Weeding cucumbers

When it comes to weeding your cucumber garden, the best advice is to start before you plant.

Properly preparing your soil is an excellent preventive measure against the emergence of weeds. When you till or cultivate the area where you’ll plant cucumbers, remove weeds and debris. You’ll likely find that the first few weeks after planting are the only time you’ll be pulling up weeds in your cucumber garden. After planting and initial weeding, place mulch no later than three to five weeks after planting to further deter weeds.

Once your cucumber plants have started growing, the vines will spread out, creating a canopy of shade that will deprive most weeds of the sunlight they need to grow. Healthy cucumber plants actually prevent the need to weed!

If weeds come up between your more mature cucumber plants during the season, gently work the soil around the base of the plants with a hand cultivator—only deep enough to kill weeds and not damage the plant’s roots.

Do you have problems with weeds in your cucumber garden? How do you handle weeding—and preventing weeds in the first place? Please tell us how you handle weeds in your cucumber garden.