Comments on: Growing cucumbers

By: Lasia

Lasia — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 18:29:28 +0000

My cucumber plants are doing okay with lots of flowers and also what seems to be tiny little cucumbers (less than 1/2 inch long). Some have whithered and die, others are starting to look yellow/brown. Also some of the leaves are turning yellow. It gets watered twice a day (morning before the hot sun and after 4pm) and I see plenty of bees in the area. There’s no sign of other insects. The plants get at least 8 hours of full sunlight. What can be the cause of the death of my potential cucumbers? Is it normal for the some to die for others to grow?
Thanks for your help,
Lasia

Hi
Just like fruit trees will shed excess fruit so will your cucumber plant. The plant cannot maintain all the cucumbers so it gets rid of some. Watch the yellow leaves. It can be a sign of some type of problem, either nutrient defieciency or insect.

By: mary paddock

mary paddock — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:26:08 +0000

I live in Southwest Missouri and, even though I’ve planted resistant bush variety cucumbers, at least one plant seems to have succumbed to mosaic virus anyway. Although I’m still picking, I expect to have to pull it soon. Once I do, can I do a second planting of cucumbers to harvest later?

Hi Mary
Have any smokers in your yard? Tobacco mosaic virus can be tranmitted from cigarettes. Yes, you can do a second planting for another crop. Just plant in a different spot. Sometimes second planting of cucumber does better than the first.

By: Jim McClellan

Jim McClellan — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:15:03 +0000

My cucumbers are blooming nicely, but I seem to have many more male than female blooms. Also, the very young fruit is not looking well. They went from a pale green (the same color as the stem)to a yellowish brown color. On these, the blooms also look unhealthy, i.e., they have turned brown and are beginning to fall off
What am I doing wrong?

Hi Jim
Your flowers failed to set fruit. The first flowers that appear are male and provide the pollen for the female flowers. The male flower normally drops off after blooming. Pollination of the female flower can be affected by cold temperatures, rainy weather or inactive bees which will reduce fruit set causing fruit and flower to drop off.
Once conditions change you should get cucumbers.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 23:27:18 +0000

I am growing cucmbers for the first time. I live in the Bahamas, so I kept the cucumbers in pots & growing up a trellis on a verandah with part sun. I am pleased to report that I have already harvested one lovely tasting cucmber & are looking forward to some more soon! I found them to be very easy to grow.

Cucumbers are easy to grow in a large container and can be quite prolific.

By: Ken

Ken — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 20:11:49 +0000

I am growing cucumbers and squash, and tomatoes. All my plants leaves are turning brown a bit and have some holes in them. Is this a disease or bugs, etc.

Are the leaves turning brown at the margins? Do they have brown spots on them? What kind of weather conditions have you had lately?

By: Cucumber

Cucumber — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 02:52:55 +0000

Just wanted to add to the information regarding . Reading the comment s left above, in regards to minimizing the bitterness in some cucumbers, be sure to pick the fruits early in the morning before the heat of the day sets in.

Thanks, that’s a good idea

By: Andy Moore

Andy Moore — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 21:59:33 +0000

I am planting cucumbers for the first time.The variety on the package said pickle bush.They are now in full bloom and are the size of pumpkins how are they to be used?

Hi Andy
Are the leaves the size of a pumpkin plant or are you referring to the “pickles”? If the pickles are the size of pumpkins, then you are growing something else, perhaps some kind of squash. Pickle bush cucumbers produce small cucs about 4 1/2 ” long. They can be eaten fresh just llike any cucumber or pickled. You can also make bread & butter pickles which are preserved in jars for future use.

By: Anna

Anna — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 23:19:50 +0000

Our plants are producing bitter cucumbers - what causes this?

Hi Anna
Hot weather and moisture stress can cause bitter cucumbers. Try to keep the soil evenly moist and mulch around the plants. The bitterness is usually near the stem and skin, so peel your cucumber and cut off the stem ends before eating.

By: venessa...

venessa... — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:52:00 +0000

my cucumbers are growing great and have lots of flowers, but my leaves are turning yellow……is it because of the root not getting enough water???????

All the leaves? or older leaves? Do they have spots on them? You don’t mention feeding them. Cucs need additional fertilizer when they start to vine and keep the soil moist for good fruit formation. One *source recommends spraying the plants with kelp when the first blossoms appear.
*Rodale’s garden

By: Sheri Baker

Sheri Baker — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 18:59:01 +0000

I am growing burpless hybrid cucumbers. But they are not turning the dark green color. I know you should pick them before they turn yellow, but they don’t seem to green up very well.

Some hybrid cucs are a lighter green color, it might just be the variety. If they are the right size pick one and try it -better to pick them young than overgrown.