Cucumbers will thrive in any good soil not extremely heavy nor sandy. Good corn or wheat land, if in gardening condition with respect to tilth and drainage, will answer. Or for the earliest crop, a situation with a more pronouncedly sandy soil may serve best. In most parts of America the field crop of Cucumbers may be grown from seed planted in the open ground after danger of frost is past. Put 6 to 12 seeds in the hill, the hills being 4 by 6 feet apart.

The Winter 2009 CQ on portable hoophouse construction featured an article by Ted Blomgren and Tracy Frisch about caterpillar tunnels. At the end of the column, we promised to report on our own experience growing cucumbers in one of these inexpensive walk-in tunnels after we had completed the second year of the SARE-sponsored curcubit pest experiment coordinated by Penn State Cooperative Extension and The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture.