Cucumbers (Cucumus sativus)
Cucumbers are a creeping vine plant with broad, coarse leaves that is frost-sensitive annual from the Cucurbitaceae gourd family that are grown as a vegetable but are actually considered a fruit. It is native to India, where it has been cultivated for 3000 years. They come in three types: Burpless, which are very mild and do not contain Cucurbitacin that gives some people gas and stomach indigestion; Slicing, which are excellent for eating raw on their own or slicing up to put on a salad; Pickling, which of course are great for fermenting. It is very important to select the right cucumber for the purpose you have in mind whether it’s pickling or using in a simple cucumber salad and also keeping in mind how you plan to grow them. Are you going to plant them in a large field or plot outdoors? If so, you might want to consider investing in “hoop houses” to protect them from cucumber beetles, stink bugs, mites and squash vine borers as cucumbers have a very low tolerance for damage done by bugs. Are you growing them in containers because you have very little space on your property? Then you would want to select a “bush” or “container” variety that will flourish despite the small footprint.
Growing Your Own Cucumbers From Seed
There are a lot of good reasons to grow your own cucumbers and while I would consider the taste of homegrown to be a the top of that list, there’s also the fact that most commercially-grown cucumbers have a lot of pesticide residue on them due to the fact that cucumbers suffer greatly from pests such as cucumber beetles. If you are growing outdoors, you can direct seed into mounds spaced 36″ apart (minimum) with 4-6 seeds if you are going to let them sprawl on the ground or 18″ to 24″ apart if you are going to use a trellis system. Thin out the mounds by removing the lest robust vines by half. Just be sure to keep in mind that cucumber seeds will not sprout in soil that is colder than 60F and preferably you want to be closer to 70F. If you live in a cooler region with a shorter growing season you can start them indoors roughly two weeks before the last projected frost.
Whether you choose to plant them by the direct seeding method or in pots or flats indoors, I highly recommend you use some sort of a trellis system rather than letting the vines sprawl about as it will improve the air flow around the plant and you will have less problems with the bacterial and fungal infections that cucumbers are prone to. Jean-Martin Fortier, in his book The Market Gardener, describes using predatory mites in his hoop houses to feed on the larvae of thrips and spider mites and how the tall trellising and plastic cover keeps the leaves from being splashed with mud which reduces the occurrence of common diseases that plague cucumbers. As you can see in the photo above, I use a very simple hinged wooden trellis and large planter pots to grow my pickling cucumbers. This is very successful for me but you must never let any of the cucumbers grow too large and go to seed as the rest of the cucumbers on the plant will become bitter.
What Cucumbers Should I Grow?
There are almost one hundred different varieties of cucumbers in the world so choosing the right one(s) for you to grow can be a daunting task for the home gardener. Your first consideration should be what sort of recipes you plan on using them in. Are you making Dill pickles? Then you should use Boston Pickling which has been an old heirloom favorite since the late 1800’s, gives a hearty yield of lots of fruits, and can also be cut up and used in salads. Another great choice for a pickling cucumber is the Salt & Pepper which is a creamy, white-skinned cucumber with black spines that is resistant to powdery mildew, a fungal disease that appears as white powdery spots on the leaves and stem of the plant. If you prefer eating it raw in your salads and are looking for superior taste, then Marketmore 76 is a fast-growing variety that is popular with home gardeners as it has a sweet, mild flavor and produces 8″ to 9″ fruits. If your main concern is indigestion or gas from eating cucumbers, then you should choose what is known as a “burpless” variety such as Muncher. Muncher is a smooth-skinned cucumber that can be eaten raw or pickled that does not contain the Cucurbitacin which can cause indigestion in people with sensitive stomachs. Looking for a variety that’s a bit more exotic? I am looking forward to growing these Lemon Cukes come springtime. They are a variety that is round and yellow (just like a lemon) but have a sweet flavor and can be eaten while green or once they have fully matured and turn a beautiful yellow color.
Why Are My Cucumbers Turning Orange?
One year after returning home from the beach in Nags Head, North Carolina I noticed almost my entire crop had become overripe and turned this bizarre shade of nuclear orange! This is the result of too much sun, too little water and no one home to pick them as they became way too ripe! While some people will still use these to make pickles, I side with those who say these are too bitter and unfit for human consumption. Cucumbers are a crop that you need to pick almost daily to keep up the plant’s production and to be sure you don’t end up in the predicament that I did. You must be sure to routinely pick ripe cucumbers even if they are malformed or stunted because once the fruit matures and produces large seeds the rest of the fruits from plant will have a bitter taste and it will stop producing.
Cucamelons (Melothria scabra)
Cucamelons are small vining plants that produce tiny melons that taste like a cucumber but with a hint of sour that some people describe as being similar to a fava bean. It is native to Mexico and Central America where it is referred to a “sandita” which means “little watermelon” but also goes by other names such as “mouse melon” and Mexican Sour Gherkin. These have become one of my favorite things to grow over the past few years and people are always delighted to see them for the first time! These are a popular “gardener’s snack” as they can be eaten directly from the vine but are also excellent in stir fries, cut up raw and used in salads and can also be pickled just like you would with any pickling cucumber (they especially do well as simple “Refrigerator Pickles.”)
How to Grow Cucamelons From Seed
Cucamelons have really taken off in the past couple of years and while they almost never available in “big box” grocery stores, they do make appearances in Farmer’s Markets and can go for as much as $15 to $20 a pound! These are all great reasons to grow your own at home. Simply start your cucamelon seeds indoors about 4 to 6 weeks before your last frost date in 3″ or 4″ pots to give them a strong start on developing a good rooting system for when you transplant outdoors. I like to plant them in large pots right around the ring of the pot and let the vines trail down until they are long and strong enough to train on a trellis if there is one nearby. They make a great companion plant to your cucumbers (if you are also growing them in containers) as they will not cross-pollinate with the cucumber plants.
Cucamelon tubers can also be harvested and over-wintered to be planted again in the spring which will produce a hardier plant that will fruit earlier and more often. I definitely recommend using some form of a trellis system when growing cucamelons as the tiny vines can sprawl everywhere in a box garden and the fruits will be difficult to find. They are also open-pollinated plants that produce both male and female flowers so you do not have to worry about ending up with all male or female plants that will not pollinate each other and you can certainly get by with only having one cucamelon plant (although I recommend more as the tangy fruits are quite tasty.) Start picking the tiny melons about a week or so after the little yellow flowers appear. The longer you wait to harvest the stronger the “sour” taste.
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