Burpless Cucumber question

[Jared77]

Do they have to be grown on a trellis? Ive got someone offering me some started plants that are extra but theirs are all grown on a trellis. I don't have any room for another trellis and thought to just plant them. I've never grown this variety before so I thought Id double check.

Thanks folks

 

[Reinbeau]

It actually saves room to grow them on a trellis, they cover a lot of ground otherwise!

 

[baymule]

Talk about urban sprawl........trellis is better.

 

[digitS']

Do they have to be grown on a trellis? No.

I grow burpless cucumbers every year and have never built a trellis for cucumbers.

They would take up less room and be straighter with one, no doubt. But, I don't think the burps would be any fewer or more frequent, one way or the other.

Steve

 

[Jared77]

I know they'd save me room but I don't know if I can get a trellis in there strong enough to support the weight of them.

I was afraid they would do poorly on the ground and wouldn't be worth the effort. Next year I'll have the trellis built but this year there's no way to get in the area without damage so its not worth the effort. Never have had the burpless and was told they needed to be trellised after the fact so I wanted to be sure. I know they can take over, Ive got pumpkins (both carving and giant), 2 kinds of squash, picking and straight 8 cukes, and watermellons. I'm gonna have a LOT of sprawl this season.

Thanks for the fast replies.

 

[digitS']

Jarred, I grow Tasty Green (aka Burpless 26) or Tasty King. Mostly, I have room for them to sprawl.

What I feel that I'm missing are perfectly straight cukes. They usually have a slight bend and will sometimes lift themselves right off the ground because something was in the way, and be really crooked. It helps to lift them now and then as they are growing to make sure they aren't getting bound up.

They can also develop a puny blossom end but that is more likely a result of moisture stress.

I do like those varieties that are a little shorter that may not have "burpless" as part of their name. Some of these are much better quality (IMHO) than many of the old varieties. And, they aren't likely to have the fruit growth problems of something that is trying to grow 12+ inches!

Steve

 

[digitS']

I like talking about cucumbers and growing them, so forgive me for rambling on . . .

Usually there are quite a few cukes in my garden but, we can certainly have a bad cucumber year. It needs to warm up here in late June or production will be very limited.

Yes, I like some of these new hybrids but I grew Muncher for the 1st time last year. It did fine even if it had kind of a wrinkled look to it. Wrinkled or not, it was a nice sweet cucumber.

NC State tells us that Muncher is burpless and it is only 6 1/2 inches long. It was developed by an Israeli outfit and released in 1973. It is open pollinated.

I don't feel that I can get away with saving seeds because I've always got the long burpless type and, probably, at least 2 American slicers, an early and one that is later. Additionally, there have been the lemon cukes for the last 6 or 7 years.

Now, that ONE would really be a good candidate for a trellis! Not to have straight fruit but because lemon cukes are the most rambunctious growers I've had in the garden.

Steve

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

I'm finding that we're having a low pollinator season. I have yet to see a bee. I'm able to hand pollinate the zuc, but I fear that the cuc's and beans are going to have a low production year if I don't find some bees in the garden!

....or do beans need pollinators? I seem to recall that they are self-pollinating. Is that right? Or is that just tomatoes and peppers?

 

[Carol Dee]

I'm finding that we're having a low pollinator season. I have yet to see a bee. I'm able to hand pollinate the zuc, but I fear that the cuc's and beans are going to have a low production year if I don't find some bees in the garden!

....or do beans need pollinators? I seem to recall that they are self-pollinating. Is that right? Or is that just tomatoes and peppers?

Sweet Miss Daisey some common self pollinators are... Tomato, lettuce, peas, snap beans, soybean, lima bean, endive, barley, oats, cowpea and peppers.

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Carol Dee, you smarty! Thanks!!