Homegrown cucumbers taste great and, depending on the variety, can be grown in a greenhouse or in a warm, protected location outdoors. Seeds can be sown indoors or outdoors from spring to early summer, or you can purchase young plants from a garden center. In order to get a rich harvest, you need to fertilize your cucumbers and care for them regularly. We'll go over which fertilizers are suitable and when they need to be used. For the first time, some information about the appropriate conditions for growing cucumbers.
Quick instructions for growing
Plant cucumbers when average daily temperatures are around 20 degrees Celsius. Space the plants 14 to 24 inches apart (12 inches for espaliered plants) in an area with plenty of sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. For cucumbers grown on a trellis, the distance between plants should be 30 cm. Cucumbers grow quickly with little care. Make sure they receive an inch of water every week. Insufficient or uneven moisture results in oddly shaped or bad-tasting fruit. If possible,water your plantsusing a soaker hose or drip irrigation to keep the foliage dry.
This will prevent leaf diseases that can ruin the plant. If you have the opportunity, you shouldTrellise vines. This keeps the fruit clean and saves you space. A 30 to 45 cm diameter cage made of welded wire fencing can support 2 or 3 vines.
Fertilize cucumbers in the garden
Feed the plants regularly with a water-soluble plant fertilizer to get the most out of them. If the ground is warm, add a layer of straw mulch to keep the fruit clean and keep out slugs and beetles.need cucumbersa warm, fertile soil. To improve the soil and create the root environment necessary for a bountiful harvest, work a few inches of aged compost into the top layer of your existing garden soil. (Compost or composted manure are also suitable). In areas where spring is long and cool, you can warm the soil by 3 to 4 degrees by covering the hill or row with black plastic.
You can also add pine straw, wheat straw, chopped leaves, or your favorite organic mulch shortly after planting. If the weather is unusually cool, you can wait to mulch until the sun has warmed the soil. Mulch is especially important for keeping fruit clean on shrub species and vines that do not grow on a trellis. Straw mulch is also considered unpleasant for slugs and provides an uncomfortable surface for cucumber beetles to keep them at bay.
When do you need to feed the plants?
In order to fertilize cucumbers successfully, you have to supply them with nutrients at 3 different times and in 3 phases:
- at planting time
- when mulching around the plants
- at 2-week intervals during plant development
Below we will explain each phase of fertilization and show you how to provide your cucumbers with nutrients for maximum production and health. Fertilization when planting seeds is one of the 3 most important times to promote the plants. Providing young plants with easily absorbable nutrients near their roots will help them get off to a good start. Asuccessful cucumber cultivationstarts with a good start on the day of planting. The best way to do this is to give a boost of nutrients directly in the planting hole. How you fertilize depends on whether you are planting seeds or plants. When sowing seeds, it is important to first mix compost generously into the soil.
Feed the young plants
Once the plants are in the ground and established, they need to be fertilized regularly but lightly as they develop. And these two keywords, regular and light, make all the difference! If you don't give your plants additional fertilizer after planting, they likely won't perform as desired. However, if you give them too much, they will only produce leaves and few vegetables.
How much compost to use
A good rule of thumb is that the planting hole or mound should be 50% soil and 50% compost. Compost is really a perfect, natural, balanced long-term fertilizer. Not only is it teeming with minerals and beneficial organisms, but it also helps retain moisture in the soil. And this moisture is important for seeds to germinate and grow quickly.
Use worm castings as food
Worm castings are one of the best slow-release fertilizers you can use. It is 100 percent organic and slowly but surely releases its power into the plants. Dig your planting holes about three times the size of the root ball. Then fill the hole with a 50/50 mix of soil and compost to provide immediate nutrients to the plants. Want to give your cucumbers an even bigger boost when planting them? Add ½ cup of worm castings to your planting hole. This means your young plants can get off to an incredible start!
Fertilize cucumbers with coffee grounds
A compost pile containing coffee grounds helps improve soil structure and fertility, thus benefiting cucumbers. The coffee grounds provide more nitrogen, creating an ideal nitrogen-carbon ratio that is favorable for the growth of cucumbers.
Mulching is a must
Once you've planted your plants or the seeds have sprouted in the soil, it's time to mulch. Mulch not only helps keep weeds under control but also regulates soil temperature. Both are two important requirements for growing healthy, productive plants. But here's a little secret that can help your plants even more –add your mulchAdd energy in the form of a little fertilizer! Apply a 2-inch layer of compost about 6 inches in diameter around each plant as a first layer of mulch.
And while you're at it, mix half a cup of worm castings into the compost too! Then apply your regular mulch (straw, shredded leaves, etc.) as usual. This “ring” of compost and worm castings acts as the ultimate long-term fertilizer every time you water or rain. The nutrients slowly seep into the soil, giving plants immediate but balanced strength to grow.
Fertilize cucumbers in the bucket
Since cucumbers are heavy feeders, add a slow-release organic fertilizer to the potting mix when planting. This ensures an even supply throughout the entire growing period. In addition, use a diluted liquid fertilizer made from seaweed or compost tea every three to four weeks.
