What kind of cucumbers are you growing?

[tedln]

What you heard is probably correct. It has been a lot of years since I ate some lemon cucumbers. The seeds probably were well developed. I don't remember. I never ate one still green so I don't have a taste comparison.

I also love cucumbers in a lot of different ways. I think my odd ball cucumber was probably the best I've eaten. I really have a hard time comparing it to other cucumbers because it had texture more like a melon, but with a mild cucumber flavor. Because it had a fully developed seed cavity, the flesh was seedless. I have another of possibly larger size I am allowing to ripen on the vine. I pulled one last night that is more like a normal cucumber in size. I will eat it tonight. My vines are doing well and I expect to have more until fall. I'm saving seed if you want some.

Ted

[applestar]

Oooh that's a temping offer ... I think I would like some seeds.
Thanks!

[tedln]

PM me where to send them. I already have some seed dried, but there is a chance that seed could have been cross pollinated with some normal cucumbers. I will wait to get seed from the cucumber that is ripening on the vine. Since all my normal cucumbers are now dead, it should guarantee the purity of the seed. I believe the Armenian is an OP variety. The seed cavity on the large one was very large and full of seed, so I should have enough to send to anyone who wants it when the next one matures.

Another unusual thing I noticed about the Armenian is the fact that it is very, very slow growing. I planted them at the same time I planted the normal cucumbers back in April. The normal cukes took off and grew fast. The Armenians produced weak, thin little vines in comparison. I think they were just waiting for the heat to arrive. When the heat did get here, it killed my other cukes, but the Armenian vines came to life and produced thick vines that climbed and bloomed rapidly. The Armenians also produce a lot of side vines from the main vines which covers the trellis pretty quickly. When my normal cukes died, I replanted some more normal cukes and some more Armenians. The normal vines couldn't take the heat after germinating and died quickly. The new Armenian vines are growing fine, but a little slow. I think next year, I will plant the Armenians on a different trellis than the normal cukes.

Ted

[garden5]

Some people just won't eat a cucumber when it gets large enough that it has seeds. I, personally, will eat them no matter how large or small, seeds or no seeds. As long as it's a cucumber, it's fair game for my appetite.

[tedln]

I'm the same way about cucumbers. I have found that some varieties really become bitter when grown to maturity. I had some last year even my dog wouldn't eat and he loves cucumbers.

Ted

[applestar]

The Yamato variety seems to tend to bitterness, though drought is a factor to keep in mind. I only give the kids the bottom 1/2 of the cuke. The cats sometimes get the next 1/6 of the cuke.

A few days ago, I bit into a top 1/2 and it was so incredibly bitter I couldn't spit it out fast enough. But when I followed a typical Chinese cucumber prep of cutting them in chunks and liberally salting them in a strainer, they released about 1/4C of liquid. I added them to an unsalted pasta sauce I was cooking after giving them a quick rinse, and they tasted terrific.

[tedln]

In Asian culture, they grow what I understand is called "Bitter Melon" and use it in their cuisine. I've often wondered if the Bitter Melon is in fact simply a bitter cucumber. I don't know how anyone could eat them. Bitter cucumbers are more than my taste buds can handle. Maybe they prep the fruit similar to applestars method which is often used for bitter eggplant also. If they do prep the melon by removing the bitterness, why would they grow them at all?

Ted

[applestar]

Somebody more knowledgeable can correct me or elaborate, but I believe in Chinese Medicine, "bitter" food is considered an important element in balancing your diet and your body's Chi. (Hmm... that didn't sound right -- should Chi be considered "body's" or should Chi be considered independent but integral part of your body?)

[tedln]

I think independent, but integral. Simply a life force that can be manipulated in many ways. Always strive to attain a balance.

Ted

[Decado]

I'm growing Marketmore, Burpless, Northern Pickling, and Diva, 4 plants of each. I'm overwhelmed by cucumbers right now as the heat finally hit us the past few weeks, mostly picking all varieties pickle sized. I'll be eating pickles all winter. One thing I found to be strange though was according to johnnyseeds.com Diva is seedless and this Diva of mine has seeds, but looks like a Diva cucumber should.

[tedln]

Some varieties like Sweet Success and possibly Diva have only female blossoms and are supposed to be seedless unless the blossom is pollinated. If you planted other varieties along with the Diva, it was pollinated from one of the other varieties. I haven't checked the Diva and don't know if it is female blossom only, but if it is supposedly seedless; it probably is.

Ted

[garden5]

I agree. It seems like some cukes really tend to get bitter when the get large, while others always seem to keep their taste, to some extent or another. There really is a lot variation to be had among cucumber varieties.

[philm00x]

i just thought i would share my excitement... i was watering today and found a lot of new females on my cuke plants and noticed one of them was looking very thick and engorged. hopefully this will be my first fruit ever!

[garden5]

I just thought of something: if some varieties have only female flowers, how do they grow cuckes? I thought cucumbers required pollination of the flowers?

[tedln]

The seed you plant is hybrid seed. It was the result of a cucumber, bred with a different variety which results in a hybrid variety which only produces female blossoms. There are some "female only" hybrid varieties which do require pollination in order to produce fruit. Typically in packets of those seed, the vendor will include the seed from a variety which also has male blooms. You have to plant the entire packet of seed to insure a male blossom will be available to pollinate all of the female blossoms on other vines. The variety I grow "Sweet Success", produces only female blossoms which do not require pollination.

Ted

[jal_ut]

I have just been browsing Burpees online catalog. Wow, they have 32 varieties of cucumber listed. I have been thinking of planting a burpless cuke this season. Any recommendations for a good one?

[Gary350]

I never grow these things, I never buy them at the grocery store, I never eat them either. Its not for me.

[gumbo2176]

This year I'm branching out a bit with the cucs. I already have General Lee Pickling Cucumbers in the ground along with some Straight 8's and Armenian Cucumbers. I love bread and butter style pickles so I have about 12 ft. of trellis devoted to them and the rest of the trellis to the other 2 varieties.

Unlike Gary350, I eat them almost daily in the summer in salads or just by themselves with a bit of salt. I know I'll have more than I really need so the neighbors and relatives will once again benefit.

[garden5]

I want to try the lemon cucumbers this year. Do they taste any different than the green ones?

[Avonnow]

That cucumber from Applestar is amazing I want to try something like that.
I will have to investigate, never sure if it is too hot here for some varieties.
Last year I was not too adventurous. I tried Burpee Sweeter yet Hybrid
and they look and tasted - like a cucumber. I also used one from Gurneys
Hybrid Miss Pickler. Now they looked just like the others.
These are the Sweeter yet Hybrid

These are the Miss Pickler

The second didn't last long, aphids nearly destroyed that healthy plant in no time.

This year I am trying some Johnny's Hybrids. (3) different kinds actually, I saw alot of mention of the Straight 8 and may get those as well since alot of people mentioned it.

[tedln]

Jal,

I always grow lots of cucumbers because we enjoy them and our friends and family who receive bags of them also appreciate them.

I always grow "Sweet Success" because they are burpless and grow to about 16" long and remain tender and sweet. They are also all female blooms and produce a lot more fruit than other varieties. I also always grow a second crop of a different variety. Last year, the experimental variety was "Armenian" and they did great producing lots of long tender fruit and when the weather warmed a lot, they started producing melon sized fruit.

This year, my experimental bed is seeded with "Diva" which is supposed to be a heavy producer of burpless cucumbers about eight inches long. It is also an all female variety which should double the production. Since it doesn't have any of the natural chemicals which sometimes make cucumbers bitter, it is less attractive to cucumber beetles and is supposed to be resistant to common cucumber diseases like powdery mildew.

Ted

[jal_ut]

Thanks for the ideas. I am sitting here this afternoon watching it snow.
Grrrrr!
Cuke planting time here is June 1, but I am thinking of buying seed soon.

I have planted Armenians for many years, and usually put in a few, You are right, they can get huge. This is actually a muskmelon. Cucumis melo.

Cucumbers are Cucumis sativus

[hendi_alex]

I have three mixed packs of cucumber seeds. They are marked pickling, sweet slice hybrid, Asian. I buy various seeds which fit the three categories and mix the seeds together. What I get each season is the pure chance of the draw. My wife and I love cucumbers and strive to have a continuous supply from late May through November or December.

[tedly]

Total newbie question here. I didn't realize cukes could be grown on a trellis. I see chicken wire in some of the pics, is it a fill frame or just stretched between 2 posts? How big should it be? Thanks for any info.

[gumbo2176]

Total newbie question here. I didn't realize cukes could be grown on a trellis. I see chicken wire in some of the pics, is it a fill frame or just stretched between 2 posts? How big should it be? Thanks for any info.

In my opinion, that is the only way to grow them. They do grow nicely on a trellis and it helps keep the fruit off the ground and easier to pick. I have 2 trellises in my garden, 1 for cucs and the other for pole beans of different varieties. All of my trellises are made of 2x4 pressure treated lumber with 8 ft. posts in the ground by 2 ft. deep and a series of three 2x4's stretched between the uprights, one on the bottom, one on the top and one in the middle to which hog wire is stapled to. To help support the thing and keep it nice and straight, I'll drive a 2x4 about 18 inches long into the ground about 12 in. from the base of the uprights and use a 1x4 at an angle to the sides of the upright 2x4 and the ground stake.

[digitS']

Jal, I don't see that Burpee has it but I have grown Tasty Green (Burpless 26) for quite a few years. A lot of companies carry seed for that one under one or the other name.

When I first started growing it, I thought of it as an "English cucumber" because it was like the ones with that label that were showing up in the supermarket. However, I have since learned that it is grown by Sakata Seed in Japan.

Whatever it is, Tasty Green is a good cucumber. Turbo is a real nice American slicing cucumber. It is one of those, gynoecious types.

Steve

[hendi_alex]

I don't tend to have a problem with cucumbers so don't need to grow the so called burpless varieties. I prefer pickling cukes, but they are sometimes bitter. That is why I started growing some of the non bitter slicing types like Sweet Slice. Last year I decided to experiment with some of the Asian varieties and in the future will likely continue to grow some of all three. Since I don't have any particular preference, as mentioned earlier, I just mix the seeds in three separate packs and take what comes out when planting. My earliest transplants are getting pretty large and will likely begin to bloom in a week or two. Hope I can keep those plants healthy and growing until transplanting time. Also need to keep my fingers crossed, that the transplanting process is not too traumatic for the monster sized transplants. I've still got to wait another six weeks before they go into the ground.

[gardenvt]

I'm growing Tasty Jade, Alibi and Marketmore 76. These are all new to me so it will be interesting to see how well they do and taste.

I've grown Diva for a number of years and you don't want to let it get to be 8 inches - it will be full of seed. They are best about the size of a pickle - 3-4 inches.

We grew Lemon last year and it was delicious when allowed to get a slight blush on the bottom. Very mild in taste. The squirrels dug up my first ones and I replaced them with some from a garden center - lost all the cukes to wilt.

[tedln]

I'm growing Tasty Jade, Alibi and Marketmore 76. These are all new to me so it will be interesting to see how well they do and taste.

I've grown Diva for a number of years and you don't want to let it get to be 8 inches - it will be full of seed. They are best about the size of a pickle - 3-4 inches.

We grew Lemon last year and it was delicious when allowed to get a slight blush on the bottom. Very mild in taste. The squirrels dug up my first ones and I replaced them with some from a garden center - lost all the cukes to wilt.

The Diva is supposed to be resistant to most of the common cucumber diseases. What has been your experience with problems like powdery mildew and cucumber beetles on the Diva variety?

Ted

[tedln]

Alex,

Good looking plants. You may have cucumbers before you get them planted in the garden.

Ted

[applestar]

Alex, couldn't you grow one or two in your big greenhouse? What's it like in there in the summer? Almost all British gardening ref. books talk about growing cucumbers in the glass house against the wall, but weather conditions are very diifferent.

Among others, I'll be growing some Armenians this year, thanks to a certain somebody who sent me some seeds . Also, Lemon and the third generation Picarow.

Not so sure about the Japanese Yamato -- as nice as that looked in the picture, top 1/3 too bitter for even me to swallow is saying something. And we had a horrible stinkbug (ID'd as Brown Marmorated) outbreak last summer and they REALLY liked the Yamato cukes.

[hendi_alex]

I've tried growing tomatoes and cucumbers in the greenhouse, but each time had a terrible problem with white flies, plus had poor results getting any kind of decent production. Just hasn't seemed worth the time and effort. Plus the greenhouse is mostly full or orchids plus a couple dozen overwintering tender perennials.

[garden5]

They probably would also take up so mush space that it wouldn't be worth it, either.

Really, they are productive enough that you don't necessarily have to pre-start them. However, if you can get a solid start like Alex did, it may be worth it.