cucumber

[Tohellwithweeds]

Ive just had some of my very own home grown cucumber and cant get over the difference in the taste to shop bought ones most Delicious i must say. it wasn't as big as the shop ones but it tasted tons better 

[Tohellwithweeds]

[saddad]

Like tomatoes... they do actually have some taste if you grow them yourself!  ;D

[valmarg]

We have tomatoes and cucumbers, and I agree saddad, there is nothing like home grown.

Crops we have had this year are broad beans and peas.  We are starting to pick climbing french beans, and runners.  Looking forward to sweetcorn (swift) and minipop.

We have Autumn raspberry JoanJ, which, having suckered into the greenhouse, is producing a very good early, dry crop.  The outdoor plants, although having plenty of flowers, have not started ripening yet.

I just love this time of year. ;D

valmarg

[pigeonseed]

Yes ridge cucumbers I've grown are much more cucumbery than shop bought - the texture is less watery as well.

But I have bought some of the small ones sometimes in Tooting market - the kind you see in Greece and Cyprus - and they were as tasty as home grown.

So maybe it's more to do with growing them too large with too much water, rather than the home versus commercial growing.

Has anyone grown the really large glasshouse ones at home - and are they still tastier than shop-bought?

[KathrynH]

I'm only growing the outdoor variety and they're starting to get a bit bigger than I would like but I can't keep up with them - I gave another 3 away today! They still taste great though, even though the skins are getting a bit tough and the seeds bigger than you would really want.

[thifasmom]

I very rarely buy cucumbers because I don't like the flavour of the store's cucumbers, but started growing outdoor varieties last year and was really impress, I let them get to about 3/4 the length of the store ones and medium size seeds and really enjoy them, but I am used to a fatter, shorter, thinner skinned variety that also becomes slightly yellow in the skin when its ready with pretty well developed seeds, on harvest. Maybe I will try to get some seed from the West Indies to try in the greenhouse, not sure if they will do well, any one ever tried growing a tropical variety?

[Amazin]

Is it a named variety, thifasmom? If so, maybe it's already available here. Otherwise if you spot it being sold anywhere locally you could save your own seeds as shown by Real Seeds:

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cucumbers.html

[Jeannine]

thifasmom, I have quite a collection of cucumber seeds,several different colours, many from other countries, if you can give me a better idea for size, shape, colour etc I might have some seeds I can give you.

XX Jeannine

[thifasmom]

Is it a named variety, thifasmom? If so, maybe it's already available here. Otherwise if you spot it being sold anywhere locally you could save your own seeds as shown by Real Seeds:

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/cucumbers.html

Thanks Amazin for that tip and link i think 'Wautoma' Cucumber is very similar to what I grew up on. i like the fact that it can be grown outside growing in the greenhouse still feels really alien to me :-\.

thifasmom, I have quite a collection of cucumber seeds,several different colours, many from other countries, if you can give me a better idea for size, shape, colour etc I might have some seeds I can give you.

XX Jeannine

Hi Jeannine if you have anything like the 'Wautoma' Cucumber and it can be grown outside I would love a few seeds to try.

[Jeannine]

The one you saw in Real Seeds is the typical US cucumber we used to grow when I lived over there, I have several varieties of those. Wiil go through ny seeds tomorrow and see just what I have exactly.XX Jeannine

[xqbgal]

Ive always grown "Petita" which is a smaller variety with all female flowers and a very heavy cropper. I always give more away than I can eat. 2 plants in the greenhouse produce about 6 - 8 fruits a week from early June til late October

[thifasmom]

The one you saw in Real Seeds is the typical US cucumber we used to grow when I lived over there, I have several varieties of those. Will go through ny seeds tomorrow and see just what I have exactly.XX Jeannine

OK thanks this very generous of you I'll pm you my address, hope to reciprocate one day.

[Barnowl]

Ive always grown "Petita" which is a smaller variety with all female flowers and a very heavy cropper. I always give more away than I can eat. 2 plants in the greenhouse produce about 6 - 8 fruits a week from early June til late October

Can also vouch for Petita F1 -  grown this year and my first ever cucumber. Seed is still available but it may be being discontinued. Passandra F1 is suggested replacement but I think is indoor only whereas Petita seem to be ok outdoors as well (although better indoors).

[BillBarnes]

I have usually done well with cucumbers especially a polish variety given to to my by a polish workmate.  They are a smallish variety but very prolific, dozens per plant.  However, a geltleman from an adjoining allotment gace me two 'apple cucumber plant' which I had never heard of.  They have been fantastic and I had a lot of fun asking friends to identify one but none did.  They grow apple size and turn slightly yellow but are much tastier than the average cucmber and I certainly will  be growing them next year.

[Amazin]

Bill, would that be Crystal Apple (aka Crystal Lemon)? They're great aren't they?

thifasmom, I'm growing Wautoma outdoors in a bucket. It's been growing okay but only one fruit so far - maybe needs an injection of sunshine I think - and maybe a little less monsoon wouldn't go amiss. ::)

[thifasmom]

Bill, would that be Crystal Apple (aka Crystal Lemon)? They're great aren't they?

thifasmom, I'm growing Wautoma outdoors in a bucket. It's been growing okay but only one fruit so far - maybe needs an injection of sunshine I think - and maybe a little less monsoon wouldn't go amiss. ::)

thanks for the info are you down south I'm in Kent and my plants are doing really well, can't remember the variety right now but i would say they are similar to the store bought type nice to eat fresh but missing something and they are outside as well.

[Amazin]

I'm in Central London. Never usually had any probs growing cukes outdoors but then, the last two seasons have been very strange, weatherwise. I've noticed for instance that, though we don't often get the rain like other parts of the country, we've had that build up of heavy cloud that lasts for days on end (sometimes weeks), so no sunshine either, so we lose the two main ingredients for growing! (or is this just happening over my house?  ;D )

[thifasmom]

nope not just your house, we get it too in Kent >:( it really makes things hard for the sun loving veges, curcubites, peppers, toms and aubergines, which i stubbornly try to grow outdoors ::)

[GrannieAnnie]

I have usually done well with cucumbers especially a polish variety given to to my by a polish workmate.  They are a smallish variety but very prolific, dozens per plant.  However, a geltleman from an adjoining allotment gace me two 'apple cucumber plant' which I had never heard of.  They have been fantastic and I had a lot of fun asking friends to identify one but none did.  They grow apple size and turn slightly yellow but are much tastier than the average cucmber and I certainly will  be growing them next year.

Please describe the flavor. I'm curious and might like to try growing them 2009