When Is the Best Time to Plant Cucumbers? Detailed Guide to the Best Planting Time and High-Yield Techniques

Cucumber is one of the staple vegetables of summer in China, usable both as food and as medicine, and with the development of cultivation techniques, it can be grown not only in open fields but also in plastic tunnels and greenhouses. So when is the best time to plant cucumbers? What are the high-yield cultivation techniques?

1. Basic facts about cucumbers

1. Cucumber yield per mu

Besides being affected by region and variety, cucumber yields also differ depending on the season in which they are planted. For example, the normal yield per mu of spring cucumbers is about 15000 jin. The normal yield per mu of autumn cucumbers is about 12000 jin.

2. Cucumber prices

At present, the price of fresh cucumbers at the Hongxing and Mawangdui wholesale markets in Changsha, Hunan is 5 yuan/kg; the price of cucumbers at the Jishou market is 5 yuan/kg; the price of cucumbers in Changde is 6 yuan/kg;

The price of original-seed cucumber seeds in Shouguang, Shandong is 130 yuan/bag; the price of 10-gram packs of hybrid cucumber seeds in Wuhan, Hubei: 25 yuan for 1 bag, 23 yuan/bag for 2-4 bags, and 20 yuan/bag for 5 bags or more.

3. Cucumber cultivation prospects

Cucumbers are rich in protein, vitamins and more, and have effects such as detoxifying, preventing constipation, supplementing vitamins and preventing diabetes; in addition, its fruit, vines, peel and roots all have certain medicinal effects; furthermore, combined with export, processing and ornamental uses, the future cultivation prospects for cucumbers are also quite good.

2. When is the best time to plant cucumbers?

The planting time for cucumbers is not uniform; it differs depending on region, variety and so on.

1. Spring cucumbers are planted starting from the third day of the third lunar month in spring, that is, they can be planted once the temperature is suitable; ideally the cucumber temperature is around 25 degrees and the nighttime temperature is around 16 degrees, and basically sowing can be carried out once the soil temperature is around 22 degrees. In areas such as Beijing, Tianjin and Shijiazhuang, transplanting is generally chosen after late April.

2. Autumn cucumbers are generally sown about 70 days before the first frost, and seedling raising and transplanting can be done 7-10 days earlier.

3. What are the high-yield cucumber cultivation techniques?

Cucumbers can be grown in open fields, plastic tunnels or greenhouses; although greenhouse cultivation can basically be carried out all year round, the following points still need attention to ensure high yields as much as possible.

1. Suitable temperature and light

Cucumber is a plant that grows in temperate and tropical zones, so it can only be planted at suitable temperatures; generally, for open-field planting the minimum nighttime temperature must be above 5 degrees; for plastic tunnels, 25-30 degrees during the day and 16-18 degrees at night; for greenhouses, 12-32 degrees; basically, cucumbers should receive about 9 hours of sunlight per day, which is more conducive to their growth and development, quality and yield.

2. Suitable planting soil

It is very important to choose relatively suitable soil for cucumber cultivation; it is better if it matches the growth habits of cucumbers; basically, the best choice is relatively fertile, loose, well-draining, airy, slightly alkaline soil; choosing relatively fertile soil allows you to appropriately reduce fertilisation, because cucumbers are relatively intolerant of excess fertiliser.

3. Appropriate watering

For open-field cucumbers, the amount and frequency of watering depend on the weather and growth stage; generally, during the seedling recovery stage and the fruiting stage, water once every 5-7 days; in plastic tunnels, water once every 5 days, choosing to do so on sunny mornings; in greenhouses, generally water once every 5-7 days, and if the daytime air humidity is kept at 60-80% and the nighttime humidity maintained between 85-90%, then there is no need to water.

The above is the complete introduction to cucumber planting times and techniques; everyone should adjust according to their own actual situation and not blindly copy it.