Crunchy, juicy, thirst-quenching and delicious, it is indeed the fruit – eaten like a vegetable – par excellence! It is eaten in salads, as a dip and also used in marinades.

Cucumbers can also be used to prepare dressings, soups, mousse verrines, vinaigrettes, smoothies, lemonades, tartares, sauces and much more. In many salmon recipes it is the ideal ingredient to enhance the flavor.

But if you were asked if you were growing cucumbers properly, what would you say?

Surely you would say yes, right? In fact, and maybe you don’t know, there is a way to grow it that will give you more garden space so you can grow even more vegetables…or cucumbers!

In this article you will also find an easy way to grow cucumbers in pots, ideal for the balcony, as well as a video on how to prune your cucumber plants for the best harvest!

Here’s how to grow cucumbers correctly:

1. First, be patient and don’t plant your cucumbers on the first day of nice weather.

– Remember that cucumbers cannot tolerate the cold. Therefore, wait until the frost period has completely passed before you start planting.
– When the time comes, choose a very sunny location.
– To save space in the garden and grow cucumbers properly, you need to do it vertically.

– Therefore, a trellis is THE preferred solution, regardless of the size of your garden.
– If you choose this method, the plant can grow taller.
– With a trellis, a cucumber plant can reach a height of up to 6 meters!
– Here is a first example of a wire mesh trellis suitable for large gardens:

2. If you decide to grow vertically using a trellis, you must not forget the most important thing: stability.

– Think about it: A cucumber plant produces multiple fruits and when it is ripe, this plant becomes very heavy.
– Make sure your trellis is well anchored to the ground and can support a good load.
– Here is a second example of a sturdy trellis that is perfect for growing cucumbers in a smaller space.

Note the brick that ensures the trellis stays straight and stable:

Imagine: garypilarchiktherustedgarden

3. Good news: Even if you only have a small city balcony, you can grow cucumbers vertically… in pots!

– Sure, as long as the screws stick to something.
– This is how you prepare the pickle jar. First use a large pot that you fill with garden soil:

Next, insert two large sticks into the bottom of the pot. Make sure these posts are straight, stable and strong.

4. Now wrap the sticks with jute or sisal rope or linen twine to form a trellis.

This rope holder allows the screws to be attached.

Continue to the top of the posts and carefully tie the string together.

5. If you wish, you can also choose to grow from seeds with this type of pot. Remember to leave enough space between them depending on the size of your pot.

Tip: Follow the guidelines on your seed packet closely for the minimum distance required. And somehow watch the growth and help your plants hold on to the string until they can do it themselves.

6. When it comes to vertical farming, along with support, irrigation is also important. To keep your cucumbers delicious, make sure they are well watered. You will be proud of your harvest!

How should cucumbers be watered vertically?

– Once or twice a week, or more often in very dry weather.
– Water the feet without wetting the foliage to prevent powdery mildew, a fungus that takes the form of nasty mold.
– In addition to mulch, there is another tip to keep the soil as moist as possible: create a mound of soil before burying your cucumber plants. This way the plants don’t drown when watering and the soil always stays moist.

7. Periodically, if not daily, lift the leaves off the cucumbers to check for anything growing underneath. If this is the case, clean it by pushing the leaf away so it gets as much sun as possible.

8. Also, don’t neglect pruning cucumber plants if you want to stay in control. That’s because they love to spread these fascinating plants! Here are some tips on how to properly prune cucumbers.

– First of all, it is necessary to regularly eliminate the desire for sweets.
– It is also necessary to cut off the leaves (they can be pinched) that are attached to the main stem and which, if left to grow without intervention, will form a runner.

Photos: aupotageravecpatou

9. If your plants tend to overgrow the trellis they are hanging from, you also need to control their growth.

Don’t want your cucumber plants to grow endlessly and fall over everywhere? To show the plant that it needs to stop growing, simply cut off the top. This way, your plants will stay strong and produce nice, big cucumbers!

10. Did you know? Like cucumbers, pumpkins can be planted vertically using trellises.

Font: diyeeverywhere – Northcountryfarmer

11. Finally, check out this video from a gardener who will show you how to properly vertically prune your cucumbers for a beautiful, bountiful harvest!