Growing Cucumbers 2009

[~Obsidian~]

I'm thinking to have around 6 plants inshaAllah. The variety is called: Long Green Ridge. The packet says I can start them in Feb...and I love to start things really early so I'm going to start them off ASAP! They're supposed to take around 7-21 days to appear...can't wait!

[~Obsidian~]

A new thread for a new year.

~Obsidian~

[Riz]

i just bought some cucumber seeds of the net, not got them yet..

Cucumber:Masterpiece

Cucumber Masterpiece is an early and reliable British selection for outdoor growing, producing heavy crops of dark green skinned, slightly spined, 20cm (8in) fruits with crisp white flesh. Tender and perfect for summer salads. Seeds are in the RHS Vegetable Collection.


LINK : http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/ilist/vegetables-r.html?page=4;
(http://www.thompson-morgan.com/seeds1/product/520/3.html)

[~Obsidian~]

The cucumber seeds have been sowed in trays :D as of a little while ago. I'll stick a pic up in a mo!

[UmmZubair]

You should get plenty of cucumbers from 6 plants insha'Allah. Hope you like cucumber chutney/jam etc! I had 3 cucumber plants last year (burpless green) and a LOT of cucumbers masha'Allah. Unfortunately the frost came one night and killed them whilst still 10 cucumbers on!

[solanum]

cucumber chutney and jam LOL how wierd!

are they quite small, like the ones you get in the middle east? i mean smaller than a courgette and curly like a banana?

Umm Safiya

[UmmZubair]

The burpless green were like that, around 7-8inches long i guess. Really nice flavour. Will try some more this year and maybe 'telegraph' in the greenhouse insha 'Allah.

[~Obsidian~]

Hehe I've got a large fam Alhamdulillah, they can scoff them all! 'Telegraph' ?

[Riz]

The cucumber seeds have been sowed in trays :D as of a little while ago. I'll stick a pic up in a mo!


how deep are you sowing them,, an inch !?

[~Obsidian~]

No, they're just covered in a fine layer of compost

[~Obsidian~]

I have one seedling already! Just spotted it this morn :D

[Riz]

:)

great feeling isn't it when they pop out of the soil huh :)

Its always prudent to write sowing dates and germination dates in a dairy, so you will know for next season, when is the best time to sow seeds and best time to plant,
So for next season you can hit the ground running armed with all the information personal to your garden :)

[~Obsidian~]

Thats why I'm posting :D tis all saved on here!

[Riz]

^ you should transplant the cuke seedlings straight away into 3inch pots if possible, because the roots grow and spread quite quickly and its a shallow tray, from experience i know sometimes you can snap of the roots while pricking them out as the roots can sometimes stick to the surface of the tray...

[edibles]

I made use of my seeds and planted them today following this guide
www.ehow.com/how_2291679_germinate-cucumber-seeds-overnight.html

[~Obsidian~]

^ you should transplant the cuke seedlings straight away into 3inch pots if possible, because the roots grow and spread quite quickly and its a shallow tray, from experience i know sometimes you can snap of the roots while pricking them out as the roots can sometimes stick to the surface of the tray...
I was gonna do so today :D
I made use of my seeds and planted them today following this guide
www.ehow.com/how_2291679_germinate-cucumber-seeds-overnight.html
I got nearly 100% germination rate this time, wasn't expecting that :eek: so now I have to cull some plants, was a waste of seeds!

Edit: just looked at the link, seems like overkill! I just did the standard tray thing watered, kept covered with clingfilm, and now I have seedlings (has only been a few days). Gonna pot them on now though, not straight out into the garden.

[rainbox]

I'm sowing some cucumber, this type:
http://www.marshalls-seeds.co.uk/rkmain.asp?PAGEID=20670&STK_PROD_CODE=1020-2520
They look like fun! Can't sow them until april though, or so they say anyway. What do you guys think?

[~Obsidian~]

They look rather nifty, rainbox, how big do they get? I've started mine quite early, but I plan to keep them inside for quite a while! Yours are supposed to be fast growing, so I'm not too sure, you might not be abe to keep them inside for a long time.

If I were you though, I'd sow a couple of seeds anyway :D

[edibles]

i got some seedlings. ditched the paper towel method, too hard to keep it moist

[rainbox]

They look rather nifty, rainbox, how big do they get? I've started mine quite early, but I plan to keep them inside for quite a while! Yours are supposed to be fast growing, so I'm not too sure, you might not be abe to keep them inside for a long time.

If I were you though, I'd sow a couple of seeds anyway :D

I don't actually know how big they get, I'm sort of just hoping they don't get too massive so I can grow them up a trellis or a mast or something, or just stick some supports onto the pot. *fingers crossed*

On the packet it says April but knowing me I'll get too excited and start some in mid March or somewhere around then anyway:P

[Riz]

i got some seedlings. ditched the paper towel method, too hard to keep it moist

if you put the paper towel inside a Tupperware box , it will hold the moisture in. a clear plastic sandwich box or similar will do....

[Riz]

i am going to germinate my cuke seeds at the weekend :). i am a newbie to growing cukes so please go easy on me :)

[rainbox]

I'm going to sow lots of stuff on Monday, do you think I should sow some cucumber as well even though it says April on the packet. You know, just in case:D

[Riz]

you can start them off early indoors, sometimes they get lanky and droop to one side while chasing the sunlight.. :) in my area first week of may gardeners generally take there seedlings outdoors and not before, only if they have a cold frame or hot house . the chances of frost in the evenings in mid may are reduced..

[rainbox]

Hmmm... I guess that's why it says start indoors in April...:rolleyes: The question is though, can I resist sowing them earlier?:o

[~Obsidian~]

One cucumber plant pot was dropped a coupla days ago :(

The others I put outside for a while today because the weather was so good

[Tania]

According to book you can sow them indoors in march and, like Riz said, move them out in the garden or outdoor when they have 4-5 true leaves in may. Because last night were -5 degree celsius i will avoid to sow them until april/may.

[~Obsidian~]

I put them outside into the sunlight again :butterfly3: and they were flopping all over the place so I tied them to some canes, they look like proper plants now as opposed to weeds :D The first set of leaves developed (the initial roundy ones) and the second set have started to develop too, the spiky ones (have one large leaf and another growing) should soon be shooting up iA!

I accidentally left one outside yesterday until I got back from work and it was dark and cold...I hope it survives! It was a weedy one to begin with, lets hope I haven't killed it entirely!

[~Obsidian~]

I gave five plants away, and I plan to start some more directly outside when I transplant the ones from pots outside

[Foz]

my sis has given me 2...they have got the rounded leaves and the spiky ones just coming out!

[Kirsten]

The job of cuke starting is going to fall to my mom this year since she's actually going to be near the garden plot when temperatures get warm enough :)

We had one super late cuke last year that for some reason didn't get around to poking its head out of the soil until SEPTEMBER. By then we'd harvested 95 or 96, I forget, cucumbers and were about ready to tear down and compost the vines, and this one random cucumber poked up among the swiss chard. It was so funny - I wanted to take a pic and caption it being like "huh??? is it may yet?"

[Pashmeena]

lol!!

I waited for April to start so here is one of my cucumber seedling? lol... 5 days old :D


http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b372/Eina83/IMG_2911.jpg

[Tania]

It looks really promising :GreenThumbs:

[Kirsten]

awwww it's so cute! :)

[~Obsidian~]

Looks good P

I've still got three plants and Alhamdulillah they're still alive - there are a few leaves growing on the same stems as the first leaves, keep having to tie them to a cane. Thinking to give them away though and start some more, straight outside.

[rainbox]

I started mine 2 days ago, I'll put up some pics when it sprouts:)

[Nife180]

Very Nice, I would like to grow cucumbers however I didn't find seeds while buying some yesterday, and the market cucumber seeds won't germinate :(. But since I like to save seeds Cantaloupe and Cucumber are a big no no. Because they are the same family. Anyone ever got a cucumber & Cantaloupe hybrid?

[Riz]

here are my 2 varieties... "masterpiece" and 'marketer" i sowed 2 seeds in each seedling pots, so 12 altogether 3 of each strain, i will be culling the rest and only growing one of each.. ill be keeping them at the windowsill untill mid may...

[rainbox]

After 4 days my cucumber sprouted!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3318/3429537741_bfed9d2a00.jpg?v=0

[rainbox]

My cucumber after 2 weeks.... It's growing super fast!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3649/3458133091_6387054156.jpg?v=0

[~Obsidian~]

I'm down to one seedling :( which I am going to give away insha Allah, and then I need to start some more!

[Riz]

here are mine, 2 in each pot..

still tiny babies though..

[Foz]

heres mine!

[Riz]

the leaves are forming well, your are ahead of me though,

in mid may you will be able to leave them outdoors permanently..

[~Obsidian~]

I planted out my one remaining one because its not doing so well, also planted out my newest seedling and started off some others- hope they all sprout!

I planted them directly into the ground under my greenhouse (which I finally had time to set back up today).

[rainbox]

Here's a pic of one of my cucumber seedlings:) They're 4 weeks tomorrow, but they were struggling a little so I hung them back up under the skylight (the closest thing I've got to a greenhouse) and they seem to be doing pretty well again now.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3496407877_68194e00fb.jpg?v=0

[Riz]

martine..

really looking good :)

and youre pics get better and better

[~Obsidian~]

They look great lady!

I set up the arch to support mine finally. Now all I need is for the new seeds to grow :p

[Riz]

catching up to you martine and fozia slowly :)

[~Obsidian~]

Bought a different strain of cucumbers, 'marketmore 76 - popular high yielding outdoor variety with disease tolerance'. I hope so!

[Riz]

you should know that the cucumber plant has both male and female flowers. and the males flowers are usually removed so it does not pollinate the female and make bitter fruit...

there are some varieties mainly F1 that are all females varieties..and don't need pinching out..

we still have plenty of time though, they are still babies at the moment,, :)

so ill find more info and update,, and so can all of you if you come across some tasty facts about the cukes :)

[~Obsidian~]

I know :) and the male flowers should be removed before they pollinate the female flowers otherwise the fruit will be bitter tasting - although, how can you tell the difference between the male and female flowers?

[Riz]

Cucumbers and other vine crops are monoecious. Monoecious plants have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. Male and female flowers are similar in appearance. However, the female flowers have small, immature fruits at their base. Pollen is transferred from the male to the female flowers by bees. When properly pollinated and fertilized, the female flowers develop into fruit. The first flowers to appear on cucumbers and other vine crops are male. Female flowers appear shortly thereafter.


ill see if i can find any pics :)

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2002/4-5-2002/cucumbers.html

[~Obsidian~]

Hooold on, so they need to be pollinated? Otherwise the fruits stay immature? Or is it the immature fruits that we're after?

[Riz]

Hooold on, so they need to be pollinated? Otherwise the fruits stay immature? Or is it the immature fruits that we're after?

no.

its just a description of a immature female flower, we just need to get rid of the male flowers period.

the female flower has a tiny immature fruit growing behind it, the male doesnt

[~Obsidian~]

lol okay, stop confusing me :o

[Kirsten]

So I got home yesterday and today my mom says there's a bunch of stuff in the garden she wants me to take a look at, since they don't know what it is. Mom thinks it's cucumber and Dad swears it's beans. Problem is, neither of them remembers planting anything there, and I'm thinking... well if you didn't plant either than clearly it's neither, right?

Turns out it's right under last year's cucumber patch and consists of a cucumber-shaped (long and oval) patch of a gazillion cucumber sprouts. I'm thinking we must have missed one and it probably rotted on the spot and all its seeds sprouted LOL.

[Foz]

ive got a yellow flower on mine....should i be removing it?

[Kirsten]

To be honest, I didn't remove any of my flowers last year (didn't know I was supposed to!)

I'd leave them on there for now. Is it your first flower(s)? They're probably male - if it's female, it will have a tiny bump behind it that looks like a teeny baby cucumber. You need both and some insect friends (or a paintbrush, if you want to do it manually) for pollination to get cucumbers.

Last year I just let them grow and grow and one day I lifted a leaf and there was a great big fat cucumber :p

[~Obsidian~]

Kirsten there you go confusing me again! I thought you needed to remove the male flowers before they pollinated the female ones? Argh, where did I get that idea from!!

And lucky gal :p on the cucumber sproutlings :D

[Foz]

(foz scratchea her head)

im also confused now lol

[Kirsten]

I always thought the male flower was needed to pollinate the female fruit (sorry I hadn't read this thread in entirety since this year cucumbers were my mom's job and I haven't been involved until yesterday, so now I see why everyone's confused! :p ) According to http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/vegetables/cucumber.html

3. Q. Why do my cucumbers bloom without setting fruit?

A. This is a pollination problem. Cucumbers have male and female blooms and for proper fruit set, the pollen must be transferred from the male to the female blooms. This is usually done by pollinating insects, primarily honeybees. If pollen transfer does not take place, fruit will not set.

My guess is that a ton of the female only vines can be planted in combination with only a few male flower-producing vines in order to get maximum fruit production. It's true that male flowers will not produce cucumber fruit, but if I'm understanding correctly they're still necessary.

I did pretty well last year without picking any flowers so I think I'll probably do the same, but I'd be interested to hear the results if anybody decides to try picking them off :)

[rainbox]

I read up on it a little yesterday and as far as I remember it depends what category your type of cucumber falls under. Mine (Crystal Lemon) is an outdoor type so I don't need to remove any flowers but apparently on indoor types you need to remove the male ones?

This probably just confuses things more, but I'll leave mine with all the flowers and just let them get on with it and see what happens:)

[Foz]

but I'll leave mine with all the flowers and just let them get on with it and see what happens:)

same here lol

[Kirsten]

I transferred six of them to their big (and final) pots today. As for the last one, I ran out of space, so currently it's sitting in the i-have-nowhere-to-plant-you pile, along with the lone tomato and lone bean. It's a very lonely pile lol :(

[Kirsten]

Here's three of them:

http://i41.tinypic.com/21bst43.jpg

[rainbox]

looks good:) Is this the final container? I'm a bit confused about what to pot mine into you see - I thought 3 cucumbers in one bucket was a bit crowded, but I may be wrong. Are they going to climb a fence or something? That's another one of my worries... I have nowhere for them to climb, and don't know how big they get:rolleyes:

[Kirsten]

They definitely have to climb something. Mine are going to climb the railing of the deck. This might be a stupid question, but do you have a railing on the deck of your boat that they could maybe climb along?

And yes this is the final container :) It's relatively big - maybe 1.5 to 2 feet across diameter-wise? I was going to put the cukes in the garden but I just flat out ran out of space, so they had to suck it up elsewhere. I also had 13 vines last year resulting in 95 cucumbers, which is a lot more than we were able to eat, so I'll be content with a much smaller harvest this year - thus the squishing in one pot :)

[rainbox]

I'm sure they'll do very well:) I guess as long as they have space to climb that's the main thing.

Alas, I have no railing. I'm probably going to have to do something ingenious with bamboo sticks and some string...:o

I think I need to plant mine out soon, they're getting pretty big. I just need some more containers:rolleyes:

[Foz]

heres one of mine..should plant it out soon

[~Obsidian~]

Looking good Foz, and its got a flower masha Allah :eek: you're miles ahead of me!!

Mine sprouted in the last couple of days.

[rainbox]

I planted 3 of my cucumbers out yesterday, in an old fishing crate! :)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2271/3532687143_de9527fe2a.jpg?v=0

[Tania]

How quickly have flowers. It means soon you will pick up the first cucumbers. I will sow my seeds tomorrow - marketmore variety, for summer salads :)

[Riz]

mine are still tiny...

[~Obsidian~]

So are mine ^^ but heck its the second sowing! They sprouted in the last couple of days and I planted them out straight away, covered them with my mini cloches a.k.a. halves of plastic bottles to fend off the elements and the wildlife.

As of yesterday. There are sunflowers at the back and if you look closely you can see the old pepsi can I dug out of the patch at the back :confused:

[Tania]

I like how you arranged the patch. They have perfect conditions to grow. I sow my seeds but i will have to put the stick.

[ze leetle elper]

Courtesy of Obsidian :D Jazakallah for the cucumbers! :butterfly3:

[~Obsidian~]

:D I see some more sprouted, yaay! They're doing well masha Allah, did you leave them outdoors since then? The ones I planted outdoors are going yellow/really light green at the ends of the leaves :rolleyes:

[rainbox]

The ones I planted outside have had a bit of a rough time, when I planted them out we had seriously strong gales for a week... So they have been looking a bit sad for a while. I think they may be recovering though:)

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3371/3576636125_9fe003540c.jpg?v=0

And the one I've kept inside is doing so well I don't know what to do with it now. I have no space left! Would anyone like a cucumber plant?

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3396/3576609253_72191c0ff4.jpg?v=0

[Riz]

mine are no way that size yet, i am just getting the big broad fan leaf emerging, they are still in seedling pots....

[~Obsidian~]

The ones outside weren't doing so well, they seemed to have transplant shock. The ones in the pots were doing great! I need to check on them now...

[rainbox]

My cucumbers have bugs! :(
Anyone have any idea what this is, and what I can do about it? I don't want to use chemicals. The smallest one is covered in them... One of them seem to be untouched, and the other one has a few.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3619/3616749890_445a0fd1ea.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3596/3615931893_1f7137aa3d.jpg?v=0

The one with no bugs has just got it's first flower though

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3565/3616751240_110d143579.jpg?v=0

I noticed that some of the leaves seem to be crumpled up on the one with no bugs, could this be just the shock of being planted outside as the newest leaves seem to be fine?

[Nife180]

Aphids!!!

If you can isolate the healthy ones, The easiest way is spraying a jet of water, in a direction which does not contain other plants.

Aphid control is as simple as knocking them off garden plants by using a strong jet of water. This jet knocks them off the plant to the ground where beetles and other predators make short work of them. They will not survive to recolonize your plant.

http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com/aphid-control.html

You can use ladybugs if they are easy to get, They love aphids. And they will end your problem.

Organic recipes:

1 cup vegetable or white mineral oil
1 1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons dish soap or Murphy’s soap

Spray this homemade aphid control mixture on the aphids every few days until the aphids recede. This home remedy to get rid of aphids will suffocate the aphids.

http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/problems/homemade-aphid-control-a-natural-way-to-kill-aphids.htm


Tomato Leaf Spray

Tomato plants, as members of the nightshade family, contain toxic compounds called alkaloids in their leaves. When the leaves of tomato plants are chopped, they release their alkaloids. When the alkaloids are suspended and diluted with water, they make an easy to use spray that is toxic to aphids, but still safe around plants and humans.

What You'll Need:

* One to two cups of tomato leaves
* Two cups of water
* A strainer or cheesecloth
* Spray bottle

To make tomato leaf spray, simply soak one to two cups of chopped tomato leaves in two cups of water. Let it steep overnight. To make the spray, strain the leaves out of the liquid using cheesecloth or a fine strainer. Add another one to two cups of water to the liquid and add it to a spray bottle.

To use the tomato leaf spray in your battle against aphids, spray the stems and foliage of the infested plant with the spray, paying special attention to the undersides of leaves, since that is where aphids most commonly congregate.

Caution: While this spray is very safe for humans, some people are allergic to members of the nightshade family. If you are one of them, use care in making and applying this spray.
Garlic Oil Spray

Organic gardeners have long relied on garlic as part of their pest-fighting arsenal. Garlic contains sulfur, which, besides being toxic to pests, is also an antibacterial and antifungal agent. The dish soap in this mixture also breaks down the bodies of soft-bodied pests, such as aphids.

What You'll Need:

* Three to four cloves of garlic
* Mineral oil
* Strainer or cheesecloth
* Liquid dish soap
* Water
* Spray bottle

To make garlic oil spray, mince or finely chop three to four cloves of garlic, and add them to two teaspoons of mineral oil. Let this mixture sit for 24 hours. Strain out the garlic pieces, and add the remaining liquid to one pint of water. Add one teaspoon of liquid dish soap. This mixture can be stored and diluted as needed. When you need to spray, use two tablespoons of the mixture added to one pint of water in a spray bottle.

To use your garlic oil spray, first test by spraying an inconspicuous part of the plant to see if your mixture harms it at all. If there are no signs of yellowing or other leaf damage after a day or two, it is safe to use. If there is leaf damage, dilute the mixture with more water and try the test again. Once you have determined that it won't harm your plant, spray the entire plant, paying special attention to the undersides of leaves.

Warning: Garlic oil is a non-selective insecticide, which means that it will kill beneficial insects (such as lady bugs, who are natural predators of aphids) just as easily as it kills the bad guys. It's best to keep as many beneficials around as possible. This spray should only be used if you haven't seen any beneficial bugs in your garden. The tomato leaf recipe, above, won't harm beneficials, so you should use that if you're lucky enough to have some beneficials in your garden.

http://organicgardening.about.com/od/pestcontrol/a/spraysforaphids.htm

[Tania]

The summer cucumbers for salads from my garden:
http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/6005/022ghc.jpg

[rainbox]

Wow thanks Nife! Seriously useful information. I'll go and spray them right now, I'll keep you updated! :)

[rainbox]

I've been spraying the cucumbers everyday now, 2 days with soapy water and 2 days with the tomato leaf spray. It does seem to have made a difference, although the winged aphids have spread to my tomatoes and bean plants now:(
Especially my biggest tomato plant is looking really sad, the leaves are curling up and pale. Will the plants recover as long as I manage to keep the aphids at bay? And how effective is marigold at attracting friendly bugs?

[~Obsidian~]

The ones in the ground are actually growing :eek: I thought they died after I put them there (a couple actually did) but the majority survived! And now they're growing! Bigger in the pots though....

[~Obsidian~]

1. Grown in the ground
2. Transplanted from a pot a day ago

I think I annihilated those weeds already!

[Riz]

nice oby,

youre a tiny bit ahead of me though..

am growing one cuke in a grow bag, lets see how i will do :)

[Riz]

i got some flowers on my cukes..

how is everyone else's growing !?

[~Obsidian~]

I was just looking at your pic above your last post and thinking...he might be behind but with his green fingers he's going to shoot ahead! And in the next post you have a flower, lol masha Allah! Yeah I have a flower too, unopened though. I found my two biggest plants attempting to climb each other the other day, had to untwine them! Trained one to climb the arch (it just reached out and made it today...those tendrils it sends out, its like they have eyes and know where to go!) and ther other is still currently coing up it's stick.

[~Obsidian~]

Fashioned a sort of trellis today for the cucumbers using the arch. Looks very odd but I hope they like to climb it! I've got an open flower and more flower buds now Alhamdulillah, I'm trying to train the tiny vines to follow the arch.

[~Obsidian~]

:)

[Riz]

i love the arch oby, nice spider web design :GreenThumbs:

[Tania]

I like the arch and the cukes will have where to climb.

[Riz]

i already have a tiny cuke growing :)

[~Obsidian~]

Awesome Riz! Thanks Tania :D

I have female flowers growing! I've got cucumbers people! WOO!

[Foz]

i have a couple growing..... id given up as the plant looked a bit sick...but had a look earlier and got 2!

[Tania]

My cucumbers are looking ok but i have only male flowers. Until now i got only ONE female flower.

[~Obsidian~]

Two of my plants were pulled up :confused:

[Riz]

^ that might be the squirrels

i have been pinching the male flowers out..

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa300/sajid_012/IMGP2240.jpg

[~Obsidian~]

I don't think it was them, they were tied too tightly to the arch I think and the arch must have been bumped, thus dislodging them from the ground.

That plant looks nice masha Allah :GreenThumbs: I've got some cukes growing on my other ones! I've actually got them climbing the arch :D

I haven't plucked out any male flowers.

I'll post some pics soon insha Allah!

[Tania]

Since i begun to give each day diluted chicken manure to my cukes, the plants has so many female flowers :)

[Tania]

I picked up today my first 2 cucumbers - 15 cm long :) Mom made salad from them.

[Riz]

some pics of the cuke vine growing, with plenty of female flowers and around 4 cukes that are growing really well :)

[pomegranate]

:(i have few cucumbers in my garden but i never get any cucumbers!
i get flowers and flowerbuds, but the next day when i go and have a look all i see is the flower on the floor. does anyone get the same problem, and what can i do?

[Tania]

:(i have few cucumbers in my garden but i never get any cucumbers!
i get flowers and flowerbuds, but the next day when i go and have a look all i see is the flower on the floor. does anyone get the same problem, and what can i do?I think its a soil issue. I had only female flowers until i begun to add chicken manure to the water what i used at cucumbers. Now i have lot of cukes (didn't count them)

[Riz]

Looking After The Plants

Keep the plants well watered but make sure that the compost is never waterlogged. The main stem should be trained up a cane stick. In the greenhouse the growing tip can be removed when the plants reach the roof. Outdoors the plants can be left to scramble across the ground but it is better to train the plants up a cane stick as this keeps the fruits off the ground.
Old varieties of cucumber produce both male and female flowers. When growing in a greenhouse it is important to remove the male flowers as they cause the fruits to be bitter if pollinated. Modern varieties are all female so pollination is not a problem although they can sometimes produce the occasional male flower. The female flower will have a small cucumber growing behind the flower whereas the male just has a stalk.
It is important when growing outdoor cucumbers never to remove any flowers.
Harvesting

You can begin harvesting the cucumbers once they reach a reasonable size. Always use a sharp knife and keep harvesting to encourage more cucumbers to grow. If left to grow too large the centres of the cucumbers can split. It is possible to cut a cucumber in half whilst it is still on the plant and the cut will heal over so that the other half can be harvested later.

[Riz]

have a huge cuke at the back, and lots and lots of baby cukes :)

[edibles]

could you put it next to something for a sense of scale

[Riz]

^ sorry i ate it and neglected take that pic.. next time though :)

ive been getting so many female flowers on the cuke vine, i am really impressed, and now all the cukes are growing together.. so i am well pleased :)

[~Obsidian~]

Yummy :D mine are getting bigger

[Kirsten]

Nice pics everyone!

I've only gotten ONE nice looking cuke :( somehow I keep getting a bunch of these though and I'm not sure why... pollination seems to be doing great, but the second half of my cukes never want to develop!

http://i32.tinypic.com/aymvie.jpg

[Riz]

^ Hmmmm

what's your watering regime !?.. cuckes are 90% water so they need lots of it when they developing..

[Kirsten]

I'd been watering a lot...so much that I think one of the vines rotted and I had to pull it out :( maybe I'm overwatering instead?

[~Obsidian~]

My vines are taller than me :) I've got quite a few cukes on there, starting to swell Alhamdulillah. :butterfly3:

[Riz]

^ :pics:


some pics of the growing vine

[~Obsidian~]

Masha'Allah Riz, lookin mighty awesome :D

Pics :eek:

To come!

[Riz]

i take one cuke off every other day... delicious

[edibles]

looks nice:)

[Tania]

Some cukes from my plants:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/441/212gb.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/76/210ku.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/700/220he.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/60/236vy.jpg

[Tania]

and like size they were big:
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/3628/211ac.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/458/223qw.jpg
http://img6.imageshack.us/img6/8757/237pd.jpg