Aquaponics Blog Posts
How to grow cucumbers in small spaces
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'm going to put my hand up and say... I thought this too, and I missed a couple of things.
Grow cucumbers well also varies based upon your location. first of all, make sure that they are actually in season. Secondly, let's have a look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at one time and say, 'yep, sunlight. Check'. But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They need around 6 hours of full sun per day.
Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, growing cucumbers need lots of water; an obscene amount. In some areas, this can mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics, as it provides constant water and fertiliser for the cucumbers to support their growing. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from the single cucumber vine in my system. The fruit doubled in size every day with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying; it makes a difference!
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. A single stake may not be enough, so trellis or something similar is good to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow on.
Cucumbers are a vine so they like to grow 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
Cucumbers are vines that grow up (or down), and they have 'runners' branches off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants ~ their role is to hold the vine up, preventing it falling in a mess. These tendrils are very strong to hold the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, then the females flowers.
The key to knowing the difference, is that the female flower always has the fruit behind the flower. The male flower holds the pollen that needs to get into the female flower.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (bees) then hand pollinating is a good idea.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit are 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 grandparents day. They grew their own food, traditional seeds, and then kept the seeds to grow new plant.
These days, we buy cucumber seedlings at the store (though some of us save our seeds and grow from them). 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?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many variety of cucumber seeds and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We don't realise what these variations are unless we research them. A few simple examples are; lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
I common question that is asked, is "why do my cucumber plants fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it you. It might be the type of cucumber seeds, however, and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. And cucumber plants can be either, both serving a purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants
This relates to how long a plant will bare fruit for. They both have the grow, bloom and fruit cycle about them ~ it is the length of the fruit cycle that is the question.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom and fruit quickly, 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 an entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming. When the season changes, then the plant will die.
So, sometimes when a plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you, rather it could be a 'determinate' plant.
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
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'm going to put my hand up and say... I thought this too, and I missed a couple of things.
Grow cucumbers well also varies based upon your location. first of all, make sure that they are actually in season. Secondly, let's have a look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at one time and say, 'yep, sunlight. Check'. But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They need around 6 hours of full sun per day.
Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, growing cucumbers need lots of water; an obscene amount. In some areas, this can mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics, as it provides constant water and fertiliser for the cucumbers to support their growing. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from the single cucumber vine in my system. The fruit doubled in size every day with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying; it makes a difference!
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. A single stake may not be enough, so trellis or something similar is good to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow on.
Cucumbers are a vine so they like to grow 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
Cucumbers are vines that grow up (or down), and they have 'runners' branches off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants ~ their role is to hold the vine up, preventing it falling in a mess. These tendrils are very strong to hold the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, then the females flowers.
The key to knowing the difference, is that the female flower always has the fruit behind the flower. The male flower holds the pollen that needs to get into the female flower.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (bees) then hand pollinating is a good idea.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit are 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 grandparents day. They grew their own food, traditional seeds, and then kept the seeds to grow new plant.
These days, we buy cucumber seedlings at the store (though some of us save our seeds and grow from them). 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?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many variety of cucumber seeds and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We don't realise what these variations are unless we research them. A few simple examples are; lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
I common question that is asked, is "why do my cucumber plants fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it you. It might be the type of cucumber seeds, however, and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. And cucumber plants can be either, both serving a purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants
This relates to how long a plant will bare fruit for. They both have the grow, bloom and fruit cycle about them ~ it is the length of the fruit cycle that is the question.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom and fruit quickly, 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 an entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming. When the season changes, then the plant will die.
So, sometimes when a plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you, rather it could be a 'determinate' plant.
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
Growing Cucumbers in Small Spaces
Have you ever thought growing cucumbers would be easy, but it didn't turn out so well? I'm going to put my hand up and say... I thought this too, and I missed a couple of things.
Grow cucumbers well also varies based upon your location. first of all, make sure that they are actually in season. Secondly, let's have a look at what cucumber plants NEED to grow well.
What Cucumbers Need to Grow Well
Cucumbers need full sun.
I know this sounds simple, and we can often look at our yard at one time and say, 'yep, sunlight. Check'. But how long does this area get direct sunlight for?
They need around 6 hours of full sun per day.
Lots of water.
Unlike most plants, growing cucumbers need lots of water; an obscene amount. In some areas, this can mean watering them twice a day, especially in hot and humid areas.
Personally, this is why I love aquaponics, as it provides constant water and fertiliser for the cucumbers to support their growing. I grew cucumbers in my aquaponics system as well as in the soil, and I collected 14+ large cucumbers from the single cucumber vine in my system. The fruit doubled in size every day with aquaponics growing. In the soil with less water and fertiliser, however, I collected only 3 cucumbers. Just saying; it makes a difference!
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. A single stake may not be enough, so trellis or something similar is good to allow the tendrils to grasp and grow on.
Cucumbers are a vine so they like to grow 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
Cucumbers are vines that grow up (or down), and they have 'runners' branches off the main vine to allow the fruit to grow.
They have tendrils that hold onto stakes, trellis, and other plants ~ their role is to hold the vine up, preventing it falling in a mess. These tendrils are very strong to hold the vines and fruit.
It is important to know that cucumbers have both male and female flowers.
Typically, the male flowers come first, then the females flowers.
The key to knowing the difference, is that the female flower always has the fruit behind the flower. The male flower holds the pollen that needs to get into the female flower.
If you don't have many natural pollinators around (bees) then hand pollinating is a good idea.
Without pollination, the fruit will rot, die and fall off when small.
Once your fruit are 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 grandparents day. They grew their own food, traditional seeds, and then kept the seeds to grow new plant.
These days, we buy cucumber seedlings at the store (though some of us save our seeds and grow from them). 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?
Because my grandparents grew local, ate local, and always had the seasonal produce at home.
These days, there are many variety of cucumber seeds and they have been engineered to perform in different ways. We don't realise what these variations are unless we research them. A few simple examples are; lebanese cucumbers, bush cucumbers and lemon cucumber plants. There are considerably more than this, though.
I common question that is asked, is "why do my cucumber plants fruit once, then die off?"
You may think that it you. It might be the type of cucumber seeds, however, and what has been done to them.
This is where understanding determinate and indeterminate plants is important. And cucumber plants can be either, both serving a purpose.
Determinate and Indeterminate Plants
This relates to how long a plant will bare fruit for. They both have the grow, bloom and fruit cycle about them ~ it is the length of the fruit cycle that is the question.
Determinate plants do this all very quickly. They grow, bloom and fruit quickly, 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 an entire season. The fruit will just keep on coming. When the season changes, then the plant will die.
So, sometimes when a plant dies after a short fruiting period, it might not be you, rather it could be a 'determinate' plant.
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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