This a hybrid version of cucumbers. It has so many benefits like vertically grown plants are less prone to diseases. When you’re ready to plant your well-timed cucumber seedlings into their prepared outdoor containers, carefully slip them from their pots and tuck them into the potting mix without disturbing the rootball. They don’t need to have a bottom draining hole. Your container should big enough so that it can hold the 5 to 7 gallons of potting mix. Choose a compact variety. Spacemaster – This popular cucumber starts pumping out six to eight inch long fruits less than two months from seeding. The yellow and black cucumber beetles have big appetites and move quickly — but you can spray them with neem oil (or vacuum them) and destroy the orange eggs they lay on the underside of leaves. Growing Cucumbers in Pots. You will have more than enough cucumbers at the time of harvest. Plant them 14 days after the last spring frost when the soil temperature goes up to 15 Degrees C. You can start germinating seeds inside your home before the time. Too early indoor starting can trigger the flowering stage before the right time. You don’t need a big garden to grow cucumbers. It also makes it easier to harvest the fruits. Cucumbers are easy to grow and generally don't have many problems—but there are a few things to watch for: Powdery mildew looks like white powder sprinkled on the leaf surfaces. Several varieties are listed below. Give them water but not like you give water to your mature plants, just mist the water to keep the soil moist and it has to be moist until the seeds get germinated. Cucumbers have many uses in the kitchen. Cucumbers need large pots with plenty of soil, so they can develop extensive root systems to support vigorous growth and abundant crops. In urban areas where there are few bees, choose varieties that are parthenocarpic, which means they set fruit without pollination. Also delicious in salads. In addition, growing in containers is a great way to give cucumbers the extra heat they love and control moisture and fertility. Plants with a good strong rooting system always grow healthy and produce more healthy fruits. Plus the cucumbers of long-fruited types, like English or Asian varieties grow straighter. Planting Cucumbers in pots is extremely easy and productive. They are perfect for pots, cascading over the side of a container or hanging basket, or you can support them with a tomato cage. Because bush type does not grow large. It’s very early to produce and the fruits are great for fresh eating or making into pickles. Comments (1). Below is the cucumber caring tips, follow them to get more cucumbers per plant. Their thin skin makes them good for pickles and fresh eating. Give cucumber plants plenty of sunshine, water, and fertilizers. Poona Kheera: Unusual variety from India has 4"5" fruit with golden skin and a juicy, crisp texture. Although cucumbers have sprawling vines, you can grow them in containers. . Don’t allow over-ripe fruits to remain on the plant. Pop up covers can also help extend the season. For an instant container garden, plant cucumbers in a large rubbermaid container. 8 to 10 feet long. If you want to start your cucumber seeds indoors, be sure to sow them at the right time, which is just three to four weeks before you intend to move them to their pots. Once they turn bright yellow, they’re overmature and seedy. Bush cucumber varieties do not grow large. When you feel your pot is small for growing seedlings take out them one by one and transplant them into a suitable place. In the case of cucumbers, you need a container with at least one draining hole. To check moisture, you don’t need to buy any device. They can grab the tomato cage for support. Cucumbers are members of the cucurbitaceae family, which includes summer squash, winter squash, gourds and melons. Water well. Like their relatives, cucumbers are heavy feeders—they require warmth, fertile soil and consistent moisture. Self-watering planters are especially good for cucumbers because they provide some insurance against drying out. Managing these pests also helps prevent diseases, because insects are often carriers of disease. The vines can grow eight feet long and produce dozens of cucumbers per plant. For that reason, they are frequently direct sown in containers as well as garden beds. It is good to grow more plants in a single growing place. This is a great variety for pots as well as hanging baskets as the plants grow only two to three feet long. No cucumber trellis is required to grow bush type cucumber plants. Picolino: Most of the people like to eat fresh cucumbers and these are the best for that purpose. squash bugs are the most common pests of cucurbits. For optimal flavor, harvest when the fruits are five to seven inches long. One-inch square mesh nets are not useful in growing cucumbers in pots. Note: If you never grow cucumbers in your life but want to grow them now, start from the bush type varieties. Paraiso F1: A slicer with 8"-10" fruit. Many heirlooms are prolific and offer a large harvest of crispy fruits, but newer hybrids often have better disease resistance. Cucumbers need a high amount of fertilizers but not at once. Larger containers are able to house more plants or larger types of cucumbers. Moreover, this size is good for the expansion of roots and big containers hold a large amount of water which is required for growing cucumber plants at home. Sophia Bielenberg is an avid gardener and has worked at organic farms and nurseries for over a decade. In outdoor cucumber gardening growing them vertically with support use, less area, and your outdoor garden look tidier. You’ll also need to provide a trellis or other support for the vigorous plants unless you want them wandering all over your deck or patio. Picking the right container to grow cucumbers is the first step to a successful harvest. They need to be watered more often than plastic pots, but hold heat well and air prune the roots resulting in a dense root system. in length while the pickling types are shorter, reaching around 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 cm.) tomato cage can serve as a trellis. Also, fabric pots are easy to use and you can use them for many years to grow a different type of plant. If you do so your plants will die and those survive cannot produce fruit to their full potential. Cucumbers are lovers of water and do best in plastic or ceramic containers because the material retains moisture. Harvest when the cucumbers are three to five inches long. Use Cucumber seeds can be direct sown after the last spring frost and when the soil has warmed to at least 60 F (15 C). Plus, cucumbers grown in. Mix 1 teaspoon baking soda with 1 drop of dish soap and 1 quart of water and spray on the plants—it raises the pH of leaf surfaces, making them less attractive to spores. Check the soil moisture every morning. This will not affect your growing tomatoes in any way. If wet, don't water again until the soil feels dry on top and remains slightly moist below the surface. When to harvest: Not before 5 inches in size. Or, they can be given a 3-4 week head start indoors. When plants grow up they acquire less space and you have the more free area to grow some other plants. Although cucumbers have sprawling vines, you can grow them in containers. Cucumbers are best when harvested slightly immature. It usually happens when conditions are humid and when the plants are stressed; providing good air circulation helps prevent it. The fruits have small black spines and a crisp, lightly sweet flavor. Types of Cucumbers. The crop climbs high, conserving space and harvesting is a breeze. Female flowers (which have a slight bulge at their base) will start to appear soon after. In sunny, windy or hot urban areas, plants in containers tend to dry out quickly, but there are simple ways to keep your plants from getting thirsty: Use a large container. If you start too early your plants will not tolerate the cold. Parthenocarpic, with fruit maturing in 50 days. They’re also parthenocarpic which means they don’t need to be pollinated to produce a crop. Do not use ordinary garden soil, which does not drain well when used in a container. For shorter growing bush cucumbers, I use tomato cages. Your browser's Javascript functionality is turned off. There are many benefits to growing cucumbers vertically, even in containers. The vines of cucumber plants spread out over a large area of the ground when planted outdoors, but you can plant varieties of cucumbers indoors that are well suited to flourish in containers, and that have been bred to grow and produce fruit without pollination. Add good quality slow-releasing fertilizer to the mixture before planting the cucumbers in the final pot. It takes 50 to 70 days to grow cucumbers from seed to harvest. I feature many of them in my award-winning book, Veggie Garden Remix, but basically, cucumber varieties fall into two main categories: bush or vining. Ideal for containers. Plus, cucumbers grown in pots typically have fewer issues with pests and diseases so planting in containers can actually reduce potential problems. Please turn it on so that you can experience the full capabilities of this site. Planting inside too early results in overgrown plants that may try to flower and fruit while still indoors. Are you ready to learn how to grow cucumbers in a container garden? The fruits are smooth and deep green and best harvested when four to five inches long. Squash bugs are large, brown shield-shaped bugs, but they're quite slow-moving, making them easy to pick off and drop into a container of soapy water. If you notice that the first group of flowers that appears simply drops off and doesn't produce fruit, be patient—the first flowers of the season are often males. Feed your plants regularly. If your container doesn’t have it, make it by using a drill. Nutrients/Fertilizers: Growing cucumbers in pots need a good amount of fertilizers to grow bigger. I also add slow release organic fertilizer to the soil mix before I plant. Diva:  An All-America selection winner 5 to 7 inches long in size with no seeds at all. This is especially useful if you’re growing the plants in pots in a greenhouse or polytunnel. Your email address will not be published. They are easy to grow and the vine goes up to 10 feet long and gives a good amount of fruit. Bush type cucumbers can be planted at the front of large pots and planters that also contain tomatoes, herbs, and other plants. Picolino F1: A European slicer with sweet flavor, thin skin and crispy texture.