Growing Cucumbers – A history
The humble cucumber it is reckoned, has been grown in Asia for over 3,000 years, even being mentioned among the foods of the ancient city of Ur of the Chaldees. Interesting to think that the Patriarch Abraham probably munched his way through a few cucumbers in his day! !t’s fair to say that cucumbers are as popular as ever, throughout the world. Extensively used in many dishes, it is always a favourite with restaurants as well as individual households for it’s ability to hold flavours particularly in ‘saucy’ food dishes.
Should I be growing cucumbers in pots ?
The answer is that, ideally you would be better growing them in planters, rather than in pots. The reason is that the cucumber is a vine and so has to be grown either along the ground, or up a trellis to support the weight of the plant plus the cucumbers themselves. If you can imagine; a pot soon becomes top heavy and so requires to be tied to a support to prevent it falling over, if you use the trellis method.
If you do plant in a pot without support, then obviously the cucumbers will hang over the side of the pot and will soon run out of space. For that reason, though not impossible to plant cucumbers in a pot, I would always prefer to plant them in a planter made for the job. Failing that then a raised garden bed is even better if you have the space for it.
Growing cucumbers in pots – drying out problems
Another issue regarding growing your cucumber plants in pots, is the issue of the plants drying out easily. As with most succulants, cucumbers need regular watering if they are to thrive, and pots can dry out very quickly if left unattended. You also have the danger of overwatering to look out for, as a pot can only hold so much water before it becomes waterlogged, and you have the danger of stem rot on the cucumber stems.
However, that said. If you have no space and so your options are limited then growing cucumbers
in pots, can work out fine if these precautions are taken care off. Sometimes it is just the satisfaction of the harvest that counts, rather than the size of it. To grow even a couple of cucumbers in pots can leave a real sense of achievement, and so it worth doing for that alone.
