Cucumbers can be one of the most rewarding and prolific crops in your garden, but they really need some heat and sun to thrive - two things we are definitely not known for in the PacNW. With some patience, love, and protection you can ensure your garden cucumbers thrive and you have enough harvest to pawn off on unsuspecting friends, family, and neighbors.
Starting from seed
When starting from seed, plant the cucumbers in containers with 2-4 seeds around 4 weeks before you plan to transplant them. You also have the option to sow directly in the ground from Mid-May to Mid-June, but I've found more success starting mine in containers. I recommend keeping any starts planted in May or early-June under a cold frame or a greenhouse until the nighttime temps warm up and then transplanting into the garden. You should not need to thin the cucumber seedlings growing in mounds or in containers, as cucumbers grow well in clusters and it maximizes the flowers available for pollination in close proximity.
When to transplant
Think summer is here? Think again. Every gardener I know that has planted cucumbers in the PacNW has at least once lost a majority, if not all, of their cucumber starts due to a cool, wet spell in late-May or June. Timing when to start and transplant cucumbers can be very challenging with our unpredictable weather, and cucumbers are quite a bit more temperamental when it comes to temperatures than tomatoes or peppers. They are also very prone to damping off, and our cool, wet springs create the perfect conditions for this common issue.
One year after losing my entire collection of cucumber starts, I almost threw in the towel, because at late-June it felt too late to transplant cucumbers and get a reasonable yield. Then a few days after the 4th of July I made my bi-weekly visit to the gardener's addiction clinic, aka the local nursery, to see what additional plants my garden 'needed'. There I found a table of the lonely, last remaining cucumbers and thought at 50% off, why not see if I could get a harvest. I transplanted the seedlings, and lo and behold, they took off like it was nobody's business. By early August I was inundated with cucumbers. Knowing that I can get a solid yield and avoid damping off losses has made me shift my planting schedule for cucumbers and I now aim to transplant them in late June or early July. I will caution that this may reduce the length of the harvest season. If you would like to extend it, I recommend investing in a greenhouse or a cold frame.
This year I experimented with transplanting some in late June and others at the beginning of July, and found no measurable difference in their growth or production. What I found was that the cucumbers transplanted the 3rd week of June had limited (if any) growth during the two weeks they were planted before their peers. I will note that this June was abnormally cool, which followed a very, abnormally warm May.
Cucumber Types
There are tons of cucumber varieties out there, but I'm going to focus on 3 types that are commonly grown in the PacNW: Slicer, Pickling, and Lemon.
Slicer
When someone says cucumber, these are usually what our minds go to. This is your basic, versatile cucumber that is great for salads, tzatziki, and snacking on. The size may very, but they can get quite large, so be sure to pick them at a more manageable size. The flavor and texture tend to deteriorate the larger and riper they get.
(Cucumber: Poinsett 76)
Lemon Cucumber
For me, these are nostalgic and bring me back to my childhood when I'd snack on these during the summer. If picked at the right ripeness, these have thin skins and don't necessarily need to be peeled to eat. I've always preferred to eat them like an apple. They have a little more of a citrus flavor than slicing cucumbers and are perfect as salad toppers. If I were to grow 1 type of cucumber, this would be it.
(Cucumber: Lemon Cucumber)
Pickling Cucumber
As the name suggests, these are the best type for pickling and will remain crisper when pickled. Other varieties may be fine for a quick pickle, but will become mushy when pickled for longer amounts of time or canned. I personally prefer refrigerated/no-cook dill pickles (like the refrigerated Claussen pickles).
Notice the ones on the left yellowing, this is an indication that they are overripe, but I included them in this picture for scale. The ones on the left are the ideal size for pickle spears or halves, and the ones on the right are much larger than ideal for pickling by may work for pickling chips or slices. I went out of town for 2 days and the ones on the right went from perfect to zucchini size, so it is best to be diligent 😬
(Cucumber: National Pickling)
Supporting their growth
I recommend trellising your cucumbers, but if you have a lot of space there is the option to let them grow and spread across the ground. There are also bush varieties that will need some support, but will not vine. Usually the peas are finished up a week or two after I have planted the cucumbers so I actually use the bottom half of the pea trellis for the cucumbers and I have an a-frame trellis in the raised beds.
I grow my cucumbers in grow bags or in raised beds. The pro of using grow bags is they get the heat and have great drainage, but they do require more frequent watering. In the heat of summer it isn't abnormal for me to water them daily. Growing in raised beds or in-ground will save you time on watering and ensure more consistent moisture. The picture on the left is my 'cucumber wall' comprised of five 7-gallon grow bags with the bottom half of the pea trellis. The one on the right is the A-frame trellis in a raised bed, but the cucumber quickly decided to grow outside of the trellis onto the broccoli plant next to it 😂
I wish you the best of luck next growing season and hope you avoid some of the pitfalls of growing cucumbers in the PacNW!
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