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Growing Cucumber

(cucumis satavis)

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
P	P	P					P	P	P	P	P

(Best months for planting Cucumber in Australia - sub-tropical regions)

P = Plant direct in garden where they are to grow.

Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 16°C and 35°C. (Show °F/in)
Space plants: 40 - 60 cm apart
Harvest in 8-10 weeks. Cut fruit off with scissors or sharp knife.
Compatible with: Nasturtiums, Beans, Celery, Lettuce, Sweet Corn, Cabbages, Sunflowers, Coriander, Fennel, Dill, Sunflowers
Avoid growing with: Potato, Tomatoes

A young plant
Flower - female
Flower - male

Cucumbers are frost tender. Can be started in small peat pots then transplanted when weather is suitable. A trailing plant which will grow tendrils as it gets bigger. Lebanese cucumbers are best picked about 10 -12 cm (4 - 5 in) and eaten whole. Gherkins are usually picked 5 or 6 cm (2 - 3 in) long and pickled. They have a prickly skin. Apple cucumbers are round with a pale, almost white, smooth skin.

Grow in full sun. Grow up a trellis or framework to save space and keep the fruit clean. Needs ties to support it at first. Water regularly and fertilise to encourage growth.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Cucumber

Pick frequently before the fruit become too big.
Use raw in salads, peeled if preferred.

Your comments and tips

01 Feb 12, chris (Australia - temperate climate): I have been trying to grow la diva cucumbers ,the vine is going great and getting lots of flowers but only very small cucumbers before they wilt and die ,i have not seen any bees around , maybe they are not getting polinated .HELP
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28 Jan 12, jill (Australia - temperate climate): white spots on leaves making leaves dry & brittle
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21 Jan 12, john murray (Australia - cool/mountain climate): do you pick cucumber when the stems dry the same as pumpkin
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02 Feb 12, Jen (Australia - temperate climate): I am growing a Lebanese cucumber and I pick them when they are small (about 10cm) as they are very sweet, they occasionally get to store size if the children don't find them first! The telegraph variety I picked at about 25 cm. I have never waited for vines to die down.
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08 Jan 12, Jill (Australia - sub-tropical climate): I have had a massive crop of lebanese cucumbers which stopped producing a couple of weeks ago. Now I am getting tennis ball or slightly larger cucumbers - haven't tried them yet but they are very hard. These are coming off the same vine as the earlier lebanese. What causes this please?
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04 Jan 12, Sandra (Australia - temperate climate): I am growing cucumber up a trellis - they have just started to fruit and I have picked one but the skin seems scarred or eaten a bit (not through to the inside) rather a motley look. Does anyone know what that would be?? What could I spray or do to stop it.
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06 Jan 12, Miguel (Australia - temperate climate): Hi Sandra, It sounds like the skin may have split as a result of growing too quickly. Try cutting down the watering a bit
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17 Dec 11, cheryl (Australia - temperate climate): Why do my cucumbers go fat in the middle and curl up
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25 Nov 11, Valli (Australia - tropical climate): I have the same probelm too, too many flowers, but all tiny fruits. I am going to try this manual fertilization.
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24 Nov 11, patrick (Australia - temperate climate): white bloches appearing when 100mm.long approx fead well watered well
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See planting calendar for these countries and climate zones

Australia - arid, Australia - cool/mountain, Australia - sub-tropical, Australia - temperate, Australia - tropical, New Zealand - cool/mountain, New Zealand - sub-tropical, New Zealand - temperate, South Africa - Dry summer sub-tropical, South Africa - Humid sub-tropical, South Africa - Semi-arid, South Africa - Summer rainfall, United Kingdom - cool/temperate, United Kingdom - warm/temperate, USA - Central West Coast, USA - Maritime Northwest, USA - Mid-Atlantic, USA - North East, USA - South East and Gulf States, USA - South West, USA - Upper Midwest

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. Gardenate is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.

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