a male flower to collect pollen and then wipe the brush around the inside of a female flower. Do this multiple times, between lots of flowers. It's best to try hand pollinating in the morning when the flowers are open.

A fungal disease that commonly affects Cucumber plants is Powdery Mildew, particularly as the leaves age and if the weather is damp or humid. Powdery Mildew appears as white powdery spots on the leaves and large infections cause leaves to yellow and die prematurely. 

Help reduce Powdery Mildew by watering plants around the base, rather than over the leaves, and water only in the morning. As soon as you notice disease symptoms, spray the plants with Yates Lime Sulfur and repeat as required. 

Symptoms of Downy Mildew include yellow and brown spots that start on the new leaves, and sometimes a fine purple-grey mould develops on the underside of the leaf. 

Help reduce Downy Mildew by watering plants around the base, rather than over the leaves, and water only in the morning. Use Yates Liquid Copper as a preventative spray when conditions, such as damp and humid weather, favour diseases developing.

Small Cucumber fruit starting to yellow and wither can be a sign that the female flower wasn't pollinated. Try the hand pollination technique outlined above. 

Cucumbers can also develop a condition called Blossom End Rot, where young fruit yellows, withers and starts to rot. Blossom End Rot can occur if the plants don't have access to enough moisture (which affects calcium supply). Make sure you're watering your plants regularly to keep the soil or potting mix consistently moist. 

Cucumbers are prone to a few common pests, including Aphids and 28 Spotted Ladybirds. 

Aphids are tiny green, brown, yellow or black sap-sucking insects that cluster on leaves and flower stems. They can damage leaves and flowers and plant health will suffer.

As soon as any Aphids are noticed, spray the plants with Yates Nature's Way Vegie & Herb Spray. It's an insecticidal soap, based on natural vegetable oils, and is approved for use in organic gardening. 

Another common Cucumber pest is the 28 Spotted Ladybird, which is a pest Ladybird that chews through and damages leaves. Pick these Ladybirds off by hand.