Topic: Cucumbers !!!

[Muttsnuts]

Hello everyone,

I'm pretty new to this growing lark and really had no interest in gardening then I hid 40 :o and blimey things in the garden started to take on a different light in my life. ;D

Anyway enough of why I got here, I want to give cucumbers a go but have no greenhouse only a few pots for the garden which is a good sun trap. So can anyone give me some advice on how the best way of growing outdoor cucumbers????

Many thanks

[Lauren S]

Hello Mutts and welcome to A4A

Before I had an allotment I grew my cukes in black flower buckets (the ones supermarkets sell their flowers from).
I drilled holes about 1inch up from the base, a good four inches of manure in the bottom topped up with compost. The buckets were paced on my steps and grew up the railings.

Marketmore = Luscious, cylindrical, dark green fruits are produced in large numbers throughout summer. Performs well both in good and poor seasons. A superb outdoor variety.

I'm sure someone will recommend other varieties

[ceres]

I've grown Marketmore and Burpless Tasty Green outdoors, but not in pots.  Marketmore is a short fruit, Burpless is a typical long cucmber.  Planted them out on a small mound to avoid water rotting the meck and gave them cane wigwams to grow up.

[thifasmom]

hi and welcome to the site,

i have never looked for specific varieties except to make sure they are a variety to be grown outdoors. i have always planted mine in the ground with a medium size pot sunk into the soil near to the plant's root ball for watering, again to prevent stem rot. i train mine up rose arches with extra twine wound around the structure. i like to use the arch to tie net supports too, this helps support the fruit.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I underplant my corn with them. It usually works but last year they didn't grow properly. Watch out for slugs when they first go out. The plants aren't very big, so they'd probably do well in large pots. Make sure they have plenty of root room.

[caroline7758]

Welcome to A4a! No help here with cucumbers, I'm afraid- never had much luck with them. :(

[ruud]

Sikkum cucumber is a very good outdoor cucumber.He is only brown instead of green.

[Duke Ellington]

Hi Ruud :)

Do you have any pictures of that Sikkum cucumber growing?

Duke

[saddad]

I do the white ones, crystal apple and White Wonder...  :)

[lolabelle]

I've never grown cucs but thought I might give these a go
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/852/1.html

[caroline7758]

4 seeds for 3.99 :o

Why are cucumber seeds so expensive compared to courgettes,say?

[saddad]

because fools pay for them...
the white ones are old open pollinated ones and still kick in @20 for £1.50..
 :)

[Muttsnuts]

Hi everyone,


Thanks for the replies,  very interesting.

Have gone and bought a packet of wilkinsons seeds, which are marketmore 76 to give them a go, and see how I get on!!!!

Don't no how they will get on as it says there are 50 seeds and they only cost £1.30 ??? so I can only hope I get on well with them.

Once again thanks for the advice  :)

[Baccy Man]

4 seeds for 3.99 :o

Why are cucumber seeds so expensive compared to courgettes,say?

Could be worse, have you seen what T&M charge for Carmen.
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/538/1/

If you shop around you can get a much better deal moles sell 10g of marketmore cucumber seeds (approx 350 seeds) for £1.90. Courgettes on the other hand work out more expensive than cucumbers but still cheaper than T&M 10g (approx 50-70 seeds) for 'Green bush' are £1.90 from moles or £1.69 for 25 seeds from T&M.

http://www.molesseeds.co.uk

[Hyacinth]

Hello Mutts and it's nice to see you here......it's a good time to find us, at the beginning of a New Year's growing season....expectations are always high & we live in hope that the eventual products match them ;D

For you and for me - a newbie cuc grower on her 3rd season....can someone please explain WHICH varieties need the male flower removed, assuming we're growing varieties with male/female flowers that is :-[.....all the usual varieties have been mentioned..Marketmore, Burpless, etc.....do we just leave them to do their thang & look forward to non-bitter cucs at the end of it?

Anyone care to give us a list?

Thanks, Lish

[kt.]

Welcome to the site.  Burpless tasty did not do so well for me outdoors but marketmore produced in abundance.

[RSJK]

 I can not praise Moles Seeds enough it is good quality seed and well worth clubbing together to cut costs down, i brought a pack of 250 Sweetcorn seed of them amongst other thingswhich only cost £1.95 ( variety Ovation F1 ) £1.99 for 25 seed from T&M  say no more  ;)

[RSJK]

Marketmore from Moles Seeds £1.90 for 10 gram or £2.40 for organic seed ......35 seeds per gram ..good value

[thifasmom]

For you and for me - a newbie cuc grower on her 3rd season....can someone please explain WHICH varieties need the male flower removed, assuming we're growing varieties with male/female flowers that is :-[.....all the usual varieties have been mentioned..Marketmore, Burpless, etc.....do we just leave them to do their thang & look forward to non-bitter cucs at the end of it?

Anyone care to give us a list?

Thanks, Lish

i never found out about this till last year and so never did anything and always had great tasting cucs but i gather this is more needed for indoor cucs but i maybe completely wrong ???

[Muttsnuts]

I have read that you should crosspollinate but on the back of the seed packet it dosn't mention anything about it . ???

Oh well I will stick them in and hopefully I will  get some plants growing.

The next thing will be grow in pots in the garden or take them up the allotment LOL.

Knowing me I will have some in both ;)