CUCUMBER Mini-Me 3″ sqpt

• Cucumbers are sensitive to cold air and soil temperatures, so make sure to wait to plant until the night time temperatures are above 55 and 60 degrees, usually after Memorial Day.
• Cucumbers grow best in a soil with good drainage and a pH between 6.0 and 6.5.  Prior to planting, prepare the soil by incorporating a good quality compost and a balanced fertilizer. 
• Cucumbers are sensitive to root disturbance during planting, so be careful not to damage the roots. We sell our cucumber transplants in peat pots which can be planted directly into the garden so that the roots do not have to be disturbed. Make sure that the peat pot is thoroughly moistened prior to planting. 
• The rim of the pot that sticks above the soil should be carefully removed or completely buried when planting. If left exposed, it can wick moisture out of the rest of the pot causing the soil around the seedling to dry out too quickly. 
• Plants should be planted 6” apart. If not using a trellis, rows should be 4 ft apart.
• Cucumbers grow very well on a trellis! Growing the plants vertically on a trellis will not only save a lot of space in your garden, but will make harvesting easier as well as improve air circulation through the plants which can help reduce disease.

• Cucumbers need about 1” of water per week. Drip irrigation is an effective and efficient way to irrigate vegetable crops because the water is delivered directly to the soil where it will be taken up by the roots. Drip irrigation also keeps water off of the foliage which will reduce the risk of disease development. 

Keep the planting well weeded. Using mulch, such as cocoa mulch, straw, untreated dry grass clippings or shredded leaves will suppress weed growth and help retain soil moisture.

• Harvest slicing cucumbers when at the size you prefer, but don’t let them become overmature. Cucumbers that are very large and starting to yellow are too mature. If you miss some and they are too large, still remove them from the vine because they will cause the overall yield to decrease.
• Harvest pickling cucumbers so that the size is fairly uniform. 
• Be careful not to pull and damage the vine when harvesting.

• Why are my cucumbers flowering but not setting any fruit?
  • Inadequate pollination could be one cause. If the weather is cool and cloudy, pollinators may not be as active. 
  • Cucumber plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Male flowers usually appear first, so even though the plant may have lots of flowers, they could all be male flowers. 
  • Male flowers are connected to vine/main stem by a short pedicel, while female flowers are closer to the vine and you can see a small, immature fruit in between the vine and the base of the flower. 
  • Flowers are typically only open for one day, and female flowers will drop off the plant if not pollinated.
• Why are my cucumbers deformed? 
  • Inadequate pollination causes cucumbers to be deformed and twisted. Fruit can also abort prematurely and drop off the plant. 
• Why are my cucumbers bitter?
  • If cucumber plants are stressed because they are not receiving enough water, don’t have enough nutrients available, or if temperatures are unusually hot or cold, this can cause the fruit to be bitter. Some varieties are naturally more bitter than others as well.