Everything changes as spring approaches – wardrobes, ideology, even the pasty tone of your skin – and, of course, the veggie patch sees revitalisation too. This is most pronounced when an early spring classic, the cucumber, comes back on the planting agenda. It’s a vegetable whose presence makes the light shine a little brighter.
For us, cucumber is an essential component of any warm-season veggie patch. Thrown in salads, tzatziki, pickled, infused in a more cultured G&T, pulled straight off the vine and munched, it is a vegetable that sets off the spring ideology and gets the ball rolling on the good times that lie ahead.
Once flowering and fruit start to form, it’s worth curtailing new growth by pruning vine tips so that energy can be redirected to producing world-class cucumbers. For those short on space, plant cucumbers on the edge of the patch or in pots and encourage them to sprawl away from the garden.
PLANTING
Sow the seeds directly into the directly into the patch once the soil temperature reaches approximately 18-20 degrees. Water daily for the first month and then cut back to 3 times a week, weather dependent.
WATERING
In ground: Water daily for the first 4 weeks and 3-4 times a week in the absence of rainfall thereafter. Watering frequency may need to be elevated during hot weather.
In Pots: Water daily, in the absence of rainfall, for the entirety of its lifecycle. The best practice is to water in the morning, however on extremely warm days a late afternoon water may also be necessary.
MAINTENANCE
Add slow-release organic fertiliser and sow seeds in mounds of compost after the las frost. Cucumbers are cold sensitive and susceptible to rodents, so protect young seedlings with open-ended plastic bottles.
Give monthly application of liquid seaweed solution and mulch to a depth of 3–5cm using pea straw, lucerne hay or sugar cane mulch.
Grow the vines vertically and attach them to a trellis that conserves ground-level real estate for other plantings.
At 12 weeks apply liquid potassium to encourage flower growth and fruit development. As cucumbers begin to develop, keep the watering up.
Fruiting plants will begin to die back and will be overcome by powdery mildew. Prune off affected leaves and use a milky spray to help control its spread
HARVESTING
Time until first harvest: About 14 weeks
How to harvest: Cut cucumbers from the vine using sharp scissors or secateurs. Leave stems at the end of the cucumber to improve preservation.
TIP
As a vegetable with the ability to climb, grow it up a trellis to conserve ground level real estate for those that absolutely need it.
