How to Grow the Champion Hybrid Cucumber

Garden Growing

• 1

  Choose a spot to grow the Champion cucumber. The warmest, sunniest area of the garden is ideal. Cucumbers require full sun all day.

• 2

  Prepare the soil by digging down to a depth of 10 inches, loosening it and breaking up hard clumps. Shovel 3 to 4 inches of organic matter, such as manure or compost, onto the bed and use a hoe or the shovel to mix it into the soil. Rake the area so there are no peaks or valleys. Water the cucumber bed until the soil is moist to a depth of 6 inches.

• 3

  Sow the seeds at the depth and spacing listed on the Champion cucumber seed packet. Cover them lightly with soil. Keep the soil moist while the seeds germinate, which generally occurs within three to five days.

• 4

  Provide the Champion cucumber bush with at least 1 inch of water a week. If the weather is especially hot and dry you may need to water the cucumber more often. Water the soil at the base of the Champion cucumber to avoid getting the foliage wet.

• 5

  Fertilize the Champion cucumber seedlings when they are 6 inches tall. Use a liquid all-purpose fertilizer, according to label instructions, poured onto the soil near the main stem. Spread straw mulch over the soil after fertilizing. This helps keep the soil moist and discourages weeds and bugs.

Container Growing

• 6

  Choose an appropriate container for the Champion cucumber bush. Plastic pots keep the soil moist longer than clay pots. Bonnie Plants recommends a container with at least a 12-inch diameter. Ensure the pot has drainage holes at the bottom. Place the container in a sunny, warm spot.

• 7

  Cut a piece of fiberglass screen to fit in the bottom of the pot. This helps keep the soil in and the bugs out.

• 8

  Combine equal parts of potting soil, sphagnum peat moss, compost and perlite. Add a slow-release, all-purpose fertilizer, at the amount recommended on the label, and mix the ingredients together. Moisten the mix with water and fill the pot until it is three-quarters full.

• 9

  Push the Champion hybrid cucumber seeds into the soil according to the depth listed on the seed packet. Keep the soil moist at all times during germination and the growing season.

• 10

  Fertilize the Champion cucumber weekly after they reach 6 inches tall, with a water-soluble, 20-20-20 or 15-30-15 fertilizer, according to package instructions. Water the soil before applying the fertilizer.