Cucumbers are a popular vegetable to grow at home and they are also relatively easy to grow but they do take a while to get going. They can produce masses of fruit in a good year and a really worth growing at home in your own garden, however, if you haven’t grown them before you may be wondering do cucumber seeds need light to germinate.
Cucumber seeds do not need light to germinate and generally, most gardeners will plant the seeds at a depth of approximately half an inch which is sufficient to exclude any like from hitting the seeds. However, it is also possible to get the seeds to germinate on the surface of the soil but this is generally not recommended because it can dry out very quickly reducing the rate of germination.
Typically, once a cucumber seed is planted into the soil it will take approximately 7 to 14 days to appear though this can vary depending upon the specific variety of cucumber that is available for growing and also the climatic conditions. Once germinated they usually need to spend a further 4 to 5 weeks in the seed tray until they reached the point at which they are large enough to put out into the garden.
Cucumber plants are frost sensitive which means that the earliest that you can plant the seeds is approximately 6 weeks prior to the last frost. In these circumstances, it is best to plant cucumbers in seed trays rather than outside in the garden as it is too cold.
Can You Grow Cucumbers For The Seeds Of Store Brought Fruits?
Theoretically, it is possible to grow cucumber seeds from store-bought fruits, however, it is not generally recommended because most plants are produced using hybrid seeds. The disadvantage of hybrid seeds is that they generally will not produce the same type of fruit as what the seed came from and therefore cannot 100% be relied upon.
You are far better off purchasing seeds from a garden center as you can make 100% sure that you get a good result for your effort to minimize the amount that you spend on seeds it is best to select an open-pollinated or heirloom variety cucumber because that will allow you to collect the seeds for the following year.
If you are going to purchase seeds the place we recommend is seeds now because it specializes in heirloom variety seeds and has a wide range of varieties at a very reasonable cost. To check out their range click on the link below.
Grow Your Own Food At Home
Where Should Cucumber Seedlings Be Planted?
Cucumber seedlings should ideally be planted in a location that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sun per day as this will ensure that it maximizes the fruit production from the plants. In addition to this, the cucumber seedlings should be planted in soil that is rich, moist, and free-draining with plenty of nutrients. If your soil is lacking nutrients you can add additional bags of compost prior to planting which will certainly help the plant to get going.
Cucumber plants produce a trailing vine that can be grown along the ground or on a trellis depending upon the space that you have available. Growing them on a trellis can be highly advantageous in the mid-summer as it can be used to shade out plants such as lettuce which has a high tendency to bolt quickly.
How To Look After Cucumbers
Cucumbers are relatively easy to grow and do not require a lot of maintenance once you put them into the ground and mulch them thoroughly. However, due to the nature of the fruit, it is important to ensure that you water the plants regularly and consistently to ensure that the plants have adequate moisture and that the fruit develops properly.
Inconsistent watering will result in cucumbers that are relatively bitter and inedible so they should be watered at least once a week and more frequently if the weather starts to really warm up. Additionally, in extreme heat, it is also a good idea to shade the cucumbers because the fruit can become burnt in some cases. Shading them also helps with moisture retention turn on proving the quality of the fruit.
When Is The Best Time To Harvest Cucumbers?
Cucumbers can be harvested at any stage throughout the season once they reach a reasonable size. For most people, this is typically when the fruit has reached a length of at least 4 inches but this is entirely optional.
The key thing to remember with cucumbers is that unlike many other fruits they will not show any signs they are ready to harvest until they are already over ripe. If the cucumbers showed any signs of any color changes they are already at the stage where I need to be picked and possibly thrown out depending upon the taste.
Over ripe cucumbers will begin to turn yellow and become bitter, so if you are going to take a chance on using a cucumber it is best to try a little bit of it before you actually put it into a dish to ensure that it is still of reasonable quality. You will also find that cucumbers that are over-ripe will also produce increasingly large seeds which can become tough, so if you are going to use an older cucumber it is best to remove the seeds before eating it.
I hope you have great success growing cucumbers in your garden at home if you have any additional comments or questions please leave them in the section below.
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