Cucumber plants

Thank you for choosing Ask an Expert for help with your vegetables. Without a soil test, it’s difficult to match a fertilizer precisely to the needs of a plant.

Cucumbers do best in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. At this pH, the nutrients that the plants need are in their most available-to-the-plant form. Keeping the pH in this range (with fall lime applications) is an efficient way to make the best use of the nutrients you already have.

In a home vegetable garden, a season-long plant food program is important for plants producing as much fruit as a cucumber does. Choose a fertilizer targeted for vegetables. There are many choices from quick-acting to slow-release, from liquids to granules, and from organics to naturals to synthetics.

Have a good gardening year,