Growing cucumber
Cucumis sativus · also called Khira, KheeraA fast-growing warm-season vine producing crisp, hydrating fruits.
East coast: coastal Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, coastal Andhra, coastal Odisha
At a glance
Cucumber in the East coast
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East coast | JuneJanuary to April | |||
| Temperate Himalaya | April to May | Mid-June to July | ||
| Cold desertUnder cover only | Under cover: April to mid-May | Under cover: Mid-June to mid-September | ||
| 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 |
From seed to harvest
One season, day by day
Days from sowing
Before sowing
Basal, at field preparation
Farmyard manure (FYM)
40 t per hectare
Basal
Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria
2 kg per hectare
Basal
Pseudomonas
2.5 kg per hectare
Day 0
Sow
Before sowing
Farmyard manure (FYM)
40 t per hectare · Basal, at field preparation
Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria
2 kg per hectare · Basal
Pseudomonas1
2.5 kg per hectare · Basal
Day 0
Sow
Day 5 to 7
Seeds come up1,2,3,8Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Day 45
First picking1
About 8 to 10 pickings.
Day 80 to 90
Last picking1
Water before dibbling the seed, then once a week in furrows.1
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 East coast, 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 East coast aren't in the library yet.
Water and feeding
Watering1
Water before dibbling the seed, then once a week in furrows.
Weeding1
Hoe and weed two or three times. Thin to two seedlings a hill 15 days after sowing.
| When | What | How much | How |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basal, at field preparation | Farmyard manure (FYM) | 40 t per hectare | |
| Basal | Azospirillum and Phosphobacteria | 2 kg per hectare | |
| Basal | Pseudomonas | 2.5 kg per hectare |
Varieties and yield
8 to 10 tonnes a hectare
Yields vary with the plot, the seed and the season.
Japanese Long Green
Straight Eight
Poinsettee
Good neighboursNo published guide covers this for the East coast, 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 diseases1Part of this comes from the sources cited. The rest is an AI suggestion.
Organic and cultural controls only.
Fruit fly
Signs
Most numerous in the rainy season and fewer on hot days.
What to do
- Collect and destroy stung fruit.
- Plough to bring the pupae up.
- Spray neem oil at 3% when needed.
Prevention
- Time the sowing to miss the rainy-season peak.
Downy mildew
Signs
Yellow angular spots on top of the leaf with grey down underneath, worst in humid weather.
What to do
- Remove affected leaves.
Prevention
- Water in the morning so the leaves dry before night.
- Do not flood the field.
Powdery mildew
Signs
White powdery patches on the leaves and stems.
What to do
- Pick off badly affected leaves.
Prevention
- Space the vines so air moves between them.
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 East coast, so this is an AI suggestion. Check it with local advice before you rely on it.
Pull out the vines after the last picking. Compost healthy vines and destroy diseased ones, and do not follow with another cucurbit.
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.
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
- 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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