The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is a creeping vine in the gourd family, grown for its elongated, water-rich fruit. Though botanically a fruit, it is treated as a vegetable in the kitchen. Cucumbers have been cultivated for at least 3,000 years, originating in South Asia and spreading along trade routes to Europe, Africa, and beyond.
There are two broad types: slicing cucumbers eaten fresh, and smaller pickling cucumbers preserved in brine or vinegar. In Australia, the most common varieties are the long continental (telegraph) cucumber and the shorter Lebanese cucumber, both eaten raw in salads, sandwiches, dips, and cold soups.
Cucumbers are one of the most widely grown vegetables globally and are available year-round in Australian supermarkets.
How it's produced
Cucumbers are grown as a warm-season annual crop. In Australia, field production occurs in Queensland and other warm regions, while greenhouse cultivation extends the growing season and allows production in cooler climates. Plants are grown from seed, trained on trellises or left to sprawl, and require consistent moisture and warm temperatures.
Fruits develop rapidly and are harvested by hand at the desired size, typically within 50 to 70 days of planting. Greenhouse cucumbers are often parthenocarpic varieties that set fruit without pollination, producing seedless fruit. After harvest, cucumbers are washed, graded, and often shrink-wrapped (in the case of continental cucumbers) to extend shelf life.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
Keeping it
Keep it: in the fridge, wrapped loosely.
Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.
What comes from this
Your household's take
One thumb per person, shared with your household — it steers what the wider-web shelf and the swap chips offer you. Tap again to take it back.
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