If you’re considering growing cucumbers, let this be your sign to stop pondering and get started. They’re super-easy to grow (and progress quickly, though you have to wait to plant ‘em until all threat of frost is over in your area). New varieties also are more bush-like and will do well in containers, so you can grow these popular vegetables even if you don’t have tons of space. Vining types can be trained up a trellis, which saves room and keeps fruit off the ground to prevent rotting.
When you’re planting cucumbers, you may want to add companion plants that do well in similar garden conditions. In fact, some gardeners believe planting cucumbers with specific companion plants may improve your harvest, though the concept is mostly folklore. (It’s based on the theory that certain plants may enhance your yield or keep bad bugs away and attract beneficial ones, such as pollinators and parasitoids, a type of insect that attack vegetable pests.) What we do know is that it’s more important to maintain diversity in your garden by planting lots of different plants. Mixing it up makes it more likely you won’t lose your whole garden to one type of bug or disease.
But while there’s almost no research that proves companion planting works, there’s no harm in planting certain plants alongside your cucumbers. Cucumbers need full sun (8 hours or more) and lots of moisture when they’re producing fruit, so stick with plants that like similar conditions, like the ones listed below.