Cucumber and Gherkin: Sowing, Planting, Growing, Pruning

Description and botany

The cucumber is a plant native to India where its wild ancestor (Cucumis hardwickii) grew in the Himalayan valleys. It was domesticated over 3000 years ago in China, the Near East and then in ancient Egypt. It arrived in Europe around 2000 years ago.

The cucumber – Cucumis sativus – is an annual fruit-vegetable belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, which includes squashes and many cultivated plants. The Cucumis genus comprises around thirty known species, including melon (Cucumis melo). Gherkins are cucumbers whose varieties have been selected for their small fruits. Thus, we can classify cucumbers into different types:

• The Dutch type (or greenhouse cucumber): long fruits with smooth skin, without bitterness
• The short type (or field cucumber): short and slightly spiny fruits, some varieties are bitter
• Small pickling fruits: gherkins
• The Beit-alpha type: Mini-cucumber, smooth and shiny, without bitterness

The cucumber is a trailing plant that can spread over several metres. Its leaves with long petioles and large blades are palmate and slightly toothed. They are arranged alternately on the twining, pentagonal-section stem. Tendrils emerge from the base of the petiole, allowing the plant to cling to nearby supports. The cucumber is a monoecious species, bearing both male and female flowers on the same plant but at different locations. Both flower types are pale yellow. The female flower, which bears the fruit, is fertilised by pollen from a male flower of the same variety or another variety, with cross-fertilisation being predominant (allogamy). Pollination is also entomophilous, carried out by insects. A fertilised female flower will produce a fruit characteristic of the variety. The fruit is a cylindrical berry that produces pale, flattened seeds at maturity, about one centimetre long.

Cucumber leaves – Female flower – Formed fruit

Varieties of Cucumber and Gherkin

Cucumber varieties

Gherkin varieties

Some unusual varieties

Cucumber Carmen - Cucumis sativus

The Carmen cucumber is a Dutch-type variety particularly suited to greenhouse cultivation. It's an early climbing variety with good disease resistance, producing long fruits up to 38 cm. Its productivity is incredible - under glass, it can yield between 50 and 100 fruits per plant!

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Le Généreux - Vilmorin Seeds

The Le Généreux cucumber is an heirloom variety prized for its hardiness, good productivity and the flavour of its medium-long fruits, which are sweet and not bitter. When picked young, the fruits can also be used as gherkins.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Long English - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

The Long English Cucumber is an heirloom variety producing spiny, well-filled fruits with firm, crunchy flesh and excellent flavour. Hardy and productive, this variety is suitable for outdoor cultivation.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Marketmore - Vilmorin Seeds

The Marketmore 76 cucumber is a Vilmorin-selected variety producing dark green, smooth-skinned fruits of medium length (20 cm). The fruits have a sweet, non-bitter flavour. This high-yielding variety is also early.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Vert Long Maraîcher

The Vert long maraîcher cucumber produces long cylindrical fruits 25-30 cm long. Dark green and slightly spiny, their white flesh is sweet and crunchy. This market-garden variety offers excellent yields and can be grown outdoors.

• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Gherkin Hokus

The Hokus Gherkin is a highly productive variety that can be harvested over a long period. The dark green fruits are non-bitter and spineless. This variety is resistant to Cladosporiosis, a fungal disease that can cause particularly serious damage.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Fin de Meaux - Cucumis sativus

The Fin de Meaux Gherkin is a variety with multiple assets: hardy, productive and early, it produces small elongated, smooth gherkins with excellent flavour. You can't go wrong with this heirloom variety!

• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Gherkin Bourbonne - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

The Bourbonne Gherkin is a versatile variety - if you miss the gherkin harvest stage, let the fruit grow larger to harvest as a cucumber. This slightly bitter variety produces long, thin, crunchy fruits. An early, productive and vigorous variety!

• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Gherkin Parisian - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

The Vert Petit de Paris Gherkin is a classic traditional variety with good productivity, producing small, short cylindrical fruits. With its delicate flavour, it's perfect for pickling in vinegar.

• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Gherkin Russe - Ferme de Sainte Marthe Seeds

Less common in vegetable gardens, the Russian Gherkin stands out for its egg-sized, completely smooth cylindrical fruits. A productive variety that doesn't require pruning.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Cucumber Lemon

The True Lemon cucumber is an heirloom variety producing spherical, lemon-yellow fruits with white flesh, to be harvested young. Their very mild, completely digestible taste is popular with children. Hardy plants are vigorous, offer good yields and resist drought well.

• Flowering time July to September
• Height at maturity 2 m

See the product sheet

Melothria scabra

The Cucamelon or Mexican Sour Gherkin is the solution if you constantly have disease problems with your cucumbers - it's very hardy and produces over a long period. This climbing plant produces small 2-3 cm fruits, dark green and striped. Their flavour resembles cucumber with slightly more bitterness. The fruits can be preserved like gherkins in vinegar.

• Height at maturity 2,50 m

See the product sheet

Sowing cucumbers and gherkins

Where and When to Sow Cucumbers and Gherkins?

Cucumber and gherkin seeds are preferably sown in pots indoors with warmth, but can also be sown directly in the ground outdoors. These vegetables thrive in soil rich in organic matter, loose and deep. Prepare the planting bed by adding compost at a rate of 3 to 4 kg per m².

Cucumbers and gherkins can be sown:

• from April to mid-May indoors with warmth, in the house or a heated shelter, under a greenhouse or on a hotbed.
• from mid-May to late June directly in the ground outdoors once the risk of frost has passed.

How to Sow Cucumbers and Gherkins?

You can either prepare seedlings to be transplanted into the vegetable garden once all risk of frost has passed or sow directly outdoors.

Preparing Seedlings:

1. Fill pots or seed trays with a seed compost,
2. Place two seeds per pot (flat) at a depth of about 1 cm and cover with compost,
3. Water carefully using a watering can,
4. Keep in a warm and bright spot (on a windowsill), at around 20°C (the germination range for cucumbers is between 16 and 35°C) and keep the substrate moist but not waterlogged until germination, which usually takes 7 to 10 days.
5. Once the first two true leaves (cotyledons don’t count) are well developed, thin out by keeping the stronger of the two seedlings or separate them and repot into individual pots.

Steps for sowing cucumbers and gherkins in pots

Direct Sowing Outdoors:

1. Make shallow furrows (3 cm deep), spacing rows 1 m apart.
2. Sow in clusters of 2 seeds per hole.
3. Along the row, space clusters 1 m apart if growing flat or 40 cm for gherkins and 60 cm for cucumbers if trellised.
4. Cover with soil and firm down with the back of a rake.
5. Water gently and keep the soil moist until germination.
6. Once seedlings have 2 to 3 true leaves, thin out to keep only one plant per cluster.

Cucumber seedling – Cucumbers at the one to two true leaf stage

Planting cucumbers and gherkins

When to plant cucumbers and gherkins?

Cucumbers and gherkins should be planted from May onwards, after the Ice Saints, particularly in regions more susceptible to cold. In southern areas, they can be planted as early as mid-April, while keeping an eye on the weather and protecting them from late frosts with horticultural fleece if necessary. Planting can continue until the end of June.

How to plant cucumbers and gherkins?

These two vegetables require well-manured soil, previously enriched with compost or well-rotted manure at a rate of about 3 kg per m².

Planting distances are 1 m between rows for both vegetables. Within the row, spacing should be:

• 1 m if grown flat on the ground
• 40 cm for gherkins if grown on a trellis
• 60 cm for cucumbers if grown on a trellis

To plant your cucumbers and gherkins:

1. Dig a hole matching the size of the root ball,
2. Place the root ball and cover with soil,
3. Firm down and water to keep the soil moist,
4. Water regularly at the base to help establishment.

Cultivation, care and companion planting

Cucumbers and gherkins need a sunny position to grow well. These hungry vegetables require rich soil, enriched with mature compost (3 kg per m²) at planting time or preferably in autumn. The soil should first be loosened and the compost worked in shallowly using a cultivator.

During cultivation, it’s good to weed but avoid hoeing too close to the plants. Indeed, cucumbers develop some of their roots near the soil surface, and hoeing can damage this dense root network. Opt for light weeding followed by applying a thick layer of mulch once the soil is sufficiently warm, in May or June. Cucumbers and gherkins can be trained on supports, and cucumbers can be pruned – we’ll detail this below.

As companion plants, cucumbers thrive near lettuces, which grow vigorously beneath them! They also benefit from being planted near onions, sweetcorn and beans. However, avoid planting them near other Cucurbits or potatoes. Pairing them with tomatoes yields mixed results.

→ Read also: Which plants to grow with cucumbers?

Greenhouse-grown cucumbers near tomato, lettuce and chive plants.

Staking and Pruning Cucumbers and Gherkins

Staking Cucumbers and Gherkins

Cucumbers and gherkins can be grown flat on the ground, but to optimise your crops, save space and make harvesting easier, don’t hesitate to stake or train them. There are several options for each variety.

For cucumbers:

• Using individual stakes, with one plant per stake.
• On a frame covered with mesh and tilted at 45° to provide shade for heat-sensitive summer crops like lettuces.
• In a teepee structure, with 3 to 4 stakes tied together at the top and one plant at the base of each stake.

For gherkins:

• On a large-mesh net, tilted at 45° or perpendicular to the ground.

Gherkins trained on a large-mesh net, perpendicular to the ground

Pruning Cucumbers

• When plants are individually staked, cultivation is done on a single stem, which should be pinched back to a maximum height of 2 m. Remove lateral shoots.
• For ground-level cultivation, the first pruning is done above the second leaf to encourage two stems, which should then be pinched back above the 4^th leaf.
• When plants are trained on a trellis, guide and retain the lateral shoots. We recommend pinching stems after 2 or 3 fruits have formed on each lateral shoot.

NB: Pruning helps concentrate sap flow on fewer fruits. For gherkins, where the goal is to maximise the number of small fruits harvested, pruning is unnecessary.

Ground-level cucumber cultivation – Pinching to encourage lateral growth – Illustrations: Virginie Douce

Trellis-grown cucumber cultivation and pruning – Illustration: Virginie Douce

Common Diseases of Cucumbers and Gherkins

Powdery Mildew on Cucurbits

Cucumbers and gherkins can be affected by powdery mildew, a fungal disease that appears as a white felting on the foliage. Leaves dry out, production decreases, and in severe cases, powdery mildew can lead to plant death.

• Discover our advice sheet on preventing and treating powdery mildew

Anthracnose of Cucurbits

Anthracnose or red blight is a fungal disease caused by Colletotricum orbiculare, which affects cucurbits in general, particularly cucumbers, gherkins, and melons. Damage can be significant, halting plant growth and eventually causing death. Symptoms are very distinctive, with circular brown spots surrounded by a lighter, yellowish halo appearing on leaves. Anthracnose thrives in temperatures between 19 and 24°C during very humid periods.

• Regular monitoring is essential, as the disease can spread quickly. If you spot an initial outbreak, remove affected leaves and burn them.
• Preventive treatments for powdery mildew (bicarbonate, milk, horsetail) will also help prevent this disease.

→ Learn more about diseases and pests affecting cucumbers and gherkins in our advice sheet!

Harvesting and storing

Harvesting cucumbers, essential for any vegetable garden, should be done as needed. It’s best to pick them when they reach their ideal size or even slightly before, if you prefer to enjoy them without removing the seeds. Be careful, a cucumber that starts to yellow becomes bitter, a sign it has stayed on the plant too long. Regularly picking your cucumbers stimulates the plant to produce more fruit. Typically, harvesting begins 3 months after sowing, and a single plant can bear fruit for 2 months, providing a generous quantity of cucumbers.

For gherkins, harvesting also begins 3 months after sowing. It’s crucial to pick them before they reach their full size, ideally every two days during peak production, to prevent them from becoming too large. Just like with cucumbers, frequent picking encourages the growth of new fruit, ensuring an abundant harvest throughout the season.

As for storage, cucumbers can last up to 8 days in the refrigerator. For longer preservation, especially in case of a bountiful harvest, consider lacto-fermentation or pickling, techniques also applicable to gherkins. Once harvested, gherkins can be kept fresh for a few days before being pickled in vinegar, allowing you to enjoy their characteristic crunchy and tangy flavour all year round.

Cucumbers at the right stage for harvesting – Harvesting gherkins for pickling in vinegar

Uses and Nutritional Benefits

Cucumbers are mostly eaten raw in summer salads, pairing wonderfully with yoghurt or crème fraîche-based sauces, lemon, and fresh herbs from the vegetable garden like chives and dill. Cooked preparations are less common but possible – just a few minutes in the pan is enough. Juicing is also popular, ideal for dietary regimes. Gherkins are almost always pickled in vinegar, and this is undoubtedly the way they taste best!

Cucumbers and gherkins are low-calorie vegetables, consisting mainly of water (95%) and being rich in minerals (calcium, potassium, iron, magnesium). Water content is higher in cucumbers as gherkins are drained before pickling. Cucumbers are therefore remineralising and refreshing for the body. They also contain antioxidants, including citrulline, an amino acid that aids muscle protein synthesis (though watermelon naturally contains the highest levels of this amino acid). Their skin is entirely edible once thoroughly washed – it’s rich in pepsin, which aids digestion, so it would be a shame to discard it!