How to Plant Tomato & Cucumber Together

Growing tomato and cucumber plants together requires two extra conditions. Trellises, fences, stakes and cages come in all forms. An extremely strong, tall and stable support, such as a ladder trellis, is mandatory for growing these crops together. The fruit of tomato and cucumber plants are heavy at maturity, so the trellis must not be flimsy. Cucumbers can grow up one side of the ladder trellis while tomato plants travel up the other. Because the garden space is being asked to grow twice the crop in the same space, a deep, friable, fertile soil must be well prepared months in advance of planting, with manures, compost, peat and shredded leaves added as amendments. Intensive gardening requires a more fertile soil than normal.

Things You'll Need

Prepared fertile garden bed
Six-foot ladder trellises
Tomato seed or seedlings
Cucumber seed

Twine
Natural blend complete fertilizer
Trowel

Instructions

- 1
  
  Rustic ladder trellises can be homemade.
  
  Place the 6-foot ladder trellises side by side down the length of the prepared garden bed. Keep the bases of the trellises spread and each of the four legs firmly in the ground. The trellises must span the entire length of the growing area, so several may be needed.
- 2
  
  For a head start, use a tomato plant rather than starting from seed.
  
  Plant tomato seed down one side of the garden bed on the outside of the trellis. Soil temperature for germination must be 70 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Seeds should be sown 1/4 inch deep and plants thinned to 18 inches apart. Alternatively, get a head start and transplant seedlings to the site instead. Water both seed or transplants to keep them moist.
- 3
  Plant cucumber seeds down the other side of the trellis. Cucumbers are not as accepting of transplanting as tomatoes and germinate at a cooler soil temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit, so the advantage of transplanting is diminished. Sow seed 1/2 inch deep and thin to 6 inches apart.
- 4
  Tie the growing tomato and cucumber plants to the trellis structure with twine as they grow, every 6 inches. This prevents the vine and plant from falling over from weight or from wind damage. Tie only the vine or the stems, not the fruit.
- 5
  Water frequently in hot weather and side dress with a complete fertilizer monthly. Harvest continuously until frost.

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