Home-grown cucumbers are delicious and can be grown indoors or out
Home-grown cucumbers eaten straight from the plant taste fantastic compared to the ones bought in a supermarket. They can be grown indoors or outdoors; in the ground, in growbags or pots. Grown outdoors they are subject to the quirks of the British summer weather, so you are more likely to get a better crop if you can grow them in a greenhouse or polytunnel, however if you can’t grow them indoors it is always worth chancing a couple of plants outside. Make sure you choose the right variety for the right situation. If you are going to grow them in a growbag or pots you will need to make sure they are always watered as they can dry out quite quickly grown in a restricted space, especially on a hot sunny day.
We have chosen to grow ‘Cucino’, a mini cucumber which produces lots of fruits and is ideal to grow if you have children.
You will need:
- 9cm pots
- seed compost
- seed
- something which holds water to stand the tray or pots in
- heated propagator
- labels
Fill the pot with John Innes Seed Compost, tap the pot on the bench to settle the compost.
Make a small hole, about 2.5cm (1”) deep with your finger or dibber, place seed sideways on into it and cover with the compost, put 2 seeds to a pot. Cover the seed with some compost.
Label and stand in water for 15 - 20 minutes until the compost is damp.
Place in the propagator at a temperature of 20 – 25C (68 – 77F) until germinated.
Keep the compost damp by standing in the tray of water.
They should germinate in about 7 – 10 days.
When they are about 2.5cm (1”) tall remove the weakest seedling, remove from the propagator and grow on in a heated greenhouse or on a warm sunny windowsill.
