Help with a few veggie questions please.

[Callie]

I have some Cucumbers growing in pots about 5 inches high. They are called Marketmore 76. I haven't grown these before. It says on the packet to grow outside, but can they still grow in the greenhouse too? Also there is nothing about removing any male flowers. Any advice appreciated. Thanks

[Mrs Dobby]

We grew Marketmore in the greenhouse last year, and it was a huge success! One plant gave us 35 wonderful and very large cucumbers (up to 22" long and 3" diameter), and as it was supposed to be all female, there was no problem with removing any male flowers! We did start it exceptionally early, and with the weather being so poor last year that may be why it did so well, but we're trying another 2 in the greenhouse this year, and we'll see how they do in what (hopefully) will be a better growing year!

[Callie]

Thanks for that Suzanne. I will certainly try it this year then. It says on the packet to pinch out the growing tip when 6 leaves have formed. Is this right, also? I normally put some home grown compost in first, then plant the cucumber on earth mounded up.

[Mrs Dobby]

We just left it alone to grow last year, didnt bother pinching it out at all, providing string support for it to grow up, and it did really well! Plenty of watering, regular feeding and lots of cuckes!

[Paulottie]

Wow, never heard of a marketmore 22" long. wasn't it bitter? I have to agree that last year was poor for cukes outside but as a rule I wouldn't be bothering with marketmore indoors myself, just grow as any other ridge cuke. Although Suzanne is right that it saves the trouble of removeing flowers etc. There are some new Japanese ones I'm trialling for inside/outside culture.

[Mrs Dobby]

No bitterness whatsoever, they tasted divine! Perhaps we were just lucky, but with the success last year we thought we'd try the same thing again this year, along with another variety outdoors on the cucumber ramp!

[mcsee]

Paulottie - Are the Japanese variety you're trialling a climbing type. I grew Japanese Climbing Cucumbers here and they grew very well, but a torrential rainstorm knocked a lot of baby fruit off early in the season. Some mature fruit were about 40cm long and very tasty.

[Paulottie]

Ha!...had to go and get the plant label from the pot!....they rejoice in the name 'Natsuhikari' F1. says they will trail or climb. I have planted two in the greenhouse boarder with canes and string last week and was going to try two through mypex and trailing on the ground at the lottie.

[baggyman]

whats a cucumber ramp and have you got a pic of one? I'm probably the only person that doesn't know!

[Snadger]

I'm growing Marketmore again which I found very prolific and tasty grown outdoors last year.

They are a ridge cucumber so you can expect a few spikes on them but I find them very flavoursome.
This year I'm going to try a couple of plants in the greenhouse tho just for a change.

Cucumbers are ususlly grown on a ridge (maybe called a ramp where the Dobby's come from?) Take out an 18 inch square by 1 spit deep of soil and fill with well rotted manure. Replace the topsoil on top and form it into a ridge/ramp. Put a small hollow in the middle and plant the cuke in this. The idea is that because cukes rot very easily on the stem and this allows the water to run away. They will feed on the manure and scramble around the ridge. I usually leave them to there own devices!

[Mrs Dobby]

Lol! Its something we read about in a book and tried last year! Basically its a ramp made of netting that you train the cucumbers to grow up, thus saving space and giving you a planting area underneath for shade loving plants such as lettuces, which was also pretty well protected from the wabbits that plague the plot. It worked pretty well for us, tho with all the rain we struggled with weeding it!

[Geo]

Lol! Its something we read about in a book and tried last year! Basically its a ramp made of netting that you train the cucumbers to grow up, thus saving space and giving you a planting area underneath for shade loving plants such as lettuces, which was also pretty well protected from the wabbits that plague the plot. It worked pretty well for us, tho with all the rain we struggled with weeding it!

Cough! cough!...>>>Here<<<

Check the site out Callie...

Some good ideas for veg support..

Geo..

[mcsee]

I guess what I'm reading in here is sinking in, because at the Market this morning I picked up a packet of Marketmore seeds. I had never taken any notice of them on the shelves here before, (these are imports from Italy) - so I'll add them to my must grow list.

[Mrs Dobby]

Cough! cough!...>>>Here<<<

Check the site out Callie...

Some good ideas for veg support..

Geo..

Whoops! I knew I read it somewhere, thought it was a book, but I stand corrected!! Sorry for that Geo, it was indeed your post that I read it in, kudos to you for suggesting it in the first place and for posting it on here!

[Geo]

Thank you Mrs D

Geo..