Is it too late to start cucumbers? - Seed packet says June?

Sarahlou_2

Hi

As above, is it too late?

Any tips as I have never attempted these before. I have a mini greenhouse.

Thanks

Sarah x

Kay_Peel

I don't hold out much hope that you'll have any success, I'm afraid. But have a go! The great thing about gardening is that you can ignore "the rules" and try things. If you fail then you fail but there's also a slim chance that you might get lucky.

I find that cucumber seed can take as long as 5 weeks to germinate. Planting them out at the end of May/beginning of June, I can harvest them around September/October. Any later than that and they miss all the sunshine and warmth of the growing season and struggle. But, as I say, that's only my experience - yours could be different.

BOGOF_Queen

Cucumbers should only take a few days to germinate this time of the year providing they have plenty of warmth. They will take quite a while to get to fruiting - why not try growing courgettes instead. I planted some seeds last week - they germinated in a few days and I have today planted them in a growbag in the greenhouse. They seem to grow inches by the day at the moment as it is so hot. My first lot of courgettes were started off in May and took no time at all to get to the stage where I was eating the fruit from them.
All you have to lose is the cost of a packet of seeds and a growbag.

Good luck!

olly300

Depends where you are in the UK. If you are "down South" then give it a go as you shouldn't have frosts until late October.

In years gone by I've sown sunflower seeds now even though their packs say June and they started flowering in October right up to the frosts.

Primrose

It is probably too late but if we continue to have a good summer and you can buy a good quality seedling from a garden centre rather than trying to start from scratch with a seed as the seeds can sometimes take a long time to germinate, I'd suggest having a go if you've got some greenhouse protection. It's always worth experimenting with these things because even if you're not successful you will have learnt a valuable lesson about what's possible and what is not, ready for next year.

rms1

I agree with Bogof

Courgettes are really quick and easy. We ate our first 4 courgettes over the weekend and only started from seed at the beginning of May. They are only small, not like the ones in the shops but it advises on the seed packet to cut when small and young for better flavour and to encourage more growth.