How to Grow Cucumbers Indoors

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posted on 12 years ago — updated on 1 second ago

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Cucumbers are nutritious and can be prepared and eaten in a variety of ways. Growing cucumbers indoors means you can have this crunchy treat available year-round. The vines of cucumber plants spread out over a large area of the ground when planted outdoors, but you can plant varieties of cucumbers indoors that are well suited to flourish in containers, and that have been bred to grow and produce fruit without pollination.

Steps

Choose hybrid cucumber seeds that don’t require pollination. Be sure to buy a dwarf variety in order to conserve space.

Select a very large pot. Cucumbers even dwarf varieties, need lots of room to grow. You can also grow cucumbers in hanging pots.

Place some small stones, clay shards or gravel in the bottom of the pot to aid drainage and to keep the roots of the plant from getting soggy. You can also place a small pot (with drainage holes) upside down in the middle of the large pot if you don't have rocks or gravel.

Fill your planting pot with a mixture of potting soil and compost—50% soil and 50% compost. You can use dirt from your garden, but then you will run the risk of bringing unwanted pests indoors.

Plant 4 to 5 seeds about 1/2” (12 mm) deep. Space the seeds 1/2" apart or more, if possible. Planting them too close together will hinder growth.

Water the soil thoroughly so that it is saturated, but not soupy. Water several times until the water drains from the bottom of the pot.

Position your cucumber planter in a sunny window. For optimal growth, the plant should receive at least 6 hours of sunlight a day.

Allow the seedlings to grow to a height of 2 to 3” (50 to 75 mm). Don't thin them before they reach this minimum height.

Identify 2 plants that look the strongest and gently pull the other plants out of the soil. Be careful not to disturb the soil around the 2 plants you want to keep.

Let the remaining 2 plants grow to a height of about 10” (254 mm). Rotate the planter every few days if it looks like the plants are not receiving the same amount of sunlight.

Choose the strongest, healthiest of the two plants to keep and eliminate the other one by snipping it off at the base. This will leave you with 1 strong and healthy cucumber plant that will produce well and won’t be crowded.

Insert a stick or small trellis near the plant so that you can train the vine to climb. Don't wait too long to do this; the plant will start climbing as much as 1" every day, depending on the amount of sunlight it is receiving.

Water your plant frequently so that the soil stays moist. Make sure the water thoroughly drains out from the bottom of the planter, so you will know that the roots are getting wet.