When to Plant Cucumber Seeds Indoors
This blog post is for you if you are trying to grow cucumbers at home! If you are the greenhouse type, this post is even more suited for you, as I love growing food in a greenhouse and will share about it here below. The warmer temperature and protected area (which is in the greenhouse) are perfect for new plants to grow!
I started experimenting with growing cucumbers at home in Sweden a couple of years ago, and I have had several trials and errors along the way. Some plants grew very well, others did not grow or died. In this blog post, I will share with you what I have learned, what has worked for me, and what has not. I hope you will learn from my mistakes and have an enjoyable read! Also, if you are living in a warmer climate than Sweden, you might not face the challenges I am facing with colder night temperatures and an overall cooler climate. Get acquainted with your local climate before you start growing your cucumbers!
When Is the Best Time to Plant Cucumber Seeds?
If you want to harvest throughout the summer, the best time to plant the seeds is about four weeks before you plan to plant the cucumber plants outside or in the greenhouse. The reason for this timing is that cucumber plants are very sensitive to temperature imbalance and need enough time to grow into bigger plants before they are planted outside. Cucumber plants need a warm climate and are very sensitive to cold temperatures. Therefore, the ideal time to plant the seeds in the soil is in late spring or early summer.
Think and plan ahead. When do you want to plant the cucumber seedlings outside or in the greenhouse? Think 4-6 weeks back and start planting the cucumber seeds around that time. I think 3-4 weeks is okay because if you start six weeks before planting them outside, they will get very big inside your house. Therefore, it depends on how much space you have in your house for the precultivated cucumber plants. The earlier you start, the bigger the plant will be. Note that the indoor plant might be more lanky due to the lack of light.
You can practically plant the seeds anytime you want, but the plant will need a warm, sunny place to grow. Sowing the seeds in late May is also okay, but the harvest will be later. My tip is to start and try without overthinking it. Make “mistakes” and learn from them. Start your home garden to get your own cucumbers and have fun along the way!
How and When to Transfer the Cucumber Plant Outside
Before you transfer the cucumber plant outside, you will need to harden it off first. This is done by taking the cucumber plant outside for a couple of hours every day and then bringing them back inside. Do not forget them outside! I forgot my plants outside twice, and several of my plants died! At first, I thought all of them had died, but to my surprise, some did not! See the picture below and see how some of them are recovering. I simply left the plant in the greenhouse for a period to recover, and then I waited. It took about a week or two for them to recover, so do not give up. Give them the time they need. But make sure they are in a warm place while they recover.
After the two weeks, I had three cucumber plants out of five. They grew and fully recovered. I am amazed and truly thankful because the seed packet only had five seeds, which means that all of them would have died if they had not recovered. Be very mindful of acclimating the cucumber plants.
When you are ready for the next step, which is to transfer them to the outdoors, be very mindful of the outdoor conditions. There should be no danger of frost, and the plant will need full sun after the acclimation period. Therefore, be sure to check the last frost date and the outdoor and soil temperatures before transferring your plant outside. I have only been working with greenhouse cucumbers, which has been so much fun. You can also grow them outside the greenhouse in the garden, but make sure you find a warm, sunny spot sheltered from the wind. Due to the more challenging outdoor conditions, I would guess that the harvest will be a bit less compared to the greenhouse.
How to Grow Cucumber Plants
Know this important factor: The cucumber plant thrives in warm temperatures and well-drained soil. First, you need to replant the seedlings in your greenhouse beds or larger containers with drainage holes. The base of the plants needs to be above the soil because this part of the plant is very sensitive. Keep this area clean and do not water it too much; otherwise, the plant might die. My experience is that the tender plants are very sensitive in the beginning. After a couple of weeks, the plant grows and is not as sensitive anymore.
Cucumber plants need warm soil, a lot of water, a sunny window, and several rounds of fertilization throughout the summer. My favorite fertilization is in the form of grass clippings. It is organic, easy to access, and free. Also, when I spread the grass clippings on the cultivation beds, there is no need to weed the beds, which is amazing! Two birds with one stone, haha!
As soon as the plant has grown strong roots and starts its fruit production, you will need to cut the cucumber fruit that grows, which will stimulate the cucumber plant to grow more cucumber fruits. Two years ago, I harvested approximately 60-80 fresh cucumbers from a single cucumber plant. That is a bountiful harvest! The kids loved it and helped me harvest our cucumbers along the way.
Another growing tip is to support the plant with garden twine as it grows. The plant will grow fast in warm weather and will need your help and support in the beginning. You can also experiment with warm water. I have not tried it, but I think it can be a good idea to water it with warm water, especially in the beginning when the plant is very sensitive.
Greenhouse Varieties: Consider This Before You Buy a Greenhouse
I am so lucky that I am married to a carpenter. Our greenhouse is very simple and cheap, yet very beautiful and practical. We got windows for free and used them for our greenhouse. The greenhouse work is all thanks to my husband! I am very grateful for that, but before we had this greenhouse, we bought a cheap plastic greenhouse. This greenhouse was not strong at all and collapsed when the snow covered the roof.
Therefore, my tips for a good start to growing food in your greenhouse is to build a strong structure that will last. Consider the weather conditions where you live. Is it very windy or does it snow a lot in the winter? Take all these factors into consideration BEFORE you decide what kind of greenhouse you want and need. It will save you money and time. That is at least my experience.
After the first greenhouse collapsed, we built a stronger one with the windows we got for free, and it still stands today. I am so happy and proud of it. We have used it for approximately five years now and have had great harvests from using it. However, one drawback of having glass windows is that the children can easily break some glass when playing with balls or airplanes outside. We have had three windows break, but luckily this has not affected our cultivation.
