cucumber plants

I want to try and grow a cucumber or two in the greenhouse next year but I 'm really not keen on the knobbly ones. Can anyone make any variety :cnfs:suggestions please.

Thanks

Sheelagh

 

Aren't the knobbly ones Ridge Cucumbers, which are outdoor varieties?

Indoor varieties are usually F1, and only have Female flowers, and should NOT be pollinated [if the occasional male flowers appears] because it makes the Cue taste bitter.

Outdoor, Ridge, cucumbers, on the other hand, should be pollinated

 

Hi folks. As it happens, I've just this moment ordered some cucumber seed from Suttons. They are called 'Baribal' (Mini Female) They are for the greenhouse and are knobbly. Sheelagh, why are you not keen on the knobbly ones ? Is it just the looks ? I haven't tried this type before but I've heard it said many times that they have the best flavour. Cheers...freddy.

 

Totally agree kristen.
Any of the greenhouse varieties should be OK Sheelagh.

Probably an old one now, but when I grew cues I always grew femspot, just stay away from the really old ones, and choose an all female type.

 

I find the outdoor cucumbers are a little bit tough and is good for stir frying or pickeling.

Greenhouse cucumbers are for me.:thumb:

 

Thanks everyone. You've all been really helpful.
Kirsten, how do I know if it's a male flower ?(I'm very new to all this technical stuff)

Freddy. I think you're right about the knobbbly ones. They just don't look appealling to me and they have hard bumps on them - doesn't that make them strange to eat??? I was interested however about your comments on taste and that they are a mini variety as not everyone in our house is such a fan as I am. Perhaps i'll give the Baribal a whirl. Thanks

 

"how do I know if it's a male flower ?"

Then female flowers have a little baby cucumber behind them (same thing on Courgettes, Melons etc.). The male flowers just have a thin stalk behind the flower.

I think I picked one, single, male flower off all my female-only-F1 cucumber plants this year, so there is not much chance of you needing to do anything, in my experience.

Plant the Cucumber plant on a slight ridge - so that when you water it the water "runs away" from the stem - they are prone to stem rot. Maybe plant a few extra in case you lose some. I had two plants in the greenhouse this year, and we had plenty of cucumbers for the family.

I raise mine indoors initially, then in a sheltered (heated) part of the conservatory, and then into the greenhouse in, say, early June. I plant them at the far end of the greenhouse, so they are in less draft and have higher humidity<br><br>(Click picture for my Blog greenhouse page)<br><br><br>

 

Thanks for the advice Kirsten. The pictures were a big help too. I feel I've got some idea what I'm doing now. I'll let you know how i got on next year. Sheelagh

 

Thanks Kristen, I`m doing veg nest year and cucumbers are a favourite-just curious. How many did you get each week? We eat about 7/8 a week here-sometimes much more.

 

"How many did you get each week? We eat about 7/8 a week here-sometimes much more."

Crickey! I probably get about one per plant per week (my book says yield = 25 / plant, and season is mid-May to mid-Oct, which would be 20 weeks, so maybe 1.25 / week). We don't grow ours to the full length you get in the supermarket, so if you are talking 7/8 supermarket-long-ones per week you might even need a couple more plants.

 

I have bought F1 Prima top-it has five seeds so I think I should buy another packet then. At the moment I have staging-will I need a greenhouse border to fit them all in do you think?

Sorry for what may sound like daft questions-virgin veggie grower.

 

so two extra seed packets then-and John-frankly the price for 5 seeds alone is dear enough, any more expensive and I can`t believe they sell-no doubt they do though.