Cucumbers in the Backyard Garden

It’s cucumber planting time!  Some gardeners may already have “cukes” in the ground.  They can be planted from January through March in South and Central Florida, and from February through April in the northern portions of our state.  Just don’t wait too long, because cucumbers do not grow well during the hot, humid months of summer.

Cucumbers originated in India.  It has been cultivated for at least 3,000 years in western Asia, and was probably introduced to other parts of Europe by the Romans.  Record of cucumber cultivation appears in France in the 9th Century, England in the 14th century and in North America by the mid 16th Century.

Cucumbers are a popular crop with Florida gardeners, because they’re easy to grow in all areas of our state.  My information was provided by Retired Vegetable Specialist Jim Stephens, of the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

There are two general types of cucumbers.  Large varieties, grown for slicing and eating fresh and small types, produced for pickling.  Several kinds in each category grow well in Florida.  I want give a long list of names.  Just ask your local Cooperative Extension Service or Garden Center operator about varieties you would like to grow – slicers or picklers.

Cucumbers grow best on slightly acid soils.  If the pH of your garden plot is below 5.5, you should add lime.  Three to five pounds of dolomite per 100 square feet of row space, if possible apply one to three months prior to planting.  If your soil pH is above 6.6, you probably should add some minor plant foods, such as sulfur, iron and manganese.  These can be applied when you fertilize.

When preparing the garden for cucumbers, broadcast one quart of a general purpose fertilizer, such as an 8-8-8 or 10-10-10, along every 25 feet of row.  Mix the fertilizer into the soil to a depth of three or four inches.  Next, shape up the bed.  Then, open shallow furrows about three inches from both sides of the line where seeds are to be planted.  Distribute one-half quart of fertilizer in each 25 feet of furrow.  Cover the fertilizer with soil, and water the prepared bed before sowing the seeds.  Every two or three weeks, after the plants start growing, add a little fertilizer – about one cup per 25 feet of row – and water it in.

Cucumbers are started by planting seeds directly in the garden.  Sow seeds two or three times thicker than the spacing suggested on the seed packet.  When the first true leaves appear, thin the plants to the proper spacing.  Keep the soil well moistened by watering thoroughly once or twice a week.

While cucumbers are easy to grow, some care is needed.  An area at least one foot in diameter around each plant should be keep weed free.  Watch for aphids, leaf miners, beetles, and fruit worms.  If insects attack, spray or dust the plants with Malathion, or Sevin.

Damage from damping-off fungi is a common problem with young seedlings.  This danger can be minimized by planting treated seeds.  Mildews and leaf spots, which may injure growing leaves, can be controlled by weekly applications of a fungicide, such as Maneb or Zineb.  Mulching around the plants will prevent some fruit rots.

Since there are both male and female flowers on each cucumber vine, bees are needed for pollination.  Male flowers will not form fruit.  Symptoms of inadequate pollination include fruit abortion and misshapen fruit.  Partially pollinated flowers may develop fruit which are green and develop normally near the stem end, but pale yellow and withered at the blossom end.  Insecticide applications for insect pests must be done very carefully to avoid killing off the insect pollinators.

Cucumbers should be picked when they are tender, crisp and green.  Removing ripe fruit from the vines encourages new fruit growth.  Small slicing cucumbers may be used for pickling.  But pickling types make poor slicers. 

For more information on Cucumbers contact the Gulf County Extension Service @ 639-3200, 229-2909 or visit our website:  http://gulf.ifas.ufl.edu