And other fruiting veggies
Cucumbers require hot weather and lots of water! Once they take off cucumbers grow quickly. They are vining crops and require a trellis, stake or rope on which to grow. At Urban Seedling, we grow three varieties: lebanese cucumber, field cucumber and dragon egg cucumber. Cucumber are planted one per square foot. Make sure that there are no leaves or weeds shading your plants.
Inconsistent watering is a problem for cucumbers and will develop bitter or weirdly shaped fruit. Cucumbers have very shallow roots so keep soil moist. Avoid watering the leaves of the plant to keep leaf disease such as powdery mildew at bay. Remember to remove any diseased leaves from cucumbers. As needed spray your affected plants with a baking soda solution for control.
Insects are key to pollinate your cucumbers. If your plant blooms and does not produce fruits you may not have enough insect activity and need to pollinate your cucumbers by hand using a soft paint brush. Move pollen from male to female flowers with the tip of your paintbrush.
Cucumber beetles love to feed on young cucumbers plants and carry bacteria and disease in their mouths. The beetle spreads this bacteria by chewing on the plant. Once infected, plants die quickly.You can prevent the beetle by hunting them and removing them from the garden, installing yellow sticky traps or using a floating row to protect your young cucumber plants.
PEPPERS, EGGPLANTS, ZUCCHINI, BEANS, PEAS
As soon as your fruiting veggies are big enough to your taste harvest them! The more you pick, the more the plant will produce. Young tender veggies taste better too. Fruiting vegetables need the most heat and sun, so make sure to give each plant enough space by keeping your garden well weeded, and cutting or tying up any large leaves or branches that are overshadowing your plants.
There is no such thing as a green pepper! You can pick them green, but all peppers will change colour to red, orange, yellow or brown once they are ripe. Sweet peppers are sweeter, and hot pepper hotter if you wait.
BEETS, CARROTS, ONIONS, GARLIC
Root vegetables are going to be ready to harvest over the next few weeks. To figure out if they are ready, simply investigate the size of the root with your finger. If it is large enough to your taste, pull it out! Harvest them as you need them, vegetables are always best when they are eaten fresh-picked.