If you are planning to plant cucumbers next to tomato plants, read this article to know more.
I have used my experience to help you out with growing tomato and cucumber plants together.
Shall we read further!
Contents
Can You Plant Cucumbers Next To Tomato Plants?
Yes. You may plant cucumbers next to tomato plants. Many gardening experts recommend planting cucumbers next to tomato plants due to their similar growing habits and aversions. So, it may be easy to provide their requirements and help them grow together.
I generally follow companion planting, i.e., growing two or more crops near each other in my vegetable garden due to space constraints.
Also, it helps in nutrient uptake, pest management, increased pollination, and higher yields. These plants tend to be compatible and not interfere with the growth of others.
One of such companion plants that I grow in my garden is tomatoes and cucumbers. Some mention that cucumbers don’t do well when planted next to tomatoes.
But, I have never had a problem planting them together.
Why it is great to plant tomatoes and cucumbers together?
There are several reasons for this.
Both tomatoes and cucumbers are warm-season crops that require good drainage, deep-consistent watering, and a soil pH of 5.8 to 6.5.
They require long hours of sunlight to grow well. Also, they need a similar time to reach maturity depending on the variety.
Tomatoes and cucumbers have different growth habits, including bush and vine. Bush varieties are compact, require less space, and do not require support. In contrast, vining crops produce more fruits and need support.
So, growing cucumber next to tomatoes in the garden looks compatible.
How to Grow Tomatoes and Cucumbers Together?
Here are some quick tips to grow them together –
You may start growing tomatoes six to eight weeks and cucumbers three to four weeks before transplanting. In seed trays, place a tomato seed with ¼ inch of potting mix and cucumber seeds with an inch of potting mix.
After the seedlings emerge, you may transplant them. Both cucumbers and tomatoes require a ground temperature of 70 F.
Note that cucumbers require high-nitrogen fertilizer in planting holes whereas tomatoes do not need additional fertilizers.
There are different ways to transplant tomatoes and cucumber seedlings together depending on their growing pattern.
You may let the cucumber vines grow on the ground in the space between tomato plants. You may plant several bush cucumber plants around the tomato plant that grows on support. As the cucumbers are fast-growing with long-stalked palmate leaves, they prevent weed growth on the ground.
You may also train the cucumber vines on the same support as tomatoes.
The intermingling of the crops makes it harder for the pests to attack them and is called diversified planting.
It works well with companion planting.
Allow enough space between plants as both crops are susceptible to mold problems under moist conditions.
It helps in proper air circulation between plants and prevents fungal infections.
Check out this video on training tomatoes and cucumbers on trellis systems:
Things to Take care of
A few things you should not do/take care of –
Both tomatoes and cucumbers do not grow well when planted near potatoes as they crave the same nutrients and compete for them.
Also, they may be susceptible to similar diseases. For example, the cucumber mosaic virus attacks both cucumbers and tomatoes causing a significant reduction in fruit production.
Phytophthora blight is another disease that affects both tomato and cucumber crops. The leaves wilt and fruits develop water-soaked rot. The infected fruit and the entire plant may collapse.
Practice good cultivation practices and spray fungicides as a preventive measure when growing tomatoes and cucumbers together.
I recommend following crop rotation to avoid diseases. Adequate spacing and consistent watering practices may help to avoid pest problems.
Summary
I hope this article has answered your question about the growing tomatoes and cucumbers next to each other.
Do share the article with your friends and family who love gardening!