What to do with cucumbers?

[eskymo]

Hi there all

This year I'm trying to grow cucmbers for the first time and selected Rocky F1 Mini as I liked the idea of baby cucumbers. But I have no idea what to do with them.

I have two plants in a grow bag in my greenhouse which are both now about 40cm high and doing very well and I can just about see the fruit starting to develop on the lowest branches/trusses (?).

Do I need to pinch the tops off and if so, when?
Do I need to pinch out side shoots like with tomatoes?
Do I need to worry about male and female flowers?
Do I need to pollinate them or do they just get on with this themselves?
How high are the plants likely to get?

[Jaxom]

I'm growing a cucumber for the first time this year and so far they have given me more worry than anything else. I have read the packets and read the books but other people keep telling me I am doing it wrong. It would not be so bad but some of the people have never grown a cucumber before in their life and would never take the time to read a book.
It seems as though there are a number of types of cucumbers and each has its own way of looking after.
Some need to keep both male and female flowers for pollination to take place. Some only get female flowers and need no pollination from a male flower. Some have to have the male flowers removed to stop the pollination of the female flowers.
All female types have to be kept away from plants that produce both types such as an outside ridge variety or the fruit on the all female type will become bitter due to cross pollination.
It's a mine field. You need to look the cucumber's details up and follow what the supplier tells you.
Oh and ignore do gooding neighbors and partners who doubt your methods but seem willing to champion the village idiot's thought on how to grow cucumbers.

I did look up the link you posted but that was no help. Have you tried a Google for the information?

[eskymo]

I did try google - but just kept getting the same old vague info about the variety - nothing about the flowers or pollination or pinching out etc. I know what yuo mean about meddling neighbours!

[eskymo]

I just sent The Organic Catalogue and email as that's where i got the seed from and thought they would be the best people to ask. Will let you know if I get a reply.

[leona]

i grew a plant last year, cant remember which type. i just put it in a big pot in the back of the greenhouse and tied bamboo all over the place so it could climb and left it to it. took over the whole place!

[Clarea1]

Oh God, I've planted 3 in a grow bag in the green house, between them and the grapevine we could have a jungel! At least it will be shaded!

[sewer rat]

I plant two cukes per growbag and these are first planted into 10" pots with the bottoms cut out which are sunk into the growbag. This worked well for me last year and I'm growing the same variety again this year (Topsy) This is an F1 all female type so dead easy - no pinching male flowers or cross pollination required - just plant, water harvest and eat !
Eskymo - only pinch out the tips when the plants reach the height you want - they should then throw out more side shoots which will produce more fruit for you. I pinch mine out at about four ft.

[eskymo]

I just got this response from the Organic Catalogue about the variety I'm growing:

-Pollination should not be necessary, as your variety is only female flowers.
-Pinch out the top when reaching five or six leaves and train the shoots along the support.
-You could pinch out tips after a couple of leaves.
-Feed with a high potash suppliment every two weeks

And some friends came round yesterday and said that they think wiht the F1 types you don;t need to worry about poliination or flower gender etc you just let them grow and get one with it. They suggested I just train them up one central cane or string and then pinch the tip out when it reaches the height of the greenhouse and then pinch out a few of the sideshoots to keep the plant tidy and give the remaining side shoots room to breath and then just pick the cucumbers as often as is necessary.