Vertical training methods and new dwarf varieties enable cucumbers to be grown even in small gardens for slicing, salads and pickling. Flavor in garden cucumbers has been continually plagued by bitterness due to a class of compounds called cucurbitacins which are as repulsive to certain insect pests as they are to human beings. Burpless cucumbers are long and slender with a tender skin. Through plant breeding, the bitterness associated with the burp has been removed. Planting Time Plant seed directly in the garden after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed above 60 degrees F in the spring.
Warm soil is necessary for seed germination and proper plant growth.
With ample soil moisture, cucumbers thrive in warm summer weather. A second planting for fall harvest may be made in mid-July to August 15. Cucumbers may be transplanted for an earlier harvest. Sow 2 to 3 seeds in peat pots or other containers 2 to 3 weeks before the first frost-free date. Thin transplants to one plant per container.