Cucumber...proud "parent"!

[Maddie106]

I'm now eating home grown cucumbers!
Even took a photo of the first one ( How SAD is that??!!)

But on the route to proper cucumbers, I've learnt a lot of things......

1) You have to remove male flowers on "ordinary" varieties like Telegraph to stop the cucs being bitter, but this doesn't apply tp most "Outdoor" cucs
2) No problem if you grow an all female variety in a greenhouse! My dad grows his in the greenhouse , but with plastic sheets round then to increase humidity.
3) In my experience, "Outdoor" varieties up here in Yorkshire do NOT do well in the garden. ( The two planted out in the garden seem to be dieing!)

This year , I've grown an outdoor variety "Burpless Tasty Green" on a windowsill indoors and in a mini "Blow -Away" plastic greenhouse.
The indoor plant needed to be fertilised with a paintbrush. The one outside in the "greenhouse" has been fertilised without my help, but I've had the structure open during the day. Both seem to be trying to take over the world!!.....really healthy growth. Need LOADS of water.

3 cucs so far and tasty too!

Has anybody grown Crystal Apple please?

[ginger ninger]

Hi Maddie106,
I grew Crystal Apple last year first time growing cucumbers, didn't know to take male flowers off, so they were very bitter. This year i'm growing 4 different cuc's
Marketmore (outside), Carmen, Telegraph, and Crystal Lemon, all are doing really well. I've found the Crystal Lemon to have hard skin but very tasty, and yes i too have to fight the cucumbers when it comes to watering time, greedy and thirsty litter buggers

[christon]

Hi,

This is my first year of trying to grow cucumbers so dont know much about growing them.

How do you know which are the male flowers? I bought one of those Crystal Apple ones reduced to 25p!!! But sorry to say no flowers yet.

I grew some gerkins from seed, but think I put them outside too early, they just died on me. I tried some more and they are still small, but healthy, apart from one which a slug got.

I bought 2 Cetriolo Marketer plants off ebay, they are doing great, cut our first one yesterday, I was surprised how much nicer they are than shop bought ones.

[Noodles]

I picked my first home grown cucumber last night and felt so proud! :-D

[ginger ninger]

Female flowers have a small bump at the base of there flower, this grows in to your cucumber, the male is just a stem, when they both start to grow you'll see what i mean.. remember to take the male flowers of or you'll end up with bitter cucumbers.... happy growing... and yes you can tell the difference in a bought cucumber and one you grew yourself, much much nicer

[sarraceniac]

Hi Maddie106,
I grew Crystal Apple last year first time growing cucumbers, didn't know to take male flowers off, so they were very bitter. This year i'm growing 4 different cuc's
Marketmore (outside), Carmen, Telegraph, and Crystal Lemon, all are doing really well. I've found the Crystal Lemon to have hard skin but very tasty, and yes i too have to fight the cucumbers when it comes to watering time, greedy and thirsty litter buggers

I'm finding this very confusing. I have grown crystal lemon (also known as crystal apple - it is the same thing) for years. They are a Victorian cuc and got the name 'apple' because when apples were an autumnal seasonal fruit, our not very distant ancestors used to just take a crystal lemon cucumber off the vine and eat it like an apple. (Info from that excellent series 'The Victorian Kitchen Garden').

I never take the male flowers off because I've never needed to and the experts tell me not to with this type. They go bitter because they are left on the vine too long. They should be eaten when about the size of a tennis ball then they are sweet and lemony and possibly the finest tasting cuc going. If left too long they go bitter with a hard skin. They are technically an outdoor cuc but I always give them a very good start under glass.