Whether you garden in the ground, in raised beds, or on the patio, cucumbers are a great addition or re-addition to your plant family. Read on for simple, straightforward specifics about growing cucumbers.
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Family | Container Size | Good Companions | Bad Companions | Soil Conditions | Germination | Sun | Water | Temperature Range | Height | Lifespan | Reproduction | Yield Per Plant | Ingestibility | Further Reading
What Family Do Cucumbers Belong To?
Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) belong to the Cucurbitaceae family, also known as the melon family.
Some of their relatives include watermelon, butternut squash, and zucchini.
What Size Container Should I Use for Growing Cucumbers?
The minimum container size recommended for cucumbers is 5 gallons.
There should be no more than 1 cucumber plant per 5-gallon bucket or planter.
Learn more in our Choosing the Right Planter for Your Container Garden article here.
What Are Good Companion Plants for Cucumbers?
Some of cucumbers' best companions are as follows:
- Peas
- Beans like green beans
- Dill
- Corn
- Celery
- Lovage
- Lettuce
- Nasturtiums, which improves cucumbers' flavor
- Arugula
- Radish
- Tomato
- Broccoli, cauliflower, and other Brassicas
- Sunflower
- Oregano
- Basil
- Mints like peppermint and spearmint
- Catnip
- Bee balm
- Beet
- Marigold
- Chives
- Okra
- Artichoke
- Tansy
- Yarrow
- Peppers such as bell pepper and jalapeño
- Amaranth
What Are Bad Companion Plants for Cucumbers?
Cucumbers are not compatible with every plant. Some things to avoid planting with cucumbers are as follows:
What Soil Conditions Do Cucumbers Need?
Cucumbers prefer fertile, moist yet well-draining soil with a pH of 6.5 to 7.0.
How Long Do Cucumbers Take to Germinate?
Cucumbers take 3-13 days to germinate at a temperature of 60-90°F.
How Much Sun Do Cucumbers Need?
Cucumbers can grow in full sun to part shade.
In other words, they grow fastest in full sun. They will still grow in dappled shade or part shade, just at a slower rate.
How Much Water Do Cucumbers Need?
Cucumbers need 1-2 inches of water per week.
What Is the Ideal Temperature Range for Growing Cucumbers?
Cucumbers grow fastest in temperatures of 65-80°F.
This is their ideal temperature range. Although they will grow in temperatures both cooler and warmer than this range, growth could be slower or even stunted.
Minimum and maximum temperatures will vary by variety.
How Tall Do Cucumber Plants Get?
The average height of cucumber plants is 1-8 feet.
Are Cucumbers Annual, Biennial, or Perennial?
Cucumbers are annual vegetables, meaning that they start and end their lives in the same year.
How Do Cucumbers Reproduce?
Cucumbers reproduce by seed.
How Many Cucumbers Are Produced Per Plant?
For cucumbers, how many are produced per plant (also called the yield) largely depends on the variety and growing conditions.
Most cucumber plants yield 50-100 cucumbers per plant.
Can Cucumbers Be Ingested?
Cucumber fruits, blossoms, leaves, and stems are edible.
Cucumbers and cucumber plants do not have any known uses in herbal preparations.
There are no known safety concerns associated with ingesting cucumber fruits, blossoms, or stems.
Like spinach, cucumber leaves contain oxalic acid. Those who are sensitive to oxalates and oxalic acid may want to avoid or limit their intake of cucumber leaves. Young cucumber leaves have less oxalic acid than mature leaves do.
Further Reading
This article is intended as a quick-reference guide for gardeners. Consult your seed packet or seed catalog for variety-specific information.
When you have a bumper crop of cucumbers rolling in, you may not have enough time for long, complicated recipes or many-step preservation procedures. Check out my article on quick, simple uses for cucumbers here!
Cucumbers are featured in these Plant to Plate articles: