Allotments 4 All

Hello all what a week so far, lovely warmth at last.

As a consequence my gherkins are ready to go into the ground - this is my first year having any to plant out- thanks to new greenhouse last year- so wanted to ask what kind of growers are they? Do they climb/sprawl like a pumpkin or stay moderately compact like a courgette. Should i make a frame like for the beans?

x sunloving

I've only grown them a couple of times and they sprawled, but not to the same extent as a pumpkin. however that was in poor summers, no idea what they do in good conditions!

They are just like cucumbers..but don't make as large foliage as greenhouse cucs do.
You can let them sprawl or help them climb, either way, though they will need help from you if you want them to go upwards. I just let mine do their 'thing' and sprawl all over the place..but they don't grow anywhere as big as pumpkins..much more dainty plants compaired to those 'thugs'.
This year I have two builders rubble bags filled with soil and other stuff..and I'm going to grow my gherkins in those and let them hangdown over the edges like a curtain.. ;D..well the plan is anyway.. ::)

Thankyou for your replies , very interesting. I think i will try to get them to climb by tying them to a frame and see how we get on. Ive been ambitiously saving large jars for pickling!  ;D
Fingers crossed
x sunloving

What variety are they. most of the cukes I grow for pickling are bush varieties and do not sprawl at all. XX Jeannine

Oh how interesting Jeannine, they are green parisian.
Im sure a really common variety as i got them from Lidl!
x sunloving

It's a sprawly..sorry.


XX Jeannine

Okay thanks for looking it up for me though otherwise i wouldn't have known.
A frame it is!
x sunloving