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Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

A fast vining crop grown for crisp fruit to slice fresh or pickle. Slicing, pickling and Asian long types all grow well; in Florida they do best in spring and fall, before mildew and pests build up.

Growing facts

Scientific name
Cucumis sativus
Origin
South Asia (India)
Plant size
4–6 ft vines; grow on a trellis to save space and keep fruit straight
Growth rate
Fast
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Rich, well-drained soil; steady moisture to avoid bitterness
Soil pH
6.0–7.0
Pollination
Bees carry pollen from male to female flowers; poorly shaped fruit means too few bees. Parthenocarpic types set fruit without pollination.
Cold hardiness
Killed by frost; needs warm soil (above 60°F) to sprout
USDA zones
Grown as a warm-season annual in all zones
Harvest
50–65 days from seed
When to plant (zones 9–11)
Feb, Mar, Apr, Aug, Sep
When to plant (zones 5–8)
May–Jul
Water
About every 2 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Feeding
About every 21 days
Taste
Cool, crisp and mild
Nutrition
Mostly water, with a little vitamin K

Is cucumber safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Fruit, raw or pickled

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: Don't eat cucumbers that taste very bitter. Bitterness comes from cucurbitacins, which can cause cramps and diarrhea. Stress-related bitterness is usually only at the stem end; cut that off, and toss the fruit if it's still bitter.
  • Good to know: Some people with ragweed pollen allergy get an itchy mouth from raw cucumber.

Pets: Cucumber flesh is a safe, low-calorie treat for dogs and cats in small pieces.

How to eat and enjoy cucumber

  • Raw in salads, sandwiches and with dips
  • Tzatziki and raita
  • Dill pickles, bread-and-butter pickles and quick refrigerator pickles
  • Smashed cucumber salad (China)

When it's ripe

Pick young and firm, before the skin yellows and the seeds harden; most slicers at 6–8 in, picklers at 2–4 in. Pick every day or two, or the vine slows down.

Storing it

Refrigerate in the crisper for up to a week, wrapped to keep moisture in. Below about 40°F they turn watery and pitted.

Cucumber varieties (7)

  • Boston Pickling

    An old heirloom pickling cucumber with bumpy skin.

    Size: 3–6 in

    Very productive.

  • Diva

    A seedless, thin-skinned hybrid that sets fruit without pollination.

    Taste: Sweet, crisp · Size: 6–7 in

    Good in screened areas or where bees are scarce.

  • Lemon · also Lemon cucumber

    A round, pale-yellow heirloom cucumber the size of a lemon.

    Taste: Mild, sweet · Size: Small, round

    Pick when pale yellow, before it turns golden and seedy.

  • Marketmore 76 · also Marketmore

    A dependable dark-green slicer with good disease resistance.

    Size: 8 in

    Resists several mildews and cucumber mosaic virus.

  • Poinsett 76 · also Poinsett

    A slicer selected for the hot, humid South.

    Size: 7–8 in

    Tolerates mildews and heat better than many; a Florida favorite.

  • Straight Eight

    An old open-pollinated slicer with straight, smooth fruit.

    Size: 8 in

  • Suyo Long

    A long, ribbed Asian cucumber with thin skin and few seeds.

    Origin: China · Taste: Sweet, never bitter · Size: 12–15 in

    Handles heat; grow on a trellis for straight fruit.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing cucumbers? Let Gardyn keep track.

Gardyn tells you when your cucumber needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.