Growing Cucumbers in Alaska: Everything You Need To Know

You want to know whether you can grow great cucumber plants in Alaska and also want to know what things you have to account for if you want to make your gardening project a real success?

Great! This article is for you since I will show you how to grow decent cucumber plants in Alaska and what mistakes you should avoid.

After reading this article, you will know much better what pests you may have to keep away, how to water your plants and many other things.

You will also find some helpful additional resources at the end of this article for growing cucumbers at home in general so you may become a real gardening expert in the long run.

Without further ado, let’s give you the information you came for!

Do cucumbers grow well in Alaska?

Since Alaska is a pretty cool state where growing season is rather short and winters are pretty long, it may not be the best place to grow cucumbers.

However, you can still get decent results as long as you are willing to put in some extra work and also follow the advice in this article.

Prepare the soil!

How long does it take to grow cucumbers in Alaska?

It will take you between 15 and 20 weeks to grow cucumbers in Alaska from seed to harvest.

However, this also greatly depends on the cucumber variety you want to grow and on what part of Alaska you live in and predictions are therefore pretty difficult so you should not get discouraged in case it may take you a little bit longer.

How big do cucumber plants grow in Alaska?

While climatic conditions may not be perfect, your cucumber plants may still get pretty bushy and you should therefore give them at least 5 feet in the horizontal so your plants will get enough space and sunlight to grow in a decent manner.

Can you expect great yields when growing cucumbers in Alaska?

Even though you should not expect the same great cucumber yields compared to people growing cucumbers in Alabama or other hotter and sunnier states, you may still get decent results as long as you care well for your plants and avoid common mistakes many other people make.

When to grow cucumbers in Alaska?

Since winters are often pretty long, you may have to wait with starting to sow cucumber seeds outdoors until May or even June so your plants will no longer get hit by spring frost.

If you want to start earlier in the year, you may be better off pre-growing cucumbers indoors and transplanting your seedlings outdoors later in the year.

Can you grow cucumbers in Alaska in winter?

Since winters are pretty cold and lighting conditions may be poor, you should not try to grow cucumber plants in Alaska in winter and should rather focus on growing them during the main season.

Can you grow cucumbers in Alaska multiple times per year?

Instead of trying to grow multiple batches of cucumber plants at different times of the year, you may be better off focusing on just one single batch of cucumbers during the main season since later batches will often not get ready until winter frost arrives.

What cucumber varieties grow best in Alaska?

If you want to grow cucumbers in Alaska, you should choose varieties that are well-used to cool climatic conditions. Those include:

  • Corinto Cucumbers
  • Socrates Cucumbers
  • Bushy Cucumbers
  • Diva Cucumbers
  • Jackson Supreme Cucumbers
  • Lemon Cucumbers
  • Serpent Cucumbers
  • Silver Slicer Cucumbers
  • Itachi Cucumbers

Is it better to grow cucumbers in Alaska from seeds or seedlings?

Since winters are pretty long and growing season is rather short, it definitely makes sense to grow cucumbers from seedlings instead of seeds so your plants will get ready until winter frost arrives rather early compared to most other regions.

Should you start growing cucumbers in Alaska indoors?

You can also start growing cucumbers from seed indoors in early spring and transplant them outdoors as soon as you no longer expect spring frost so you may be able to harvest your plants much earlier compared to people who just directly grow cucumbers outdoors and may have to wait much longer.

How to water cucumber plants in Alaska?

Since Alaska is a pretty cool state, you may not have to water your plants much in the early months of the year.

However, once your plants get bigger, you may have to water them on a regular basis so they don’t dry up and can grow in a decent manner.

Do you have to protect cucumbers against the sun in Alaska?

There is no need to actively protect your cucumber plants against the sun in most parts of Alaska.

Instead, you can just let your plants grow and let them become more resistant to radiation in a natural manner.

Will wild animals feed on cucumber plants in Alaska?

Voles, rabbits and many other animals may try feeding on your cucumber plants in Alaska and you may therefore consider installing a fence around your plants so you can protect them in a proper manner.

Cucumber pests & plant diseases in Alaska

Maggots, hornworms and thrips are just some of the unpleasant pests you may have to deal with when growing cucumbers in Alaska at home.

Fortunately, there are simple but still efficient ways how to get rid of cucumber pests and plant diseases.

When to harvest cucumbers in Alaska?

If you start growing cucumber plants from seed outdoors in May, you will usually be able to harvest them between September and October.

If you want to harvest your plants earlier, you may have to pre-grow seedlings indoors between March and April and transplant them outdoors later in May when you no longer expect winter frost.

Additional Information for Growing Cucumbers at Home

I hope you got lots of useful information regarding how to grow cucumbers in Alaska.

If you want to become a real expert at growing cucumbers in general, you may also want to have a look at my cucumber grower’s guide.

If you still have specific questions about growing cucumbers at home, you may also want to have a look at my FAQ section for growing cucumbers where you will find answers to the most common questions people often have when it comes to growing cucumbers at home.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cucumber

Own research.

About the Author

My name is Andreas and I’m really passionate about our environment and also about growing plants. In fact, I have grown several different plants over many years. I love to see my own plants grow and also always try new things to improve my overall conditions at home.

In my blog posts, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can become successful in growing various different plants and improving your home as well, even though you might still be a beginner right now.

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