Cucumbers

1. Fill small 5cm pots with peat-free, multi-purpose compost and sow two cucumber seeds per pot and water. The seeds need heat to germinate – at least 20°C – so place pots in a greenhouse, heated propagator or on a sunny windowsill for the best results.

2. Cucumbers need plenty of heat an humidity, so are best grown in a greenhouse. Outdoor cucumbers still need very warm conditions – don’t even think about planting cucumbers outdoors until June.

3. Plant seedlings out when they have two or three leaves. Water cucumber plants regularly and mulch the soil to retain moisture and keep the area around them weed-free. Increase humidity by spraying the cucumber plants with a fine mist from your hose. You could even section off an area of your greenhouse, using Bubblewrap, to further aid humidity.

4. All cucumbers need support for their trailing stems. Trellis, bamboo canes or netting work well and you can tie the stems in if necessary. Water regularly and feed weekly with a high potash feed, such as a liquid tomato feed, when plants start flowering.

Harvesting a small cucumber
Cucumbers on outdoor plants will be ready from midsummer to early autumn. Indoor cucumbers will be ready sooner. The more cucumbers you pick, the more the plant will produce. Some longer cucumber varieties can be cut in half while still on the plant and left to form a callus, so they can be used later.