Secrets to Great Cucumbers

Saturday, June 28, 2008 03:45 AM

The cucumber is a popular vegetable that grows in Prince George but may need a little extra care for good success.

There are three major cultivar types; pickling, fresh market (slice), and greenhouse (slice). All will grow well in our area but because of our late, short season they will do best if they are started indoors and later transplanted out into either the greenhouse or in the garden.

The pickling types are those used for processing into pickles and a couple of the more popular varieties are ‘National’ and ‘Early Russian’. They tend to be shorter, thicker and have a bumpy skin. Fresh market types are varieties such as the popular ‘Straight 8’, and ‘Marketmore’ which are used often for salads and fresh eating as they have a smoother skin. Greenhouse varieties are those that are grown only in the greenhouse and they are parthenorcarpic which means that they are self pollinators and are seedless. They are the European or English types such as ‘Carmen’ (in the photo at right) and the popular ‘Corona’. These grow long and thin and have a delicate skin that is very easy to eat.

If you have a greenhouse and want to grow cucumbers I suggest that you grow the European type. They do not require a lot of space as they grow up and they also do not need any pollinators such as bees. If you grow the European cucumber in your greenhouse do not grow any other type in the greenhouse as you do not want cross pollination which will result in bitter tasting, and odd shaped cucumbers. The pickling and fresh market types will also grow well in the greenhouse but will also grow very good outside where they can have lots of space. (There are also the bush types of cucumber that grow half the size of the regular cucumber and are ideal for container growing.) For best results it is better to start the cucumbers inside and then later transplant them outside when they have reached the 4 leaf stage. This is because the seed needs a warm soil temperature to germinate and also by starting them indoors you will get a head start on the season.

Cucumber plants are very touchy to frost and should not be planted outside until all danger of frost has passed. When starting the seed inside you want to have the plants in individual containers as the plant does not like having its roots pulled apart. Peat pots are ideal as you can plant the entire container into the soil. Cucumber plants enjoy a well drained soil and require a high fertile soil with compost and some extra fertilizer. They also like the heat so plant them in a sunny location that gets lots of heat. For extra heat you can lay a sheet of black plastic on the ground before planting and then cut a slit in the plastic where you will be planting the cucumber plant. The plastic traps and keeps the heat and also the moisture as well as prevents the weeds. I have done this and it works very well. Plant cucumbers in hills of 2-3 plants and spread the plants 1-2 feet apart in rows 5-6 feet apart depending on the variety.

For healthy growth, cucumbers need an adequate supply of moisture, so do not let them dry out. Also do not touch the plant when it is wet as this can cause disease to spread easily. The fresh market and pickling types need to be pollinated for the fruit to set. The plant will first produce male flowers which provide pollen and then an equal amount of female flowers. The female flowers have a small cucumber at the base of the flower that if pollinated properly will develop into a regular formed cucumber. If the female flower is not pollinated properly it could be caused by poor pollination such as cold temperature and rainy weather that would stop the bees from pollinating.

Misshapen fruit is caused by poor pollination or low fertility so remove the misshapen fruit and give the plant some fertilizer and the next crop should be better. The greenhouse grown European types of cucumber can also have some problems. You do not want to over water them as this will cause the plant to become waterlogged and cause it to collapse and die and you also do not want to let it dry out, so you want to keep them moderately moist. Also try not to get the foliage wet when watering. Cucumbers are quite touchy for mold with is a grey dust on the leaf and spreads quickly. This is caused by a high humidity so you want to have good ventilation in the greenhouse and if you see a leaf that has become infected, remove it immediately before it spreads. Also they are a heavy feeder so fertilize weekly with a vegetable/tomato fertilizer.

Cucumbers are low calorie as they are composed primarily of water but also contain ascorbic acid Vitamin C, and caffeic acid which soothes skin irritations and reduces swelling. The skin of the cucumber is rich in fibre and beneficial minerals. Because of their high water content it gives a moist cooling taste hence the phrase “cool as a cucumber

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden Centres in the Prince George area:

Highway 97 North at Northwood Pulpmill Road
Highway 16 West at Kimball Road

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Secrets to Great Cucumbers

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