The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around ribbing with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruit.Cucumbers are a wonderfully rewarding crop to grow in your home garden. You can use cucumbers to pickle or to eat raw in salads.
Warm soil is necessary for germination of seeds and proper growth of plants. With ample soil moisture, cucumbers thrive in warm summer weather. A second planting for fall harvest may be made in mid- to late summer.
Depending on how early you wish to start your crop, cucumbers may be started indoors as seedlings, or planted directly into the soil outdoors after all threat of frost has passed. Since they are so fast growing, many gardeners skip the pre-planting stage, and head right out to the garden to plant seeds in late spring.
For a super yield, prepare the soil with lots of organic compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Sow seeds at least a foot apart for the vines to sprawl, or set out along a fence or trellis to allow vines room to climb. When fruit begins to set, feed again with a nitrogen fertilizer and water generously throughout the growth period.
The Cucumber ‘Burpee Hybrid II’ displays dark green large fruit with white spines. The Burpee Hybrid II Cucumber (Slicing) has cool, crisp flesh with great flavor. The cucumbers are best when picked at 7 to 8 inches in length.