Our edible cucumber has been cultivated for at least 3000 years in India where its wild ancestor still survives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Since then it has been introduced throughout all parts of the world as a field or garden crop where the climate is suitable. They were grown and appreciated in ancient Egypt and are mentioned in the books of Numbers and Isaiah, in the Old Testament, when the Hebrews remembered longingly the cucumbers and melons they had during their captivity. The Chinese have known them for at least fourteen centuries and, along with melons, they have been grown for ages in the famous floating gardens of Kashmir. In Russia they are prized above all other vegetables.
Cucumbers require an abundance of moisture and plant food.
They thrive best, in the open, during August when the days are hot and the nights are moist and warm. Because of their tropical background, they are very sensitive to cold. A good vine yields 25 to 100 cucumbers during its life. Whether eaten raw or made into pickles, they are always picked green and must be picked every day. Those delicious little sweet pickles we eat are only one day old.