Grow Cucumbers in 3 simple steps

Cucumbers are easy to grow as long as you provide warmth, sunlight, and consistent moisture, but the tender veggies don’t tolerate frost. If you want to lengthen the growing season, start cucumbers indoors, then move them to your garden, or plant them in containers when you’re sure spring has sprung.

Read on for simple steps. 

1. Planting Cucumber Seeds Indoors

Cucumber seeds can be planted in nearly any container with a drainage hole, but 7.5 to 10 cm peat pots work well and are easy to transplant without damaging the roots. Put the peat pots in seed-starting trays to catch excess water.

Fill the pots with good quality commercial potting mix. Water the potting mix well, then set it aside to drain until it is evenly moist but not dripping wet. 

Push two or three cucumber seeds into each peat pot, then cover them with about 2.5 cm of potting mix.

2. Germinating Cucumber Seeds

At this point, your cucumber seeds need warmth to germinate. Place the tray on top of your refrigerator or other warm appliance, then cover the tray with clear plastic to retain heat and moisture. If you’re planting a lot of seeds, you may want to invest in an inexpensive warming mat. 

Check the peat pots every day and mist the potting mix if it feels dry. Cucumber seeds won’t germinate without consistent moisture but be careful not to overwater; seedlings will rot and die in excessively wet soil.

Once the seeds germinate, they need light. Remove the plastic and place the trays under a couple of fluorescent bulbs. Expensive grow lights aren’t necessary, but light from a window generally isn’t bright enough.

3. Final Steps

When the cucumber seedlings are about 3 cm tall, use a pair of scissors to snip off the weakest seedlings, leaving one strong seedling in each pot.

Your seedlings are ready to transplant to a sunny spot in your garden, or to a container on your patio, when they’re about 5 cm tall. Don’t move them outdoors until you’re positive all danger of frost has passed.