Cucumber & Dill with Early Lettuce
Dill sown among cucumbers attracts beneficial insects, while early lettuce uses the cool spring weeks.
Season timeline
- Direct-sow the lettuce
- Sow cucumbers and dill
- Harvest the lettuce
- Clear the lettuce rows
- Cut dill as you need it
- Pick cucumbers continuously
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Direct-sow the lettuceApr
Sow lettuce in short rows across the bed while the cucumbers are still weeks away.
- Sow cucumbers and dillMay
After the last frost, sow cucumbers down the middle of the bed and scatter dill along the edges.
- Harvest the lettuceJun
Cut the heads before the summer heat makes them bolt and turn bitter.
- Clear the lettuce rowsJun
Remove stumps and leftovers so the cucumber vines can take over the space.
- Cut dill as you need itJun–Aug
Snip young fronds for the kitchen and leave a few plants to flower for the beneficial insects.
- Pick cucumbers continuouslyJul–Sep
Check the plants every other day; regular picking keeps new fruits coming.
- Clear the bedOct
Remove the spent vines and dill stalks before the autumn rains, and compost healthy material.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cucumber | Cucumber: Jul | Cucumber: Aug | Cucumber: Sep | |||||||||
| Garden dill | Garden dill: Jun | Garden dill: Jul | Garden dill: Aug | |||||||||
| Garden lettuce | Garden lettuce: Jun |
The bed over the season
- Cucumber · Sowing
- Cucumber · Growing
- Cucumber · Harvest
- Garden dill · Sowing
- Garden dill · Harvest
- Garden lettuce · Sowing
- Garden lettuce · Growing
- Garden lettuce · Harvest
Why this combination works
Dill flowers draw hoverflies, lacewings and tiny parasitic wasps whose larvae feed on aphids, so the cucumbers get their own pest patrol. Lettuce races through the cool spring weeks and is cleared just as the cucumber vines start to run. Later in summer the cucumber canopy shades the soil and keeps it evenly moist, which both crops appreciate. Everything in this bed can be sown directly, no transplants needed.
Tips
Cucumbers hate cold water — fill a watering can in the morning and let it warm through the day. Pick fruits young and often; one overgrown cucumber halts the whole plant. Let some dill reach full flower, that is what feeds the beneficials. Sow a pinch of dill again in June for a steady supply.