55ish since some have 2 growing together. I didn't expect so many to sprout when I started the seeds. Are they way too close together?
by tide5
34 Comments
FunAdministration334
Yes. You’ll need to pick a couple that you want to save and cut the rest.
Ertygbh
Way to close the bushes get big
BoozeIsTherapyRight
That’s a LOT of cucumbers. How far apart are they? What does your seed packet say for spacing? This does look like too many
Cucumbers usually need a structure like a trellis to climb. Planted like this, with cucumbers in the middle of the bed and no way to climb, is going to be an absolute nightmare to harvest.
Fieldguide404
I’ve always heard that you will never need more than 1 cucumber plant. Maybe two if you want to be generous to your neighbors, but after a while, they’re gonna have to cut off your generosity because they don’t want nor need 5 square pounds of cucumbers a week.
uconnhuskyforever
Cucumbers should be 12-24” apart (that’s the distance from one’s center to another. Raised bed walls don’t really count as much because they can go over the sides, if you’ve got room). Hard to tell the size of your beds without dimensions, but you might want to get rid of 45-50 of them. Anything that’s double planted also has to go. A second seedling in the same spot is going to stunt them both.
No-Top-6313
Bro is gonna eat pickled cucumber every meal until 2030
PerformanceOdd7152
That’s a hell of a lot of cucumbers. I’ve planted three and that should give me enough for eating and pickling for the year. Depends on much much you like cucumbers obviously!
BurlHopsBridge
You will be the cucumber fairy in your neighborhood. Possibly for the entire town.
Green-Challenge9640
They seem way too close together. A trellis for me is a must. For a household of four, three plants is plenty to eat and pickle. Maybe more if you want to give to neighbors, friends and family. But 50!!!
Full_Honeydew_9739
My first year planting cucumbers, I planted 6. They must have loved my dirt and weather because all 6 grew massively. I ate cucumbers every day for 2 months. My neighbor ate cucumbers every day for 2 months. I made 30+ jars of pickles and relish. I donated at least 10 lbs. per week to my friend’s pigs. I composted them (big mistake), sent pounds to work with my spouse, and finally let them die a noble death by mildew at the end of July.
I now plant no more than 2 cucumber plants.
Green-Challenge9640
Looks like a 4×8 bed? I would place the trellis on the north side and plant other things in front of. I would only keep three.
Green-Challenge9640
They are too close together. They won’t perform well.
Due_Statistician8227
I have 6 plants in a 4×8 bed all on one side. It’s a lot lol. You’re going to be pruning all the time. I did this many because last season the moths got them and I only got like 3 measly cucumbers. I’ve already harvested like 40. I would thin and you’re definitely going to want some support or you’ll have a mess. Good luck!
I put mine about foot apart. Let them roam on a ground as it’s a usual way to grow cucumbers here. 24 plants and it wasn’t enough pickles for a whole year, but we do eat a lot of pickles.
Latter_Present1900
I run a cucumber festival for cucumber addicts at a restaurant specialising in cucumbers. We don’t have that many cucumbers.
Lcordobas
Pretty much, if this is the plantation space, just two plant, no problem if it is double. Cucumbers, and every cucurbitacee doesn’t like transplantation with the nude roots, so I think you’ll need a big cleareance
MeLlamoMariaLuisa
When I first started gardening, I did this with cucumbers and zucchinis!!! I had a lot of donations for the food pantry holy moly!
DeeEmosewa
It’s sooooooo many. I would thin them just based on how much water you’d have to give them, and how many cucumbers you’re going to end up with is going to be a lot of work.
Unless you’re feeding a proverbial army. Then I’d keep them. 😊
QuadRuledPad
You’ll get better over the years at knowing which seed companies sell good seeds that sprout at a good rate, and which kind of vegetables are easy to sprout, and you’ll learn when you will need to start a only half a dozen seedlings.
It’s trial and error. Takes a few years. But don’t feel bad about pinching off the little seedlings that you don’t need. They’ll compost just as well as everything else.
highergrinds
Maybe 8 – 10 can fit in there. If these all grew you’d have lots of mildew and disease issues very quickly as there would be very little airflow. Plant them around the edges, let them flow into the grass, plant other things in the middle.
obtuse_obstruction
Wow, I planted 2 and I’m already figuring I’ll be sharing with neighbors. Hey, do you have a local farmers market? And a truck? 😂
Calm-Procedure5979
This is a mistake lol…
I grew 2 cucumber plants last year and had so many god damn cucumbers that I pickled several jars and still had too many.
MarleyDawg
I currently have 3 burpless sprouted and a pickling coming soon. They will grow over my lettuce and carrots on the diagonal trellis. Planted about 12″ apart.
I hope you eat other things besides cucumbers because gardens enjoy being diverse. Regardless of what you do…be proud you grew stuff!!!
Strawberrydelight19
Yes. I see powdery mildew in your future with this set up. 😮💨
Budget_Llama_Shoes
I cannot even conceive of a trellis system that will result in all of these cucumbers surviving. I would replant all the cucumbers not along the edge somewhere else, and replace them with marigolds for pollinators/bug deterrent.
crankymango618
I’m so glad I saw this post because I was about to make a similar mistake 🥴
Realistic-Motorcycle
You really need to put up some sort of fence so the can grow up it. IMHO yes that’s way to many on such a small area
vanguard1256
I had 5 cucumber plants last year produce 50 cucumbers a week for about 4 months straight. This year I planted 3 and I fear it’s still going to be too much.
Also to answer your question, yes that is too many. Yes they are way too close together (they need minimum 3 ft spacing, preferably 4 or 5 ft), and that many cukes will need a very strong trellis. I have one made of fence posts and a pvc pipe zip tied across the top and netting zip tied to the fence posts. Every year my cukes get so heavy they break the zip ties at some point.
Brilliant_Bake_904
Are you starting a cucumber farm?
wordstrappedinmyhead
Prepare yourself for the aPickleypse.
HaleyTelcontar
Holy shit. Yes. WAY too many. Also they’re too closely planted, and I hope you have a plan in place for trellising them..?
cynnamin_bun
Unpopular opinion? You don’t have to keep everything that sprouts.
gholmom500
This is the funniest New Gardener Post of 2025.
3 plants is plenty.
AcanthopterygiiCool5
lol (affectionately).
Please keep it exactly like this and post weekly pics. You need a time lapse!
34 Comments
Yes. You’ll need to pick a couple that you want to save and cut the rest.
Way to close the bushes get big
That’s a LOT of cucumbers. How far apart are they? What does your seed packet say for spacing? This does look like too many
Cucumbers usually need a structure like a trellis to climb. Planted like this, with cucumbers in the middle of the bed and no way to climb, is going to be an absolute nightmare to harvest.
I’ve always heard that you will never need more than 1 cucumber plant. Maybe two if you want to be generous to your neighbors, but after a while, they’re gonna have to cut off your generosity because they don’t want nor need 5 square pounds of cucumbers a week.
Cucumbers should be 12-24” apart (that’s the distance from one’s center to another. Raised bed walls don’t really count as much because they can go over the sides, if you’ve got room). Hard to tell the size of your beds without dimensions, but you might want to get rid of 45-50 of them. Anything that’s double planted also has to go. A second seedling in the same spot is going to stunt them both.
Bro is gonna eat pickled cucumber every meal until 2030
That’s a hell of a lot of cucumbers. I’ve planted three and that should give me enough for eating and pickling for the year. Depends on much much you like cucumbers obviously!
You will be the cucumber fairy in your neighborhood. Possibly for the entire town.
They seem way too close together. A trellis for me is a must. For a household of four, three plants is plenty to eat and pickle. Maybe more if you want to give to neighbors, friends and family. But 50!!!
My first year planting cucumbers, I planted 6. They must have loved my dirt and weather because all 6 grew massively. I ate cucumbers every day for 2 months. My neighbor ate cucumbers every day for 2 months. I made 30+ jars of pickles and relish. I donated at least 10 lbs. per week to my friend’s pigs. I composted them (big mistake), sent pounds to work with my spouse, and finally let them die a noble death by mildew at the end of July.
I now plant no more than 2 cucumber plants.
Looks like a 4×8 bed? I would place the trellis on the north side and plant other things in front of. I would only keep three.
They are too close together. They won’t perform well.
I have 6 plants in a 4×8 bed all on one side. It’s a lot lol. You’re going to be pruning all the time. I did this many because last season the moths got them and I only got like 3 measly cucumbers. I’ve already harvested like 40. I would thin and you’re definitely going to want some support or you’ll have a mess. Good luck!
https://preview.redd.it/1dzf82b57c0f1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=64086428b2825f00b6d5732abd9cbb431b62b32d
I put mine about foot apart. Let them roam on a ground as it’s a usual way to grow cucumbers here. 24 plants and it wasn’t enough pickles for a whole year, but we do eat a lot of pickles.
I run a cucumber festival for cucumber addicts at a restaurant specialising in cucumbers. We don’t have that many cucumbers.
Pretty much, if this is the plantation space, just two plant, no problem if it is double. Cucumbers, and every cucurbitacee doesn’t like transplantation with the nude roots, so I think you’ll need a big cleareance
When I first started gardening, I did this with cucumbers and zucchinis!!! I had a lot of donations for the food pantry holy moly!
It’s sooooooo many. I would thin them just based on how much water you’d have to give them, and how many cucumbers you’re going to end up with is going to be a lot of work.
Unless you’re feeding a proverbial army. Then I’d keep them. 😊
You’ll get better over the years at knowing which seed companies sell good seeds that sprout at a good rate, and which kind of vegetables are easy to sprout, and you’ll learn when you will need to start a only half a dozen seedlings.
It’s trial and error. Takes a few years. But don’t feel bad about pinching off the little seedlings that you don’t need. They’ll compost just as well as everything else.
Maybe 8 – 10 can fit in there. If these all grew you’d have lots of mildew and disease issues very quickly as there would be very little airflow. Plant them around the edges, let them flow into the grass, plant other things in the middle.
Wow, I planted 2 and I’m already figuring I’ll be sharing with neighbors. Hey, do you have a local farmers market? And a truck? 😂
This is a mistake lol…
I grew 2 cucumber plants last year and had so many god damn cucumbers that I pickled several jars and still had too many.
I currently have 3 burpless sprouted and a pickling coming soon. They will grow over my lettuce and carrots on the diagonal trellis. Planted about 12″ apart.
https://preview.redd.it/2dsxc4bmkc0f1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ba8071e17a63dd2305a800ae77fd7f145990bf6b
I hope you eat other things besides cucumbers because gardens enjoy being diverse. Regardless of what you do…be proud you grew stuff!!!
Yes. I see powdery mildew in your future with this set up. 😮💨
I cannot even conceive of a trellis system that will result in all of these cucumbers surviving. I would replant all the cucumbers not along the edge somewhere else, and replace them with marigolds for pollinators/bug deterrent.
I’m so glad I saw this post because I was about to make a similar mistake 🥴
You really need to put up some sort of fence so the can grow up it. IMHO yes that’s way to many on such a small area
I had 5 cucumber plants last year produce 50 cucumbers a week for about 4 months straight. This year I planted 3 and I fear it’s still going to be too much.
Also to answer your question, yes that is too many. Yes they are way too close together (they need minimum 3 ft spacing, preferably 4 or 5 ft), and that many cukes will need a very strong trellis. I have one made of fence posts and a pvc pipe zip tied across the top and netting zip tied to the fence posts. Every year my cukes get so heavy they break the zip ties at some point.
Are you starting a cucumber farm?
Prepare yourself for the aPickleypse.
Holy shit. Yes. WAY too many. Also they’re too closely planted, and I hope you have a plan in place for trellising them..?
Unpopular opinion? You don’t have to keep everything that sprouts.
This is the funniest New Gardener Post of 2025.
3 plants is plenty.
lol (affectionately).
Please keep it exactly like this and post weekly pics. You need a time lapse!