CUCUMBER
There are two kinds of cucumber: one is for preserving and the other is for raw as salad
The one for preserving is short and plump with white or black spikes, dark green in color that
turns whitish at the ends. If the spikes are white, these turn yellow or white as they mature.
If the spikes are black, this turns reddish when from end to end and has whit spikes.
MANNER OF PLANTING
1. Cucumber seeds for planting are taken from matured plants. The more mature, the more
seeds will germinate.
It is good to plant cucumber between November and January toward the end of the rainy
season.
2. Cucumber grows in any kind of soil but it likes best loose, sandy soil enriched with compost.
It doesn’t like sticky soil.
3. Loose soil makes cucumber germinate and grow fast, but it must be maintained with
watering as it dries up quickly especially in summer.
4. Growth and development of cucumber is good in long summer days.
PREPARATION OF LAND
1. If the area for planting is small, a hoe will be enough for tilling the soil; but if it is wide, plow
necessary.
2. Make hill 6 ft apart and 8 ft away from one another. The farther apart, the more productive in fruits the plants will be. If they are close to one another, some fruits will be left unseen during harvest time, as these will be obscured by the vine ends. Also, if the plants are far apart, danger of infection and diseases is lessed when the rains
come.
3. Plant 5-6 seeds in every hill and reduced it to 3 plants when they grow. When the seeds germinate, culture the soil around each plant, but take care not to hurt the roots of the plant. Similarly in reducing the newly germinating plants, avoid hurting the plants to be retained.
4. Cucumber likes moderate watering.
5. Apply fertilizer to increase the fruits. 6. Put up trellis to prevent the plants’ being bushy. It can also be made to crawl on the ground, but the quality of the fruits will not be as good. To have straight and fruits of the same color for salad, trellises are necessary. It can also be mad to climb the sides of the fence.
7. Avoid pests and diseases through smoking and spraying pesticide.
HARVESTING
1.After 55-65 days, cucumber can be harvested if these will be used as salad or preserved.
2. Cut with knife a from the stem so as not to disturb much the vine from where it is gathered.
From: Greenfields Sept. 1990