Cucumber varieties

Well that's a lot of advice to digest. Mine haven't germinated yet but I will bear all this in mind.

 

Wise words @JWK. I sowed mine in a heated propagator 2 days ago. I have found Cucumbers much more heat sensitive that tomatoes and if not warm enough they can easily rot off. I grow 3 types, Carmen, Femspot and Emilie, all F1. I find the more expensive seed 100% worth the lovely quality of the crops.Carmen and Femspot are very similar growing to a really good size and not bitter at all. Emilie is useful as it produces earlier. The cucumbers are smaller but just as tasty.

 

I'm not sowing mine for another week at least, although I'm only growing outdoor varieties. No point in starting earlier as the soils too cold outside. I've had good luck with la diva outside but am trying a couple of different ones this year. Last year was so bad I think I got two cucumbers in total

 

@hailbopp , I remember femspot from years ago, it was the first all female cue that I grew, up until then it was telegraph, but pinching all the male flowers off was a chore.

 

I haven't sown mine yet. Waiting for the cold nights and winds to stop. I only grow indoor varieties as I do not like the tough skins and prickles a lot of the outdoor ones have, nor I cannot keep up with killing the slugs and snails that gravitate to them.

 

I never seem to have any problem with Marketmore growing outside - it’s a must sow for me. I just let it do its thing trailing along the ground, with nothing more than daily water and weekly feed, and even from just a couple of plants I get more cucumbers than my family of 4 really needs!

 

Last year I grew Marketmore and Konsa, both outside in pots, tied in to plastic clematis netting on the fence. Both cropped well, except one plant. I later discovered that that one had a huuuuge fruit right down at the bottom hanging behind the pot, that I'd missed - clearly it was putting all its energy into that one. Both were good-tasting (but we didn't try eating the giant fruit), quite similar but I think Konsa was a bit less bumpy/spiny. I generally just rub off the spines and leave the skins on, bumps and all. They look quite pretty when sliced.

I have some seed of each left so I'll grow both of them again. I also have Spacemaster 80 this year, which is meant to be a more compact plant.

 

Sown marketmore and moneta for outdoor ridge cucumbers and restina for an outdoor gherkin.

 

My first time growing cucumbers. I had great germination success rate and I think all but 1 has made it into the small pots. I've put 5 baby plants in quite a big planter in my greenhouse with strings up to the ceiling. Is that too many plants? If people think so, I'll wait and see which look the best and pull a couple out.
I don't know what variety I planted - but I know it was a greenhouse variety from Premier Seeds. Came in a little silver packet

 

I grow one in a 22L pot in my greenhouse.
By the end of the season the pot is filled with roots.

When planting them don't plant any deeper than they were previously as the crown (where the roots join the main stem) can get crown rot, then it's game over.

I grow Cucino (also from Premier Seeds) and harvest well over 100 a year from the one plant.
My record was in 2018 when 1 plant produced 294 cucumbers!

I use the stiff clematis netting for mine it works much better than string -

 

Impressive @pete. What a good idea about clematis netting. I have a spare roll.Off to rig it up. I already have mine growing up strings but they are not that big yet so still time to use netting instead. I have used it for melons but never thought to use it on cucumber. Many thanks

 

Wrong pete I'm afraid.

 

Oh god, sorry @Pete8. Should have know it was not @pete as far too sensible and not rude. I have rigged up something similar for my cucumbers but expect the similarity to end there. I will be happy with 25 per plant, 294? In my dreams and not exactly sure what on earth I would do with that many

 

It's easily done @hailbopp , and I realized it was for me - so thanks.

Yes, tbh I'm relieved I don't get that many now.
I'm not even a big fan of cucumbers and typically just have 2-3 a week!
So whilst my neighbours accepted them with grace I did get the feeling there was a hint of 'oh no, no more of them' when I delivered more of them