I make a rubbish gardener, I just hate killing things. (Cucumber question)

[gardening_gal]

I'm spending the day sorting out the tunnel (I'm on a tea break right now ).

Several of my cucumber plants have been slowly dying over the past week or so. The change of weather here was quite drastic and even although we have had some sun, it's a lot colder each day now generally (2C last night in the tunnel ) and after fruiting prolifically for weeks, they are clearly winding down now and some of the stems have mould on them and are beginning to rot. Others are yellowing badly and looking limp and near death.

I've binned the worst, ones that had no fruit left on them or buds trying to form. However I've got one plant in particular that has one baby cucumber on it. The plant isn't looking great but it is a bit healthier than the ones I binned.

I could use the space as I want to set up a small blowaway thing inside the tunnel (shelves with a cover basically) and put my chillis in here just so I can keep them warmer outside for a while longer but I can't bring myself to bin this one cucumber plant if the baby cuc has a fighting chance.

So, what do you think? Do you reckon it might still grow? (It's about an inch and a half maybe and quite skinny at the moment.) Or will the decreasing temps knock it for 6 now?

Maybe I could knit it a scarf. I'm sure I didn't agonise over 'growing' the kids this much.

[Knight of Albion]

I note you're way up north in Perthshire ... It should still continue to grow - as long as the frost stays away. So I'd stick with it for a while longer.

2C in August?! The weather patterns are so unpredictable nowadays.

[skeggijon]

Personally I'd stick it on the heap and use the space, but maybe thats cos I've been inundated with cucumbers and sick of the sight of them for one year lol.

[Knight of Albion]

Don't forget, even though vegetables (and flowers) are for the most part past their best, you can still let them run to seed.
Certainly worth doing if they've served you well.

[gardening_gal]

Personally I'd stick it on the heap and use the space, but maybe thats cos I've been inundated with cucumbers and sick of the sight of them for one year lol.

Oooh you're harsh.

Well it's lived to see another day. I've cut off anything that was nasty and tied up the rest. It's had a feed and it's on it's own now.

[Two_Sheds]

...you can still let them run to seed.

... of course, only keep seed from the best of the best. If a plant has bolted, or been small/weak/sickly, don't save its seed

[Ananke]

Mine are looking the same GG, I wasn't down there for two days and got a shock today that the ones that were only a couple of inches long were an ok size for tonight's salad.

If it were me though, I would choose the chillis, I've had a bumper crop of cukes and saving all that space for one cucumber doesn't make sense, I would want to give my chillis a chance to provide a bumper crop too

[Potstubsdustbins]

Don't forget we are starting to lose the light now as well as unseasonal low temperatures. And as the year progresses the shortening of the days will speed up particularly that far north.

[kathyd]

Can't you erect your blowaway on top of the cuke, and stow your chillies around it for now? Get the best of both worlds?

[gardening_gal]

Can't you erect your blowaway on top of the cuke, and stow your chillies around it for now? Get the best of both worlds?

I ended up moving things around a bit more. That's one good thing about growing in pots or growbags on trays. Since I cut off a lot of the dead/dying bits, the plants are skinnier than before so I could get them a bit closer together.

I got the blowaway thing up and some of the chilli plants are inside but I couldn't fit them all in.

I don't know why they don't make them with 'half' shelves so you can remove half to allow a taller plant to stand on the shelf underneath and still be able to stand plants on the half that's left. There's an awful lot of wasted space having to take out a full shelf.

I may get the wire cutters out, lol.