Cucumber

Cucumbers can be grown outdoors or indoors, in greenhouses.

As people are becoming more aware of the value of organic vegetables, cucumbers grown outdoors, or ridge cucumbers, are becoming more and more popular.

When planting ridge cucumbers, sow seeds in April on a hotbed, and then grow the plants in frames. Make sure to provide the cucumbers with air as needed.

At the end of April or in the beginning of May, plant out your ridge cucumbers.

They should be set in rows that are 6 feet apart.

It would be helpful if, before you plant the cucumbers, you plant a row of peas or broad beans in between the places where you plan to set the cucumbers.

The peas or beans will protect the cucumbers from the cold.

Dig an 18-foot wide trench in the middle of each 6-foot space and fill it level with fermenting manure, or with a mixture of 50 percent manure plus a combination of grass, leaves, hay or any other material that will ferment and release heat.

Trod this material down firmly, and then cover it with soil that has been pulverized.

Once the soil has been warmed, you can set the cucumber plants along the centre of the mound.

You can plant single cucumbers 1 ½ feet apart or pairs of cucumber 2 ½ feet apart.

If your cucumbers are strong, you can pinch the centers before you plant them out. Otherwise, wait until they start growing in the seedbed.

Keep them well-watered and cover them with row covers.

After a few days, you can uncover your cucumbers just long enough for them to get some air in the middle of day.

As the days become warmer, slowly increase the amount of time that your cucumbers spend exposed to the air.

In about a month, they should be left uncovered during the day and then covered up at night.

By June, you should not need to cover them at all

Soak your cucumber plants with water two or three times a week, depending on the weather.

Occasionally, water the plants with liquid fertilizer rather than clear water.

When your cucumbers start to run, use manure to mulch the ground. This will help keep moisture n the soil and make your cucumbers grow well.

Cut cucumbers three times a week.