Sowing the Seed
In early to mid May I will sow a couple of seeds for each variety in a pot of compost indoors. I will make a hole about 2cm below the surface with a pencil and drop the seeds in on their edge.

Planting Out
One all chances of frost are over they may be hardened of by putting them outside during warmer days and brought in on colder nights. Then they may be planted out into their final resting place, perhaps with the corn.


Companions
Cucumbers are the same family as the squash which formed one of the Three Sisters planted by eastern inhabitants of America before the arrival of intruders from Europe. Their large leaves help to retain moisture in the soil for the other two sisters and crowd out the weeds. It is probably the best and most often quoted example of companion planting. I plant corn interspersed with the cucumbers and courgettes.

Harvesting
I try not to let them grow any bigger than 15cm long. By this time they are starting to spread their girth and if you let them go they become watery and form seeds in the middle. They are still tasty but not as flavoursome. The skin tends to be a bit knobbly and coarse so a potato peeler comes in handy when preparing the salad. They may be sliced into a green salad or a particularly nice salad on its own is created by adding a watered down vinegar and sugar mixture.