Aquaponics Blog Posts
How to Grow Cucumbers in Small Spaces: Tips for Thriving Plants
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'll be the first to admit—I thought so, too! But after a few setbacks, I realised I was missing some key things.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that growing cucumbers successfully can vary based on your location. First of all, make sure they're actually in season. Then, you're ready to look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers might seem easy to grow, but they have specific needs to truly thrive. By giving your cucumber plants the right conditions and care, you'll set them up for a bumper harvest. Here are the key factors to keep in mind to help your cucumbers grow their best:
1. Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at once and say, "Yep, sunlight—check." But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They require at least 6 hours of full sun per day.
2. Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, cucumber plants need an incredible amount of water, an obscene amount. This can even mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics. It provides consistent water and fertiliser for the cucumbers, ensuring healthy growth. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from a single cucumber vine in my aquaponics system. The fruit doubled in size daily with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying—it makes a difference!
3. Stakes, trellis, something to let it climb up.
Healthy cucumber plants can easily grow higher than 1.5 metres if given the chance, and they will spread out. This makes cucumbers a great plant to grow in small spaces. A single stake may not be enough, so a trellis or something similar works well to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow.
Cucumbers are a vine, so they naturally prefer growing vertically. This is perfect for the cucumber vine to grow against your fence with some wire, mesh, or trellis for it to climb up.
Parts of the Cucumber Plant
Cucumber plants are made up of different parts that grow in different ways. They're vines that grow up (or down) and have 'runners' branching off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants. These tendrils are incredibly strong and play a vital role in holding up the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, followed by the female flowers.
The key to knowing the difference is that female flowers always have the fruit behind the flower, while male flowers hold the pollen needed for pollination.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (like bees), then hand pollinating is a great alternative.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit is pollinated, and you get some fruit, sometimes they start to die off... why?
Why is my cucumber plant dying after one lot of fruit?
Things have changed in the gardening world since my grandparent's day. Back then, they grew their own food and traditional seeds and then kept the seeds to grow new plants year after year.
These days, many of us buy cucumber seedlings at the store. While some people save their seeds and grow from them, most would buy more seedlings from the store. The seedlings from the store, however, may not be labelled correctly. Alternatively, the cucumber seeds may have been modified from the original local ones.
Why am I saying this when talking about why cucumbers die off after one fruit harvest?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many varieties of cucumber seeds, and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We may not fully understand what we're growing unless we research these variations. A few simple examples include Lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
So, back to the most common question that is asked: "Why does my cucumber plant fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it's you. However, it might be the type of cucumber seeds and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. Cucumber plants can be either, but both serve a different purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants and Where Cucumber Plants Fit In
Whether a plant is determinate or indeterminate relates to how long a plant will bear fruit. Both determinate and indeterminate plants follow a growth-bloom-fruit cycle ~ it's the length of the fruiting period that differs.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom, and fruit quickly, and then the plant dies. This may be a fruiting period of 1-2 weeks, and that is it.
This is great if you want to get in 'one last quick crop' or you have only a small growing period of time.
Indeterminate plants, however, grow, bloom, and fruit throughout the entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming until the season changes, at which point the plant will die.
So, if you're worried that your plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you; rather, it could be a 'determinate' plant.
Find more veggies you can grow in small spaces in my blog about the 15 best veggies to grow in containers or learn about the easy to grow zucchini.
Check Out This Video on How to Grow Cucumbers … and My Second-Hand Aquaponics System!
Want to get your Eyes and Hands on the FREE Online Aquaponics Essentials Course?
This is a great free aquaponics course to really understand how aquaponics works. You'll learn how aquaponics is a sustainable ecosystem that will grow your organic food is a productive way.
We explore how all the 'parts' of the system make up the 'whole', and help to give you the foundations of understanding aquaponics.
Sign up to our FREE Aquaponics Essentials Courses HERE.
Candy Alexander is a dedicated aquaponics enthusiast with a wealth of formal training in aquaculture. Over the past 15 years, Candy has been deeply immersed in both commercial and backyard aquaponics, honing her skills and expertise in this sustainable farming method.
Candy's passion lies in making aquaponics accessible to everyone. With a mission to simplify aquaponics, she believes that anyone can embark on this sustainable journey.
She encourages those new to aquaponics to "kick the tires" without a significant financial investment. Her guidance focuses on helping people start their aquaponics journey with small-scale systems, ensuring a low barrier to entry for newcomers.
Candy shares practical tips, step-by-step guides, and personal stories to inspire and guide readers on their aquaponics adventure. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or a curious beginner, Candy Alexander is your go-to source for simplifying aquaponics and fostering a sustainable gardening experience.
Gardening Blogs
How to Grow Cucumbers in Small Spaces: Tips for Thriving Plants
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'll be the first to admit—I thought so, too! But after a few setbacks, I realised I was missing some key things.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that growing cucumbers successfully can vary based on your location. First of all, make sure they're actually in season. Then, you're ready to look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers might seem easy to grow, but they have specific needs to truly thrive. By giving your cucumber plants the right conditions and care, you'll set them up for a bumper harvest. Here are the key factors to keep in mind to help your cucumbers grow their best:
1. Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at once and say, "Yep, sunlight—check." But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They require at least 6 hours of full sun per day.
2. Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, cucumber plants need an incredible amount of water, an obscene amount. This can even mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics. It provides consistent water and fertiliser for the cucumbers, ensuring healthy growth. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from a single cucumber vine in my aquaponics system. The fruit doubled in size daily with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying—it makes a difference!
3. Stakes, trellis, something to let it climb up.
Healthy cucumber plants can easily grow higher than 1.5 metres if given the chance, and they will spread out. This makes cucumbers a great plant to grow in small spaces. A single stake may not be enough, so a trellis or something similar works well to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow.
Cucumbers are a vine, so they naturally prefer growing vertically. This is perfect for the cucumber vine to grow against your fence with some wire, mesh, or trellis for it to climb up.
Parts of the Cucumber Plant
Cucumber plants are made up of different parts that grow in different ways. They're vines that grow up (or down) and have 'runners' branching off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants. These tendrils are incredibly strong and play a vital role in holding up the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, followed by the female flowers.
The key to knowing the difference is that female flowers always have the fruit behind the flower, while male flowers hold the pollen needed for pollination.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (like bees), then hand pollinating is a great alternative.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit is pollinated, and you get some fruit, sometimes they start to die off... why?
Why is my cucumber plant dying after one lot of fruit?
Things have changed in the gardening world since my grandparent's day. Back then, they grew their own food and traditional seeds and then kept the seeds to grow new plants year after year.
These days, many of us buy cucumber seedlings at the store. While some people save their seeds and grow from them, most would buy more seedlings from the store. The seedlings from the store, however, may not be labelled correctly. Alternatively, the cucumber seeds may have been modified from the original local ones.
Why am I saying this when talking about why cucumbers die off after one fruit harvest?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many varieties of cucumber seeds, and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We may not fully understand what we're growing unless we research these variations. A few simple examples include Lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
So, back to the most common question that is asked: "Why does my cucumber plant fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it's you. However, it might be the type of cucumber seeds and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. Cucumber plants can be either, but both serve a different purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants and Where Cucumber Plants Fit In
Whether a plant is determinate or indeterminate relates to how long a plant will bear fruit. Both determinate and indeterminate plants follow a growth-bloom-fruit cycle ~ it's the length of the fruiting period that differs.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom, and fruit quickly, and then the plant dies. This may be a fruiting period of 1-2 weeks, and that is it.
This is great if you want to get in 'one last quick crop' or you have only a small growing period of time.
Indeterminate plants, however, grow, bloom, and fruit throughout the entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming until the season changes, at which point the plant will die.
So, if you're worried that your plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you; rather, it could be a 'determinate' plant.
Find more veggies you can grow in small spaces in my blog about the 15 best veggies to grow in containers or learn about the easy to grow zucchini.
Check Out This Video on How to Grow Cucumbers … and My Second-Hand Aquaponics System!
Want to get your Eyes and Hands on the FREE Online Aquaponics Essentials Course?
This is a great free aquaponics course to really understand how aquaponics works. You'll learn how aquaponics is a sustainable ecosystem that will grow your organic food is a productive way.
We explore how all the 'parts' of the system make up the 'whole', and help to give you the foundations of understanding aquaponics.
Sign up to our FREE Aquaponics Essentials Courses HERE.
Candy Alexander is a dedicated aquaponics enthusiast with a wealth of formal training in aquaculture. Over the past 15 years, Candy has been deeply immersed in both commercial and backyard aquaponics, honing her skills and expertise in this sustainable farming method.
Candy's passion lies in making aquaponics accessible to everyone. With a mission to simplify aquaponics, she believes that anyone can embark on this sustainable journey.
She encourages those new to aquaponics to "kick the tires" without a significant financial investment. Her guidance focuses on helping people start their aquaponics journey with small-scale systems, ensuring a low barrier to entry for newcomers.
Candy shares practical tips, step-by-step guides, and personal stories to inspire and guide readers on their aquaponics adventure. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or a curious beginner, Candy Alexander is your go-to source for simplifying aquaponics and fostering a sustainable gardening experience.
Garden Therapy with Aquaponics Blogs Below
How to Grow Cucumbers in Small Spaces: Tips for Thriving Plants
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'll be the first to admit—I thought so, too! But after a few setbacks, I realised I was missing some key things.
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that growing cucumbers successfully can vary based on your location. First of all, make sure they're actually in season. Then, you're ready to look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers might seem easy to grow, but they have specific needs to truly thrive. By giving your cucumber plants the right conditions and care, you'll set them up for a bumper harvest. Here are the key factors to keep in mind to help your cucumbers grow their best:
1. Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at once and say, "Yep, sunlight—check." But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They require at least 6 hours of full sun per day.
2. Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, cucumber plants need an incredible amount of water, an obscene amount. This can even mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics. It provides consistent water and fertiliser for the cucumbers, ensuring healthy growth. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from a single cucumber vine in my aquaponics system. The fruit doubled in size daily with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying—it makes a difference!
3. Stakes, trellis, something to let it climb up.
Healthy cucumber plants can easily grow higher than 1.5 metres if given the chance, and they will spread out. This makes cucumbers a great plant to grow in small spaces. A single stake may not be enough, so a trellis or something similar works well to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow.
Cucumbers are a vine, so they naturally prefer growing vertically. This is perfect for the cucumber vine to grow against your fence with some wire, mesh, or trellis for it to climb up.
Parts of the Cucumber Plant
Cucumber plants are made up of different parts that grow in different ways. They're vines that grow up (or down) and have 'runners' branching off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants. These tendrils are incredibly strong and play a vital role in holding up the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, followed by the female flowers.
The key to knowing the difference is that female flowers always have the fruit behind the flower, while male flowers hold the pollen needed for pollination.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (like bees), then hand pollinating is a great alternative.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit is pollinated, and you get some fruit, sometimes they start to die off... why?
Why is my cucumber plant dying after one lot of fruit?
Things have changed in the gardening world since my grandparent's day. Back then, they grew their own food and traditional seeds and then kept the seeds to grow new plants year after year.
These days, many of us buy cucumber seedlings at the store. While some people save their seeds and grow from them, most would buy more seedlings from the store. The seedlings from the store, however, may not be labelled correctly. Alternatively, the cucumber seeds may have been modified from the original local ones.
Why am I saying this when talking about why cucumbers die off after one fruit harvest?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many varieties of cucumber seeds, and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We may not fully understand what we're growing unless we research these variations. A few simple examples include Lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
So, back to the most common question that is asked: "Why does my cucumber plant fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it's you. However, it might be the type of cucumber seeds and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. Cucumber plants can be either, but both serve a different purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants and Where Cucumber Plants Fit In
Whether a plant is determinate or indeterminate relates to how long a plant will bear fruit. Both determinate and indeterminate plants follow a growth-bloom-fruit cycle ~ it's the length of the fruiting period that differs.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom, and fruit quickly, and then the plant dies. This may be a fruiting period of 1-2 weeks, and that is it.
This is great if you want to get in 'one last quick crop' or you have only a small growing period of time.
Indeterminate plants, however, grow, bloom, and fruit throughout the entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming until the season changes, at which point the plant will die.
So, if you're worried that your plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you; rather, it could be a 'determinate' plant.
Find more veggies you can grow in small spaces in my blog about the 15 best veggies to grow in containers or learn about the easy to grow zucchini.
Check Out This Video on How to Grow Cucumbers … and My Second-Hand Aquaponics System!
Want to get your Eyes and Hands on the FREE Online Aquaponics Essentials Course?
This is a great free aquaponics course to really understand how aquaponics works. You'll learn how aquaponics is a sustainable ecosystem that will grow your organic food is a productive way.
We explore how all the 'parts' of the system make up the 'whole', and help to give you the foundations of understanding aquaponics.
Sign up to our FREE Aquaponics Essentials Courses HERE.
Candy Alexander is a dedicated aquaponics enthusiast with a wealth of formal training in aquaculture. Over the past 15 years, Candy has been deeply immersed in both commercial and backyard aquaponics, honing her skills and expertise in this sustainable farming method.
Candy's passion lies in making aquaponics accessible to everyone. With a mission to simplify aquaponics, she believes that anyone can embark on this sustainable journey.
She encourages those new to aquaponics to "kick the tires" without a significant financial investment. Her guidance focuses on helping people start their aquaponics journey with small-scale systems, ensuring a low barrier to entry for newcomers.
Candy shares practical tips, step-by-step guides, and personal stories to inspire and guide readers on their aquaponics adventure. Whether you're a seasoned farmer or a curious beginner, Candy Alexander is your go-to source for simplifying aquaponics and fostering a sustainable gardening experience.
The relaxation you feel when your garden is well known. Aquaponics brings a deeper sense of calm as it connects you with the relaxation of fish as well.
Seeing the miracles of nature happening within your aquaponics system gives you a sense of wonder and excitement.
As everything about aquaponics is based on balance, it gives you the physical representation of balance to connect to when you feel overwhelmed by life.
I use aquaponics as a form of garden therapy to help me manage PTSD,
anxiety, depression, and autism.
Have you been thinking about a deeper meaning in life?
Aquaponics can show you this perfectly!
Check out the article below on how I manage my anxiety with aquaponics:
Managing My "Anxiety Octopus" with Aquaponics
Copyright 2023 | Candy The Aquaponics Lady | All Rights Reserved Email: ask@theaquaponicslady.com Queensland, Australia
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