If we think of a perfect summer garden, cucumber is that one crop which instantly occurs in our mind. We can consider this highly beneficial fruit one of the easiest growing vegetable in a garden atmosphere. Thus, most of the new age gardeners love to grow cucumber in their backyard. One of the most applauding parts of this vegetable is that it can be cultivated effortlessly in both vertical and container condition. Thus, it will be great if you can manage a small space in your garden to grow cucumber; if it won’t possible then, you can easily grow this thing in a small garden container as well, like any other garden plant!
Whenever we discuss growing crops, we always instruct how to grow then and harvest them, but we today, we are going to enlighten you about how to preserve them as well, after growing in a flawless way. Let’s check the entire procedure below-
How to grow Cucumbers
1.Growing cucumbers vertically:
It is superfluous to say that any plant grows best if it could get a chance to grow vertically, as this allows a plant wider circumstance to take required nutrition for proper growth. It has been seen that a cucumber plant claims approximately 12 to 20 square feet area while growing in vertically, so it is obvious that in this process the plant and its fruits can fetch more nutrients from the soil and come up with a bigger size comparatively container cucumbers! Let’s check out the sowing procedure in a step by step method-
- At first, decide the place where you want to sow the seeds of a ripe cucumber and clear the whole area from any weeds or unwanted grass. Make sure that there is enough space for tendrils, as you need to set a nice structure over the entire area, once, your plants get starts to produce fruits!
- Now, dig out the garden clay from that area in the dimension of at least 5 to 6 inches, now fill the hole with potting soil and compost mix, till the top. Be certain that your soil is enriched with well drainage quality and help the water to pass out easily; otherwise, it may bring dampness to the root of your cucumber plant which may prevent the growth certainly!
- Then, excavate 5 inches deep the soil and put your cucumber seeds into that hole. If you are planting several seeds at once, then we will suggest you maintain a distance of 6 inches from each sowing.
- However, after covering the seeds with more soil and fertilizer, water your cucumber seeds with lots of water, but make sure that you are not overflowing the area with excess water! Keep watering the seeds whenever you will notice the soil looks dry or dehydrate completely and wait for the germination patiently.
- Once you see the germination, leave the plants untouched, only water frequently, whenever it is needed.
- When the plant reaches the length of 4 to 5 inches, clear the soil for one more time and pull out any extra creeping plant or weeds from the bottom of the plant. Here you can also pluck the thinner cucumber plants to cater the thicker and stronger plants wider space to grow.
- Now it’s time to mulch your cucumber plants to keep the base moister for a long while and avoid unwanted weeds from the bottom. So, cover the soil with some useful mulch to get a better-growing
- Once the plants arrive a length of 10 inches, it time to provide some trellis to give them a proper support to get adequate sunlight and nutrition from the weather. At the same time, trills keep the cucumbers off the ground which make the fruits even healthier than ever!
- To provide trills to a vertical cucumber plant, you can use chicken wire trill or wire fence to provide proper support to the creeping stems of cucumber plants. You can even use a nice cucumber ladder for trilling which is easily accessible from the market or a tee pee made of bamboo poles would suit perfectly as a trill for a healthy cucumber plant.
- Validate regularly whether there are any harmful pests or worms or not, if you detect the presence of any of these disgusting creatures, just take the proper solution and protect you fruits from any kind of harm or smashes up.
- Finally, you need to wait for a ripe form of a cucumber; generally, it grows in a near dimension of 6 to 7 inches. When they reach the proper form, you will see that the foot-stalk loosen the fruit from its hold. Now, all you need is just pluck the cucumbers and preserve them as per your desiring process!
Interested in growing tomatoes try this.
2.Growing Cucumbers in Containers:
People, who don’t have any extra space for gardening in their backyard, shouldn’t be discouraged and could continue their growing cucumber dream in a nice garden container as well! It will be superb if you can cultivate cucumbers in a raised garden bed object rather than any other garden container, but, it wouldn’t easy to manage either, then, just go with a medium sized hanging container to cultivate your cucumbers. This kind of container has adequate space to grow a plant and at the same time doesn’t claim any space to situate, as you can hang it on any sunny corner of your house! However, now let’s check how to sow cucumber seeds in a typical garden container in this article ahead-
- At first, take a garden container with proper drainage hole; fill it with potting soil and compost mix in a ratio of 1:2.
- Then, take 4 to 5 seeds from a ripe cucumber and sow then in the container by digging 3 inches deep hole into the soil.
- Put some more soil from the top and start watering the seeds immediately! You should take a little circumspection while watering the cucumber seeds, as they surely need lots of water at the beginning but, make sure that your watering system couldn’t harm the seeds of moving the soil over them!
- After providing enough water, check that the drainage hole properly passes out the excess water or not, as it is essential for the healthy root system of a plant!
- Now, you need to keep or hang your container in a sunny place where it could get at least 6 to 7 hours or direct sunlight. After that, just wait for the germination of your cucumber seeds.
- From germination till the trilling, the entire processes are quite similar to growing cucumber plants with an appropriate way! After completing the mulch step nicely, when you reach the proper time of providing trills, take some medium sized sticks or warbles and insert them into the container soil near the stem of cucumber plants.
- These sticks will help the cucumber vine to climb straightly and insist on producing healthy fruit with proper extent.
- When the foot-stalk seems to loosen from the fruits, just take out the fruits in a container and preserve them for your regular salad or other recipes.
You may also be interested in growing cilantro in you garden. And if you plan for a raised bed garden planter box these ideas too.
3.Tips for Growing Cucumbers:
Once the seeds germinate properly, then, all the procedures are quite same in both vertical and container cultivation! After the sprouting session, you just need to validate the growth methodically and apply every possible trick which could benefit your cucumber plant to produce healthier and bigger fruits as much as probable. Though we have mentioned almost every significant point for growing cucumbers in our own garden, yet there are still a few tips remain to state, let’s check them below-
- Give a cucumber plant enough water frequently, whether it is a seed or tender or all-grown-up form, as water not only provide healthy nutrients to this plant, but it also helps to wipe out some tiny worms from the stems and at the same time, protect the fruit pulp to become bitter by taste!
- Cucumber plants can’t grow well under a shady place or in a cold circumstance. So make sure that the place where you plant a cucumber plant or situate a cucumber container, don’t have any shady object or freezing air and get enough warm from the sun directly.
- When you sow the seeds for a vertical base, digging deeper as 7 to 8 inches would be more beneficial for the plants, as that will offer the roots a plenty of room to spread out, under the soil!
- Some of the gardeners avoid to use mulch for cucumber planting, but we insist on using this object to get a better outcome of crops, as, mulch not only prevent insects but also stop growing weeds and keep the root moisturized for a long while after every watering process.
- Trills are one inseparable part of cucumber cultivation as we all know, but you must know here that a proper trill system not only provides the crop a better growth but at the same time protect the plants from any kind of animals! As if you can cover the whole area of the cucumber plants with a wire cage or wire trill than, it will be difficult for any domestic animal to eat the plant or the vegetable inside the trills.
Need asparagus for your garden, here learn how to grow asparagus.
4.Can Dogs Eat Cucumbers
Many of pet holders seem curious about whether this highly beneficial fruit is applicable for their dogs or not, as sometimes, it has been observed that several dogs love to eat cucumber slices as a tasty treat! For those curious masters of dogs, we are referring that you can undoubtedly give some slices of this healthy nutrition fruit on a daily diet routine.
Some fresh cucumbers not only satisfy the appetite of a hungry dog but, at the same time, these vegetables can provide enough carbohydrates to the body cells of your friendly animal along with some important vitamins and minerals.
Because of these beneficial attributes, cucumber can provide numerous healthy benefits to the dogs, including reducing their arthritic aches! In addition, this amazing fruit come up with a real light weight and helps to reduce extra fat from the skin cells, which will keep your dog more enthusiastic for any activity. Thus, several veterinarians are seen to prescribe this vegetable for a healthy future of a dog.
However, cucumber has various benefits yet, be careful not to give too much of cucumber on a single day as it could interrupt the digestive tract harmfully of your pet!
5.How to Pickle Cucumbers:
Several people love to make pickle from the organic cucumbers, especially which they have cultivated in their own garden! So let’s check out the procedure below-
- At first, assemble the needed elements in your reach, which are a glass container with the measurement of a half gallon, 2 or 3 organic cucumbers, thickly sliced, 5 springs of fresh drills, 4 garlic cloves which are crushed and minced, 3 to 4 tbsp white distilled vinegar, 1 tbsp kosher salt, some filtered water around 5 to 6 cups, 20 black peppercorns and ¼ tbsp red pepper flakes.
- Take the glass container first, place the minced garlic cloves at the bottom of the jar and then gradually place cucumber slices into the jar till the top. Mentionable here that you can cut the cucumber into spears or sandwich slices instead of circle slices if you want!
- Then, mix the salt and pepper flake into the distilled vinegar and then pour it into the jar.
- After that, fill the jar with filtered water and seal the lid as much tightly as you can. Don’t open the lid for the next 24 hours, then keep the jar in your refrigerator and enjoy the fresh pickle taste of your organic cucumber to the utmost!
Need of fresh garlic for your cucumber pickle, get ideas on how to grow garlic.
Related Video How to Pickle Cucumbers – Fermented Cucumbers
6.How to Store and Keep cucumbers Fresh:
If you know the process to grow many cucumbers in your own garden you must be knowledgeable about how to preserve those own cultivated cucumbers in a fresh way for a long while. Generally, we keep or store fruits and vegetable in our refrigerator, but, for cucumbers, there are few more relevant ways to keep them unsullied for an extended period.
- If you cut out a cucumber and don’t need to use the whole part then, cover up the or tear off the piece thin yet transparent plastic wrap till the end of the cucumber and tie it tightly so then no air should pass through the open portion, then, keep it in a normal place.
- Cucumbers stay fresh and healthy in the room temperature than any cold and frizzing atmosphere. So if you want to keep your cucumbers fresh then, store them in a place where the temperature is over 3 degrees and below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.
- The best way to keep each cucumber for a really long period is that wraps every single cucumber individually in a paper towel and then warps all of them together.
Want to store tomatoes too here check this out how to can freeze, ripen and sun dry tomatoes .
7.Benefits of Cucumbers:
Healthy benefits of cucumber are literally innumerable and totally applauding from each and every aspect! Thus, here are a few mentionable benefits below-
Control high blood pressure:
One of the most appreciating qualities of cucumber is that this vegetable controls high blood pressure and averts the overflow of blood into our artery.
Hydrate internal and external system:
Cucumber provides lots and lots of water to our body cells and helps to keep on our intestine system properly.
Cucumber Washes out toxin:
Young girls and boys mostly prefer this vegetable because it amazingly flushes out the toxins and caters sufficient amount of vitamin C that works effective antitoxin vitamins and helps to reduce weight in an easy way.
Harden the bones:
This vegetable gives adequate vitamins to our body as we know very well, and among those vitamins, vitamin K works superbly to harden our bones and controlling the pain or arthritis.
Cucumbers Prevent Cancer:
These days, cucumbers are huge in demand for preventing the death disease cancer and clearing it from the root!
Strengthen eyesight:
Another mentionable excellence of this cucumber is that it helps to clear the vision and control the puffiness of the eyes effortlessly!