General Growing Advice
You will receive 1 x 7cm Potted cucumber plant that is in a recyclable taupe plastic pot where no extra potting on is needed. You just plant these straight into a grow bag, 10Ltr pot or straight into the greenhouse and watch them grow and produce delicious fruit. Add a slow release plant food like Miracle-Gro Slow Release All Purpose Plant Food to your compost which will give extra nutrients for strong and healthy plant growth.
Keep plants frost free until mid/late May and then harden off before being placed in their final positions when the risk of frost has passed in your area.
Water as necessary giving a liquid feed such as Neudorff Organic Plant Feed as instructed throughout the growing season.
Cucumber Specific Advice
Cucumbers are notoriously difficult to cultivate from seed. With our professionally grown plug plants you’ll be able to easily grow your own fresh, crisp cucumbers.
Greenhouse cucumbers are parthenocarpic, that is they produce fruit without fertilization of the flowers. We supply Carmen which is an all female F1 variety which has disease resistance and tastes great!
Just as with tomato plants, you can grow cucumbers up canes in a grow bag. Make sure they get enough compost for their roots by using grow pots in the grow bag or big pots (about 9”) with the bases cut away and planted into the bag. This makes them easier to water and feed and you’ll get healthy growth from your cucumber plants if you can keep them constantly watered and feed when the first fruits start to appear.
Plant Care
Watering and feeding should be carried out on a ‘little and often’ basis according to the requirement of the crop. However do avoid letting the plants run dry. This doesn’t mean you can drown your plants once a week and leave your plants standing in water and think you’ve down a good job! What you’ll need to do is ensure the soil your plants are growing in remains moist but not water-logged at all times – don’t water the plants rather water the soil or compost surrounding the plants – this will encourage the shallow roots to grow strongly. If possible, try to maintain the green house temperature around16oC, and avoid cold draughts as cucumbers are susceptible. Apply coolglass to protect the fruit from the glare of the midsummer sun.
Pests and diseases to look out for:
A whole host of pests and diseases can attack Cucumbers under glass, but not many are likely to trouble you. Whitefly, aphid and red spider mite will usually appear, and so will powdery mildew if the compost is dry and the air is moist. Keeping the compost too wet leads to root rot or botrytis. Monitor the pest population in the greenhouse using sticky traps.
Harvesting
Cut (do not pull) when the fruit has reached a reasonable size and the sides are parallel. Use secateurs or a sharp knife. Pick regularly – cropping will cease if you allow the fruit to mature and turn yellow on the plant.
