Cucumber Fin de Meaux - Cucumis sativus

Sowing:

Germination occurs at a temperature between 16° and 35°. The sprouting usually takes 8 to 10 days.

Sowing is done from March to June in pots or directly in the ground:

In pots, one month before the planned planting date, place 2 or 3 seeds in a special sowing compost and water with a very fine spray. When the two true leaves appear, keep only one plant per pot. Keep the young plant at a mild temperature, making sure the substrate remains moist but not waterlogged.

Direct sowing in the ground is done later, in well-warmed soil: sow with two or three seeds in a hole and proceed as for sowing in pots.

During planting or direct sowing, respect a distance of one meter between each row and 50 to 60 cm (20 to 24in) between each plant.

Cultivation:

Cucumber is a fairly demanding vegetable that requires well-fertilized soil. It is advisable, preferably in autumn, to add mature compost (about 3 kg per m2) by scratching the soil to a depth of 5 cm (2in), after having compacted the soil, as with any vegetable crop. It prefers neutral soils (pH 7) but will also thrive in slightly acidic or alkaline soil (pH between 5.5 and 7.5).

Cucumber can be grown flat, but to save space, don't hesitate to use its climbing habit by training it: on a frame covered with wire mesh, inclined at 45%, it will provide beneficial shade for lettuces or in a teepee to bring some whimsy to the vegetable garden.

When the plants are vertically trained, the cultivation is done on a single stem that will be pinched at a height of 2.5 m (8 feet). Flat, pinch above the second leaf to obtain two stems that will be pinched above the 4^th leaf. The final pruning consists of cutting to one leaf above each formed fruit.

Cucumber pairs well with corn, but avoid planting it next to tomatoes and potatoes.