The male flowers usually bloom first in early summer while the female flowers wait until warmer weather later in the summer. I suppose the male is sent first to check things out and make sure all is safe. Since the first few flowers are male, they do not produce fruit. I receive many calls every year from worried gardeners who see blossoms but have no fruit. Eventually the female flowers will emerge and set a small fruit next to the vine.
Cucumbers are a warm season plant requiring full sun.
Like most vegetables, they thrive in well drained deep soil with periodic drying periods between watering. Apply an all purpose fertilizer in the spring and an extra dose of nitrogen fertilizer once the plant starts to bear fruit. Cucumbers left to sprawl along the ground can take over half the garden. Vining types need a good 4 to 6 feet for each plant while bush varieties only require 2 to 3 feet. If space is a problem, cucumbers climb well up trellises or fences.