How to Mulch Squash & Cucumbers

Cucumbers and squash require warm weather and plenty of sunshine to reach maturity, making them best-suited to summer gardens. Mulching the bed with plastic in spring warms the soil earlier since the black plastic absorbs and traps heat. This allows you to plant the vegetables earlier as long as frost danger is past. Plastic mulches also suppress weeds, retain soil moisture and keep the developing squashes and cucumbers off the soil. Mulch results in healthier and cleaner vegetables at harvest.

Tiller or hoe
Compost or fertilizer (optional)
Drip or soaker hoses
Black plastic

Instructions

- 1
  Cultivate the garden bed with a hoe or tiller, removing weeds and loosening the soil. Add compost or fertilizer to the bed at this time, if you use these amendments.
- 2
  Lay a drip irrigation or soaker hose along each planting row. Water cannot penetrate plastic mulch, so you must install irrigation prior to mulching and planting.
- 3
  Lay the black plastic on top of the garden bed. Overlap the edges of the plastic if using multiple sheets to cover the entire bed.
- 4
  Smooth the plastic over the bed so it's in full contact with the soil. Anchor the edges of the plastic with rocks or a mound of soil.
- 5
  Cut a 3-inch-diameter hole in the plastic for each planting spot along the row. Plant the cucumber and squash seeds or seedling through the hole in the plastic.
- 6
  Water the vegetables one to two times weekly, supplying about 1 inch of water per week. Feel the soil under the plastic once weekly and withhold irrigation if it feels wet or soggy.

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