First outdoor cuc picked today!

[Bren In Pots]

Can's help about what size they have to be when you pick them I was going to ask so i hope someone knows.

Here's a photo of my marketmore next to a 6 inch ruler, I made it a little sling to keep it off the wet compost

[Elaineb]

There was a time I loved this site - all the excitement of sowing seeds now I have got a strop on. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

why? what's up

Elainex

[Brengirl]

why? what's up

Elainex

Cos I don't think I can be doing anything right.

[Alison]

Can's help about what size they have to be when you pick them I was going to ask so i hope someone knows.

Here's a photo of my marketmore next to a 6 inch ruler, I made it a little sling to keep it off the wet compost

I'd probably pick that at about that size, when they get going I always have more than I can cope with so pick the first ones pretty small. Mine are ages off yet, not growing any outdoors this year but have only just planted out the undercover ones. Plants looking healthy though so am sure they'll do fine

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks Alison, I'll pick the cumber tomorrow when we're having a salad.

I had a bit of a downer yesterday after I broke the growing tip off one of my Tanja cumbers that's in the greenhouse. but was told on the vine that a side shoot should take over and carry on growing to the roof. No big loss if it doesn't because I've got two of them growing.

[selfraising]

Sorry Bren in Pots, didn't want you to feel bad, I was just excited! Not everything has gone quite to plan for example the growing tip of my melon plant got scorched in mini gh when I forgot to open the door on one of the hot days. New leaves are growing so as with your Tanja cucumbers, I am hoping it will continue to grow

[bramble]

That's great news Selfraising. Mine are quite a bit behind yours but am hoping they will get there eventually.
I might just do what youre doing and grow a miniature variety next year.
Always good to hear others ideas.
Hope you get tons of cucs this summer.

[Sanjo]

Thanks Alison, I'll pick the cumber tomorrow when we're having a salad.

I had a bit of a downer yesterday after I broke the growing tip off one of my Tanja cumbers that's in the greenhouse. but was told on the vine that a side shoot should take over and carry on growing to the roof. No big loss if it doesn't because I've got two of them growing.

I was pleased to read that this will happen as my outdoor cucumber which was so strong and healthy looking has had the top ripped off. I had loosley wound some hairy string round it, taken it up and over the end of the runner bean stand and firmly into the ground the other side. I was going to experiment to see how long a plant I could get.
I have had the hairy string attacked by birds during the nesting season before now but this is wierd. The string had disappeared completely, nary a sign of it anywhere in the garden. Can't be birds as it must have been around 12 foot long!

[womble]

It's only been 2 weeks without frost here, how did you manage to get cucs so quickly outside?

[binley100]

Cos I don't think I can be doing anything right.

Why not Bren ?

[Bren In Pots]

It's only been 2 weeks without frost here, how did you manage to get cucs so quickly outside?

Not sure how selfraising did his but I sown mine on March 17th germinated on 21st, I kept them in the greenhouse over night fleecing if it looked like frost. then they were planted out on 23 May.

We've eaten half the first cuc, but its being rationed because its got to last until the next ones ready

[womble]

Thanks for that info, how big were they when they were put out?

I ask, because I read somewhere that outdoor cucs have a long thick tap root that they don't like disturbed, so I was quite happy mine were relatively small when they went out. But if you can grow them big in pots and then stick them out, I'll do that next year.

[Bren In Pots]

I think they must have had 6 or 7 leaves and were in 3lt pots so I needed help in tipping them upside down and getting them planted without breaking anything.

This is my first year growing cucs so wasn't too sure what to do so i thought I'd grow one in a huge pot with some trellis and the others in a bed and that one can sprawl.

[selfraising]

Mine were sown in peat pots in March then potted on, keeping them in the peat pots into bigger pots. They were kept on the windowsill indoors in 6 inch pots until I guess they were about a foot high. They then went out into the mini gh which is unheated and from there gradually hardened off for outside over a period of about a week to 10 days. They already had one or two flowers at this stage. They are now planted in 10 inch pots outside each with a 6-8ft cane which they climb up.

[FionaH]

SR I am sooooooo jealous and very impressed. I killed several cucs before I got two to planting out size, but nowhere near fruiting yet.