Three Types Of Cucumbers This Season

I have grown 3 types of cucumbers this spring.  The 3 shorties on the left are Little Muncher/Ferry Morse from a store rack.  The next 2 are Tasty Green hybrid from Twilley Seeds.  The 2 on the right are Heirloom Japanese Long Soyu.

I don’t like Marketmore type cukes – I prefer English type cukes.  Thus these 3 varieties do not have that bitter jelly like filling around the seeds like the standard Marketmore cukes do.

Daddy-Long Legs Gather Under Cucumber Leaves

Throughout the growing season I have noticed daddy-long legs gathering in groups under cuke leaves – usually in groups of a dozen or so. Today I had my camera with me and noticed about half a dozen under this leaf.

Interesting – don’t know why they congregate under these cucumber leaves. Haven’t seen them under squash leaves.

The First Cucumber

Recall that everything was planted a month late because of our move.

This is my first cucumber.  Usually by this time I would have been harvesting many 12″ + cucumbers.  The temps have been in the 100’s for a week now and the young garden is taking a beating.

When this little cuke grows to a foot long, it will be ready to harvest.

Cucumbers – Marching Right Along

Because of the move and having to build my raised beds, these cucumbers were planted a month late. These tiny seedlings are popping up through oak tree mulch. Cute – eh?

I am using last spring’s left over Tasty Green hybrid cucumbers from Twilley Seed Co.  I had excellent germination.  I like an ‘English’ type of cucumber and Tasty Green is Twilley’s closest match.  Last year I had an excellent harvest and expect one this year.  These cukes are best harvested at about 12″ in length.

I use cattle panels as trellises.  Here I am weaving the growing tips in and out of the openings.

I had to make raised beds because our soil is red clay – I don’t understand how all these trees grow in the stuff!  My raised beds are about 5’x16′.  I have a raised cattle panel running down the middle length of some of the beds.  On the outer 2 long edges, I plant other things – bushing summer squash in this bed.