Do You Need to Plant Cucumbers in Groups of Three? (2024)
By Larry Hodgson
Question:I recently read that cucumbers should be sown in groups of three plants to ensure good pollination, but I don’t understand why. And does this also apply to other cucurbits such as watermelons?
Answer:I think you’re confusing two different aspects of cucumber culture.
Planting cucumbers (or other cucurbits) in groups has nothing to do with pollination. You can easily grow a cucumber (or a melon, squash or watermelon) all on its own and still get an excellent harvest, because cucumbers self-pollinate readily. That is, pollen from a male flower can fertilize easily a female flower from the same plant. There is no need for a different specimen nearby for pollination, although that’s fine too. All you need is a cooperative local bee!
However, there are two different traditions when it comes to sowing cucumbers.
The older fashion was to grow cucumbers on “hills,” that is, mounds of soil, usually about 6 inches (15cm) high and 12 inches (30cm) across, spaced well apart (often about 3ft/90cm). Usually 4 to 6 seeds are sown on the hill, then thinned to 2 or 3 plants, keeping the strongest specimens. The idea was that the hill would warm up earlier in the spring and allow earlier sowing; plus excess water would drain away because it was raised above the surrounding soil. Usually such plants were allowed to “run”: sprawl over the ground.
The hilling method is especially logical when the soil is heavy and drains poorly or is slow to warm up in the spring. The downside is that the fruits touch the soil and can be more easily damaged by slugs, insects or animals.
The more modern method is to simply sow cucumbers about 9 to 18 inches (12 to 45cm) apart (this could be in a row, a circle, a square: you choose) without mounding the soil. In square foot gardening, two plants are usually sown per 1 foot (30cm) square. Then the plants are encouraged to use their tendrils to grow up a stake, a trellis or garden netting, thus allowing the individual plants to get plenty of sunlight even if they are closely spaced.
This method is well adapted to the no-till gardening methods so popular today and is probably the simplest choice for raised beds, which by their very nature warm up early in the spring and are already well drained.
Both techniques give good results. So, really, you can take your pick.
I used to hill up my cucumbers back when I had a big vegetable bed with plenty of gardening space, following the method my father taught me when I was a kid, but since I found myself with less space, have switched to the more intensive close-spacing method.
The Other Cucurbits
The information above also applies to other cucurbits (squash, melons, watermelons, etc.). Only the spacing will change, as that depends on the eventual size of the plant … and some squashes and melons, especially, take up alotof space! The seed packet normally gives recommended spacing according to the variety you are growing.
Space the rows 18-24 inches apart, or more if you plan to regularly walk between the rows. If you plan to plant your cucumbers in groups, plant the seeds in groups of 3, with a distance of 18 inches between each group in all directions.
Cucumber seeds should be planted in groups of seed every 5 to 8 feet. This is known as planting in hills. Open a shallow depression about 1 to 2 inches deep and 4 inches wide with a hoe. Drop 4-6 seeds evenly spaced apart in the hole and cover lightly with loose soil using a hoe or garden rake.
The older fashion was to grow cucumbers on “hills,” that is, mounds of soil, usually about 6 inches (15 cm) high and 12 inches (30 cm) across, spaced well apart (often about 3 ft/90 cm). Usually 4 to 6 seeds are sown on the hill, then thinned to 2 or 3 plants, keeping the strongest specimens.
While cucumbers can survive with just light, air, water, and soil, they can perform even better when paired with a companion plant. Yes, you heard that right! Cucumber companion plants, or intercrops, are essential in boosting yields and improving the plant's defense against harmful microorganisms.
Cucumbers are normally planted in "hills." Plant 4 to 5 seeds per hill at a depth of 1 inch. Later, remove all but 2 or 3 plants per hill when seedlings have 1 or 2 true leaves. For an earlier crop, cucumbers can be started indoors.
Sow seeds about one-half inch deep. For vining types that will spread out in the garden, sow seeds two inches apart. Allow about two or three feet of space on either side of the row for the vines to spread. A "hill" of three or four seeds sown close together is another way to plant cucumbers in the garden.
Plant cucumbers when average daily temperatures reach the mid-70s° F. Space cucumbers 36 to 60 inches apart (12 inches apart for trellised plants) in an area with abundant sun and fertile, well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.
Total expected yield depends directly on length of harvest period. Yields range from 1 – 3 pounds of fruit per plant per week during the peak harvest period. A normal harvest period of 12 weeks in a well-managed crop can yield a total of 20-25 pounds of fruit per plant.
Planting cucumber seeds on a hill helps keep water away from the base of the plant and allows the ground to be warmer for planting. However, planting in a raised bed that drains well or when trellising vines, you don't have to plant in mounds.
Tomatoes and cucumbers can be grown together successfully, and there are actually some benefits to planting them together. Both plants have similar growing needs when it comes to sunlight, soil conditions, and watering. And if space is at a premium, interplanting the two will allow you to get more out of your garden.
When they are planted in raised mounds, 4 to 6 inches high, the advantage is that the soil warms up faster and drains better, and water that collects around the base encourages roots to feed more deeply. Pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers and melons are the more common vegetables planted in hills, with 4-6 seeds per hill.
A healthy square foot gardening cucumber plant has a yield of approximately 5 pounds, and can also be grown vertically with support from a trellis. If you use the square foot gardening method in a 4×4 foot raised garden bed you can comfortably grow eight tomato plants and 16 cucumber plants at the same time!
Vining vegetables like cucumbers actually make perfect companions to bushing veggies like peppers. They enjoy similar growing conditions and can grow together in about the same amount of space as a single plant. Ensure you trellis your cukes and plant your peppers in front so they aren't shaded by growing vines.
Cucumber varieties may cross with one another. However, the quality of this year's crop is not affected. (An exception is the cross-pollination of parthenocarpic cucumber varieties with standard varieties. Parthenocarpic varieties develop fruit without pollination.
Depending on who you ask, a healthy cucumber plant can be expected to produce 10 large cukes or 15 small ones within a harvest period of about three weeks.
Most cucumber varieties are monoecious with unisexual flowers—have separate male and female flowers within the same individual— and thus require animal pollination for reproduction. However, some varieties are mostly or totally gynoecious (produce only female flowers) and can produce fruit through parthenocarpy.
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