In my mind cucumbers are a classic summer fruit. The telegraph and short green varieties taste great in salads and sandwiches and, the apple variety tastes so good on its own all I do is slice and add a little bit of salt to eat.

If you're keen to add this vine-growing fruit to your meals this summer, then now is the perfect time to plant.

Grab your cucumber seedlings from your local supermarket, the Warehouse or Bunnings. Alternatively, head to our online store and get your seedlings delivered direct to your door.

Once you've got your plants, look for a warm, sunny and dry spot in your garden. If you're not prepared to stake your telegraph and short green as they grow, make sure you plant them near something they can grow up - like a trellis.

Apple cucumbers will grow along the ground and work nicely next to zucchini because they like the same conditions. Sometimes cucumber can have a little trouble fruiting because they haven't been pollinated due to a lack of bees. So, I like to grow mine next to plants like lavender that attract their fair share of our honey making friends.

Dig in some compost or leftover potting mix to the soil making sure it's friable or breaks up in your hand. Then plant your seedlings.

If you do end up having pollination problems (you can tell because the flowers will fall off but no fruit will have developed) then put a paintbrush on the pollen in the flowers on each plant. This will spread the pollen from one flower to the next pollinating your plants.

In around 10 to 12 weeks this tasty summer fruit will be ready to harvest.