In the garden, greenhouse or on the balcony - cucumbers thrive everywhere. But best in raised beds. We have put together some important growing tips here.
The cucumber is not exactly a very easy-care and undemanding plant. And this is exactly where many hobby gardeners fail. This is probably because the cucumber needs a lot of nutrients and humus and many gardeners don't even know that.
The roots also need enough oxygen to keep them from dying. That's why the soil has to be nice and loose. This also allows it to warm up much more easily, which is an important point for cucumber cultivation. A heavily compacted, heavy soil is therefore not suitable for growing cucumbers.
Because growing in a bed can be difficult, growing in a raised bed is an ideal alternative. Nothing should go wrong when growing cucumbers (regardless of whether they are snake cucumbers, mini cucumbers, lemon cucumbers, etc.). But only if you follow the tips below.
Tips for growing cucumbers in raised beds
❃ Tip 1 - the perfect choice of location:
Place the cucumbers on the south side of the raised bed and you have created the best conditions for successful cultivation. (Reading tip: Build a raised bed yourself in 7 steps)
❃ Tip 2 - Prefer cucumber plants:
You can either sow the cucumber seeds directly in the raised bed from around mid-May, or prefer the cucumbers on the windowsill from the beginning/mid-April. The latter is more advisable.
❃ Tip 3 - Provide cucumbers with nutrients:
It is best to add an organic fertilizer to the soil, i.e. fresh manure or mature compost. The soil is then supplied with all the necessary nutrients, and so are the cucumbers later. However, it is advisable to use a low-dose liquid fertilizer during the main growth period. (Reading tip: Fertilize cucumbers - How to increase the yield)
❃ Tip 4 - Observe planting distances:
Because cucumbers spread by creeping, leave enough space between each plant. 20 centimeters is the minimum.
If you don't want any climbing aidsuse, you should only plant a single row. You can only apply multiple rows if the plants can climb upwards.
❃ Tip 5 - plant additional plants at the edge of the raised bed:
If you have a single row, you can still plant fast-growing vegetables around the edge of the bed, as it will take longer for the cucumbers to spread all over the raised bed.
You can of course also place the cucumbers on the edge of the raised bed. Then the tendrils can hang over the edge.
❃ Tip 6 - Always keep the soil moist:
You must always keep the soil in the raised bed moist. With this type of cultivation, the plants need a little more water anyway. However, you should definitely avoid the formation of waterlogging. The irrigation water must not be cold either, otherwise the cucumbers could get a bitter taste.