Topic: rough skin on my cucumbers

[beethobensonata]

Have grown cucumbers for the first time this year and have several flowers with baby cucumbers sprouting from them. The baby cucumbers look like they are covered in greenfly bot when i touched them it was just rough knobbly skin!  ::) Is this normal, only supermarket cucumbers have a smooth skin?

[wardy]

Outdoor grown (ridge) cucumbers have rough skins.  They taste good though.  Once they are diced or sliced I don't think you'll notice  :)

[Svea]

the knobbles get less as they grow. they look like gherkins when babies, then the skin stretches ;)

much like humans :D

svea

[plot51A]

Thought it was the other way round with us humans Svea - start smooth and end up knobbly!! ;D

[tim]

Some indoor cus can be quite prickly.

[Charlotte Sometimes]

Hi, its my first year growing them too.  Have had about 12 fruit from 3 plants then nowt for ages, just fruiting again though.  The baby fruit on my indoor "Fidelio" cukes are exactly as you describe, but as they grow, they smooth out. 

The outdoors ones are almost warty-looking.  They taste just as good though and of course, can be peeled for a more acceptable appearance!

[dicky]

I'm doing Prima F1 and Marketmore, both start off quite prickly then smooth out as they swell, once the are fairly smooth and you can easily know off the spikes they are about ready, good way to tell.

My dad used grow the long thin ones like supermarkets sell but I don't know what type they were

[dicky]

meant to post this as well

[wardy]

Very impressive specimen  :)

[vegging out]

I find that the lower/first fruit are usually rougher.

[Roy Bham UK]

I have Telegraph variety and prefer them skinned, taste delish without the skin ;)