key growing information

How to Grow Field Cucumbers From Seed

How to grow cucumbers from seed: warm soil, mulch and row cover, transplants or direct sowing, spacing, pests and diseases, seedless types, harvest and storage.

By Hensley’s Seed Co. September 3, 2026

Field Cucumbers - Key Growing Information

Harvesting pickling cucumbers grown in the field.

SCIENTIFIC NAME:

Cucumis sativus (except where noted)

CULTURE:

Cucumbers need warm, well-drained, very fertile soil with a pH of 6–6.8, plus regular, ample watering for a big crop. They are highly sensitive to cold, so wait until both soil and air have warmed before planting. Laying plastic mulch and row covers boosts vigor and yield by adding warmth and keeping insects off. For greenhouses and high tunnels, varieties are the best choice.

DAYS TO MATURITY:

Counted from direct sowing; take off about 10 days for transplants.

TRANSPLANTING:

Start seed indoors 3–4 weeks before transplanting, 1–2 seeds per cell in 50-cell plug trays. Keep them above 70°F (21°C) by day and 60°F (16°C) at night. Plant out 12" apart in rows 5–6' apart, keeping the root ball intact.

DIRECT SEEDING:

Hold off until the soil reaches at least 70°F (21°C); seed won't sprout in soil below 50°F (10°C). Plant 1/2" deep at 2 seeds per foot in rows 6' apart and thin to 12".

AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE:

At 2 seeds per foot in rows 6' apart: 30 seeds sow about 15', 100 about 50', 250 about 125', 500 about 250', 1,000 about 500'; plan on roughly 15,000 seeds per acre.

INSECT PESTS:

Keep cucumber beetles off with row covers at planting, or manage them with insecticides such as pyrethrin or azadirachtin.DISEASE: Rotate crops, clear away crop residue and grow disease-resistant varieties. Controlling cucumber beetles helps prevent bacterial wilt, which they spread. Where possible, choose seed lots tested for cucumber green mottle mosaic virus; note that a clean test only shows the virus wasn't found in the sample checked, not that the whole lot is guaranteed free of it.

HARVEST:

Pick every day once plants start bearing.

POST HARVEST:

Keeps up to 2 weeks at 50–55°F (10–13°C) and 90% relative humidity.

NOTE:

Parthenocarpic (seedless) cucumbers produce seedy fruit if pollinated by other cucumbers, so they're usually grown on their own in greenhouses or hoop houses fitted with insect screening to keep seeded and seedless types apart.

TRANSPLANTS (AVG.):

About 85 transplants per 100 seeds.SEEDS/LB. (AVG.): 20,200.

PACKET:

30 seeds per packet unless noted.