Growing Cucumbers in a Greenhouse

1. Growing Cucumbers in a Greenhouse QUICKSTART GUIDE 2. Planting Cucumbers in a Greenhouse How and when to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse 3. Picking and Preserving Cucumbers How and when to harvest and preserve cucumbers 4. Cucumber Growing Tips Some tips to help you grow greenhouse cucumbers 5. Cucumber Pests, Problems and Diseases Help is at hand for troublesome greenhouse cucumbers

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse is reasonably easy. They do require frequent watering, and a support to climb up, but are absolutely worth the effort. They are very productive plants and most families will only need a few plants. Home grown cucumbers have a vastly superior flavour and texture to any shop bought cucumbers and are well worth the effort. You can also grow cucumbers outdoors, but those grown in the greenhouse will produce cucumbers earlier and for longer.

How to Grow Greenhouse Cucumbers QUICKSTART GUIDE

Sow in 8cm (3in) pots April to May Transplant into larger pots, grow bags or directly in the soil May to June Provide support Water little and often do not allow cucumbers to dry out or to become waterlogged

Pinch out growing tips when they reach top of supports to encourage bushy growth Cucumbers are ready for picking about 3 months after sowing and will continue cropping until the end of September Cut the cucumbers when they are about 15 to 20cm (6 to 8in) long and still green

Greenhouse Cucumber Varieties

Carmen- excellent yields, bitter-free fruit, excellent disease resistance, ideal for organic gardeners. Weve grown this many times and have been seriously impressed. Swing very good yields, long dark green fruit, very good slicing cucumber, excellent disease resistance Baribal early maturing, heavy yields, short dark green fruit Prima Top fairly compact, good disease resistance, long bitter-free fruits, RHS Award of Garden Merit Picolino mini cucumbers, juicy and crisp, good disease resisitance

Planting Cucumbers in a Greenhouse

Growing cucumbers in a greenhouse starts off with sowing the seeds, 2cm (in) deep, in 8cm (3in) pots around April or May time. Keep the pots indoors (or in a heated greenhouse) until all risk of frost has passed (ie. the very low temperatures are over). Starting them off in pots and planting out when they are small plants, helps to protect them from slug and snail damage. When you plant them out, make sure you

water them in well.

Cucumber Plant Care Greenhouse

Cucumbers grown in a greenhouse need one thing above all else, regular watering! Youll need to water them daily to keep up with their intake. Their leaves are large and plentyful, resulting in their high water requirement. There is a balance though. Try not to over-water them, regular rather than sporadic but heavy watering is the key. Youll need to provide support for your greenhouse cucmbers, so erect a trellis type system, preferably one that keeps the leaves away from the windows of the greenhouse. Greenhouse cucumbers can be planted either in growbags, pots or direct into the greenhouse soil. Train the leading stem up to the top of your support and then pinch out the growing tip to encourage branching below. Check the variety of your cucumbers. A lof of modern cucumber varieties are All Female varieties, which do not require pollinating (in fact dont want pollinating). If this is the case, then remove any rogue male flowers (the flowers that do not have a mini cucumber behind them) that grow, as pollination can lead to bitter cucumbers.

Picking and Preserving Cucumbers Greenhouse

Greenhouse grown cucumbers start off slowly with just one or two fruit becoming ready for harvest and rapidly accelerate int o full scale cropping. With successional sowing, its possible to spread this cucumber explosion into something manageable. When harvesting cucumbers, cut them off with a pair of scissors or twist them gently until they come off with no pull required. Cucumber plants are relatively delicate and pulling the fruit off is likely to damage the plants.

Preserving Cucumbers
Cucumbers, in their natural form, dont store longer than a couple of weeks in the fridge. They dont freeze, nor can you dry them (Im not sure thered be anything left if you tried) So, as far as you can, pick them young and enjoy them seasonally fresh. If youre faced with a glut of cucumbers and people are starting to avoid you for fear of being given more cucumbers, then you can turn your attention to either pickling them whole (mini-

cucumbers picked very young) or incorporating them in various pickles. Cucumber and Onion Relish in particular is a great pickle that goes very well with cheese.

Cucumber Growing Tips Greenhouse

Some tips to help you grow good cucumbers in your greenhoues or polytunnel

Increase watering as more fruit start to expand, but remember to avoid over-watering. The ground shouldnt be boggy Preventing the leaves from touching the greenhouse windows/walls helps reduce disease. With this in mind, plant them on the opposite side to the prevailing sun, so the leaves turn inwards towards the centre of the greenhouse rather than towards the windows where they are more likely to make lots of contact Harvest the cucumbers small to encourage a large crop (they taste their best small too)

Cucumber Pests, Problems and Diseases Greenhouse

Cucumbers are generally free of pests and diseases but those grown in the greenhouses, whilst producing more and superior cucumbers, are slightly more susceptible to some troubles. The best cure is prevention and sticking to the following points will help

Keep your plants as free of aphids as you can they spread diseases Avoid cold or overly wet growing conditions Avoid splashing the fruit when you water Avoid cucumbers resting on the ground. Provide a tile or flat stone for them to rest on Keep the greenhouse or polytunnel well ventilated Water regularly, but avoid over watering the soil should never be soggy

Slugs and snails are a danger to young cucumber plants but planting out small plants rather than seedlings, and a tray or two of beer for any passing slugs is the solution.

Cucumbers are somewhat prone to mildew, which looks like a white powdery covering to the leaves. Regular watering and feeding helps to reduce this problem. The stronger your plants and healthier the environment, the less likely they are to succumb to some horrid disease, so keep them regularly watered and fed (comfrey tea or a tomato feed) and look after the soil with mulches and organic matter. If youre growing direct to soil in your greenhouse or polytunnel, its a good idea to remove the soil to a spade or twos depth every 2 -3 years so that soil bourne pests and diseases dont build up to a level where they become an issue. This is also a good opportunity to dig in a good quantity of organic matter. Also, take a look at our page 10 Ways to Avoid Plant Pests, Diseases and Problems for some general advice.

10 Ways to Avoid Plant Pests, Diseases and Problems

Its impossible to eliminate all plant pests and diseases from your garden, but here are a few things you can do to prevent them becoming a serious problem.

1. Feed the Soil

Creating a rich healthy soil is probably one of the most important ways of combating pests and diseases. Healthy soil leads to strong healthy plants. The best way adding nutrients and improving soil structure is to add plenty of organic matter, such as manure and home-grown compost, either as a mulch or at the end of the season. Try and avoid using inorganic chemical fertilizers as they are short-term, do not improve the structure of the soil, and often cause soft green growth which pests love.

2. Crop Rotation
Growing the same type of crops on the same ground each year can cause a build up of pests and diseases affecting that type of crop. Crops can be grouped as follows: roots, brassicas, legumes (peas, beans) and everything else (potatoes, onions, tomatoes). Move your crops around each year so that the same group of crops isnt in the same area for more than one season.

3. Optimal Growing Conditions

All plants want to grow and providing the right conditions will enable them to flourish. Plants vary in whats best for them and its worth following the general guidance on sun requirements, soil pH, soil type, watering and nutrient levels. Providing the right conditions will lead to strong healthy plants, and healthy plants are much better at withstanding pests and diseases than unhealthy ones.

4. Attract Beneficial Wildlife

By growing certain plants and providing the right kinds of habitats in your garden, you can attract plenty of helpful insects and animals to your garden who will help in the yearly Battle Against Pests. Ladybirds, lacewings, frogs, toads, hedgehogs and birds are all your allies, and are to be encouraged into your garden as much as possible. Hens are also very good at controlling pests as they eat just about anything, but unfortunately this also includes your veg.

5. Tidy and Weed Free

Slugs and snails love anywhere dark and damp to hide, so its a good idea to remove anything they might find attractive, such as planks of wood, large stones and old paving slabs. Weeds and old spent plants are a great place for pests and disease to linger,so its well worth clearing them away. Removing weeds will give pests less food to feed on.

6. Dont Use Weak Plants

We often grow far more plants than we need, and find it incredibly hard not to plant every last one. But were not doing ourselves any favours by planting weak plants as they are susceptible to attack and will simply encourage pests and disease. Only grow the strongest and healthiest plants and put the rest on the compost heap.

7. Correct Plant Spacing

Plant spacings in books and on seed packets often look on the generous side and it is very tempting to ignore these and squeeze in as many plants as you can. But healthy plants need breathing room so that fresh air can circulate around them. If they are too close, then any dew, rain or garden watering isnt able to evaporate easily and the leaves will stay damp for longer, encouraging fungal and mould growth.

8. Disease Resistant Cultivars

If you are finding the same disease or pest is attacking a particular crop year after year, then look for a disease resistant variety. In some areas, carrot fly can be a particular problem and there are now several varieties which show good resistance.

9. Crop Intermingling
Its very easy to get carried away with creating a very organised and regimented garden, with neat rows and blocks, but having all of one crop in the same place can make it very easy for pests and disease to spread. If these plants are spread out amongst your other crops then some natural barriers are created. Small groups and rows of crops spread out here and there can also make for a more interesting and varied vegetable patch.

10. Avoiding Seasonal Pests

Certain pests are a problem for a short period of time and by planting early or late you can often avoid them. Early broad beans suffer less with aphids, and careful planting of your peas means you can arrange it so that they will not be flowering when the pea moth is looking for somewhere to lay her eggs. If tomato blight is a problem in your area, then plant your tomatoes as early as you can, so that they have a long growing and ripening season before blight hits.