Good and Bad Cucumber Companion Plants

If you are looking for a crop that is relatively easy to grow, consider cucumber. Moreover, companion planting may help it thrive even better.

Good companions will likely attract beneficial insects and protect against certain pests. However, you’ll want to keep bad companions well away. These are plants that may take nutrients from the soil and/or even attract harmful insects.

Below are some plants that grow well with cucumbers, as well as those to avoid planting near them.

Good Companion Plants for Cucumbers

Below is a list of some of the best companion plants for cucumbers. These herbs, vegetables, and flowers help keep pests away. Some may also enhance the flavor of your cucumbers and provide shade.

Here’s what to plant with cucumbers:

• Beets
• Carrots
• Calendula
• Corn
• Dill
• Lettuce
• Nasturtiums
• Marigold
• Chives
• Rutabaga
• Peas
• Beans
• Radishes
• Onions
• Oregano
• Turnips
• Sunflowers
• Tansy
• Tomatoes
• Parsnips
• Borage
• Lentils
• Garlic

What Not to Plant With Cucumbers

Just as some plants are helpful, others can be bad for your cucumber plants. Some crops may compete for space and/or nutrients, while others may encourage pests.

Below are bad companions for cucumbers.

• Melons
• Brassicas
• Potatoes
• Fennel
• Sage
• Mint
• Basil

Growing Cucumbers

There are different types of cucumber plants out there.

Vining cucumbers can grow up the side of a fence or a trellis. They are also great space savers versus the bush crop cucumber growth habit. Besides, climbers keep fruits and leaves away from the ground.

Bush cucumbers work well for container planting and smaller gardens. However, both vining and bush cucumber growth habits have a short growth period, usually around six weeks.

However, whether it’s bush, pickling, slicing, vining, heirloom, or burpless cucumbers, cucumber plants do not tolerate frost. The warmer the weather, the better they grow.

1. Soil Preparation

Prepare the soil in advance by mixing in compost or aged manure.

Cucumber plants grow best in fertile, loose, sandy loam soil [1]. In essence, the soil must be well-drained and not soggy.

2. Planting

Sometimes it’s a good idea to start the seeds inside if you live in a cooler climate.

Also, give the seedlings about three weeks in a consistently warm space. This gives them a healthy start and helps ensure the danger of frost and cooler nighttime temperatures is over. Also, the roots are easily damaged, so handle them gently.

If you’re growing cucumbers from seeds, drop 2 or 3 seeds about 1 inch deep into the soil, spacing them 2 to 3 feet apart in a row. However, plant the vining variety about 6 inches to 1 foot apart. These will also need a trellis for support.

For bush varieties, if you’re worried the ground might not be warm enough, you can use black plastic around your plants to help retain heat.

In very warm climates, you may see growth from seeds in just a few days. Cooler climates will have a longer germination period.

Additionally, after four weeks, mulch around the plants to help retain moisture. You can use straw mulch, dry grass clippings, or any organic mulch.

3. Care and Maintenance

More than anything, this vegetable needs full sunlight and consistent watering. A good baseline is about 1 to 2 inches of water per week, with increased watering at higher temperatures.

Water in the morning or early afternoon. A lack of sufficient watering can lead to bitter-tasting fruits. However, drip irrigation or soaker hose methods work best, as wet foliage can lead to leaf diseases.

Set trellises early and guide the plants to take hold of the trellis or fence. Additionally, you might need to thin the seedlings so they don’t compete for water and nutrients.

4. Pests and Diseases

Cucumber beetles wreak the most havoc on young cucurbits. Other pests include spider mites, squash bugs, whiteflies, and aphids [2].

Moreover, sometimes it’s not garden pests alone that ruin your crop but plant diseases as well. Even though you’re constantly caring for your plants, you might start having fungal disease problems.

Diseases can sometimes be passed from crop to crop through the air, via pests, or by water. However, you can help treat some with natural remedies, but often the best option is the removal of the infected crops before they infect others.

5. Harvesting

Cucumbers are ready to pick 50 to 70 days after planting. That’s when they are medium to dark green and firm. If they are starting to turn yellow, it means the fruits have started to ripen.

Picking them before they get too ripe signals the plant to continue producing. Also, the morning is the best time to pick—before the sun hits the plants.

Where to Buy Seeds

Part of growing healthy cucumber plants is starting with quality seeds.

Purchase organic seeds from your local farm or gardening store. Alternatively, buying online from a reputable online retailer like Seeds Now is fast and convenient.

Takeaway

By planning out your organic garden in advance and making sure to leave room for other helpful crops, you will likely have a successful growing season.

You’ll possibly end up with a bigger harvest and a variety of other vegetables than you know what to do with. Fortunately, most people love cucumbers, so you can pass on the excess to your neighbors!

See also: Good and Bad Companion Plants for Zucchini.