How to Grow Big Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a crisp garden vegetable that is tasty in salads, eaten raw or useful in making pickles. Growing big cucumbers is not difficult if you choose the correct varieties and provide the right growing conditions. It takes only 50 to 70 days to harvest cucumbers, depending on which variety you plant. With the proper soil, sunlight, fertilizer and water conditions, you and your family will enjoy large slicing cucumbers from the garden.

5-10-10 fertilizer
High-nitrogen fertilizer
Soil test kit
Lime or sulphur, as needed

Instructions

- 1
  Pick a variety of cucumber that produces 7- to 12-inch fruits, such as Straight Eight, Spacemaster and Sweet Slice Burpless. Other varieties that are perfect for slicing are Marketmore 76, Fanfare and Salad Bush.
- 2
  Fertilize the soil with a 5-10-10 fertilizer before planting. Follow the directions on the label.
- 3
  Plant the cucumbers at a depth of 1/2 to 1 inch after all danger of frost has passed. Use a soil test kit to determine the soil's pH, which ideally is 6.0 to 7.0. To raise the soil pH, add lime. To lower it, add sulfur. Cucumbers thrive best in temperatures around 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 4
  Apply a high-nitrogen fertilizer one week after the cucumbers blossom and again in three weeks. Over-fertilizing causes less fruit and more vine growth, reports Ohio State University.
- 5
  Thin cucumbers once they sprout to one plant per 12 inches in rows. A hill system should have three plants every 3 feet.
- 6
  Water the cucumbers plants regularly to keep the soil moist. They require adequate moisture during all phases of growth.

How Often Do I Spray Tomato Plants to Get Rid of Whiteflies?

How to Know If a Pumpkin Flower Has Been Pollinated

Vegetable Garden