How to grow cucumber

Cucumis sativus · Cucurbitaceae · Vegetable

Cucumber is a warm-season vegetable in the Cucurbitaceae family, grown either from a direct sowing or from transplants. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and plenty of water, especially in hot weather. From sowing to first pick is about 50–70 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: Resents root disturbance - if starting indoors use peat/paper pots. Trellising doubles the plants per square foot and cuts disease. A second sowing in midsummer beats early beetle pressure.

Sowing

Sow about 1″ deep, into soil between 60–95°F — germination is quickest near 85°F. It comes up fast (3–10 days). For an early crop, start seed indoors about 3 weeks before your last spring frost and grow it under bright light.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 12″ along the row with roughly 48″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 2 per square foot. Allow at least 14″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 12″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Cucumber needs roughly 50–70 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant cucumber

Companions

Common problems

Pests: striped cucumber beetle, squash bug, aphids, spider mite.

Diseases & disorders: powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt, angular leaf spot.

Same family (Cucurbitaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.