Question
I am attempting my first container garden and cucumbers.  The cucumber plants I bought were marked as a bushing variety, but the three feet of vining in one month from each is proven that wrong.  So I am not sure what to expect!  I have little cucumbers growing, but the plants seem so focused on growing longer...  Should I trim back some of the growth that doesn't have baby cukes so the plant puts more effort into the cukes?  Should I trim some of the undergrowth around the baby cukes?  Do the baby cukes need to be protected from the sun?

Thanks

Answer
I just had a simular question, about a watermelon vine. If you cut it, it will still keep growing. You will be cutting off some of the future cukes, but it will not kill the monster, you will only slow it down for a while.

It is possible to grow the vine up. Cucumbers are somewhat reluctant climbers. To hold the cuke on a trellis, tie heavy twine through the springs of two clothespins and clamp the pins to the trellis on each side of the vine. This method lets you adjust the tension on the twine and move it up or down the trellis without tying and untying a lot o f knots hidden by foliage. If you get the cuke to grow up, and not out, you will gain about 12 feet.

If the baby cukes are not wet, they will not be harmed by the sun. Water sitting on them in hot sun will cause "sun scald" . They will still be eatible, but not attractive.

The plant will get much of it's energy source from the leaves and vines. If you trim the undergrowth around the cukes, you are trimming what feeds them. I would be very careful not to disturb it, if at all possible.

Here are some names of container varieties that you could try next time.
Bush Crop, Patio Pic, Pot Luck, and Spacemaster. Read the size information on these to best find the one that will fit your space.

Keep soil moist, especially while fruit is setting.

bakerplanter