Cucumber Diseases and Pests

You can grow your cucumber starter plants indoors up to 2 weeks before you’re ready to plant. You can also plant seeds directly in the garden. Arrange your garden in small hills and plant around 4 seeds per hill. Separate your seeds by about 2-3 feet. You can also ground your cucumbers in rows. Space your rows about 4 feet apart, with the seeds about 2 ½ feet apart in the rows. Remember that some cucumbers varieties are suitable for container gardens.
Cucumbers unfortunately suffer from a variety of pests and diseases. Aphids, pickle worms, mites, and cucumber beetles are common pests you may see in your garden. Diseases you’ll need to look out for are anthracnose, powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt, and angular leaf spot.
The cucumber beetle is a particularly nasty pest that attacks plants early and also spreads bacterial wilt. Look for this pest as seedlings emerge. Also look for signs of bacterial wilt early on. Plants infected with bacterial wilt will droop and eventually die.

We recommend using a natural pest control method to treat problems with your cucumbers. If you use chemical pesticides, you may be harming the bees that will fertilize your vines. Chemical pesticides can also harm other beneficial insects and soil organisms.