Growing cucumber
Cucumis sativus · also called Khira, KheeraA fast-growing warm-season vine producing crisp, hydrating fruits.
Cold desert: Ladakh, Lahaul and Spiti
At a glance
Cucumber in the Cold desert
Summer, in a greenhouse
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.About 100 to 120 days from sowing to the last picking.
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.55 to 65 days after sowing
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Across India
When to sow it
Twelve growing regions, January to December. Your region comes first.
- Sow
- Nursery
- Transplant
- Harvest
- Under cover
- Today
Compare all 12 regionsShow fewer regions
See the dates as a table
| Region | Sow | Nursery | Transplant | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold desertUnder cover only | Under cover: April to mid-May | Under cover: Mid-June to mid-September | ||
| Temperate Himalaya | April to May | Mid-June to July | ||
| Sub-tropical foothills | February to MarchJune to JulyUnder cover: JanuaryUnder cover: First half of January | Under cover: Last week of December to first week of January | Under cover: By the first half of February | |
| North-west plains | February to MarchJune to JulyUnder cover: Mid-November | Under cover: Mid-SeptemberUnder cover: January | Under cover: First week of OctoberUnder cover: First half of February | |
| Gangetic plains | Mid to late FebruaryLate June | |||
| North-east hills and valleys | February to mid-April | |||
| Arid west | February to mid-MarchLate June to July | |||
| Central plateau | Mid-January to FebruaryJune to mid-July | |||
| Deccan plateau | June to July | |||
| South interior | JuneJanuary to April | |||
| West coast | January to MarchSeptember to December | |||
| East coast | JuneJanuary to April |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
At bed preparation
Well-rotted FYM or compost
2 to 3 kg per m²
Work into the bed
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 0
Sow
At sowing
Vermicompost
1 kg per m²
Mix into the top of the bed
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 55 to 65
First picking
Pick every 2 to 3 days.
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Day 100 to 120
Last picking
No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Before sowing
Well-rotted FYM or compostNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
2 to 3 kg per m² · Work into the bed · At bed preparation
Day 0
Sow
Vermicompost
1 kg per m² · Mix into the top of the bed
Day 5 to 7
Seeds come up1,2,3,8Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 55 to 65
First pickingNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Pick every 2 to 3 days.
Day 100 to 120
Last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 2 to 3 days, more at flowering and fruiting.No published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
What it needs
Soil, sun and warmth
Soil pH1,2,3
6.5 to 7.5
Well-drained loam or sandy loam, rich in organic matter
SunlightNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
At least 6 hours a day
Full sun, at least 6 hours a day.
Temperature2,8
Grows best at 18 to 24 °C
Frost: none tolerated.
Monthly temperatures for the Cold desert aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
WateringNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Water every 2 to 3 days in the morning, keeping the soil moist but not wet. Drip saves water.
WeedingNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Hand weed the beds in the first month and mulch with straw to hold moisture.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| At bed preparation | Well-rotted FYM or compost | 2 to 3 kg per m² | Work into the bed |
| At sowing | Vermicompost | 1 kg per m² | Mix into the top of the bed |
Varieties and yield
3 to 5 kg a square metre
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Grows well with
Keep it away from
Pests and diseasesNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Organic and cultural controls only.
Aphid
Signs
Small soft insects under the leaves; leaves curl.
What to do
- Wash them off with a jet of water.
- Spray a neem-based organic spray.
Whitefly
Signs
Tiny white insects fly up when the leaves are touched.
What to do
- Hang yellow sticky traps.
- Remove badly affected leaves.
Red spider mite
Signs
Fine webbing and pale speckles on the leaves in hot, dry air.
What to do
- Spray water under the leaves.
Prevention
- Do not let the greenhouse get too hot and dry.
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery patches on the leaves.
What to do
- Pick off badly affected leaves.
Prevention
- Open the vents on sunny days so air moves.
Seed and the season's end
Saving seed2
Keep at least 1000 m between cucumber varieties so the seed stays true to type. Pull out off-type and sick plants.
When the seed is ready
Leave seed fruit on the vine until it turns brown.
Cleaning the seed
Scoop the pulp into fresh water and leave it one to two days. Rub the seed free by hand and keep the heavy seed that sinks.
After the last pickingNo published guide covers this for the Cold desert, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Clear the vines before the first hard frost and compost them. Rest or change the bed crop the next year.
Destroy old cucurbit vines so downy mildew has nowhere to overwinter.
Rotation
Where root knot nematode is a problem, rotate with rice, oats, wheat or taramira.
Growing under cover5
Grow it in a greenhouse. SKUAST-Kashmir's high-altitude institute at Leh (HMAARI) tested greenhouse cucumber for three to five years and handed the method to Ladakh's agriculture department in August 2023, for growers in Leh and Kargil.
From the shop
Linked from this guide by our team.
Sources
Where this comes from
Our team has checked this guide against the sources at the end of the page.Reviewed by our team on 13 November 2026.
These published guides are the sources. Where none of them covers a detail for this region, the page shows an AI suggestion and labels it.
- Cucumber: crop production guide (Horticulture, vegetables)TNAU Agritech Portal, Tamil Nadu Agricultural UniversityRead the source
- Pusa Gynoecious Cucumber Hybrid-18 (Indian Horticulture, May to June 2021, pages 40 to 43)ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Division of Vegetable Science (Munshi, Behera, Sureja, Tomar, Singh and Dey)Read the source
- Advisory for Kharif Season in Uttarakhand (2 May 2020)G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Directorate of Extension EducationRead the source
- SKUAST-K hands over technologies on greenhouse cucumber and extended-season broccoli to the Department of Agriculture, Ladakh (7 August 2023)UT Ladakh administration (ladakh.gov.in)Read the source
- Package of Practices for Vegetable Crops 2020 (chapter 6, Cucumber; cucurbit pest and disease management; hybrids; cropping systems; protected and river bed cultivation)Directorate of Extension, SKUAST-JammuRead the source
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