Sometimes vegetable gardeners are blessed with a garden plant that gives above and beyond what they ever imagined possible. Vines creep way beyond their humble beginnings. Large fruits grow overnight. No amount of eating, preserving or other kitchen creativity will contain the plan.
One garden plant that is typically known to produce an over abundance from time to time is the cucumber.
Cucumbers, botanically referred to as Cucumis sativus, need full sun. They will grow in a variety of soils but prefer well-drained soil that is rich in organic matter. Soil temperatures should be at least 70 degrees prior to planting cucumbers, and the plants need daytime temperatures of 75 degrees for about three months for proper growth and production.
Cucumbers can be direct sown by seed about three weeks after the average date of last frost. Seeds can be sown an inch and a half deep in “hills,” six seeds per hill. Hills should be three to four feet apart in rows. Seedlings should be thinned to the strongest three plants after sprouting.
Cucumber transplants can also be planted in hills when the soil and daytime temperatures are at the proper temperature. Whether started in your garden from seeds or from seedlings, the cucumbers need a lot of even and frequent watering.
There are two types of cucumbers — slicers and picklers. “Slicing” cucumbers have thick skins and are the longest of cucumbers. Many cooks peel slicing cucumber prior to using them. “Picklers” are thinner skinned cucumbers and shorter in length.
Slicers and picklers have semi-vining and bush types of plants. Semi-vining do not require a trellis system to grow properly but will vine up one if it’s provided. Bush plants do not send out shoots that will climb.
There are a multitude of varieties of cucumber seeds to choose from if you decide to grow your own cucumbers from seed. Cucumbers come in different lengths, shapes and colors. Some varieties are referred to as “burpless” because they lack the compound that makes cucumbers bitter or hard to digest.
Cucumbers should be harvested when they reach maturity. If the fruits are allowed to hang on the vine and grow seeds, the plants will put their energy into seed production rather than producing more cucumbers.
Cool freshly harvested cucumbers by putting them in cool water. They can be stored in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic for about two weeks.
Spotted and striped cucumber beetles are the biggest threat to the plants, spreading bacterial wilt. Prevent wilt by picking off beetles, treating with pyrethrin or growing a bacterial wilt resistant variety.
Meanwhile, may the cucumbers continue to grow.
Questions or comments related to gardening? Contact Joleen at missourigardener@hotmail.com.