Sharon Gardens

How to Grow Cucumbers

Cool, refreshing, and a perfect healthy snack, cucumbers deserve a spot in every garden. Whether you’re interested in fresh eating or pickling, you will surely be able to find a variety that fits your space and your needs. Growing cucumbers is easy if you follow a few basic rules.

The first thing to remember is that cucumbers and cool weather do not mix. Cucumber seeds won’t germinate until the soil temperature hits around 70 degrees, and plants will just sit there, not doing much of anything, unless the weather is consistently warm. With this in mind, don’t bother direct-sowing cucumber seeds until three to four weeks after your last frost date. You can start seeds indoors, but they grow so quickly once the weather is right, that this really doesn’t save you a lot of time.

The second thing to remember is that cucumbers LOVE water. They will need to be kept consistently moist, and once they start to set fruit, will require even more water. Regular watering and a good layer of organic mulch are essential.

Cucumbers are heavy feeders. Plant them in garden soil that has been amended with compost or composted manure. Feed cucumbers monthly with fish emulsion, compost tea or a good organic fertilizer.

Vinning cucumbers will require a strong trellis. You could just let them ramble, but trellised cucumbers generally have higher yields and fewer pest and disease problems.

Diseases on Cucumbers

Bacterial wilt, which is spread when the striped cucumber beetle or the spotted cucumber beetle feed on the plant’s leaves. The bacteria can over winter in the beetles or they may pick it up while feeding elsewhere. The stripped cucumber beetle is about 1/4” long with 3 black stripes on its yellow-green wings. The spotted cucumber beetle is a similar yellow-green color with twelve black spots. Cucumber beetles prefer feeding on wilted plants and wilted plants are already more prone to infection. Keep your plants well watered and healthy. Plant varieties that are more tolerant of cucumber beetles, like ‘Liberty’ and ‘Wisconsin SMR58′. Keeping the beetles out of your garden is your best control. The beetles show up in early spring and lay their eggs on the undersides of the leaves. Keep an eye out for signs of the beetles, as soon as your cucumbers are planted. Monitor the leaves and destroy any egg sacks by removing or squashing. You can protect early cucumber plantings by covering the plants with a floating row cover or cheesecloth. Secure the bottom of the cover, because beetles will crawl under it. Just be sure to remove the cover when the flowers appear. There are a few natural predators. The tachinid fly and braconid wasp will offer some control as will one species of soldier beetle. If your vines should become infected, they will need to be pulled and removed. There is no cure for bacterial wilt. Remove all the vines in the fall.

Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that results in a powdery gray or white coating on the leaves and stems of infected plants. It starts out as a few spores on the leaves, and quickly spreads, eventually yellowing the leaves and causing premature leaf drop.Besides being unattractive, powdery mildew results in leaf yellowing and droppage, stunted plant growth, distortion of buds, blooms, and fruit, and eventual overall weakening of the plant. Spores over winter on diseasedplant parts, and begin asexual production of new spores once the weather warms. New spores are carried on the wind to other parts of the plant, or to other nearby plants. Spores never stop producing more spores, so if infected leaves are not destroyed, the problem will only get worse. Powdery mildew thrives in temperatures between 60 and 80 degrees. Dry, shady conditions are ideal, as are areas with poor air circulation. Planting disease resistant cultivars and making sure you allow for good air flow are two ways to guard against powdery mildew. Inspect plants regularly during warm, dry conditions, and remove any leaves that show signs of infection. Destroy (do not compost!) infected plant parts. A spray made with baking soda, if applied weekly at the first signs of infection, can protect plants against further damage. Ingredients to make a baking soda spray are 1 gallon of water, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and 1tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. Plants that are badly infected should be ripped out and destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading further. Interestingly enough, the most effective measure in preventing and treating powdery mildew is to spray the foliage of your plants daily with plain water from the hose. Powdery mildew hates water! With this method make sure you do it early in the day so that the foliage completely dries before cooler evening temperatures arrive, otherwise you may invite other fungal diseases, such as black spot, into your garden.

Cucumbers are great to plant with corn, beans and cabbage the three plants like the same conditions: warmth, rich soil and plenty of moisture. Let the cucumbers grow up and over your corn plants. Cukes also do well with peas, beets, radishes and carrots. Radishes are a good deterrent against cucumber beetles. Dill planted with cucumbers helps by attracting beneficial predators. Nasturtium improves growth and flavor. Keep sage, potatoes and rue away from cucumbers. It is said that cucumbers don’t do well planted next to tomatoes but I have never had a problem with planting them next to each other.

Every garden needs a few tomato plants. They are easy to grow and fun to watch.

When planting tomatoes, work the soil well to encourage plants to send down a good root system. Tomatoes love plenty of sun. Plant in the sunniest location and they will produce faster and be more prolific. Plant tomatoes on their side (horizontally in a trench) or up to their first set of leaves in a deep hole. Roots will develop all along the underground stem to help plants suck up moisture. Like most garden plants, tomatoes prefer rich, fast-draining soil that has been amended with plenty of organic compost or well-aged animal manure. Space tomato plants far enough apart (1-1/2 – 2 feet) to allow for plenty of sun and promote good air circulation. Thin strips of cloth make great ties for tomato plants. Begin attaching plants to stakes when the stem is about a foot tall.

When purchasing tomato plants for your garden, look for healthy green plants with thick stems and no tomatoes or flowers. To reduce insect and disease problems, rotate tomato plants so that they are grown only once in the same spot every three years.

For best flavor, allow tomatoes to develop on the plant to their full color before picking.
On determinate plants, let suckers grow. On indeterminates, decide how many “main” stems you want, and pinch off all suckers after you’ve got that number on each plant. For larger tomatoes, remove some of the smaller tomatoes and only leave a few on the plant or pinch off some of the blossoms. . A layer of organic mulch (compost, leaves, grass clippings) will help deter weeds and keep moisture levels constant. Add mulches after soil has had a chance to warm up. Keep out of the garden when the soil is wet to avoid compacting the soil. At the end of the season if a heavy frost is expected, harvest all tomatoes, including green ones, which will eventually ripen while kept in storage.

Tomatoes can be grown in containers but will dry out faster than in the garden. Keep potting soil moist, but not soggy.

Carrots work well with tomatoes because they share space well. The carrots can be planted when the tomatoes are still quite small, and can be happily growing and ready to harvest by the time the tomato plants start to take over the space. All members of the onion family are beneficial to plant with many types of crops due to the pungent odor they emit. This helps deter many insect pests. Borage when planted nest to the tomato helps deter the tomato hornworm. Asparagus and tomatoes are also good neighbors. Asparagus puts on growth very early in the season, and the tomato plants fill in after asparagus has been harvested. Also, tomatoes help repel asparagus beetle. Marigolds help deter harmful nematodes from attacking tomatoes. The pungent odor can also help confuse other insect pests. To deter nematodes, the best practice is to grow the marigolds, then chop and till them into the soil at the end of the season. Nasturtiums help deter whitefly and aphids. Growing tomatoes and basil together increases the vigor and flavor of both crops

Most gardeners plant too many squash. Instead only grow a few squash plants. You will be rewarded with an ample harvest.

If space is limited, choose bush, rather than vining, varieties. Squash can be direct sown or started indoors. I choose to direct sow the seeds. They always seem to grow fast and catch up to the plants anyway as long as the weather conditions are correct. It’s also cheaper to use seeds. If starting indoors, plant seeds in individual pots 3 to 4 weeks before the last frost date. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting in the garden, then set transplants, 3 or 4 plants per foot, 4 feet apart and the same depth as their container. If sowing the seeds directly in the garden, plant seeds 1 inch deep, 4 seeds per foot. I plant more seeds and plants together to allow for some that will not make it for whatever reason. If the weather turns colder and wet your seeds may rot in the ground. Some years I have lost most of my squash crop due to weather and have had to replant the seeds. The birds and chipmunks also seem to like the seeds and seedlings. If all seems like they will grow well I will thin them out later. If your soil in not rich in compost you may want to plant farther apart.

Select a site with full sun to light shade and well-drained soil. Prepare the garden bed by loosening the soil to a depth of 12 inches, and then mix in a 2 inch or more layer of compost.

When the first three leaves appear, mulch to eliminate weeds and retain moisture. Provide about 1 inch of water per week. Periodically pinch off the fuzzy ends of winter squash vines after a few fruit have formed. Summer squash develop very rapidly after pollination. Plan to go through your patch and harvest every few days. Squash that are small and tender have the best flavor and table quality. Pick elongated varieties when they reach 2 inches or less in diameter and 6 to 8 inches long. Harvest patty pan types when they are 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

The first sign of a ripening winter squash is a deep skin color. To make sure it’s truly ready to pick, press your fingernail into the skin. If it resists puncture, it is ripe. Use a sharp knife or pruners to cut the fruit from the vine. Leave a piece of stem attached — if it breaks from the fruit, it creates an opportunity for rot.

Summer squash are harvested when tender and still immature. They’re usually separated into yellow, straight or crookneck varieties; green zucchinis; scallop-shaped “patty-pan” fruits; or round, softball-sized types. Summer squash grow fast, usually maturing within 2 months of planting, and continue to produce all season long. They are prolific, reliable producers, but they don’t store well, so use them right away.

Most winter squashes are vine-type plants whose fruits are harvested when fully mature. They take longer to mature than summer squash (3 months or more) and are best harvested once the cool weather of fall sets in. They can be stored for months in a cool basement-hence the name “winter” squash.

Big problem for squash is the squash bug. Plant flowers such as marigolds, calendula, sunflower, daisy, alyssum, or dill to attract beneficial insects. I plant a lot of nasturtium among the squash plants and I no longer have any squash bugs. The flowers also look nice in the garden.

If you have a vegetable garden, chances are you are growing a few pepper plants. In your grandma or grandpa’s garden, there were sweet bell peppers. You most likely will have a variety of hot peppers from Jalapenos to Habeneros. Pepper colors have also changed. You can select from red, orange, yellow, and even purple.

Most garden hobbyists go to a garden store to select among a wide range of pepper varieties. Some gardeners will start them indoors at home. It’s more fun to start the seedlings yourself. If you are going to start them yourself, they take a long time to sprout and to grow.

Sow seedlings indoors, eight to ten weeks before the last frost date for your area. They are a difficult seed to germinate and seedlings grow slowly at first. Provide bottom heat or heat lamps to raise the soil temperature to 80 degrees. This will promote better and quicker germination.

Peppers like hot weather. Transplant young seedlings outdoors after the last chance of frost. If the weather is still cool, delay transplanting a few days, and keep them in a cold frame, indoors, or next to the house.

Add plenty of compost, manure, and a general fertilizer to the soil. Mulching around the peppers to keep down weeds, retain moisture, and help to feed the plant. Don’t make the mistake of providing too much nitrogen. The result is a great looking bushy green plant but few peppers. I plant the seedlings closer together than recommended. I found if the plants touch each other at maturity they do better.

Peppers can be picked as soon as they reach a good size. Continuous harvesting encourages the fruit to produce new flowers. Some varieties will change to a different color when maturing such as the green sweet bell will change to a red. You have to leave some on the plant to mature to red and taste the difference.

While many viruses and diseases can affect peppers, it is somewhat infrequent. I am an organic gardener so I do not spray any insecticides. There are flowers and herbs such as marigolds and basil that help to repel bugs from a garden planting these next to tomatoes or peppers can help keep away harmful bugs. I plant flowers that attract beneficial bugs such as long tube-shaped flowers or bee balm throughout the garden to encourage the pollinator’s and the natural enemies of crop destroying insects to come and stay. Eggplants do well with sweet peppers, as do tomatoes, parsley, basil, onions and okra. Hot peppers are good for areas that are prone to root rot as their roots help to prevent this.