Planting

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a warm-season vegetable that grows best at temperatures between 75 and 85 ° F. Cucumbers are very tender and can be killed by even light frosts. Start cucumbers in your garden either from seed or transplants.

Plant seed after the danger of frost has passed and the soil has warmed. Seeds will not germinate at soil temperatures below 50 °F; the ideal soil temperature is 70 °F. Grow transplants indoors in peat pots two to three weeks prior to outdoor planting time. Both spring and fall crops may be grown.

Space plants 8 to 10 inches apart in rows that are 5 feet apart if cucumbers are untrellised. If cucumbers are trellised, plant four to five seeds per foot in rows spaced 30 inches apart. When plants are 4 to 5 inches high, thin so they are 9 to 12 inches apart. It is often better to plant a second crop around August 1 than to try to continue harvesting an early planting until frost.

Cultivar Types

Burpless cucumbers are long and slender with a tender skin. Bush varieties produce well in a limited amount of space and are a good alternative in the garden when trellising is not possible. New varieties are being released which are advertised as all-female or gynoecious types. These plants tend to bear fruit earlier with a more concentrated fruit set and better yield, since they have either a greater proportion of female flowers or female flowers only.

Cultivars

• Slicers -  Salad Bush (hybrid), Straight Eight, Sweet Slice, Sweet Success (hybrid), Burpless (hybrid), & Poinsett 76
• Picklers - Fancipak (hybrid), Calypso, Carolina, County Fair, Homemade Pickles And Regal

Soil

Cucumbers grow best in a well-drained sandy loam to clay loam soil that is high in organic matter. A slightly raised bed will aid in drainage and may help control certain diseases. The soil pH should be between 5.8 to 6.5.

Fertilizing

Cucumbers require moderate amounts of fertilizer. A soil test is always the best method for determining the fertilization needs of the crop.

If a recent soil test has not been taken, make a preplant application of 5-10-10 at the rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet. This initial preplant application will normally supply all of the phosphorus and potash needed by most garden vegetables. Sidedress cucumbers with an additional application of nitrogen fertilizer one week after blooming begins and again three weeks later using 1½ ounces of 33-0-0 per 10 feet of row. Apply this fertilizer along one side of the row and about 4 to 6 inches from the plants depending on their size.

Watering

Cucumbers have a shallow root system and can suffer when no irrigation is provided during droughts. Practice good cultivation and provide adequate moisture. Water the garden to provide a uniform moisture supply to the crop. Water sufficiently to moisten the soil to a depth of at least 6 inches. The critical period for moisture is during fruit set and fruit development.

Mulching can help provide uniform moisture, conserve water and reduce weeds. Spring-planted cucumbers can be harvested earlier if mulched with soil-warming black plastic. Organic materials are useful in the summer to keep the fruit clean in non-trellised plantings.

Cultural Practices

Most varieties of cucumber vines spread from row to row. Training on a trellis or fence along the edge of the garden will correct this problem and also lift the fruit off the soil. A satisfactory trellis is one that is about 6 feet high with a top and bottom wire and plastic twine tied between the two wires at each plant. Posts should be no more than 15 feet apart and the top wire must be very tight.

Harvesting and Storage

Cucumbers should be ready for harvest in about 50 to 70 days depending on the variety. Pick as frequently as necessary to avoid oversized fruit. The more you pick, the more the vines will produce. Harvest when cucumbers are about 2 inches long up to any size before they begin to turn yellow, in about 15 days. Remove fruit by turning cucumbers parallel to the vine and giving a quick snap. This prevents vine damage and results in a clean break. Store cucumbers in the refrigerator. The optimal conditions for storage are temperatures of 45 to 50 °F and 95-percent relative humidity.

Problems

Misshapen fruit is often due to low fertility or poor pollination. Failure to set fruit can be caused by too few bees for adequate pollination, no pollinating plants for gynoecious hybrids or changes in temperature. Fruit is only produced when insects carry pollen to a female cucumber flower, and honeybees are essential for this purpose. Also the first 10 to 20 flowers on a plant are male and will not produce fruit. Bitterness can be due to temperature variations of more than 20 °F and storage of cucumbers near other ripening vegetables.

The major pests that feed on cucumber are cucumber beetles, pickleworms, aphids, mites, whiteflies and the squash vine borer.

Diseases that occur in the home garden include powdery and downy mildew, anthracnose, gummy stem blight, bacterial wilt, mosaic viruses, target spot and belly rot. Most of these diseases are not a problem in the spring except for bacterial wilt. Look for downy and powdery mildew to occur in late spring. The others are mainly problems during the fall.

Bookmark Me

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) is one of the easiest cool-season vegetables to grow. Although it withstands light frost, sunlight and high summer temperatures usually cause seed stalk formation (bolting) and bitter flavor. Slow-bolting or heat-resistant varieties are available and are recommended for extending the lettuce-growing season.

Most gardeners who grow lettuce raise the loose-leaf type, with either green or reddish leaves. This type is a fast-growing, long-lasting lettuce used for salads and sandwiches. Leaf lettuce basically needs only to be planted and harvested.

Butterhead or Bibb lettuce is a loose-heading type with dark green leaves that are somewhat thicker than those of iceberg lettuce. Butterheads develop a light yellow, buttery appearance and are very attractive in salads. A miniature variety of butterhead, Tom Thumb, is very easy to grow and requires a short growing time. Bibb lettuce will develop bitterness readily if temperatures go above 95 °F.

Romaine or cos is less commonly grown by gardeners but is a very nutritious lettuce that deserves attention. It too is relatively easy to grow, forming upright heads with rather wavy, attractive leaves.

Crisphead, also known as iceberg, has a tightly compacted head with crisp, light green leaves. Many South Carolina gardeners find this type difficult to grow due to high temperatures.

Planting

Lettuce is a cool-season crop that prefers temperatures of 55 to 65 °F for optimum growth. This crop prefers a loamy soil with a high organic matter content. Lettuce seedlings should be protected from the wind because the young plants are rapidly dried out from the wind.

The optimum soil temperature for seed germination is 60 to 80 °F. Raw lettuce seed will not germinate at a soil temperature above 95 °F. Use primed seed if possible.

Primed seed will ensure optimum seed germination at varying temperatures. Buy only certified fungicide-treated seed from a reputable source.

Plant leaf lettuce in rows 1 to 2 feet apart with seed one-quarter inch deep and 6 to 10 inches apart in the row. It is difficult to space this small seed precisely at the desired spacing; therefore, it will usually be necessary to plant thicker and thin the planting. Leaf lettuce should be thinned when the plants are 1 to 2 inches tall. Leaf lettuce can also be planted in 12-inch-wide beds with the seed broadcast over the bed.

Head lettuce should be planted in rows 3 feet apart with 12 inches between plants in the row. It is best to grow head lettuce from transplants purchased from a reputable garden center.

The soil should be well-prepared to provide good seed-to-soil contact and ensure rapid stand establishment of this small-seeded crop. Soil crusting over the developing seedlings may make it difficult to obtain a good stand, especially on heavy clay soils. Covering the seed with potting soil instead of garden soil will eliminate crusting problems.

Recommended Cultivars

• Green Leaf – Green Ice, Simpson Elite
• Red Leaf – Red Sails, Lolla Rosa
• Boston – Buttercrunch
• Head – Ithaca, Summertime, Nevada
• Romaine –Parris Island Cos

Fertilizing

A soil test is always the best method for determining the fertilization needs of a crop. Follow the results of a soil test to maintain a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.5 and optimal fertility levels.

If a soil test has not been taken, apply 5-10-10 at 3 pounds per 100 square feet before planting. Lettuce should be sidedressed once during the growing season. Sidedress with ammonium nitrate (33-0-0) at 1 pound per 100 feet of row or calcium nitrate (15-0-0) at 2 pounds per 100 feet of row. More frequent sidedressing may be required if the garden is sandy or if leaching rains occur. Nitrogen is important for these crops to produce a high-quality, dark green product.

Watering

Water the garden frequently to maintain a uniform moisture supply during growth. The garden should be watered in the morning so that the foliage is dry before dark. Water the garden sufficiently to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Light sprinklings will encourage shallow rooting of the plants. The most critical period for moisture is during stand establishment. It is important to have a constant uniform moisture supply to produce a high-quality crop.

Cultural Practices

To have a continuous supply of leaf lettuce during the spring and fall, it is best to grow several plantings during each season. Head lettuce is generally more difficult to grow than leaf lettuce. Lettuce does not tolerate hot weather. If this crop is exposed to temperature or moisture stress, the lettuce will usually have a bitter flavor.

Lettuce seedlings are poor competitors with weeds, therefore weed control is very important with this crop. Cultivation for weed control should be shallow to prevent root injury.

Tipburn is a physiological disorder that can occasionally occur on lettuce. It is related to calcium nutrition. Proper soil pH and watering will help avoid this problem.

By using clear or black plastic mulch, wire hoop and clear plastic row covers, excellent lettuce can be grown all winter in South Carolina. On extremely cold nights it may be necessary to cover the clear plastic with a spunbond-type row cover material.

Harvest and Storage

Leaf lettuce should be ready to harvest about 75 days after planting. It can be used as soon as plants are 5 to 6 inches tall. Bibb lettuce is mature when leaves begin to cup inward to form a loose head. Cos or Romaine is ready to use when the leaves have elongated and overlap to form a fairly tight head about 6 to 8 inches tall.

Head lettuce can be harvested as early as 55 days, depending on the variety. It is mature when leaves overlap to form a head similar to those available in the stores.

Store in the refrigerator in the coolest area. Crisphead lettuce can be stored for two weeks under optimal conditions. Leaf and Bibb will store as long as four weeks if the leaves are dry when bagged.

Problems

Insect problems that may be encountered with this crop include aphids, cabbage looper, corn earworm and leafhoppers. Diseases include gray mold, Rhizoctonia bottom rot and Sclerotinia drop.

Bookmark Me

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a warm-season crop grown in home gardens throughout South Carolina. It is a tall, upright plant with a hibiscus-like flower. The immature, young seed pods are the edible part of this plant.

Planting

Okra grows best at temperatures between 75 and 90 °F and should not be planted in the spring before the soil temperature is about 65 °F at the 4-inch depth. The optimum soil temperature for seed germination is 70 to 95 °F. The crop can be grown on all soil types, although sandy loam soils high in organic matter are the most desirable. It is important that the soil be well-drained. Plant in full sun for best productivity.

Many gardeners soak the seed before planting to improve germination. This may help; however, seedling death may still occur if the seed is planted in cold soil. Freezing the seed before planting is the best method to improve germination because this breaks the hard seed coat.

Plant okra in rows 3 to 6 feet apart with 9 to 12 inches between seeds in the row. Plant okra about ¾ inch deep.

Recommended Cultivars

• Clemson Spineless 80
• Lee
• Annie Oakley II
• Cajun Delight.

Fertilizing

A soil test is always the best method of determining the fertilization needs of the crop. Follow the results of a soil test to maintain a soil pH between 5.8 and 6.5 and optimal fertility levels. If a soil test has not been taken, apply 5-10-15 or 6-12-12 before planting and as a sidedress. Okra tends to respond to a high phosphate fertilizer. The okra plant has a sensitive balance between vegetation (leaf production) and reproduction (pod production). The use of additional nitrogen should be avoided on vigorous plantings until fruiting begins to check plant growth. Two or more sidedressings with a high analysis nitrogen material may be needed, however, depending on rainfall. It is important to supply additional nitrogen late in the season at the time the “forms” or “blooms” are concentrated in the top of the plant.

Watering

Water the garden to provide a uniform moisture supply to the crop. The garden should be watered in the morning so that the foliage is dry before dark. Water the garden sufficiently to moisten the soil to a depth of 6 inches. Light sprinklings will encourage shallow rooting of the plants. The critical period for moisture is during pod set and pod development.

Cultural Practices

Weed control is important in this crop, especially when the plants are small. Cultivation and use of organic mulches are the best methods for weed control. Cultivation should be shallow to prevent damage to the roots of the crop. Organic mulches (2- to 3-inch layer) conserve moisture as well as control weeds.

Harvest and Storage

Okra should be ready to harvest about 60 to 70 days after planting when pods are 2 to 3 inches long. At this stage the pods are still tender. Larger okra pods will tend to be tough and fibrous. Round-podded okra varieties remain tender at larger pod sizes and are good to use for slicing and freezing.

Okra grows very fast; therefore, it must be harvested every two days. Do not allow pods to mature on the plant because this will inhibit more pods from developing and reduce total productivity of the plant. Handle okra carefully because the pods bruise easily.

The optimum conditions for storing okra are a moist environment and temperatures of 45 to 50 °F. Okra can be stored in the refrigerator for about seven days.

Problems

Root-decaying diseases, which result in the death of the young seedlings, are the most serious disease problems in this crop. They are more prevalent when the crop is planted in cold, wet soil.

Rotting of small pods after the flowers drop is a fairly common problem with okra. Planting the crop in full sun and providing good air movement through the planting will help to reduce the problem. Proper plant spacing will also help to minimize this problem. The exact cause of this disorder is not known. Small bumps sometimes develop on the pod. This damage is not caused by the stink bug. The cause of these small bumps is not known.

Root-knot nematodes can be a serious problem on okra. If a plant is stunted, pull the plant out of the ground and check for galls on the roots. These galls are caused by the nematodes, which are microscopic worms. An effective nematode control program should include crop rotation, sanitation and solarization. 

Crops should be rotated to help reduce disease and nematode problems. Okra plantings should not follow vine crop plantings such as squash or sweet potatoes.

Insect problems that may be encountered include aphids, corn earworm and stink bug. Corn earworms will eat into the pods. Stink bugs will cause the pods to be twisted and distorted.

Bookmark Me