The best cucumbers are those grown indoors under glass - and they crop earlier and for longer.
Different cultivars are needed for indoor or outside culture. Idoors always select F1 cultivars as these don't, under good growing conditions, produce male flowers - just the cucumber-producing females. If male flowers are produced they should be removed otherwise the flowers will be pollinated and the fruit will taste bitter.
Sow at 24-27C (75-80F); maintain a temperature of 18-21C (65-70F) after germination and when growing on.
Greenhouse cultivation: sow from mid-February to mid-March (heated greenhouse) or April (unheated greenhouse).
Outdoor cultivation: sow in late April. Alternatively, sow directly outside in late May or early June and cover the soil above the seeds with a cloche or glass jar; this method isn't always successful.
Sow the seeds on their side, 13mm (0.5in) deep when sowing indoors or 2.5cm (1in) deep if sowing direct outside.
Young plants are available from garden centres in spring and are a good bet where you can't maintain the right conditions for germination and growing on.
Transfer young plants to 25cm (10in) pots of good compost in late March (heated greenhouse), late May (unheated greenhouse) or early June outdoors. Keep the compost evenly moist - little and often is the best way. Plants can also be grown in growing-bags but will need to be carefully watered and looked after.
For outdoor growing, make planting pockets 45cm (18in) apart two weeks before seed sowing or planting out that are 30cm (12in) square and deep and fill with a mixture of compost or well-rotted manure and soil; leave a low mound at the top of the planting medium. Sprinkle a general fertiliser over the soil.
Feed plants every 10-14 days once planted out with a balanced liquid fertiliser, changing to a high potash one when the first fruits start to set.
Indoors
Keep the humidity high by watering the floor.
Train the main stem up a vertical wire or cane. Pinch out the growing point when it reaches the roof. Pinch out the tips of sideshoots two leaves beyond a female flower. Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots once they reach 60cm (2ft) long.
Outdoors
Pinch out the growing tip when the plants have developed seven leaves. The developing sideshoots can be left to trail over the ground or trained up stout netting. Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots after seven leaves.
Don't remove the male flowers.
Keep the soil constantly moist by watering around the plants - not over them.
Cut the fruits when they are about 15-20cm (6-8in) long using a sharp knife.
