Growing Cucumber

Cucumbers are tender climbing or scrambling plants, for growing in a greenhouse, cold frames are glaze box-like structures made from brick or wood with a  hinged or removable, glazed, sloping lid. Useful to protect plants from cold weather over winter or acclimatise (harden off) young plants in spring and provide extra warmth for tender crops in summer.

Cucumbers are easy to grow from seed indoors, or can be bought as young plants or grafted plants in spring or early summer. Make sure you select a variety suitable for your growing location – a greenhouse or an outdoor type. Greenhouse varieties crop for a longer season, from mid-summer through to early autumn. Outdoor varieties are weather dependent, starting to fruit later and finishing earlier, but should still produce a good crop in warm conditions.

If you grow cucumbers up supports, such as bamboo canes or trellis, they take up little ground space, so are ideal in compact gardens, patio containers or small greenhouses.

RHS