Episode Details

Today’s newsletter podcast (above) features Master Gardener/Vegetable Expert Gail Pothour, discussing her favorite cucumber varieties, as well as tips and tricks for their success. Originally featured in Episode 263 of the Garden Basics with Farmer Fred podcast, in which we talked about the Top 5 favorite homegrown vegetables, according to the National Gardening Association. According to the NGA, cucumbers are the second most popular crop for home gardeners. Number One? Tomatoes, of course. A transcript of our conversation with Gail about cucumbers can be found towards the bottom of this newsletter. Meanwhile…

Tackling Summer Cucumber Issues

Last week we tackled the topic of poor pollination of summer squash plants. The lack of late spring zucchini fruit production is usually due to uncooperative weather, a lack of bee activity, or erratic coordination of the development of the male and female flowers of those vines. This week, we turn our attention to a close relative of summer squash, cucumbers. Cucumbers are the second most popular homegrown vegetable (after tomatoes), according to the National Gardening Association. And sure enough, many gardeners are fretting now about these summertime princes of the pickling world.

We asked our favorite retired college horticulture professor, Sacramento-based Debbie Flower, about the primary needs for growing cucumbers successfully. She says freshness, warmth and water are at the top of the list.

“The soil needs to be moist, not wet, but moist, all the time,” explains Flower. “Cucumbers are a warm season plant, a warm season annual. They need soil temperatures to be quite warm when you seed them. And you typically want to direct seed them, not start them from transplants ahead of time. They get root bound while in a container, it dwarfs them. They will never grow very big. If you do that once in your gardening life, you’ll remember it. It's such a disappointment.

“I just tried my second time planting my cucumber seeds. I had planted some old seeds a few weeks ago and that might have been my problem. In general, you don't want to keep cucumber seeds more than two years. And these were two-year-old seeds. Even though I stored them correctly, in the refrigerator over those two years, they just didn't germinate. So yesterday I planted fresh seed. I would advise starting with fresh seed, plant them directly into the garden when your night temperatures have settled at 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit or greater. They need six to eight hours of sun, that's considered full sun. They need well drained, fertile soil and regular moisture.”

Cucumbers are natural climbers and are less prone to rot issues and diseases when grown vertically. Training them up one or two heavy-duty, 6-gauge metal livestock panels to support the cucumbers eases harvesting chores.

Cucumbers can also be grown in large containers, 18-24” deep. According to the Santa Clara County Master Gardeners: 18" to 24" deep containers (such as half-barrels or livestock watering troughs) can be used for deep-rooted vegetables such as tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, winter