Cucumber | Marketmore 76

Grow crisp, refreshing, and high-yielding cucumbers in your home garden. Cucumbers are a quintessential summer favorite, prized for their juicy crunch and versatility in salads, pickling, and fresh-from-the-garden snacking.

These vigorous plants produce an abundant harvest of crisp fruits throughout the growing season, making them a rewarding addition to any vegetable patch. Start seeds indoors before the last spring frost or direct sow once soil has fully warmed for Canada's shorter growing season.

Why Grow Cucumbers?

• Crisp, refreshing slicing and pickling cucumbers
• Abundant and reliable yields
• Excellent for fresh salads, snacks, and homemade pickles
• Open-pollinated variety
• Approximately 55–65 days to maturity
• Grows best in full sun
• Approximately 30-40 seeds per packet

How to Grow Cucumbers from Seed

Start cucumber seeds indoors approximately 3–4 weeks before your last expected spring frost, or direct sow outdoors after all danger of frost has passed. Sow seeds about 13 mm (½ inch) deep in fertile, well-drained soil and keep warm and consistently moist until germination.

Provide seedlings with plenty of bright light if started indoors. Before planting outdoor transplants, gradually harden off the seedlings. Choose a location with full sun and rich, amended soil.

Because cucumbers are vining plants, provide trellises, netting, or cages to support vigorous growth, improve air circulation, and keep fruits clean and straight.

Water consistently and deeply, especially during flowering and fruit development, as uneven moisture can lead to bitter fruit.

Growing Cucumbers in Canada

Cucumbers thrive in warm weather. Canadian gardeners in cooler regions benefit from starting seeds indoors in biodegradable pots to minimize root disturbance during transplanting, or by using row covers to protect young plants from late spring chills.

Avoid planting outdoors too early, as cucumbers are highly sensitive to frost and cold soil. Wait until both soil and nighttime temperatures have reliably warmed.

For detailed instructions covering seed starting, transplanting, spacing, watering, fertilizing, pruning, common problems, harvesting, and seed saving, read our Complete Guide to Growing Cucumbers in Canada.

Cucumber Growing Information

Feature	Detail
Botanical Name	Cucumis sativus
Common Name	Cucumber
Plant Type	Annual vegetable
Sun Requirements	Full sun
Days to Maturity	Approximately 55–65 days
Seed Count	Approximately 30-40 seeds
Pollination Type	Open-pollinated
Best Uses	Slicing, salads, pickling, and fresh snacking

Grow Your Own Cucumbers

There is nothing quite like biting into a crisp, fresh cucumber harvested straight from your own backyard vine. With their heavy yields and refreshing crunch, cucumbers are a rewarding and essential addition to any Canadian garden.

Start your cucumbers from seed this season and enjoy watching them grow into a bountiful summer harvest.