That plant is a lost cause at this point. Clear the weeds and plant new seeds. Cucumbers don't really like to be transplanted. Large plants especially will not do well at all when their roots are disturbed. Yes to mulching.

Where are you located and what type of weather have you been having?

Rodney

Agree, the plants in the pics are beyond saving.

<I bought four large plants that were already bearing almost mature cucumbers>

That was the first mistake. Cukes that far along shouldn't even be offered for sale as there is no way they will survive much less thrive. So you can blame that on the place you bought them. There is still plenty of time in most of the country to grow some new plants and get production so just buy a pack of cuke seeds and go from there.

Dave

Thanks for your feedback!

I'm in zone 5b, Greater Montreal area. We've had lots of ups and downs in the weather, with very hot humid periods alternating with unseasonably cool days. Rain and sun in typical amounts for the area.

I am surprised about the fact that cucumbers don't transplant well. Wasn't aware at all. I always thought I was giving myself a better chance of success by buying large plants, since I'm so bad at this gardening stuff. Would you recommend starting from seed, or from seedlings? I did plant eight small pickling cucumbers that seem to have taken quite well, but we'll have to see once the fruit show up (they are flowering abundantly now).

By the way, does the same apply to tomato plants, when it comes to buying big ones? I've always bought very large plants, with results varying from very good (with the indeterminate types that bear small fruit -- cherry or grape tomatoes) to poor (with determinate types bearing larger fruit). Last year, I was given two small plants that I planted later in the season, and they literally did not grow at all...

As for this year's cucumbers, I'm not sure I should bother planting from seed now, since I will be away for a solid two week period in the peak of summer and will not be able to water them. If there's no regular rain in that time, I can't imagine I'll have much success with them, right? I can't expect just ground moisture to maintain young cucumber plants... ?? In spite of their sorry state, I guess I'll just leave those four pathetic cucumbers be, and see what happens. That new growth and fruit in the first pic looks good enough, even if that's all I get out of it!

Thanks for tolerating my ignorance!

<I always thought I was giving myself a better chance of success by buying large plants,>

As a general rule, small seedling plants will do much better than large plants. The act of transplanting is stressful for plants, it's a set-back for them. So very young plants will tolerate it and recover much faster. Plants that already have blooms and/or fruit on them are double-stressed when transplanted so should be avoided when buying transplants.

But unfortunately if the growing conditions you provide and the care you give them after transplanting is poor then in the long run the age/size of the plant will make very little difference.

Cucumbers always do best if direct seeded. That is true for many vegetables. Of the commonly grown vegetables the only ones most experienced gardeners will buy as transplants are tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and herbs.

Cucumbers are also one of the garden vegetables that are very water dependent so yes, if you cannot provide them with consistent soil moisture levels then they are starting out with 2 strikes against them. Cukes grown without careful water management are very bitter, often deformed and shrunken, have poor texture, and limited storage time.

It isn't ignorance, it is just a matter of choosing priorities. Gardening isn't for everyone. :) Growing anything successfully, no matter the plant or the number of them, requires some research, a fair amount of time, and effort on our part. Sometimes it just isn't possible for us to provide that needed care.

Dave

I have always given the advice to direct sow cucumbers, but I've had problems with this method lately...I have no idea what happens to the seed but germination is very sporadic. The past couple of years I've started them ahead and transplanted into the garden. They take a while to get adjusted but they eventually take off - just make sure they aren't really large plants.

I really want gardening to be for me! But I think I need to be better informed and prepared in future years. I wish I had the knowledge of my ancestors! They had farm land. Or, I at least wish I had someone who could help me plan and make the right decisions now, but it's only me. You live and learn, by trial and error. Thanks for helping me get a bit more informed.

It's true you can live and learn by trial and error but you can also learn by research and reading and this forum is a great place for that.

Why not use your available time this season to get a garden patch or a small raised bed constructed - make sure it is handy to a water source - and the soil all prepared for next season? That way you'll be ready to go with planting the vegetables you want to grow next year.

In the mean time you can begin reading and learning about the needs of the various plants you want to grow.

Dave

If you get your seeds tomorrow and just clear out that space, you will have tons of cucumbers next month. get pickling and slicing cucumber seeds to see which do better for you. (you can eat both fresh.)

Everyone already said this, but definitely it was the fact that the plant was so large.

I never direct sow my cucumbers.

I transplanted short seedlings [less than 1 ft. long] - in some cases with flowers (not a good idea) - and everything worked fine. The reason why I used seedlings was to make sure the germination happens. I also had the choice to choose the healthiest seedlings to be transplanted.

Make sure the pot where you grow the seedlings is not very small, so you don't bother the roots when transplanting. I used 6'' x 6'' x 6'' pots.

Transplant the seedlings carefully, because they are very delicate. Shorter the seedling (4-5 in.) the better.

Yes, cucumbers LOVE water. I use drip irrigation.

They also love warm / hot weather.

I also fertilize / fungicide / mulch the cucumbers.

Removing yellowish / brownish dry old leaves is important to allow new growth's access to direct sun light.

I plant cucumbers one foot - or less - from each other.

Cucumbers can grow vertical or horizontal. In my case, it was horizontal.

I wouldn't recommend growing the cucumbers ON the ground.

The cukes can rot - if too much rain - or animals can eat them.

Note: pictures bellow are from 2013.

From that small place we grew more then we need.

I planted 10+ varieties. Some cukes were longer than 1 ft.

The horizontal frame was 1 ft. high.

My wife’s favorite cucumbers were: Sweter Yet and Straight
Eight.

Mine was Sweet Slice.

The white dust is B.T. Garden Dust.

I'm happy that my setup inspires you.

I grew about 20-25 plants.

Bellow is the frame on the driveway; it's 2 ft. high: 1 ft. in the ground, 1 ft. above the ground. The frame is a trapez; aprox. 12 ft. long x 3 (5) ft. wide.

Please ask if you need more details.

Any reason that you made it in that trapeze shape?

I don't have as much space as you do. Do you think a 3 ft by 4 ft frame could support a few plants, or does it need to be much longer than that? How many plants would you chance on this size frame? By what you said, I think perhaps six plants in two rows with a scant foot between each plant and just under two feet between rows might work. What do you think?

And one more thing: what else might benefit from this sort of layout and support? I'm not doing well with my makeshift vertical supports. Would pole beans and peas work too? Have you ever tried it?

Many thanks, there's a lot of ideas out there! I'll dig into it further. I'm also inspired by arches of veggies that I saw! Large enough to walk under and pick right from there, in the shade. Wow!

Here's hoping I have the chance to build something cool for next year!

I’m sure next year you will have some nice things in your
garden. Good luck !

Regarding of "arches of veggies" keep in mind that heavy fruits can break the plants' stems.

Here is another style of frames I used for my tomatoes. This kind of
frames can be also used for cucumbers if you desire. I have tomatoes on BOTH SIDES of each frame, so it's all good.

A few
useful links:

Cucumber Varieties: Best Bets and Easy-to-Grow

Cucumber Varieties - What's the Difference?

Cucumber Varieties and Types of Cucumbers

A nice trellis for cucumbers:

My first trellis for tomatoes and other vegetables

That black “plastic” is actually fabric mulch.

Straw mulch can also be used. Please see the picture bellow.

The purpose of mulching is to avoid splashing water – from rain
or watering from above - on the leaves
since this spreads the fungi
and bacteria.

Happy to help and tx for the nice words.

The following threads could be helpful:

- What are your Top 5/10 advice for a newbie ?

- 10 Common Mistakes New Gardeners Make

- Lesson(s) you've learned this year (2014)

- Lesson(s) you've learned this year (2015)

- My Stupidest Gardening Mistake - or- We Were Once All Newbies

Cool...

You might like this: overhead cherry tomatoes

Do you (plan to) grow tomatoes ?

I invite you to read the Growing Tomatoes sub-forum.

Do you have pictures of your tomatoes?

It'll be a reading project for over the winter... Right now I'm obsessed with trying to get whatever perennials in that I can transplant at this time and figure out what needs to be cut down in this season.

As for my tomatoes, they're an embarrassment compared to anyone else's definition of "successful tomatoes", so I don't think I'll be sharing a picture. I define success by the fact that I've managed to get some fruit off the plants. Enough for my daughter to have a fresh snack every time we go in the yard together. She eats them right off the plant as soon as they ripen. Precious few of them have made their way into the house and into the adults mouths!

Of interest: Tomatoes diseases - resources

Where do you live? Maybe you planted at the wrong time. Buying large vegetable plants is a mistake. Cucumbers grow easily from seeds planted in the ground.