Garden Vegetable Cucumbers Growing Tips

Three plantings for an avalanche ofcukes

I’m the most impatient man in the world when the first cucumber harvest is getting close. I just can’t wait. As soon as I find a cucumber 2 or 3 inches long I pick it, brush it off, and eat it.

Because I like cukes so much and because Jan is always trying out new pickle recipes, we grow a lot. I make three plantings: 3 or 4 weeks before the average last spring frost date, using grow tunnels or hot caps; about the time of the last expected frost; and 3 or 4 weeks later. This way we get a long harvest of cukes lasting into the fall.

I like the smaller “pickier” varieties for our pickles (though you can preserve any small cucumber). If I miss harvesting some, they stay at table quality a long time.

Most people are afraid to pick a lot of early cucumbers, but it’s hard to over harvest them. Keep picking the pickle-sized cucumbers, and the plant won’t get the chance to produce mature seeds. It will continue to produce female blossoms. Harvest all the small cucumbers you want.

Plant some dill as soon as you can work the soil in the spring for your dill pickles and other recipes. Here’s a tip for making good, crisp pickles. Harvest cucumbers early in the morning while they’re crisp and before the sun has a chance to heat them up.

Why a bitter cucumber?

People ask me why their cucumbers are sometimes bitter. It’s strictly a weather problem. If the weather gets too hot or the plants get low on water, some cukes will develop a bitter taste, especially in their skins. Scientists are still trying to find out how and why it happens. Peel the cucumbers a little deeply and hope for the best. Later pickings from the same row may be okay.

Grow a big pickle in a small bottle

Growing a “cuke in a bottle” is a fun project for young gardeners—and old ones, too. Find a small cucumber and stick it into a small necked bottle without damaging the stem or vine. Keep the bottle shaded with a cloth or leaves while the cucumber grows. Without shade it will get too hot. When the cuke reaches the bottom of the bottle, harvest it. Pour some brine in the bottle to pickle it. Top with a cork. The “cuke in a bottle” makes a great gift. But instead of a “thank you,” you’ll get a “how the heck . .?”

Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)
Garden Vegetable Cucumbers Growing Tips

• Harvest my Garden Plants for the best possible Yields
• Vegetable Gardening Pros and cons
• The Vegetable Box continue...
• Cucumber
• Saving Seeds
• Gardening VEGETABLES continue...
• Vegetable Garden Planting Vine Crops (Soil, Sowing, Fertilizer, Watering and harvest)
• How to Rinse Fresh Sprouts — the Perfect Winter Crop
• Garden Compost without a Pile
• Garden Compost — the Essential Ingredient