Cucumber is an easy-care vegetable; it develops quickly. So, let us discover how to grow cucumber at home. Growing cucumber at home has never been an unimaginable chore. Cucumber is a versatile plant and is a perfect addition to your summer garden. Do you want to supplement some cooling crunch to your cuisine? Cucumber adds a satisfying crunch to your salads. You can do a lot more with this starring role vegetable.
Nutritional Value of Cucumber
Cucumber is plentiful in antioxidants, water and micro-nutrients. It encourages you to stay hydrated all the time and grant you with fibre which regulates your metabolism. It eliminates excess toxins and wastes from the body. You can eat it in raw form in salads or the shape of pickles and mouth-watering dishes.
Varieties of Cucumbers
There are various types of cucumber plants. The table cukes are the slicing cucumbers; the Vining Cucumbers thrive on vigorous vines and offer an abundant yield. Bush cucumbers are a perfect alternative for growing in home gardens and miniature containers. Their vines are not much longer; you can easily maintain them in a small space.
Ideal Conditions for Perfect Yield
You want to grow cucumbers at home, so you must apprehend the ideal environmental conditions that gratify the growth. Cucumber prefers warm place; they need 8 to 10 hours of sunlight. The loam should be slightly acidic and well-drained. You should periodically provide fertilizers. You will need to take care of the macro and micronutrients of growing plants. Do water the plants weekly but take care not to overwater the plants. Make sure to get relieved of all the weeds.
Preparation of planting site
Always choose the site with full sun. It is because this vegetable prefers warm place and abundant light. Make sure that your soil is well-drained and not soggy. Improve the organic matter of the land. You can easily do so by adding organic manure or compost.
Planting Cucumbers in Kitchen Garden
You can effortlessly grow cucumbers at home by using the seeds. There is no obligation to go for any other substitute. Keep 4 feet distance between the rows and plant seeds in either rows or hills. The depth of sowing seeds should be at least 1-2 feet. You can plant cucumbers in rows, hills or trellis. Prefer planting these in small mounds and hills. However, if you want to grow cucumber on a trellis, it minimizes the chances of rot and diseases. Moreover, it is much feasible to water at the stem, is effortless to harvest, and it results in better-formed cleaner fruit.
Growing Cucumber in Pots
If you want to grow cucumbers in containers or pots due to lack of space at your home, you will need to take care of the size of the growing containers. The roots of cucumber are deep enough and need lots of space. Choose bushy cucumber; this variety is ideal for growing in pots and containers. Cucumbers are indeed water-loving and can be best grown in containers made up of plastic or ceramics. Ensure that your chosen vessels have many holes in the bottom lines for drainage. The size of the pots matters a lot so be selective.
Watering the Growing Cucumbers
Cucumber is constituted of 95% water, even and consistent watering is the key. Don’t forget it. Water the plants regularly and check it quite often. If you feel the dryness by placing your finger in the soil, it is the indication for watering. The most desirable time to water is either early morning or afternoon. But here, I want to suggest aforethought, inconsistent watering cause bitterness in the cucumbers.
Pests and Disease Control
You will need to be super careful while taking good care of growing cucumbers. Beetles, bugs and powdery mildews are the household pests of cucumber. Examine the undersides of leaves and if you find signs and symptoms of any disease or appearance of causative agents, take out the infected plant parts manually. Remove the diseased leaves and stems. Sprinkle your plants with neem oil, pesticides or liquid soap solution.
Harvesting and Storage
Varies from variety to variety, cucumber almost takes 12 weeks to get mature. Don’t let them stay for so long; they will become bitter. If you allow ripened cucumbers to stay on vines, the vines will stop producing new ones. During the peak time, the more you pick, the more quickly these grow. Wait until; the height is 6 to 8 inches long. The ideal ones to eat are immature green ones. Don’t let them turn yellow. You can store your crunchy, water-filled cucumbers in refrigerator for a week packed in plastic wrappers. This practice will retain the moisture of your cucumbers.
Bitter Cucumbers
No one likes the bitter cucumber and wants to ruin the taste of food. The foremost reason for the bitterness of cucumber is stress. This stress could be due to depletion of water or nutrients, unavailable place and changing unpredicted weather conditions. You can protect your cucumbers from getting bitter and harsh. You just need to take good care of your growing plants throughout the time.
