kgall
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Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:37 pm
Location: New Hampshire

Curling cucumbers..and today's harvest!

I have another cucumber question...Has anyone seen cucumbers like this? Most of the ones I have are curled at the end. This pic is a young cuke.(Sorry about the poor photography.)
[img]https://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy280/kgall_photo/P1020620.jpg[/img]
This one is full grown. I let one stay on the vine until it was no good any more but the end never grew!
[img]https://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy280/kgall_photo/P1020618.jpg[/img]
This is my haul from today! I got my first full size carrot! The rest (the ones I have pulled up anyway) are the size of the smaller one.
[img]https://i799.photobucket.com/albums/yy280/kgall_photo/P1020622.jpg[/img]

I cut off the bottom and they taste just as good as the straight ones.

Tammy42
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Joined: Sat Jul 11, 2009 3:48 am
Location: Anchorage,Ak

Kgall, my cucumbers are curled on their bodies, not their end. Was this where their curled, on the blossome end? Everything I have read said, it can be from something interfereing with it's growth- like a leaf or a stem being in the way of the cucumber to a mineral deficiency. Here's the sites I went to to look the cucumber curling up, they are hortchat.com, arcamax.com, and growingedge.com. I hope this helps ya!!! I have talked to other people on other websites that have had the same problem as me, and they have just let the cucumbers stay on the vine, and they said they ate alright. This is my plan also- mine are still curled but they are getting bigger though!!! Tammy

kgall
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Location: New Hampshire

Thanks Tammy
It's funny. I can't find anything about cukes curling just on the blossom end. They are climbing so they aren't touching anything.

jmoore
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:57 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

My cukes haven't curled but they turned yellow and one end is fatter than the rest. The first one I thought was going to be tough, but it tasted great. I have another that's about 8" long and yellow that is probably ready to be pulled as well. I'm betting it will taste fine too. They all start out nice and green and then turn yellow seemingly overnight.

No curling yet for me, but I've been checking the ones growing to make sure they aren't obstructed.

OK. All that was to say that if they taste fine, then I wouldn't sweat it too much. Just like you are doing.

kgall
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Location: New Hampshire

Thanks j...They do taste good...Just strange!

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Diane
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Location: Mass

Kgall, some of my cukes look like your curled ones. They taste fine.
If they got squished maybe it was when they were tiny.
I thought if you left them too long they turn yellow?

kgall
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Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:37 pm
Location: New Hampshire

Yes they turn yellow when left too long. I do know they didn't get squished. They are tied up so they don't touch anything. I wonder if they are missing something that is preventing the ends from growing.

jmoore
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Location: Dallas, TX

Diane wrote:I thought if you left them too long they turn yellow?
Mine never really get that nice cuke green all over like they look on the package. They sort of have some yellow to start and they just keep getting more yellow. It's probably soil problems with mine. It's not real good just yet. I've got some work to do this winter to make it better.

kgall
Senior Member
Posts: 220
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:37 pm
Location: New Hampshire

It's funny...Mine usually have some yellow in them. It's rare that I will get a picture perfect green one...And that's not even counting the funny shape! :lol:

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Diane
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Jmoore, I stopped growing cukes and rested the area for a few years. This was before I started composting.
The cukes just wouldn't grow right after years of great harvests. The tomatoes weren't doing well there either.
I put down a lot of compost and things are so much better.

jmoore
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Joined: Thu Jul 09, 2009 8:57 pm
Location: Dallas, TX

Diane wrote:Jmoore, I stopped growing cukes and rested the area for a few years. This was before I started composting.
The cukes just wouldn't grow right after years of great harvests. The tomatoes weren't doing well there either.
I put down a lot of compost and things are so much better.
I'm sure my problems start with the soil. This is my first year with a garden and it was basically just clay. I worked in some manure and a little compost before I planted but it needs a lot more. I'll do that this winter and hopefully it will get better as time progresses.

I'm starting to get some more production in the last month or so. Maybe the temp dropping a bit has spurred things on a little too.

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jal_ut
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Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

I think those curly cukes did not get pollinized properly.



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