How to grow Cucumbers in the UK
Choose an 'outdoor' variety and grow it up a cane.
- DifficultyA bit more care
- WhereBeds or Pots
- Grows to180cm
- Spacing60cm
- Time to first pickabout 12 weeks
When to sow, plant and harvest cucumbers
| Sow indoors | mid April to late May |
|---|---|
| Plant out | early June to late June |
| Pick | mid July to late September |
Dates are for central England. Sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland, and up to two weeks earlier in the south and south west. Get the dates for your postcode.
Starting it indoors
- Fill a small pot or tray with seed compost
- Push the seeds in (2cm deep) - a couple per pot
- Water gently, then put them on a bright windowsill
- Keep the compost damp but not soggy - check it every day
- When they have 2 proper leaves, give each seedling its own pot
Planting it out
- Toughen them up ('hardening off'): put them outside in the day for a week, bring them in at night
- Dig a hole a bit bigger than the pot
- Tip the plant out gently, holding the leaves, not the stem
- Pop it in the hole, firm the soil around it, and water well
- Space the plants about 60cm apart each way
Top tips for growing cucumbers
- Sow seeds on their side.
- Pick an 'outdoor' or 'ridge' type, like 'Marketmore'.
Looking after cucumbers
- At planting: Water often - cucumbers are mostly water!
Soil and feeding
Rich, moist soil packed with goodness. These are hungry plants. Dig a hole (or make a mound) and fill it with manure or compost before planting, then feed every week or two once the fruit starts.
Pests and problems
- Slugs & snails: munch seedlings overnight, worst in wet weather
- Go on a slug hunt at dusk with a torch and move them far away
- Sink a jam jar into the soil with a little beer in it - slugs fall in
- Cut the bottom off a plastic bottle and pop it over each young plant, like a mini greenhouse
Harvesting and eating cucumbers
Cut them off with scissors when they're a good size. Keep picking to get more.
How to eat them: Slice into sticks with dip, or into water with mint.
Storing cucumbers
Keeps about 1 week.
- Keep in the fridge
Don't freeze - they go mushy. Make quick pickles instead.
Good varieties of cucumbers
- Marketmore: Grows well outside, no bitterness.
- La Diva: Smooth, seedless cucumbers.
- Mini Munch: Finger-sized snack cucumbers.
- Crystal Lemon: Round, yellow cucumbers like lemons.
Companion planting
Grows well with
- Nasturtiums: nasturtiums bring in bees and lure away greenfly
- French marigolds: keeps whitefly away
- Borage: bees for pollinating the flowers
- Sunflowers: a sturdy pole for cucumbers to climb
- Dill: brings hoverflies and bees
Keep away from
- New potatoes: potatoes can make cucumbers more likely to get disease
Saving your own cucumbers seed
From a ripe fruit in autumn.
- Bees mix pollen between courgettes, squash and pumpkins, so saved seeds can grow odd-looking fruit - that's half the fun!
- Scoop the seeds from a fully ripe fruit (courgettes: leave one to grow into a huge marrow first)
- Wash them, then dry on a plate for 2 weeks
- Or roast them with a little salt - a tasty snack
- Seeds from 'F1' varieties (it says on the packet) don't grow the same - save from ordinary ones.
Things to build for cucumbers
Where to buy cucumbers seeds
Thompson & Morgan · Suttons · Amazon
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Cucumbers questions
When should I sow cucumbers in the UK?
In the UK, sow cucumbers indoors from mid April to late May. These dates suit central England; sow about two weeks later in the north and Scotland and up to two weeks earlier in the mild south and south west.
When do I plant out cucumbers?
Plant cucumbers out from early June to late June, once the last frost has passed.
When can I pick cucumbers?
Cucumbers is ready from mid July to late September. Cut them off with scissors when they're a good size. Keep picking to get more.
How long do cucumbers take to grow?
Roughly 12 weeks from sowing or planting until the first harvest.
Are cucumbers easy to grow?
Cucumbers are rated 'a bit more care' for beginners, and can be grown in the ground or a raised bed or in pots and containers.
Plan your own garden: it tells you what to do and when, for your postcode.
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