Cucumber Ideas, Tips & Guides

Cucumbers are among the most popular crops for home gardeners. They’re easy to grow and just a handful of vines can provide enough cucumbers for fresh eating from mid-summer through late fall. But proper cucumber plant spacing can mean the difference between healthy, productive plants and disease ridden, low yielding ones. Let’s take a look at how far apart to plant cucumbers based on your growing technique and the method you use to plant them. Why properly spacing cucumber plants matters Before we dive into the details on proper plant spacing for cucumbers, let’s take a

Which common bird made its nest underneath this cucumber plant?

Cucurbit downy mildew was found in the state this past week on cucumbers in Charleston. All commercial cucurbit growers need to be on the lookout and start preventative fungicide applications, if not already started.

If you want the best cucumbers out there with a crunchy texture and juicy flesh, you need to go them a little differently. How? That’s where I come in with my bag of tips!

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What are the red spiders on my plants?

If you want to boost the productivity and flavor of your crops in the garden, then check out this list of Vegetables You Should Never Plant Together and Why.

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Cucumbers and squash are such productive vegetables that only a few plants will provide an abundant harvest.  Experiment with unique selections that are rarely seen in stores. For example, long slender Oriental cucumbers or petite pickling cucumbers are simple to grow, as are brightly colored summer squash and zucchini. These are also fast growing crops that start producing only six weeks after planting seed.

Now this hasn’t happened for ages, but nothing was going on this weekend. No cinema, no bell ringing, no seeing family. It was just me in the garden for the entire weekend. Obviously there was the usual shopping and household chores to do, but most of those were done on Saturday morning. It was then just me and my plants….it was beautiful.

Edible flowers are more than just a colorful addition to your garden; they are a powerhouse of nutritional benefits. From vibrant nasturtiums packed with Vitamin C to Marigold for its soothing effects, each one offers a unique blend of nutrients and flavors.

These common yellow bugs on plants may look cute, but they can cause serious damage if you do not get rid of them on time. However, some of these are beneficial, and we have called them out!

Greenhouses have an abundance of benefits that can allow you to make the most of your plants. If you’re considering investing in a greenhouse but are still not sure whether to buy one, read on for our ‘need to know’ advice.

Millions of gardeners around the world enjoy growing their own veggies, but not fencing a vegetable garden means the local wildlife may enjoy the garden even more than you do. Whether it’s deer, rabbits, groundhogs, or any number of other garden interlopers, learning how to fence a vegetable garden properly can be the difference between an ample harvest and a non-existent one. In this article I’ll cover the most popular vegetable garden fence ideas and share some tips for using them successfully.

Identifying Weeds That Look Like Squash Plants in your garden can be tough due to their striking resemblance to squash in leaf shape, size, and color. Don’t worry! We are here to help you identify them easily!

Choosing the sweetest squash can be a challenge, as there are so many varieties available. You can grow both summer and winter squash, and between them, they encompass over 100 varieties. Many are tasty and satisfying, with flavors ranging from nutty to buttery, but which are the best for sweetness? If your experience of growing squash has only resulted in the occasional slice of zucchini bread or carving of pumpkin, this is your chance to cultivate and harvest some of the most divine varieties available.

Cucamelons (Melothria scabra) are a unique and fascinating fruit also known as ‘Mexican sour gherkins’ or ‘mouse melons’. Despite their name, they’re not a cross between cucumbers and watermelons, but rather a distinct species that belongs in the cucumber family. They are native to Mexico and Central America, where they’ve been cultivated for centuries.

Although beneficial for the ecosystem, sweet bees can be a nuisance for gardeners and outdoor enthusiasts, especially during the warmer months. Fortunately, repelling these tiny, buzzing visitors doesn’t have to involve harsh chemicals or complex strategies. Here’s How to Repel Sweat Bees Naturally!

Lemon Cucumbers, as the name suggests, look like citrus, which makes them quite a unique addition to any garden! Here are all the growing details.

This squash is showing symptoms of a virus. There are numerous viruses that affect cucurbit crops, which may be transmitted in various ways, such as by insects (aphids, whiteflies, cucumber beetles), through seed, or mechanical damage.

Hybrid fruits and vegetables are the result of crossbreeding between two different cultivars. The goal of hybrid vegetable or fruit hybrids is to create a new cultivar or hybrid with the best traits of the parent plants. This means that hybridized vegetables and plants often have many benefits over open-pollinated crops. The list of hybridized crops is lengthy, so we’ve compiled our own list of the top six hybrid plants to try in your garden.

You don’t need much space to grow small cucumbers in your garden, which allows you to savor crispy, fresh cucumbers right from the vine. Check out the Best Mini Cucumber Varieties to grow on a patio or balcony in pots.

Is the lack of space stopping you from growing fruits in your garden? We have compiled a List of Fruits That Grow on Vines and will easily thrive around your yard fences, arbors, or pergolas. Some will even thrive in pots and can be trained on trellises.

Training vegetable plants to grow upward instead of sprawling on the ground enables the best use of limited space. Let’s look at some cool tips on Growing Cucumbers on Trellis!

Nasturtium flowers are loved for their colorful blooms and unique foliage. A valuable asset in both flower and vegetable gardens, nasturtiums are a tried-and-true companion plant. Though many growers first become interested in nasturtium’s edibility, they’re often delighted to find that it may also help to repel many common garden pests. This is believed to be the result of certain aromatic chemicals that are released from the plant throughout the growing season.

Green fruits can have a range of flavors, from sweet and juicy to tart and sour, and are rich in nutrients such as fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants. Here are the Best Green Fruits with Pictures so you can eat and grow a variety of green delicacies.

Growth is vital for healthy people and plants alike. Writing blogs helps me grow as a writer. Some days, the words pour out onto the page in just the right order. On other days, they come in fits and spurts, here, there, and yonder, and it’s all I can do to wrangle them into some semblance of sense. The latter is likely where I learn the most, with an added dose of patience and persistence, all good skills to have for gardening.

Cucumbers are a refreshing and versatile addition to any garden, offering crisp bites and numerous culinary possibilities. While traditional methods of cucumber cultivation are effective, exploring innovative approaches can elevate your cucumber-growing experience to new heights. Here are some Unique Ways to Grow Cucumbers that go beyond the ordinary.

What is this critter that was found? This spiky-looking thing on the underside of a cucumber leaf is a squash beetle larva. This is one of two species in the lady beetle family that feed on vegetable crops.

Muskmelons and cantaloupes are popular fruits for summer desserts and salads. Both have a refreshing flavor and aroma. You can use them interchangeably, though muskmelons and cantaloupes are not the same. Know the difference and clear the muskmelon vs cantaloupe debate once and for all in the article below!

What caused the hole in the side of this cucumber? (Nothing is wrong with the color. This cultivar is called Silver Slicer.) This week’s question is a review from a post Tom Bilbo wrote recently about pickleworms.

These vegetables grow best in warm weather and when the sun is intense. You must give them a place in your summer vegetable garden. If you don’t own a garden and space is limited, grow them in pots in your apartment balcony or patio.

Mrs Green has set herself a new challenge this spring – she’s aiming to grow her own luffa (or loofah) to use as zero waste pan scrubbers. Never one to shy away from new plant experiences, I’m going to join her!

I used to do a lot of seed swapping, attending (and holding) seed swaps, and doing ad hoc swaps with gardening contacts, many of whom I met online. I used to quite enjoy making homemade seed packets, and did some lovely ones from old botanical illustrations. Understandably this faded into the background over the years that I was without a garden and establishing a new one. I’m also trying to be a lot more restrained in my seed acquisitions, since seeds don’t last forever and I have neither unlimited time nor space in which to grow them. Last year I went to a local seed swap only long enough to give them my excess seeds!

I love tendrils, I find them beautiful and utterly fascinating. And occasionally irritating, when they tangle and cling to things they shouldn’t. Anyway, in previous years I have spent a far amount of time looking at tendrils, achocha tendrils in particular, like the one above.

A summer pitcher of Pimms is a recipe for delight.