Learn how to grow cucumbers in potsfrom compact varieties to long-vine typesand produce a hefty harvest.
However, keeping yourcucumber plantshealthy and productive in containers is slightly different from in-ground plants.
Instead, choose a variety that includes bush or compact in the name.
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Bush Slicer has 3-foot-long vines and 6- to 8-inch-long slicing fruit.
Picklebush and Bush Champion are two other excellent varieties for containers.
Growing Longer Vines
Container-friendly cucumber varieties are most oftenslicing or pickling fruit types.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Their thin skin and few seeds make them perfect for fresh eating without peeling or deseeding.
Pot and Soil Pointers
Cucumber plants grow rapidly, producing several pounds of fruit in a season.
All that growth requires plenty of high-quality soil.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Avoid bagged topsoil or regular garden soil; both soil types are too dense and dont drain adequately.
All-purpose potting soil is lightweight, easy to find, and simple to work with.
ensure to set the plant at the same soil level as it was in its original pot.
Then water it well.
Consider a Trellis
Dont hesitate to add a trellis to a container at planting time.
A sturdytrellis can increase fruit seteven on bush or compact varieties.
And traditional varietiesrequire a climbing structurewhen planted in a container to keep them manageable.
Sink a premade 6- to 8-foot-tall trellis deep into the soil at planting time.
Or you’re able to make your own trellis using bamboo poles and garden twine.
Anchor the trellis well by plunging it a foot or more into the planting pot.
As the plants grow, help the vines scramble up by wrapping their tendrils around the structure as needed.
Neem oil is a plant-based option that disrupts feeding and eventually eliminates cucumber beetles.
Hahn, Jeffrey; Wold-Burkness, Suzanne.Cucumber beetles in home gardens.University of Minnesota Extension.2020.
