How Far Apart Should I Plant Cucumbers?

Warm-season cucumbers (​Cucumis sativus​) offer an easy-to-grow option that all gardeners can handle. This vegetable garden staple thrives in full sun with fertile, evenly moist soil with a pH of 6.8 or higher. When planting your cucumbers, pay attention to spacing to give these vine crops ample room to grow. The general spacing guideline is 36 to 60 inches apart or 12 inches apart if you're using a trellis.

Many varieties of cucumbers grow on vines, which can spread 6 feet or more along the ground. However, the spread can vary from 1 to 6 feet or more depending on the variety you choose, so check the cucumber seed packets for specific guidelines based on your variety. You should generally grow vining cucumbers between 36 and 60 inches apart in rows to give each plant enough space to grow adequately.

You can also plant your cucumbers in mounds. If you choose this method, leave about 12 to 24 inches between mounds. Plant two or three seeds in each mound if you're direct seeding, cutting it down to just one plant per mound once the seedlings are about 4 inches tall.

If space is limited or you want to direct the growth upward, you can use trellises for your cucumber plants. The vines grow up along the trellis, significantly reducing how much ground space the plant needs to grow. Trellises keep the cucumbers off the ground so they stay cleaner, and trellising the plants can reduce the risk of disease. They're also easier to harvest when they're up on a trellis instead of trailing on the ground. You can space the cucumbers about 12 inches apart if you use trellises for support.

An alternative to planting cucumbers in the garden is to choose a bush variety to grow in pots. This vegetable container gardening method allows you to grow several cucumber plants close together. You'll need a pot that's at least 5 gallons for one or two cucumber plants. Place the pot anywhere that receives full sunlight to grow lots of cucumbers in a small space. When planted in a garden, bush cucumbers need about 2 to 3 square feet of space.

Cucumbers prefer warm weather and are frost-tender, so they'll die even in a light frost. Wait to plant your cucumbers until all risk of frost has passed. They typically need the soil temperature to be at least 55 degrees Fahrenheit to germinate. The ideal outdoor temperature for growing cucumbers is between 70 and 95 degrees. Warmer soil and air temperatures help your cucumber seeds to germinate faster.

You can start cucumber seeds inside about three to four weeks before you want to plant them outside. Transplant them carefully to avoid damaging the roots. You can also use row covers to keep the plants warm early in the growing season, but you should stop using them once the plants start to blossom to ensure they're properly pollinated.