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This article was co-authored by Don Tipping. Don Tipping is an Organic Farmer based in Williams, Oregon. With almost 30 years of full-time experience with organic farming, Don owns and operates a mail-order seed company, Siskiyou Seeds, which is a bio-regional seed hub. He specializes in growing crops, including vegetables, flowers, medicinal and culinary herbs, and seed crops. Don is a member of the Organic Seed Alliance and has a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) from the University of California, Davis.
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Cucumbers are nutritious and can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways. Growing cucumbers indoors means you can have this crunchy treat available year-round. The vines of cucumber plants spread out over a large area of the ground when planted outdoors, but you can plant varieties of cucumbers indoors that are well suited to flourish in containers, and that have been bred to grow and produce fruit without pollination.
Steps
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Choose hybrid cucumber seeds that don’t require pollination. Be sure to buy a dwarf variety in order to conserve space.
Select a very large pot. Cucumbers even dwarf varieties, need lots of room to grow. You can also grow cucumbers in hanging pots.[1]Advertisement
Place some small stones, clay shards or gravel in the bottom of the pot to aid drainage and to keep the roots of the plant from getting soggy. You can also place a small pot (with drainage holes) upside down in the middle of the large pot if you don't have rocks or gravel.[2]
Fill your planting pot with a mixture of potting soil and compost—50% soil and 50% compost. You can use dirt from your garden, but then you will run the risk of bringing unwanted pests indoors.[3]
Plant 4 to 5 seeds about 1/2” (12 mm) deep. Space the seeds 1/2" apart or more, if possible. Planting them too close together will hinder growth.
Water the soil thoroughly so that it is saturated, but not soupy. Water several times until the water drains from the bottom of the pot.[4]
Position your cucumber planter in a sunny window. For optimal growth, the plant should receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.[5]
Allow the seedlings to grow to a height of 2 to 3” (50 to 75 mm). Don't thin them before they reach this minimum height.[6]
Identify 2 plants that look the strongest and gently pull the other plants out of the soil. Be careful not to disturb the soil around the 2 plants you want to keep.
Let the remaining 2 plants grow to a height of about 10” (254 mm). Rotate the planter every few days if it looks like the plants are not receiving the same amount of sunlight.
Choose the strongest, healthiest of the two plants to keep and eliminate the other one by snipping it off at the base. This will leave you with 1 strong and healthy cucumber plant that will produce well and won’t be crowded.
Insert a stick or small trellis near the plant so that you can train the vine to climb. Don't wait too long to do this; the plant will start climbing as much as 1" every day, depending on the amount of sunlight it is receiving.
Water your plant frequently so that the soil stays moist. Make sure the water thoroughly drains out from the bottom of the planter, so you will know that the roots are getting wet.[7]
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Community Q&A
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- QuestionCan I take the seeds out of a cucumber to plant?
Community AnswerYes, they will readily sprout. - QuestionHow can I stop my cucumbers from turning yellow and shriveling up?
Community AnswerTry watering them with cold water, or try different soil with more minerals. - QuestionAre cucumbers self-pollinating?
Community AnswerYes, cucumbers are self-pollinating. They do not need to receive pollen from other plants.
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Tips
- If your potting soil doesn’t have a time-release fertilizer in it, you can purchase some at your garden supply store and add it to your soil and compost mixture to help your cucumber plant grow quickly.Thanks
- Consider making pickles if you have an abundant crop!Thanks
- Start picking your cucumbers when they are no larger than the palm of your hand. Your plant will keep producing cucumbers for several months.Thanks
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Warnings
- Your plant will produce flowers, which will form into cucumbers, so don’t pick or pinch off the flowers!Thanks
- Low temperatures and frost can kill cucumbers. If you plant in the winter, don’t let the cucumber vine get too close to the window; particularly if it’s drafty.Thanks
- If you use a hanging pot for your plant, make sure the pot and the hook it hangs from are sturdy; an abundant crop of cucumbers can get heavy.Thanks
- Isolate your cucumber planter; as the vine grows, its tendrils will reach out and attach to any furniture or objects nearby. Using a stick or trellis in the planter and encouraging the vine to wrap itself around an item of your choosing will alleviate this problem.Thanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Cucumber seeds
- Large potting container
- Soil
- Compost
- Time-release fertilizer
- Stick or trellis
- Hanging planter (optional)
Expert Interview
Thanks for reading our article! If you’d like to learn more about farming, check out our in-depth interview with Don Tipping.
References
- ↑ https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/growing-cucumbers-in-pots/8854.html
- ↑ https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/growing-cucumbers-in-pots/8854.html
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZOYBePPeDM
- ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/cucumbers
- ↑ https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/gardening/a20707040/growing-cucumbers/
- ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/grow-your-own/vegetables/cucumbers
- ↑ https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/growing-cucumbers-in-pots/8854.html
- Richard Jackson & Carolyn Hutchinson, Easy Container Gardening, (London, England: HarperCollins Publishers, 1996)
- Julie Bawden-Davis, Indoor Gardening, (Lanham, Md: The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, inc., 2007)
About This Article
Organic Farmer
This article was co-authored by Don Tipping. Don Tipping is an Organic Farmer based in Williams, Oregon. With almost 30 years of full-time experience with organic farming, Don owns and operates a mail-order seed company, Siskiyou Seeds, which is a bio-regional seed hub. He specializes in growing crops, including vegetables, flowers, medicinal and culinary herbs, and seed crops. Don is a member of the Organic Seed Alliance and has a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) from the University of California, Davis. This article has been viewed 209,800 times.
Co-authors: 6
Updated: February 14, 2024
Views: 209,800
Categories: Growing Vegetables
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 209,800 times.
Reader Success Stories
"Currently at the stage of 2 pots each with one strong plant in. Have added bamboo stick support now & am going to ensure I rotate pots to maximize each side of the plant's exposure to daylight. Feel more confident after reading tips here. Thank you!"..." more
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