9 Must-Know Tips for Harvesting Cucumbers at the Perfect Time

Cucumbers are typically planted in spring and harvested throughout the summer season. They are easy to grow, but it’s important to pay careful attention to these fast-maturing plants. Overly mature cucumbers can turn bitter and seedy, so once they reach a harvestable size, cukes should be picked quickly. Use these harvesting tips to ensure your cucumbers are at their peak flavor and to keep your plants productive.

1. Read Your Seed Packets

Cucumbers that you have started from seed take between 50 to 70 days to start fruiting, depending on the type of cucumbers you’re growing. Check the seed packet for the days to harvest. You should also find information about the mature color and size of the specific cucumber variety so you’ll know exactly what to watch for when harvest season begins.

2. Know the Signs

Cucumbers are typically divided into two main categories: slicing cucumbers and pickling cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers are usually harvested when their skins are bright green and smooth, and the fruit is 6 to 9 inches long. Pickling cucumbers, on the other hand, have rough and bumpy green skins when mature and are usually picked when they’re 2 to 4 inches in length.

Although most cucumbers turn green as they ripen, and yellow as they get overly mature, there are exceptions. Some cucumbers, such as lemon cucumbers, naturally develop yellow or white skins when they’re ripe. That's why it’s so important to know the type of cucumber you’re growing.

3. Harvest Often

The first flowers on a cucumber plant are male and won't produce fruit. Female flowers appear later. The first cucumbers are usually ready to pick about 10 days after the plant starts to produce female flowers.

Once cucumber vines start fruiting, check your plants every day or two for ripe cucumbers and pick promptly. Cucumbers grow fast, and if they are allowed to age too long on the plant, they’ll develop lots of seeds, tough yellow skin, and an unpleasantly bitter taste.

4. Use a Sharp Tool

Don’t be tempted to pull cucumbers off the vine when you harvest. Tugging roughly on the vine may damage your plants and, worst case scenario, make them stop fruiting. Instead, clip cucumbers off the plant with a sharp knife, scissors, or pair of pruners and leave about ¼ inch of stem attached to each cucumber. This helps it stay fresh longer.

5. Check Under Leaves

Ripe green cucumbers are easily missed when camouflaged by the plant's large leaves. To avoid this, gently move leaves around while you’re picking cucumbers to check for hidden fruit. Training vining cucumbers to grow vertically on trellises can reduce the amount of hide and seek you'll have to play. It also saves space, improves airflow, and reduces plant diseases.

6. Handle Cucumbers Gently

If you’re harvesting a lot of cucumbers at once, place them in a single layer in your harvesting bucket or basket. Avoid stacking them in heavy piles. Piling cucumbers up too high or handling them roughly damages their delicate skins and leads to bruising and early spoilage. Burpless cucumbers are particularly likely to bruise with rough handling and should be harvested with extra care.

7. Remove Overripe and Damaged Fruit

Keep an eye out for overripe or damaged cucumbers when you’re harvesting and cut them off your plant. Leaving damaged fruit on cucumber vines saps energy away from your plant, making it less productive.

Slightly overripe or minimally damaged cucumbers may still be usable for salsa, pickles, or relishes. Any oversized, yellow cucumbers are no longer palatable; compost them or feed them to backyard chickens.

8. Store Cucumbers Correctly

Cucumbers don’t mature off the plant and should only be picked when they have reached their desired size and color. Store your harvest in the fridge, either in an open container or your crisper drawer. They last seven to 10 days.

If you have more cucumbers than you can eat, the best way to preserve them is to turn them into pickles or other tasty canned goods. Another option is to freeze them.

9. Watch for Frosts

Frosts and freezes will kill cucumber vines and damage any fruit that’s still growing on your plant. If your plants are still fruiting towards the end of the season, cut away any small fruit and lingering flowers to encourage your plant to spend its remaining energy ripening the last few cucumbers on the vine. Then, pick the remaining cucumbers before frost hits so they don’t turn mushy.