Peas Followed by Cucumbers
Nitrogen-fixing peas hand the warm mid-summer bed to hungry cucumbers.
Season timeline
- Sow the peas
- Start cucumbers in pots
- Harvest the peas
- Clear the peas, leave the roots
- Plant the cucumbers
- Harvest cucumbers
- Clear the bed
Bed layout
Crops in this bed
Step by step
- Sow the peasMar–Apr
Sow peas 5 cm apart in double rows and set up a low support.
- Start cucumbers in potsMay
Sow cucumbers in pots in mid-May; they must not go out before the last frost.
- Harvest the peasJun
Pick pods every other day while they are young and sweet.
- Clear the peas, leave the rootsJun–Jul
Cut the plants at ground level and leave the nitrogen-rich root nodules in the soil.
- Plant the cucumbersJul
Plant cucumbers into the warmed bed and lead them up the freed pea support.
- Harvest cucumbersAug–Sep
Pick regularly; overgrown fruit stops the plant from setting new ones.
- Clear the bedOct
Remove the spent vines before the first frosts and compost healthy foliage.
Harvest calendar
| Crop | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pea | Pea: Jun | |||||||||||
| Cucumber | Cucumber: Aug | Cucumber: Sep |
The bed over the season
- Pea · Sowing
- Pea · Growing
- Pea · Harvest
- Cucumber · Sowing
- Cucumber · Harvest
Why this combination works
Peas fix nitrogen through their root bacteria and finish cropping by early summer. Cucumbers are heavy feeders that appreciate exactly that enriched, sun-warmed soil, and they can even reuse the pea trellis. One support, one bed, two crops.
Tips
Soak pea seeds overnight before sowing. Never dig the pea roots out — the nitrogen sits in the nodules. Water cucumbers with lukewarm water only. Mulch the bed after planting the cucumbers to keep the moisture even.