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| My cucumber patch in June |
This is my cucumber patch. It is 12x3 feet in area. I found a bunch of bamboo stakes at the dollar store. Each tee-pee has five or six poles. I tied them together about 8 inches from the top, then i spread the bottom out so that the base is about 4 feet in diameter. Push the poles a few inches into the ground to anchor them.
Plant two or three cucumber plants on either side of each pole. I like to use a combination of seeds and transplants. The transplants produce fruit before the plants started from seeds. By using both seeds and transplants you can extend the amount of time that your plants will produce fruit.
Another thing that I like to do to stretch my cucumber season out is to plant a few different varieties.
Having said that, all varieties of cucumbers will be most happy with very warm daytime temperatures and warmish night time temperatures, and even moisture. They do not like to be cold.
Why did I choose to grow theses varieties?
Sweet Slice- Sweet slice is great because no matter how hot it gets and how many dry spells there are they never become bitter. Most cucumber varieties will become very bitter if they have prolonged dry periods. If you live in an area that is dry, you must provide them with water in between rains. I live in the Canadian Prairies. We see some very hot dry weather in the summer. I have never had a bitter cucumber from a sweet slice plant. The peel is thick and inedible you must peel this cucumber. This is about as close to an English cucumber that I can grow in my area.
Cool Breeze-I like to grow cool breeze because they are small, only growing about 3-4 inches. My kids love them. Cool breeze has a very thin skin that you can eat which means more vitamins and minerals. They are covered in prickles which are easily removed with a vegetable brush and water. They also produce 100% female flowers. More about this later on.
Slice master- I have not grown slice master before. They jury is still out. They are not as big as sweet slice but are bigger than cool breeze. So far they have been good, no bitter ones as of yet. I always like to try something different, you never know what you might stumble upon. Many of my favourite varieties were discovered because I took a chance and tried them.
More About Male and Female Flowers
Above, is a female flower. Notice the miniature cucumber attached to the flower. This flower will produce a mature cucumber.
Above is a 'cool breeze' cucumber vine. This cucumber produces all female flowers, which means that every flower that it has, a cucumber will be produced. This type of information can be found on the seed packet. This quality makes this cucumber a heavy and early producer. Also notice the light green tendrils that allow this plant to climb. They will wrap around anything that they touch. They will need to be gently guided to wrap around the poles. Every couple of days I check the vines to make sure that they are growing where I want them to grow. Just twist the end of the vine around the pole as they grow. You will be rewarded with delicious, perfect cucumbers.
The first photo in this post was taken four weeks before this photo. See how much they have grown. I have applied an all purpose vegetable fertilizer every three weeks throughout the summer.
Notice the grass clippings placed on top of the soil. For more information about this technique refer to the post Six Reasons Why You Should Mulch With Newspaper and Grass Clippings
5 Reasons To Grow Cucumbers Vertically
- Efficient utilization of space.
- They are designed to climb.
- The fruit stays straight and clean.
- Less chance of diseases because the leaves and fruit do not sit on the soil.
- Easy to pick. No need to bend over.
I love this technique. I hope it works for you. Happy gardening. Watch the video with meow tips on YouTube
