5 Growth Essentials for Growing Cucumbers

Here’s all you need to grow a bumper harvest of cucumbers in your container garden:

Container

● Your cucumber plant container should be big enough to hold enough space for the plants. Think pots 12, 14, 16, 18, or even 24 inches wide.

● You should also consider the shape of the pots you choose. Square pots are easier for spacing out the plants and for trellising.

● Cucumbers depend on consistent moisture levels to thrive. Bigger containers hold more potting soil, which in turn retains water for a longer time.

Potting Mix

● Your soil mix should support rapid growth, so go beyond regular potting soil with and get a soil mix high in organic matter. Enrich your soil with peat and organic manure.

● You’ll know you have great potting soil when the soil holds enough moisture without becoming dry and cracked.

Fertilizing

● Cucumbers are heavy feeders, so they need nutrient-rich soil to thrive. Enrich your planting soil with fertilizer or homemade compost before transplanting the seedlings.

● It’s recommended to use a slow-release fertilizer regularly throughout the growing season

● Take care to give the plant break so you don’t over-fertilize.

Watering

● Cucumber plants love water, so don’t hold back on lavishing your plants with moisture as they need it. A rule of thumb is to check the first few inches of the soil, and water if it’s dry.

● To help your soil hold moisture, mulch the top of the soil.

Trellising

As a general rule, cucumber vines require trellis support. Choose a sturdy trellis that can bear the weight of the vines without getting toppled over.

Here’s why you should trellis cucumber plants:

● Utilize vertical space and prevent overcrowding in your container garden.

● Cucumber vines left to sprawl widely across the ground might be damaged by pests and pets.

● Inserting a trellis gives the plants more exposure to sunlight.

Container gardening bonus: you get picturesque trellis gardens to show off.