Cucumbers are one of the "must have" vegetables for a summer salad garden. I still have fond memories of picking cucumbers as a kid, sprinkling them with salt, and munching away right there in the garden. Whether you're growing slicing cucumbers for fresh salads or pickling cucumbers for canning, there are a host of varieties available to whet your appetite. Some of the best slicing varieties available include 'Slice Master', 'Sweet Slice', and 'Dasher II'. These hybrids produce 8-inch-long fruits on plants with multiple disease resistance. They mature in about 60 days from seeding.

If you like the small size and crisp texture of pickling cucumbers, try 'Homemade Pickles', 'National Pickling', or 'Calypso'. These can be harvested at only a few inches long up to 6 inches long at 55 to 60 days from seeding.

For something unusual, try an 'Armenian Yard Long' cucumber. This variety grows 2- to 3-feet long at maturity. The pale green fruits have a mild flavor. For small space gardeners, try a container sized cucumber. 'Pot Luck' vines grow only 1 to 2 feet long while still producing 6-inch-long slicing cucumbers that are disease resistant.

For more information on these and other great cucumber varieties, go to Willhite's cucumber variety page at www.willhiteseed.com/store/asp/prodtype.asp?prodtype=52

Cucumbers grow best during warm, humid weather, so don't rush to plant them in the garden until after the soil warms to 60° F. Amend the soil with a 2- to 3-inch-thick layer of compost before planting. Plant cucumbers directly from seed, or start them indoors 3 to 4 weeks in advance of outdoor planting under grow lights. Plant seeds 6 inches apart in rows, or sow 3 to 4 seeds in 1-foot diameter hills. Hills can be flat circles if you're growing on loamy or sandy soil, or raised 6 inches high for better water drainage on clay soil.

You might consider mixing in some radish seed around the cucumbers. Radishes are quick to germinate, and they act as a trap crop for some insects, while repelling other bugs, such as cucumber beetles. You can harvest the radishes before the cucumber vines get too large, or just pull and destroy them if they're infested with bugs.

Keep the plants well weeded and watered. Side-dress the young plants once they start vining with a handful of organic or chemical fertilizer, such as 5-5-5 or a 1- to 2-inch-thick layer of compost. Once the soil warms, mulch around plants with a 3- to 4-inch-thick layer of organic mulch, such as hay, straw, or pine straw. The mulch will keep weeds at bay and keep the soil evenly moist.

Be on the lookout for cucumber's number one foe; cucumber beetles. These black- and yellow-striped or dotted beetles attack young cucumber plants and fruits. Not only do they cause damage by their feeding, but they also spread bacterial wilt disease. Control these beetles when you see them by dusting plants with an organic control, such as pyrethrum spray.