European forcing cucumbers

[jackb]

This year I spent a little extra on seeds for the greenhouse and purchased Telegraph Improved cucumber seeds, which are a European forcing cucumber. I thought that I would get only female flowers, but found that they are apparently like other cucumbers and will not produce female flowers until they are large enough to support fruit. The magic number seems to be about four feet, as this morning I was rewarded with my first two female flowers.

 

[obsessed]

That awesome. Tell us how they taste

 

[digitS']

Wow! Those are sure pretty plants !

My cucumber plants are a long way from being set out in the open garden. I notice some soil lifting in the pots yesterday. There should be a few that emerge soon.

Once outdoors, they take sooo much abuse . My larger veggie garden is very exposed to wind and sun. I've threatened to invent the Land Staple. I often have to go into the garden and turn the vines over that have been flipped upside down by the wind.

My pea trellises have to by carefully made and maintained to deal with the wind. Perhaps a cucumber trellis would be carried right into the next county! That's why I'm thinking of "stapling" the vines right down to the ground with the Land Staple.

Very lovely plants, it is obvious that you take very good care of them, JackB.

Steve
25mph winds with 36mph gusts, today

edited to give up on my attempt to show how the peas grow . . .

 

[jackb]

Wow! Those are sure pretty plants !

My cucumber plants are a long way from being set out in the open garden. I notice some soil lifting in the pots yesterday. There should be a few that emerge soon.

Once outdoors, they take sooo much abuse . My larger veggie garden is very exposed to wind and sun. I've threatened to invent the Land Staple. I often have to go into the garden and turn the vines over that have been flipped upside down by the wind.

My pea trellises have to by carefully made and maintained to deal with the wind. Perhaps a cucumber trellis would be carried right into the next county! That's why I'm thinking of "stapling" the vines right down to the ground with the Land Staple.

Very lovely plants, it is obvious that you take very good care of them, JackB.

Steve
25mph winds with 36mph gusts, today

edited to give up on my attempt to show how the peas grow . . .

Well, lets hope that your luck improves this year.

 

[lesa]

I am beginning to think you show those pics just to make me jealous!!!! That greenhouse is so awesome and all your plants are fabulous! Will you transfer the cukes outside, or grow them only in the greenhouse?

 

[jackb]

I am beginning to think you show those pics just to make me jealous!!!! That greenhouse is so awesome and all your plants are fabulous! Will you transfer the cukes outside, or grow them only in the greenhouse?

The cucumbers will stay where they are and I will start another batch to grow in the greenhouse when these show signs of slowing down. I am sorry now that I did not stagger seed starting by a week or so for each of the plants. It would be nice to space out production so they all do not mature at the same time. These do not pickle, and lets face it, you can only eat so many cucumbers. Today I found two more female flowers so now there are four on one plant. These are a foot long when mature.

And, you need lettuce along with cucumbers to make a salad.

 

[4grandbabies]

JackB---YOU ARE "KILLING" ME with all that beautiful dark green food and plants, I am so craving garden food, some of my early things like spinach, onions, etc are starting to do well outside, but its too soon to really take a chance on things like squash, tomatoes, cucumbers etc, I can hardly wait, and I think I am going to look into your methods for the future.

 

[jackb]

JackB---YOU ARE "KILLING" ME with all that beautiful dark green food and plants, I am so craving garden food, some of my early things like spinach, onions, etc are starting to do well outside, but its too soon to really take a chance on things like squash, tomatoes, cucumbers etc, I can hardly wait, and I think I am going to look into your methods for the future.

There are some good books on the subject. The "system" in the photo is a storage tote from Wal-Mart, cost about five dollars. Add an eight dollar pump from Harbor Freight, some airline tubing from the pet store, a four dollar timer from Home Depot and you have a system for under thirty dollars. I have found that it takes four weeks from seed to salad, so I have four systems. I calculate that it costs me a quarter to grow a head of lettuce, and six plants almost fill a five gallon bucket when harvested. I can't remember when the last time we bought salad greens it has been so long. Don't buy a commercial system, as they are easy to build. My first system was a single unit made from a discarded plastic coffee container. It is NOT rocket science.

 

[4grandbabies]

JackB---YOU ARE "KILLING" ME with all that beautiful dark green food and plants, I am so craving garden food, some of my early things like spinach, onions, etc are starting to do well outside, but its too soon to really take a chance on things like squash, tomatoes, cucumbers etc, I can hardly wait, and I think I am going to look into your methods for the future.

There are some good books on the subject. The "system" in the photo is a storage tote from Wal-Mart, cost about five dollars. Add an eight dollar pump from Harbor Freight, some airline tubing from the pet store, a four dollar timer from Home Depot and you have a system for under thirty dollars. I have found that it takes four weeks from seed to salad, so I have four systems. I calculate that it costs me a quarter to grow a head of lettuce, and six plants almost fill a five gallon bucket when harvested. I can't remember when the last time we bought salad greens it has been so long. Don't buy a commercial system, as they are easy to build. My first system was a single unit made from a discarded plastic coffee container. It is NOT rocket science.

Thanks..Cant spend much, so it sounds ideal