Don't Make The Mistake Of Planting Your Cucumbers In The Wrong Spot

When you're surveying your garden plot, looking for the perfect spot to plant your cucumbers, you will want to look for a few things. A sunny area with fertile, well-drained soil is the best place to begin. Then make sure it is far from potatoes, melons, and some fragrant herbs to get the best results. Space is also a consideration, as we strongly recommend building a support system to keep your vining cucumbers off the ground.

Keep in mind that if you aren't planning on building a trellis, they will need 36 to 60 inches of space. Amend the soil with compost to give these vigorous growers a good start. There are plenty of mistakes people make when planting cucumbers, but underestimating how quickly and big they grow is chief among them. If you leave your cucumbers to their own devices, they will start climbing whatever is nearby (we speak from personal experience).

Can you leave your cucumber vines to wind their way over the soil and around whatever crosses their path? Yes, but you may find your tomato cages or garden fence covered in cucumber vines. So, when planting time comes, be sure to give cucumbers enough room to spread, or build them a support structure. When you trellis cucumbers, you can plant them as close as 12 inches apart. If you can find them, there are also bush varieties of cucumbers you can invest in.

Not only will a support structure save you garden space, but it will be easier to find the base of the plant when it's time to water. Given that these plants are susceptible to powdery mildew, making it easy to avoid inadvertently wetting the leaves is a smart preventative step. The fruits of your labor will also be cleaner and easier to find and pick when harvest time comes. Additionally, while the evidence may be anecdotal, gardeners think growing them this way results in more cukes and better-looking fruit that are more uniform in color and straighter. So, if you don't want your cucumbers to end up in the "ugly" bin, consider building one of these 11 DIY trellis ideas.

Gardeners know that giving your plants healthy soil and the right amount of sun are the foundations of any healthy harvest. They also know that the companions your veggies share space with can make or break their success. In the case of cucumbers, you will want to keep them far away from potatoes, which share similar blight issues and will compete for water. When you group plants that share similar pests or diseases, you can increase your chances of having a problem with those issues. For similar reasons, you will also want to plant melons in a different part of the garden.

It's not just other fruits and veggies that can pose potential problem for cucumbers. Sage and basil should also be planted far from your cucumbers. The scent can compete with the cucumber flowers, and ultimately inhibit growth or even impact the taste of the cucumber. Instead, consider planting nasturtiums nearby, which distract cucumbers' common pests. Or choose from one of the other expert recommended companion plants for cucumbers. If you follow these rules and give your cucumbers the water and fertilizer they need to succeed, there's no reason you should not have a healthy harvest at the end of the growing season.