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    Home » Garden » Vegetables

    Growing Cucumbers in Raised Beds

    By: Jane · Updated: 11 Oct, '21 · This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

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    Growing cucumbers in raised beds

    We conducted a little trial in our garden this year by growing cucumbers in raised beds. We had great results so I'm sharing our tips today.

    Garden sign

    It's a traditional practice for all gardeners to reflect on the past growing season and decide what grew and produced well or not. We have been fortunate to have a bountiful garden this year.

    I attribute part of that success to having a mild spring and early summer with regular amounts of rainfall. It has only been recently that the temps here in South Carolina have jumped up into the upper 90s. When that happens, most things stop flowering and producing and begin the whole withering process.

    Except for the cucumbers. Oh my goodness. I am still harvesting cucumbers daily.

    Cucumbers growing along a fence

    We normally grow our cucumbers along our garden fence because it serves as a trellis for them. And these days we incorporate cucumber companion plants that thrive together.

    There are 2 types of cucumbers with 2 types of growth habits.

    • pickling and slicing
    • bush and vining

    We always grow pickling cucumbers and the varieties that we plant are either Kirby or Boston pickling. Both of those varieties are vining cucumbers that can grow up to 6 feet in length.

    Cucumbers climbing a fence

    It is not good to allow the vines to grow on the ground because it promotes plant diseases so we use our garden fence as a trellis for the vines.

    Cucumbers growing in a garden

    The cucumber plant produces tendrils that attach to the fence to help it climb. I will have to admit that I help the plant along by wrapping some of the tendrils around the fence wire when I see that they are not attached.

    Pickling cucumbers are the smaller cucumbers with a thicker, bumpy skin that helps the cucumbers stay crisp when pickling. Of course, you don't have to pickle them.

    They are great in salads and other recipes because they are crunchy and mild. Try one of these fresh cucumber salad recipes paired with your favorite proteins.

    Cucumbers in a raised bed

    This year, we decided to do a little experiment to see how well the cucumbers would grow in raised beds.

    The photo above was taken at the end of March when we planted 16 cucumber transplants in a 4' x 8' raised bed.

    Cucumbers growing up a tomato cage

    And this photo that was taken a few weeks ago shows how well the cucumber vines grew. We used 2 of our DIY tomato cages to give support to the vines.

    Cucumbers growing in a raised bed

    The plants produced prolifically and I will have to say that growing cucumbers in raised beds was a great success. They grew so well that I think we could have opened a pickle factory!

    If you have backyard space to create raised beds, I encourage you to do so. You can grow a lot of food in a small space.

    Tips for growing cucumbers in raised beds

    • locate the raised beds in an area that receives a lot of sun
    • add compost to the soil in the raised bed
    • test the pH of the soil before planting-cucumbers like a neutral pH (6.5)
    • wait until the soil temperature reaches 70 degrees F before planting
    • light frosts will burn or kill tender cucumber plants so plan on frost protection
    • provide a trellis or other such support for the vines
    • mulch the soil to help retain moisture
    • make sure the soil remains moist at all times-regular watering is the KEY to avoiding bitter cucumbers!
    • fertilize the plants after they begin producing blossoms (I used Tomato-Tone Organic Fertilizer)
    • harvest the cucumbers frequently and gently
    • do not allow the cucumbers to grow too large because the plant will think that it's finished its work
    Sunflower growing beside cucumbers

    It was happenstance that a sunflower started growing beside the cucumbers in our raised bed. I've always heard that growing sunflowers near cucumbers made them sweeter. I'm not sure how true that is but we've had the best tasting cucumbers this year.

    But I will admit that I was diligent with my watering.

    Sunflower bowing its head

    The sunflower is now bowing its head as a signal to the end of our summer growing season. You can see that the cucumber vines climbed its stalk and that they make great companion plants.

    Why grow cucumbers in raised beds?

    • the greatest benefit is that raised beds provide good soil drainage
    • you can grow more cucumbers in a smaller space
    • it is easier to control the soil health and the weeds
    • harvesting is easier because the cucumbers are at eye level

    What I do with all of our cucumbers?

    • make dill relish, sweet cucumber relish, traditional bread and butter pickles, and zesty bread and butter pickles
    • make cucumber sandwich spread
    • make cucumber salad
    • and my all-time #1 post fresh cucumber salad dressing
    • 15 cucumber salad recipes
    Cucumbers growing around the tin man

    It's probably a good thing that our summer garden season is nearing its end. I don't know how many more cucumbers he can support!

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    1. Rachel

      May 18, 2021 at 1:15 pm

      Hi! Thanks for the great article. How many pickling cucumber plants do you think could be planted in a 4x8 garden bed? I put trellises around the side (homemade, used old fencing material) and I'll put tomato cages in the middle. Also, for pickling, the use of alum helps with the crunch!

      Reply
    2. ALEXANDER YELKIN

      April 06, 2021 at 8:08 pm

      Hi Jane,
      Building rise bed or cucumbers on a top of my backyard lawn. How deep I should break clay subsoil? Thanks

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        April 07, 2021 at 7:05 pm

        If you make the soil in your raised beds about 8-10 inches deep, you will not need to dig out that clay. The roots of cucumbers spread out rather than going deep. You should be fine.

        Reply
        • Katlin

          August 08, 2021 at 6:40 am

          Hi Jane. I purchased two tiered garden beds. Would tomato’s go best in the deepest tier and then cucumbers best in the 3rd-least deepest tier? Thank you for this awesome, helpful article! I’ve pinned it for next year!

          Reply
          • Jane Windham

            August 08, 2021 at 7:29 pm

            Yes, it would be best to plant the tomatoes in the deepest part. Good luck with your gardening!

            Reply
    3. Ilona

      March 24, 2021 at 1:14 am

      Beautiful garden! I was wondering if you lined the raised beds with landscape fabric? Also, how deep were your garden beds? Can cucumbers grown in 24” deep garden beds or do they need more root space?

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        March 26, 2021 at 12:05 pm

        Ilona, cucumber roots seems to spread out rather than going deep so you should be fine with beds in which the soil is only 10-12 inches deep. We did not put landscape fabric in our beds and they are surrounded by centipede grass which spreads so we have to pull grass out of our soil each season before planting.

        Reply
        • Ilona

          March 28, 2021 at 11:20 am

          Thank you for taking the time to reply!

          Reply
    4. Shirley @Housepitality Designs

      August 03, 2020 at 11:15 am

      Oh I envy those who can have a true garden...We battle the deer... chased a family of deer out of the yard who ate my flowers...really thought they would stay away....
      Your raised garden is beautiful and soon to be bountiful...and the "Tin Man" is adorable!
      Looking forward to seeing what you do with the cucumbers!

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        August 03, 2020 at 2:52 pm

        Thanks so much Shirley! Our fence around the garden keeps out the nearby deer.

        Reply
    5. Helrn

      August 02, 2020 at 8:59 am

      Your garden is beautiful! ❤️🌱

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        August 03, 2020 at 2:53 pm

        Thanks so much for the compliment. The garden is a lot of work but it's so rewarding!

        Reply
    6. Kitty

      July 31, 2020 at 4:23 pm

      When you make pickles , do they stay crunchy? Mine always turn mushy.
      I get the pickling cucumbers and spices. I follow the recipe.
      I guess my question is do you have a good recipe for dill pickles?
      Thank You,
      Kitty Drinkwater.

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        July 31, 2020 at 6:25 pm

        I don't have a good recipe for dill pickles on the blog for the same reason. When I do make them, I have used Mrs. Wages Dill Pickle mix that comes in a package. You can find it at Walmart and other grocery stores. When I have used the mix, the pickles do stay crunchy. I guess Mrs. Wages has it all figured out!

        Reply
      • Jordan Auel

        April 27, 2021 at 3:03 pm

        I know this is old and you may not see it, but my trick to crunchy pickles is that I do not boil the cucumbers in the brine. Put all your ingredients in the jars, boil brine separately. Also boil jar lids. Fill jars with boiling water just to cover all ingredients. Top with sterilized cover and twist on ring tight. Set aside and don't move until they seal. Sometime it takes a whole day. They stay so crunchy!

        Reply
    7. Francis C. Moore

      July 31, 2020 at 8:25 am

      I saw your beautiful zinnas in the pictures. I bought expensive plants, planted them, and then they were attacked by something. I ended up pulling them up. Most of my plants get small brown spots on the leaves. Then the rabbits attack. Your cucumber vines are beautiful. I have one vine which I planted in a bucket. No luck. I don't have much space for gardening.

      Reply
      • Jane Windham

        July 31, 2020 at 6:26 pm

        Gardening can be a real challenge at times, Francis.

        Reply

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