Collection: Cucumber Plants

Cucumber plants can be planted outside from late spring onwards, when the last frost date has passed - usually by the third week of May.

The best soil for cucumbers is fertile and well drained with plenty of nutrients from organic matter such as compost or manure, and slightly acidic to neutral.

Cucumbers need full sun for the flowers and fruit to develop, so they should be planted somewhere where they’ll get around six to eight hours of direct sunlight daily.

Water your cucumbers regularly so that the soil is always moist but never waterlogged, as this can cause root rot. Pay particular attention to plants in pots and water more often during hot or dry weather.

Cucumber plants do need to be supported. They’re usually grown vertically and supported by tying them in to a trellis or stakes, but they can also be grown on the ground, in which case you’ll need to make sure the developing fruits are kept off the ground by using pieces of wood or bricks.

Cucumber plants need a lot of feeding. Start them off with some general purpose fertiliser and a mulch of compost or manure when you first plant them, then feed them every two weeks with a high potassium food such as tomato feed once the flowers appear.

You’ll be able to start picking your cucumbers after about eight to twelve weeks, but this depends on the variety. You can pick them at any size, but don’t leave it too long as they’ll lose their crispness if they stay on the plant too long. Regular harvesting will also encourage the plant to produce more cucumbers. There’s even more advice from our growers in our cucumber grow guide.