Moderately daft cucumber question

[KaleandCatNaps]

Hi folks! Hope everyone's well. It's a bit early to be asking this but I'm planning ahead. This year in my lovely new garden I plan on growing an outdoor variety of cucumber trained up a trellis. The only issue is the soil is such heavy clay that you could honestly start a very productive pottery up in the back yard. It's claggy and waterlogged. Yum! I've tried cucumbers in the past and always had problems with the seedlings damping off so I'm nervous about dumping them in such heavy ground. I thought perhaps I could grow them on in largish plastic pots (the sort you get decent sized plants from in the garden centre) then when it comes to planting out just taking a stanley knife to it and removing the bottom of the pot and popping it on top of the ground. That way they get to all the nutritious clay goodness but at least the plant and top part of the roots can drain. Do you think it would work? Am I overcomplicating this? Should I consider friends and a life instead of obsessing over seedlings that haven't even germinated yet?

[nickdub]

I'd say your plan for growing some cuc's in bottomless pots is workable provided you grow a variety which will be able to cope with the coolish outside conditions. Quite a lot of cucumbers are bred for growing in a greenhouse and need the warmer conditions that this provides.

BTW the best way of making a good garden out of your clay soil is humus - so either find a good source of stable manure and/or do some serious compost heap building.

[happyhumph]

Yes, should work so long as it's an outdoor type as nickdub says. Again, try and get as much organic material on the clay as you can to improve it, then it makes great soil. I'm on clay, but have been improving it for a good few years now, and it's lovely. Don't even have to dig in - you can just put well rotted compost/manure/leaves etc on top and worms will do the rest.

[Vince G]

Marketmore are good for outdoors. I grew them in an emergency when the polytunnel ones kept producing bitter fruit. Thicker skins than indoor ones and not so juicy, but perfectly ok. I let them sprawl rather than growing up trellises, but no reason why they couldn't - people on here have done pumpkins up trellises which are much heavier.

[KaleandCatNaps]

I'd say your plan for growing some cuc's in bottomless pots is workable provided you grow a variety which will be able to cope with the coolish outside conditions. Quite a lot of cucumbers are bred for growing in a greenhouse and need the warmer conditions that this provides.

BTW the best way of making a good garden out of your clay soil is humus - so either find a good source of stable manure and/or do some serious compost heap building.

Hi Nick, yes it's definitely an outdoor variety according to the packet.

We have three large compost heaps on the go thankfully I can't wait for it to be ready so we can start using it as a thick mulch!

I'm going to try 'no dig' Happyhumph, fingers crossed I get the same results as you! The soil seems teaming with life with plenty of worms to pull the matter down hopefully. And judging from the number of weeds that pop up daily it's pretty fertile!

Funnily enough Vince G that's the variety I'm growing! Glad to hear they worked for you.

[nickdub]

Sounds like you've got a plan and have made a good start.

I'm not exactly sure from your comments whether you've started your cucumbers yet but if you haven't I'd advise that you do. My method is to put some damp kitchen roll in a plastic box then add a few seeds and put the lid on. Leave this box for the seeds to chit somewhere warm like on a radiator, top of a fridge, airing-cupboard etc. Check at least once a day and once the roots show sow them in pots as usual. Grow them on on a sunny windowsill or conservatory until warm enough to plant out.

[Small pumpkin]

Should I consider friends and a life instead of obsessing over seedlings that haven't even germinated yet?

Un-germinated seedlings are now your life and the only friends you need are here .

Can't add anything useful about outdoor cucumbers though sorry.

[Kirk]

Owing to what you say I would get a big pot from somewhere like Wilko's, they have some at around £4 or £5 each that are big. Fill these with compost and manure mix, say 2 compost to 1 manure. Grow the cucumber in this and leave the base on.

You would need to watch the watering.

Harvest the cucumbers and at the end tip the old used mix out and dig into the clay. It would slowly alter the soil at 1 place - maybe where you want to grow them next year - and you have the pot for next year. You could get 2 pots.

I grow a fair bit in pots, still have the pots and the old mix is used wherever I decide it would be best made use of, in raised beds, around trees, plants, on poor soil (clay as well).

Add a location to your details as from direct experience clay in Wiltshire is different/heavier to clay in Cambs owing to the sub layers. Also helps a lot for general growing questions.

[DannyK]

My soil heavy clay too. Grew outdoor cus in the large tomato growbags for years successfully.

Last year couldn't get growbags so used flowerbuckets with drainage holes filled with mpc. Not as good as previously but weather not good and other things didn't do well either.

[the big lebowski]

im trying cucumbers this year again too in clay soil ,im going to dig a trench and put compost in to see how that gets on ,i think your idea of pots would work well ,not sure about the roots of cucumbers if they are shallow and stay in the pots it might take alot of watering ,gl cheers

[muck lover]

I think for instant gratification the pot would work for this year but for the long term get the clay improved and the yield will be better and the watering will be more straightforward.