Cucumberpalooza: Attack of the 50 Foot Vines!

Little green native bees do much of the work in pollinating cucumbers. Photos by Doug Oster

Vine crops love rich soil and the plants can cover lots of ground. I like to grow them up a trellis. It saves room and keeps much of the plant away from the cucumber beetle. Like most crops, it's best to stagger plantings. I put in some plants in June and a week later started some seeds in the same bed. If the first crop fails for some reason the second will hopefully thrive.

The bees are an important part of the equation too. Honey bees and many natives, like the green bee above work hard moving pollen around the patch. Each flower that's pollinated will produce a fruit.

That's why it's important to keep the garden free of chemicals. Bees are negatively affected by chemical pesticides, herbicides and in some cases fertilizers. Plant in good compost and let nature create a balance, it usually works.

Only a couple inches long, it won't take long until this cucumber is ready to be picked. They are great when they are small.

I put up a trellis (see video here) and three weeks later the vines have climbed to the top with still a couple months left in the season. It's going to be fun to watch what happens now. Will they drag the bamboo trellis to the ground, cover the rest of the garden and the neighbors' yard? I guess we'll see!

The cucumber vines are already six feet tall with a couple months to go. It will be interesting to see what's next.