Thursday, June 23, 2011

How to grow cucumbers

Hooray! My cucumbers are gowing. Last year, the little devils just did not cooperate. I got vines, but the cukes only grew to the size of large jelly beans!
If this early kirby is any example, I will be getting a healthy crop this year.
I'm not sure what got in the way last season, but I made a couple of changes this year. First, I bought the vines you see in the photo from the Green Market instead of planting from seed. (I also have vines growing from seed and those I will report on when -and if - they produce.)
Another change: I planted them in a long planter rather than a large round pot. Certain veggies, including lettuce, seem to grow best in the long shallow containers. I am using trellises to hold up the vines, and they seem to like this arrangement.
I have heard that bees are needed to pollinate cukes, but I haven't seen many around the plants, so maybe that's just an old wives tale. At any rate, I am looking forward to adding the fresh produce to my salad soon!

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