Harvest to Table

Cucumbers plants that are stressed during the growing season may produce fruit that is bitter flavored. Commonly a lack of water or temperatures too cold or too hot cause cucumbers to bear bitter tasting fruit. But some cucumbers may have a slightly bitter flavor by nature. Cucumbers contain organic compounds called cucurbitacins that can cause [...]

Cucumbers–natives of India–love warm weather. Wait until soil and air temperatures averages 70°F each day before sowing or transplanting cumbers to the garden. While warm temperatures are required for growing, cucumbers require a relatively short season–55 to 60 days from sowing to harvest. In long-season regions, you can plant successive crops. In cool or short-season [...]

Cumcumbers for slicing and salads. Cucumbers for pickling. Burpless cucumbers for eating out of hand. Cucumbers for containers. Give cucumbers the right conditions and they will be one of your top producing garden crops. To keep ahead of cucumber problems, pests and diseases, here is a troubleshooting list of possible cucumber problems with brief control [...]

uHere are 20 top-performing cucumbers for the home garden divided into 5 popular cucumber types: (1) slicing, (2) pickling, (3) burpless, and (4) space savers for small gardens and containers, (Keep reading to the bottom of this post for my tips for sure-fired cucumber growing success.) Slicing Cucumbers Varieties: • Dasher II. 55-60 days. CMV, [...]

Cucumber is a tender annual that grows best in temperatures ranging from 60° to 90°F. Sow cucumber seed in the garden after the soil has warmed, 3 to 4 weeks after the average last frost date in spring. Sow cucumber seed indoors as early as 6 weeks before transplanting into the garden. Cucumbers require 55 [...]

Slicing cucumbers and pickling cucumbers: that’s how cucumbers are divided. It is said that the ancient Roman Emperor Tiberius demanded cucumbers on his table every day of the year. The story does not say if they were slicing or pickling cucumbers; maybe both. The English or Holland or European cucumber are thick meated and seedless; [...]

Can there actually be two “World’s Best Cucumber”? To decide, taste ‘Diva’ and ‘Amira’ two very tasty slicing cucumbers. ‘Diva’ comes to the competition with all of the fanfare. In 2002, ‘Diva’ became an All-America Selection—which is a sort of growers’ Academy Award for best performing plants. ‘Amira’ has never taken home the All-America Selection [...]

Start slicing the cucumbers! Sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, celery, and parsley or spring onions are the ingredients of a tasty warm-weather salad or sandwich. Or you can add minced cucumbers and dill to plain yogurt to make a cooling warm weather soup or snack. Why do cucumbers and warm weather mix so well? Cucumbers are more than [...]