by Jennifer Poindexter
Do you enjoy crisp cucumbers as a snack or as an addition to your salads? Cucumbers also make delicious homemade pickles, too. If you love these treats, you must consider adding cucumbers to your garden. However, what if you’ve tried growing cucumbers in the past only to hit a few bumps along the way?
Gardeners frequently encounter a few problems or make many of the same mistakes when growing this vegetable. You’re in the right place because I’m going to fill you in on what these common mistakes are and how you can overcome them.
Hopefully, this insight will help you to have an enjoyable growing experience when raising cucumbers in your yard or garden. Here are some of the most common mistakes people make when growing cumbers:
1. Inconsistent Watering
Many gardeners struggle when it comes to learning when and how to water their plants. With cucumbers, this can be a terrible mistake because inconsistent moisture has a negative impact on the flavor of the cucumber.
Cucumbers which don’t remain consistently damp turn harsh in flavor. After the work you put into raising this vegetable, it can be disheartening to bite into a bitter harvest.
Avoid this mishap by learning how to properly apply water to your plants, learn the proper amounts, and how to know when your plants need water.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
You can avoid the mistake of over or underwatering your cucumber plants by using the deep watering method.
This method of watering ensures the plant’s roots receive water, but it also encourages a stronger root system because as the days go by, the roots will dig deeper seeking moisture.
When using the deep watering method, you’ll apply water for a longer amount of time fewer days of the week.
Test the soil to know when your plants need another deep watering session. Insert your index finger into the soil next to your plant.
If the soil is dry to your first knuckle, it’s time to water deeply. If not, wait a day or two before testing the soil again.
Learn more. Watering Tips
2. Wrong Garden Size and Cucumber Variety
There are different varieties of cucumbers. It’s important to know their differences and to choose the correct variety for your gardening method.
Some cucumbers come in a bush variety. Other cucumber varieties are known for producing larger cucumbers, but they also trail.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Understanding which variety of cucumber you’re planting is the first step in avoiding this mistake. Some gardeners will plan a small grow space but pick a cucumber variety that’s large and sprawling.
This doesn’t typically end well. Instead, you must make a few choices prior to planting. If you want larger, sprawling cucumbers, it’s best to grow them in a larger grow space.
However, if you don’t have a larger area, it’s wise to apply a trellis near the plant. This will allow the cucumbers to grow vertically.
Therefore, they won’t choke out other plants around them. The trellis also helps protect the plant from potential moisture issues from the soil.
Yet, if you don’t want to use a trellis and are growing in a smaller area, choose a bush or patio variety. They don’t sprawl as much and are made to grow well in container gardens.
3. Planting Cucumbers Too Soon
Some gardeners become excited at planting time. They want to begin starting seeds and planting vegetables outdoors at the first sign of spring.
This sounds wonderful, but you’ll be setting your cucumbers up for failure if you follow this line of thinking.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
To avoid the mistake of planting too soon, you must reign yourself in. I get it. Winters are long, and if you love gardening, it can be difficult to wait to start growing things.
However, plant cool weather crops during this time and hold off on your cucumbers. This vegetable shouldn’t be added to your garden until at least two weeks after the final frost date.
They must be planted in full sun, and the soil must be a minimum of 70-degrees Fahrenheit. If you want your cucumbers to thrive, be patient when it comes to planting times.
Learn more: How to Find Your USDA Garden Zone
4. Not Providing Quality Soil
You might think you can throw a few seeds in the ground and cucumbers will sprout. This isn’t the case. Cucumbers have specific needs when it comes to where they grow.
By understanding what kind of growing conditions cucumber plants require, you can avoid this common mistake.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Cucumbers have a preference when it comes to the soil’s pH level. They don’t thrive in acidic situations. Therefore, test the pH level of the soil to ensure it’s neutral to alkaline.
Once you know this need is met, you should add compost to amend the soil prior to planting. The idea is for the soil to be fluffy and well-draining.
It’s also vital to plant your cucumbers at the right depth. If you’re planting a cucumber seedling, dig a hole just deep enough to support the root system. You want the seedling to sit snugly in the hole.
Pull the soil around the base of the plant and press firmly to ensure no air reaches the roots. Seeds should be planted approximately an inch beneath the soil.
Ensure you leave three to four feet between each plant if you aren’t growing them vertically. This will give sprawling varieties room to stretch.
Learn More. Healthy Soil
5. Forgetting to Feed Your Cucumbers
Cucumbers need food to grow properly. You should amend the soil at the time of planting, as we discussed earlier.
However, it’s vital to give your plants the food they need to ensure the plants become as vibrant and productive as possible.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Sometimes gardeners amend the soil prior to planting and assume their plants will have all they need throughout the growing period.
However, it’s wise to provide food for your plants at different portions of the grow season. Cucumbers should be fed with a balanced fertilizer when the plants begin forming blooms and start sprawling.
After this time of growth, watch the leaves to know if they need more fertilizer. If the leaves become yellow, it’s usually a nitrogen issue or a water issue.
If you’re watering your cucumber plant adequately, add a fertilizer that will boost the plant’s nitrogen levels.
Learn more. Fertilizing options.
6. Ignoring Pests and Diseases Until It’s Too Late
It’s easy to become overwhelmed during the gardening season. You grow a variety of plants in your garden, and it can be difficult to keep up with all their needs.
Keep in mind, you must always stay alert to pests and diseases because they can ravage your garden quickly if left untreated.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
When raising cucumbers there are a few common pests and diseases. The most common pests are aphids and cucumber beetles. They can be treated with an insecticide.
The most common diseases to impact cucumber plants are typically fungal diseases. You should trim away any impacted part of the plant, apply a fungicide, and do some maintenance on your growing situation.
Ensure the plants aren’t being overwatered, make sure there’s adequate airflow surrounding the plant, and try to keep soil off the foliage of the cucumber plant.
The most important step in avoiding this mistake is to keep a close eye on your plants. Take a walk through your garden each night to inspect for any damage. If you see a potential threat, begin treating it immediately.
7. Not Watching the Weather
Keeping an eye on the sky is vital when gardening. In 2020, the weather was insane. I live in planting zone eight, and the temperature couldn’t make up its mind.
During the winter, it felt like summer. As warmer seasons were supposed to be arriving, mother nature decided to send a freeze in the middle of May!
This is just one example as to why you should listen to the forecast or use a weather app on your phone.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
Cucumbers love warm weather, but there are times when the weather doesn’t follow a typical pattern. (See above for an example.)
This is out of your control, but by staying weather aware, you stand a greater chance at protecting your plants.
If you know an unusual dip in the temperature is coming, you can cover your plants to provide an extra layer of protection. Sheets, buckets, or even milk jugs can help keep frost off your cucumbers if you’re thrown a curveball amid your gardening seasons.
8. Plucking Instead of Cutting Cucumbers
This last mistake has to do with harvesting your cucumbers. You’ve put in the work, you’ve handled the curveballs, you’ve fought off disease and pests, and you’re finally at harvest time.
Don’t make this mistake and end up shortening your harvest. There’s an appropriate way to harvest cucumbers to protect your plants.
How to Avoid this Mistake:
We’ve all done it. You’re walking through your garden, see a ripe vegetable, and you pluck it. No harm, no foul, right?
Not exactly. When you pluck cucumbers from the vine, you can tear the vine. This opens the plant up to diseases, pests, and can weaken it greatly.
Avoid this unnecessary drama by carrying a pair of scissors or shears with you when you’re in the garden. Cut the cucumber from the plant to ensure it’s a clean departure.
It’s also important to know when to pick cucumbers. Pick them when they’re green. If you wait until the cucumbers have become extremely large and yellow they won’t taste very good.
This concludes our tour of things you should avoid when growing cucumbers. Whether you’re new to gardening or an experienced gardener, who struggles with certain plants, know that you’re not alone.
The best teacher, in most cases, is our mistakes. Try your hand at raising cucumbers, take these tidbits of advice with you on your gardening journey, and hopefully you’ll end up with an abundance of cucumbers at the end of the grow season.
More About Growing Cucumbers
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-cucumbers
https://agrilifeextension.tamu.edu/library/gardening/cucumbers/
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/gardening/techniques/grow-your-own-cucumbers
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