How Long Do Cucumbers Grow?

Pick cucumbers before they get hard.

The amount of time cucumbers need to grow depends on their type. Understanding how long your cucumber crop should produce helps you figure out when they are ready to be harvested, how many times they will produce cucumbers in a season and when you can plant another crop in their space.

Compact Cucumber Varieties

Compact cucumber varieties such as bush type, "Fanfare" and "Salad Bush" are typically used for small yards or containers, according to Bill Sidnam from the San Diego Union-Tribune. These cucumbers grow as dense bushes. Gardeners can expect bush-type cucumbers to take 55 days to harvest, 63 days for Fanfare and 57 days for Salad Bush, according to the University of Illinois. Compact varieties of cucumbers like "Space Master" can produce cucumber plants up to 7 inches long.

Long Slicing Varieties

Long slicing cucumber varieties such as "Straight Eight," "Marketmore 78" and "Burpless" are ready to harvest when they reach 6 to 10 inches in length. Straight Eight should be harvested 58 days after it was planted, Marketmore 78 needs 68 days before it's ready to be harvested and Burpless should have 62 days of growing before it is harvested, according to the University of Illinois.

Pickling Varieties

Pickling varieties are grown to make pickles. Some pickling types include "Bush Pickle" and "Carolina." Bush Pickles should be harvested 48 days after they were planted and Carolina pickles need 49 days before they can be picked for making pickles, according to the University of Illinois. Also, pickling varieties are much shorter than bush or slicing types. These cucumbers only reach 2 inches long, according to the University of Illinois. Be sure to harvest your pickles when they are ready. Ripe vegetables encourage fungal diseases and pests.

Production Time

Cucumber seeds are planted two weeks after the last frost date, according to the Farmer's Almanac. Their seeds need a soil temperature at 65 degrees Fahrenheit in order to germinate. They remain productive as long as gardeners pick their fruit or until temperatures drop in the fall and winter depending on where you live. Remove all plant debris after the plant has died out from the season. Fungal diseases and pests can overwinter in cucumber debris.

References

• University of Illinois Extension; Cucumber; Ron Wolford and Drusilla Banks
• The San Diego Union-Tribune; Bush-Type Cucumber Grow in Small Space; Bill Sidnam; May 22, 2005
• The Farmer's Almanac: Cucumbers