30 Pcs Organic (V073)  Heirloom  Marketmore 76 Cucumber Seeds- CUCUMIS SATIVUS- Non GMO

How To Grow Cucumbers

Cucumbers grow well in many regions of the United States, producing prolific quantities of fruit that can be enjoyed fresh or preserved as pickles. Cucumbers are a great plant for beginning seed savers.

Time Of Planting

Direct-sow cucumber seeds after the danger of frost has passed and the soil temperature has warmed.

Spacing Requirements

In your garden, make 12 inch hills at least 6 feet apart. Plant 6-8 cucumber seeds per hill. Plant seeds 1 inch deep. After germination, thin to 3-4 plants per hill.

Time To Germination

4-10 days

Special Considerations

Cucumber plants being grown for a seed harvest occupy garden space for a longer time than those grown for eating, approaching seed maturity upwards of 45-60 days after pollination, but they are otherwise cultivated in the same way for both purposes.

Common Pests And Diseases

Cucumbers are particularly susceptible to cucumber beetles, slugs, deer, raccoons, squash vine borer, belly rot, downy mildew, anthracnose, and powdery mildew. Pests such as cucumber beetles can be picked off and placed in buckets of soapy water. Trellising can help improve airflow around plants, thus reducing bacterial and fungal infections.

When And How To Harvest

Once cucumber plants begin producing fruit, check your garden daily for ripe cucumbers. You can pick cucumbers early for making pickles or you can wait a while for larger slicing cucumbers.

Eating

Cucumbers add a great crunch to fresh green salads, yogurt sauces, and sandwiches.

Storing

Cucumbers will keep for 10-14 days at temperatures of 45-55 degrees F (7-12 C)and a relative humidity of 85-95%.

Fresh cucumbers taste so much better than store-bought ones and each variety has a unique flavour. The inner temperature of a cucumber can be 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. The cucumber seeds originated in Asia Minor and spread globally. The Romans grew them and the Bible refers to them. In the late 1500's The Plains Indians and Iroquois obtained cucumbers from the Spanish by barter, learning how to grow these alongside the corn, beans and pumpkins they already grew. In Europe, while cucumbers were well known for several hundred years, the English in the 17th Century went through a period of uncertainty about the benefits of eating fresh fruit and vegetables and called them "cowcumbers" - fit only for cattle and toxic to humans. We know better now.