Cucumber

At a glance

USDA Zones

4–11

Sun

Full sun (6+ hrs)

Water

High — consistently moist soil

Soil

Loam, sandy

pH

Neutral

Spacing

18 in. between plants

Space needed

A 2×2 ft block of the bed

Days to maturity

About 60 days

Planting & harvest windows

Northern Hemisphere timing. Adjust ±4–6 weeks based on your last/first frost dates.

Good companions

• 
  Bush Bean

  Beans add nitrogen that cucumbers love; their growth habits don't crowd.

• 
  Pea
• 
  Radish

  Radishes deter cucumber beetles, and they mature in 3–4 weeks — long before the cucumber vines spread to fill the space.

• 
  Sunflower

  Sunflowers offer light shade and act as trellises; their pollen draws pollinators to cucumber flowers.

• 
  Lettuce
• 
  Dill

Keep apart from

• 
  Potato

  Potatoes can encourage blight, and both are heavy feeders competing for water.

• 
  Sage

  Strongly aromatic sage suppresses cucumber vine growth — keep them well apart.

Recommended varieties

• Marketmore 76

  65 daysboth

  Reliable slicer, disease-resistant, productive.

• Straight Eight

  60 daysboth

  All-America selection slicer — a beginner favorite.

• Boston Pickling

  55 daysseed

  Crunchy small fruits for homemade pickles.

• English / Burpless

  60 daysboth

  Long, thin, seedless, mild. Ideal for slicing.

• Lemon

  65 daysseed

  Round, yellow, mild and crunchy. Harvest when pale yellow.

• Persian

  55 daysboth

  Small, dark, thin-skinned mini cucumber. No bitterness.

• Spacemaster

  60 daysseed

  Compact bush habit — perfect for small raised beds.