If you’re growing a garden this year, cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are a must. There are so many more ways to use them than as a salad topper. Make homemade pickles, assemble dainty tea sandwiches, put a refreshing spin on your favorite cocktails, and slice them for cucumber salad, a Southern favorite. There are dozens of varieties of cucumbers for pickling or slicing and eating. Native to India, cucumbers are made up mostly of water. Once picked, they quickly begin to lose hydration—and their crisp texture—so a cool, humid storage area is a must. They grow as compact bushes or on vines that trail along the ground or up supports in warm, sunny gardens. With so many possibilities, you’ll hope for an abundance of them, and you may not even want to share with your neighbors. To make sure your garden gives you perfectly crisp cucumbers, here’s the best time to plant them.
When To Plant Cucumbers
Cucumbers prefer warm temperatures, so planting them after any risk of frost is important. They seek summer heat and sun, so planting cucumber plants is best done a couple of weeks after the season’s last frost when soil temperatures reach 70ºF. Along with plenty of sun, they need lots of moisture. Give them 1 or 2 inches of water each week to keep the soil consistently moist.
If you start cucumber seeds indoors, the best time is three to four weeks before the last frost so you can transplant them outdoors once the threat is gone and the soil has warmed to 70ºF.
To sow seeds directly outdoors, you’ll want to wait three to four weeks after your area’s last frost date to make sure the ground has warmed up sufficiently and nighttime temperatures are consistently 55ºF or higher.
How To Plant Cucumbers
In warm, rich sandy loam soil, plant seeds 1 inch deep and cover them lightly with soil.
Keep the soil moist and water regularly until the seeds germinate. Once they have two leaves, thin out the weakest seedlings.
If you are transplanting seedlings started indoors, make sure they have two to three sets of true leaves and have developed a healthy root system.
If you are starting with plants from the garden center, make sure they are acclimated to warm temperatures before planting. Plant cucumber plants 12 inches apart in rows 3 to 5 feet apart.
Place a trellis or support over the plants so you don’t risk breaking or damaging the stems once they become bigger.
Add a layer of mulch to conserve moisture and prevent weeds.
How To Ensure They’re Crisp
Cucumbers should be firm and stiff for the best crunch, not soft and floppy. Besides planting them at the right time, harvesting and storage also play a role in preserving their texture and taste.
Watering Well
Water is crucial for a vegetable that’s made up of mostly water. Give cucumbers an inch of water each week and up to 2 inches if there’s not much rain in the forecast or the heat is unbearable. Water them in the morning at the base of the plant rather than over the leaves since wet foliage can develop fungal diseases. Mulch can keep the soil moist and prevent stress. While proper and consistent watering is important for that crisp texture, well-draining soil can keep the roots from getting soggy. Being inconsistent with watering can not only lead to misshapen cucumbers, but also lack of flavor.
Harvesting Cucumbers
Giant pumpkins may be the way to earn a prize at the county fair, but it’s not so for cucumbers. Bigger isn’t better when it comes to these veggies. (They’re botanically fruits because they develop from flowers and contain seeds, but in the culinary world they’re grouped with vegetables.)
Pick cucumbers when they are large enough to eat. If you wait too long, they can become oversized, bitter, and softer. While they may look impressive, they will not taste impressive. Pick cucumbers when they’re about 6 or 7 inches long, and harvest pickling varieties at 3 to 4 inches. Use garden shears to cut them from the vine rather than pulling, and harvest them in the morning when crispness is at its peak.
If the cucumbers have begun to turn yellow at the blossom end, you’ve waited too long to pick them and they are overripe. They enlarge quickly on the vine and harvesting encourages more cucumbers, so you’ll need to keep up with them for the best taste. Check your crop every day to see what needs harvesting.
Storing After Picking
Cucumbers taste best and are more crisp right after picking. You likely can’t eat every ripe cucumber as it’s picked, so store them in the refrigerator crisper drawer for four to six days. Wrapping them in plastic wrap or beeswax wrap can keep them fresh and crisp longer. Once cut, a cucumber should be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for one to two days.
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