1. Best Sowing Time:

Monsoon & Summer

2. Soil Temprature:

Optimal soil temperature: 10-50°C (50-95°F). Seeds should germinate in 6-8 days.

3. Steps for Seed Sowing Method:

• Take a container of your choice with drainage holes at the bottom.
• Fill the container with proper potting layers & selected growing medium.
• Sow 2 seeds at the centre of a pot. .
• On raised beds, sow two seeds per spot in a spacing of 3 x 3 ft.
• Push the seeds a little in soil medium with your fingers & completely cover them with surrounding soil. .
• Water the sown seed bed immediately by a light shower with a watering can. .

4. Growth Steps of Cucumber (khira) Plants

• Cotyledons: The first two leaves will emerge in the second week of germination. These are false leaves called as cotyledons.
• First leaves: First leaves will emerge above cotyledons at the end of the second week.
• Seedling stage: Second week onwards, seedlings will start growing into a small plant. .
• Thinning: After the second week, keep only single seedling at one spot, Cut off the weak, small & lagging seedlings with a pair of scissors.

5. How to Take Care For Cucumber (khira) Plants

• Sunlight:Cucumber plants require full sunlight. Therefore your raised bed should be made at a bright sunny spot. Keep the Cucumber container under open sunlight.
• Watering technique: Water your potted Cucumber plant every day in summer. Water the soil near the plant. Use a watering can to make sure that the plants get water in the form of the shower & not by a single flow. You can also make provision for watering by watering by drip irrigation system for your raised beds.
• Manuring: As mentioned earlier, add good quality organic manure in the soil with 2:1 ratio before sowing seeds. Organic manure can be well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, Compost or Vermicompost.
• Top Dressing: When your Cucumber climber is more than 45 days old, Provide one tablespoon of 15:15:15 (NPK) fertilizer per plant or mix handful of Vermicompost in the soil around each plant. .
• Plant care: Always look for the early signs of any insect/fungal/ any other infections. Spay appropriate medicines as soon as any symptoms of such diseases are spotted. Watch out for Powdery Mildew when plants are young. .
• Hand pollination of flowers: Take ‘pollens’ from male flowers on painting brush or cotton bud & dust them on ‘stigma’ of female flowers. This will increase overall production of Cucumbers. This step is not mandatory.
• Harvesting: (40 to 50 days from sowing) Cucumber climber will start flowering in second month. You can start harvesting raw cucumber fruits after 40-50 days of seed sowing. Harvesting season can continue for next 3 months.