Topic: cucumbers

[tonybloke]

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how's everyone else's doing?

[staris]

mine were doing fine i've had a couple of decent size ones of this plant but after remving this one all the small ones that were left have dropped off.

[Sparkly]

Our plants (carmen) are still quite small because I planted them late, but they do have a few fruits starting off now.

[kt.]

My Marketmore are little over bud size at present.  I worked away during last years harvest of cucumbers but my OH said she had over 20 Carmen from each plant.  We have harvested 12 from 3 plants this year so far and this is the last.  Hopefully it will produce more or was she just telling me porkies to make me feel better when away ::) ::)

[Tee Gee]

Not as far as you Tony but I am keeping my fingers crossed that these will turn out to be as any I have grown.

The difference with these is; they are from seed I saved from last year...........to hell with paying around a pound a seed.

If these work then thats the way I will be going in future.



The seed were taken from a variety called 'Prolific' and to see two fruit in the distance these are apart then 'Prolific' seems to be a good name for them.

[meg_gordon]

The difference with these is; they are from seed I saved from last year...........to hell with paying around a pound a seed. 

Are these F1 hybrids TeeGee - not sure if their seed is sterile - or do you have to go and get rid of the male flowers every morning.  I was never able to get there in time and the cucumbers I grew that year were bitter. 

Meg

[1066]

Growing cucs for the 1st time, and so far really pleased with the results. Have 4 plants (mirella and Marketmore) outside in large pots and so far have had 5 cucs.. Very very tasty they were too! And definitely 1 for next year, although it may be beginners luck (hope not)

1066

[davyw1]

Mine are coming along just fine had about six so far but at this stage i don,t let them stay on any longer than need be.
From the door
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From the back

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side chutes being trained along the cane
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[Tee Gee]

Are these F1 hybrids TeeGee - not sure if their seed is sterile - or do you have to go and get rid of the male flowers every morning.

The original cucumber was indeed an F1 this is its spec;

Prolific F-1;(bf) Outdoor slicing type,early maturity,good size & shape,mainly female flowering.

As I said this is an experiment and I had no idea what to expect.

Oviously they are not strerile or I would not have got as far as I have!

What I am pleased to say is of the four flowers on that plant to date, only one was male, so it suggests my plant is coming fairly true to the parent, i.e. mainly female flowers.

All I have to do now it would seem is; to let them grow on and see what size they become and what they taste like!

Isn't it fun playing around with nature there is always something to look forward to.

If it all failed it wouldn't be the end of the world, afterall we all will have learned something from my experiment!

But hey! I'm optimistic having seen what I have seen to date.

Watch this space!

[meg_gordon]

The original cucumber was indeed an F1 this is its spec;

Prolific F-1;(bf) Outdoor slicing type,early maturity,good size & shape,mainly female flowering.

As I said this is an experiment and I had no idea what to expect.

Oviously they are not strerile or I would not have got as far as I have!

Obviously  :D - looking forward to finding out how they taste. 

Meg

[labrat]

My first year of growing cucumbers (I've grown veggies for years but never been tempted by cucumbers). I germinated several for a friend who loves them and had a few left over so I put them in a growbag in the greenhouse (location North East Scotland). One died from neck rot and a second looks like it will die from neck rot as well (both burpless tasty green F1). I pre-watered the growbag as it was dry then planted the cucumbers with bottomless pots around their necks so no water would get near the necks and then gave them the slightest wetting around the outside. Haven't watered them since as the growbag remained moist. Bit disappointing but I'll have another stab at it next year.

Meanwhile my friends cucumbers which I planted for her and have been looking after while she's been away on holiday are growing tall and flowering away. Just my luck

On the other hand the spare gherkin (Diamant F1) I planted with my cucumbers is romping away and flowering.

[Cuke]

Hmmmm I wonder if this is the place to ask for help...

I've got 3 cucumbers growing in my new greenhouse and while two of them are fruiting fantasticly at the mo the other is just flowering like mad with none of them growing on into fruit...

The two that are working ok are the small prickly kind, the other was supposed to be one of the longer varities... I dont know the names I'm afraid...

I'm wondering if they need hand polinating, or I'm supposed to pick the flowers off at some point... Some of the flowers look to have mini cucumbers about 3 cm long behind them but they just go yellow and fall off after the flower has died back. Others seem to have just a very small ball behind them which I dont think ever does anything else other than fall off with the flower... I'm guessing that's male/female flowers then which I assume I'm supposed to 'do' something with....

help....

[davyw1]

First you should remove the male flowers to stop pollination other wise you will get a bitter cucumber.
Its hard to give an answer without seeing what the plants are like, but perhaps the answer may be to remove all the side chutes and fruit below 2ft and every other cucumber going up the plant to try and put more feed where it is needed. Was the ground prepared before they went in or are they in tubs, do you feed then once a week and water them daily.
Best i can do for you at the moment.

[tim]

Yellowing embryos? Every year - often in a row. Even though fruit is picked regularly. Took 3 off this am.

[Tee Gee]

The two that are working ok are the small prickly kind, the other was supposed to be one of the longer varities.

My guess is; you are growing an indoor and outdoor possibly ridge variety (the prickly one)

I'm wondering if they need hand polinating,

Again I am guessing plus you haven't mentioned if they are indoors or out!

My guess is the flower/fruit is not setting try misting the flowers with a hand spray containing clean water, this might help the fruit to set (pollinate)

or I'm supposed to pick the flowers off at some point...

Yes unless they are all female varieties which I guess they are not!

Some of the flowers look to have mini cucumbers about 3 cm long behind them but they just go yellow and fall off after the flower has died back.

These are the one you spray with water as suggested above!

Others seem to have just a very small ball behind them which I dont think ever does anything else other than fall off with the flower

These are the male flowers i.e. the ones you remove!

I hope that helps!

[tim]

Do you reckon that a poor set leads to aborts - rather than overloading or somesuch, TG??

[moonbells]

I always thought aborted ones were because the plant was already growing a couple of cues and it couldn't manage to blow up any more until they were gone.

I'm on a very late cue schedule this year. But with luck I'll have a couple by mid-July. Love having a potting shed! It's crammed with chillies, tomatoes, a cue and an aub.

moonbells

[davyw1]

Also it appears you are letting the side chutes grow on i don,t think you can have both a tall plant and side chutes its got to be one or the other, You either nip out the side chutes after two leaves Possibly four and let the plant grow on or let the side chutes grow and nip the growing tip out.

[cleo]

I used be oh so careful when training cucumbers-take off the first fruit-train up the leader,pinch out and train side shoots-I got a huge crop--------but all mostly at the same time.

This year some are trained,some can fruit as soon as possible and I`m wondering about sowing a couple even now to get late fruit??

[Tee Gee]

Do you reckon that a poor set leads to aborts

I have never looked at it that way Tim but when you think about it;

No set  = No fruit

Good Set = Normal fruit

So I would say it is fair to say;  partial set = partial or mishapen fruit

At the same time the plant may well have been subjected to some physiological problem and this could aggravate the situation.

So maybe a case of Either/Or, or both!

letting the side chutes grow

I never seem to have this problem, none seem to grow on my plants  ??? must be the variety I grow  :-\

Having said that; I always remove the tendrils, I see no point in sapping the plants strength  growing tendrils if I am tying the plant in.