I've been conducting an exhaustive online search (including many posts on this very website) to try to discern what the heck is going on with my poor little cucumbers. The vital stats:
- - Growing in the Bay Area (Oakland), with moderate (though a bit warm for us lately) temps
- Directly seeded into container in April
- Got first cuke (which was a total beauty!) in early May
- Water daily, though not a huge dousing
- I have another cucumber plant, of a different variety, that is doing just fine. Planted at the same time.
Here is what my research has turned up:
- - Could be a lack of nitrogen. I fed a balanced NPK fertilizer (EB Stone Vegetable Food) one week ago. No improvement yet, and yellowing has progressed.
- Could be too sunny of a spot. I moved a week ago. No improvement, and yellowing has progressed.
- Could be verticillium rot. Though I didn't see any sludge when I pulled off a dying leaf, so maybe not.
- This is my own conjecture, but could it be that I planted them too early, and they're just dying back already? I've gotten 3 good cucumbers off of the plant, so it doesn't seem likely, but I'm running out of ideas.
- Finally, and hence posting in this forum, could it be that they were inappropriate to plant in a container? I just didn't have space in my in-ground garden when I thought it was time to plant - maybe that's my fault.
Kelly