Spring is not far away now and everything must be ready as soon as possible. What have you decided to put in the garden this year? How to grow cucumber at home? If cucumber is among your crops, then perhaps we could give you some suggestions for growing it.
Don’t you know how cucumbers are grown? Don’t worry. We made this article especially for you! In 4 simple steps, you will find out how to grow cucumbers and how to get an excellent yield.
How to grow cucumber at home?
Before seeing together how to grow cucumbers, we must first know the plant to respond promptly to its environmental and nutritional needs. The cucumber is a plant probably native to the southern side of the Himalayas. It has been cultivated for more than 3,000 years. It has been known and cultivated in the Mediterranean basin since the time of the ancient Egyptians. The Greeks called it kos, hence the name of the island of Kos. The Romans, for their part, usually cultivated it in the home garden.
Environmental needs of cucumber
Cucumber requires a temperate climate for its growth. In Italy, it can be grown without means of protection throughout the summer. It is important, however, that the plant has a location exposed to the sun. If, on the other hand, you want to anticipate its cultivation, you can start sowing at the end of winter (March-April) as long as you use the right means of protection.
The best soil for growing cucumbers is deep and loose (i.e. with a good percentage of sand). Those with a balanced composition, that is, medium-textured, are also fine, provided they are rather permeable and with a limited amount of clay. In fact, clayey soils tend to create stagnation of water, especially after heavy rains. Stagnation would cause damage to the whole crop of your cucumbers, which can’t stand it at all.
As for fertilization, however, it is good to bring it with good mature horse manure. If this is not possible, slow-release chemical fertilizers can be used or, in the most extreme cases, fast-release ones. To increase fruit yield and volume, we suggest you also take a look at the article on humic acids. In any case, you can refer to the table below:
The average quantity of elements required for each kg of product
Nitrogen (N): 3.6 g
Phosphorus (P 2 O 5 ): 2.8
Potassium (K 2 O): 5.6
How to grow cucumber at home and how to sow them?
Here we are to explain how to grow cucumbers. The soil destined to host our cucumber plants must be prepared by means of a good plowing (or digging) 30-40 cm deep, to be carried out in late autumn or early winter. Before spring sowing, considerable harrowing must be carried out in order to chop up the still coarse clods of soil. If the soil has a limited presence of clay, it is also possible to carry out a rolling in order to level the ground.
The sowing in the open field, on the other hand, is carried out from mid-April to the end of May in the central-northern regions, while, in the southern ones, it is possible to anticipate it by about 2 weeks. Remember to respect the seasonal trend anyway. In any case, in fact, there must never sow before the temperature has stabilized at above 12 ° C.
The cucumber seeds are buried in rows spaced 90-120 cm apart. The procedures to be followed are as follows:
- About 2-3 weeks before sowing, dig holes at least 40 cm on each side, about 30 cm deep and 50-70 cm apart.
- Then, distribute well-ripened manure inside them ( horse manure is excellent ) or compost, then cover with the removed soil. This will create small reliefs.
- At the time of sowing, in the center of each relief, dig a small hole in which to put 2-3 cucumber seeds. If the soil is too dry, you can wet it with a light watering before putting the seeds.
- In the event that the night temperature drops below 15 ° C, cover everything with mini-greenhouses (glass bells) or with plastic sheets.
- When the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall and have 4 leaves, thin out, leaving only one seedling for each hole. The plant you leave will be the most beautiful and strongest of the others, in other words, the most developed.
Harvesting of cucumbers
Now that you know all about how to grow cucumbers let’s move on to see how to harvest them. Cucumbers are harvested from 3 to 5 months after sowing, depending on the more or less early varieties. Using a knife, cut the stalk with which the cucumbers are attached to the plant. The cucumber harvest must be done when the fruits are still immature. That is, they have not yet completed their development. In this way, they retain their characteristic flavor for longer.
