How do you grow your cukes?

[buckytom]

i have 6 english cucumber plants that still need to get into the ground to finish off my summer garden.

i was wondering how you grow your vines? trellis, or on the ground?

if you trellis, what type?

if on the ground, do you mulch underneath? with what?

tia for any answers. i have to get these puppies planted asap. either today or tomorrow.

 

[Aunt Bea]

Where is Bolas when you need him?

I never planted the english style cukes but, with the others we just planted them and let nature take over.

Peace Out Cub Scout!

 

[sparrowgrass]

I am trellising this year, for the first time. I have a trellis I built for my hardy kiwis, and until they fill it in, I am using part of the space for pole beans and cukes. That doesn't help much, does it?

Usually, I grow cukes on the ground. I mulch with cardboard, and lay straw on top to hold it down. By fall, the cardboard has disintegrated, and I can till it in. Makes for more organic material in the soil--a good thing.

 

[CWS4322]

I grow mine along the fence (that gives the cukes a trellis). I teepee my pole beans (the deer will eat them if I grow them on the fence--at least, those that end up on the other side of the fence).

 

[powerplantop]

In the past I have grown them on the ground with no mulch. Worked fine but I would miss some and they would get huge. My Dad has some growing on a fence this year. That should work a lot better.

 

[GB]

Where is Bolas when you need him?

I never planted the english style cukes but, with the others we just planted them and let nature take over.

Peace Out Cub Scout!

Ditto.

Cukes are one thing I grow that I never have any issue with. I plant them on the ground, usually too close to each other, and just water and weed. I always have more dukes than I can handle.

 

[DaveSoMD]

I'm trying 3 different methods this year, I'm growing some up a 4-sided "tee-pee" trellis, like you see for pole beans; some are growing up a wooden lattice, and some are growing out of the top of some "topsy-turvys" and trailing along the top of the fence.

So far all of them are doing well and producing a lot of cucumbers.

 

[Somebunny]

I have never trellised cukes before, always just let them go on the ground, with no mulch. I planned to trellis this year to conserve space in my small garden. I am using what I think DH called rabbit wire(heavier than chicken wire and lighter than wire) fashioned into cages (like tomato cages).

 

[buckytom]

thanks for your responses, everyone.

somebunny, i know of the rabbit fencing of which you wrote. it comes in various rectangular measurements. 1x3, 2x3, 2x4, etc...

i used to use it to build my parrot cages, after framing them out with 2x4's like a large closet.

it worked for my african grey, but i quickly realized my cockatoo was smart enough to bend it back and forth to break the bars. the shop vac and a window mount fan paid with their lives, along with the latch on a tool box, christmas decorations, buttons or zippers on things, etc, etc,... lol.

getting back on topic: we went to homey depot today, but i'm not spending $16 for 2' x 5' of fancy trellis for cukes.

i'm now looking for rolls of 6' pig fencing, of which i can cut to make teepee trellises as well as heavy duty tomato and pepper cages.

thanks again.

 

[DaveSoMD]

I'm trying 3 different methods this year, I'm growing some up a 4-sided "tee-pee" trellis, like you see for pole beans; some are growing up a wooden lattice, and some are growing out of the top of some "topsy-turvys" and trailing along the top of the fence.

So far all of them are doing well and producing a lot of cucumbers.

Here are some pics of what I was talking about. I hope this helps.

 

[buckytom]

thanks for the pics, dave. i was wondering exactly what shape trellis you meant.

is the triangular trellis a sort of "a" frame? do the angular verticals have horizontal cross members?

i still haven't gotten my cukes in the ground. we went to home depot but i wasn't about to spend $30 for a couple of fancy wooden trellis' just for cucumbers. i was planning on building some sort of leaning thing up against a shed that borders one side of the garden.

 

[DaveSoMD]

bt,

Yep, sort of an a-frame / tee-pee. I used four 6-foot tomato stakes, one in each corner of the pot, put them in at an angle and then tied the tops together with some sisal twine. There are no cross pieces. If you were going to go taller you might want to add some in, but if they are too tall you won't be able to reach the top.

I did secure the vines as they grew. I found this green, stretchy plastic-like tomato tie at Lowe's that I use to tie up all my plants.

If you want to lean them up against your shed, you could get that lattice board they sell (like in my pictures) and secure 2x2 to the sides and lean that against your shed. Just be sure you leave enough room for good air movement underneath and so you can reach under to pick any that grow below.

 

[letscook]

I am trying something new instead in the ground I have cukes zucchnni and yellow squash in pots and hanging them . I have 3 plants in each pot and so far doing great. no weeding necessary. love that!