Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

You start picking cucumbers in midsummer. Most varieties climb, so train them up a cane, netting or trellis. That saves room and keeps the fruit clean. Greenhouse types usually make only female flowers, so remove any male flowers that appear. Outdoor types need their male flowers for pollination.

Looking after it

Water: Cucumbers need a lot of water, especially once the fruit forms. Keep the soil evenly moist. Water at the base in the morning and keep the leaves dry. In a hot spell a pot can need water every day. Feeding: Their food needs are average. In the ground they rarely need feeding unless the soil is poor. In a pot, give a general liquid feed every 10 to 14 days. Once the plant flowers, switch to a high-potassium tomato feed.

Harvest and keeping

Cut the fruit with a knife once it is big enough. That's about 15 cm for small types and 20 to 25 cm for full-size ones. Check every few days, because the fruit grows fast and regular picking keeps more coming. Yellow, swollen fruit is over-ripe. Cool room temperature suits cucumbers best. In the fridge they last 1 to 3 days, if you eat them soon after taking them out.

What can go wrong

Powdery mildew. A white powder covers the leaves, worse when the roots are dry. Water at the base so the leaves stay dry and the soil stays moist. Choose resistant varieties.
Mosaic virus. The leaves turn mottled yellow and puckered and the plants stay stunted. Pull up affected plants and throw them away, not on the compost heap. Keep aphids down, because they spread it.
Slugs and snails. Young plants get eaten, especially in damp weather. Protect them after planting out and check them at dusk. Training plants upwards keeps the fruit out of reach.

Growing facts: RHS, UC ANR and seed-company sowing guides. Cucumber care: RHS. How many to grow: Virginia Tech extension. pH: Cornell Cooperative Extension. Keeping: Kansas State and University of Missouri extension.