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General tips for my cucumber growing?

Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
in Fruit & veg
Hi all,

So this year along with some other new fruit/veg (Beetroot, Strawberries), we're giving Cucumbers a go and they seem to be thriving. I've read a guide on RHS which says to pinch out any sideshoots but I'm clueless as to what I'm looking for.

I've posted some pictures up and wondering if you could give any tips, and also any general tips on how they're growing? When I planted the seeds it said that they should be 30cm or so apart - are they now too close and starving each other?




Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks!

Andrew
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Posts

  • VegplotmummyVegplotmummy Posts: 96
    They need good support and you can feed them tomato food to help them. What variety are they? mine is an all female flowering plant. If you have a variety with male flowers you need to take them off. 
    Mine are massive and already had half a dozen cucumbers from them. 
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 11,340
    I don't grow them outdoors, but I'm pretty sure it's 1 plant per square metre when they are grown outdoors. They become huge plants.
    Depending on the variety - some should have male flowers left on, some should have them removed.
    I'm sure advice from an outdoor grower will be along soon, but if you can let us know the variety your growing, it will be a big help

    Billericay - Essex

    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • paul_in_surreypaul_in_surrey Posts: 239
    I grew La Diva cucumbers outdoors last year and am trying Marketmore this year. I just let them trail along the ground and they were fine (good weed suppressant). As the others have said they grow pretty big, so you may find your bed fills up really quickly.

    The general guidance I believe is that once the main stem has eight set of leaves on it you should pinch the tip out. This will force the plant to put out side shoots, which is where the cucumbers will grow. I read somewhere that once the fruit starts growing you should pinch that stem off 2 leaves further on from the fruit so it puts all the energy into the fruit. To be honest by that stage mine had become such a jumble of stems I didn't bother with all that. We got many more cucumbers from the plants than we expected, and people will say you should pick them before they get too large, as ridge varieties can get a tough peel. So, for us it was a matter of keeping up.

    Learn as you go - that's the best way. Good luck.
    “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    Thanks for the tips! I've got Marketmore 76 Cucumbers. They seem to be taking a while to grow up but they have certainly improved so maybe it's just taking a while to get going. I've tried some tomato feed but wasn't too sure about how much to put on so I'll try a proper "dose" next time which should be in the next day or so.

    Thanks for the help regarding pinching out; I'm never sure what the RHS website means with its instructions!!
  • herbaceousherbaceous Posts: 2,318
    I grow Marketmore 76 as well Shoxt3r and unless you are catering for dozens you might find you could thin them down to two or three plants. I am trying a variety called Passandra this year as Marketmore do have thick skins and get BIG so need hefty support (unless you let them trail as suggested), Passandra are a smaller, thinner skinned variety so I'll let you know how they taste.

    I pinch mine out when they reach the greenhouse roof! No need to worry about flowers with Marketmore either, just let them do their own thing.
    "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it."  Sir Terry Pratchett
  • paul_in_surreypaul_in_surrey Posts: 239
    Yes, I find that cucumbers take a little while thinking about things before they get going, but once they do they grow very quickly. Generally, you would use tomato feed once the fruit start growing, before that you want the big leaves to grow to power the growth. It won't do any harm though. Also remember they're very thirsty plants, so plenty of water, and I use the trick they show on Beechgrove to dig in a plant pot next to the plant and water into that so that the water gets to the roots.
    “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    Ah that's a great idea about the plant pot. I usually give them a good soaking from the top but the pot idea is the perfect way to get it right under ground too, thanks!
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    One question, would it be worth thinning them out due to them being in close proximity or do you think they'll sort themselves out?
  • paul_in_surreypaul_in_surrey Posts: 239
    Yes, particularly if you're not growing them up supports. There's some useful info here:


    Particularly they say each plant can grow up to 2 feet square, though I think that's a bit of an under-estimate, and that 3 or 4 plants can feed a family of 5.

    “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill
  • Shoxt3rShoxt3r Posts: 196
    Thanks Paul - probably best I cut down my 14-15 plants to around 4-5 maximum then since there's only 2 of us! I usually get through a cucumber in about 2-3 days though as I've taken to taking salad into work as a healthy snack haha.
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