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Cucumbers in South Florida?!

Stellabee
13 years ago

Hi Everybody!

I just moved to South Florida, and have started a small vegetable garden. I tried to grow Sumter and Marketmore organic cucumbers, but they haven't done very well like they did back home in Atlanta. They've really struggled actually being that they didn't produce much and even died quite quickly.

Does anyone on this forum grow cucumber in South Florida successfully? If so, I'd love to know what varieties and any tips!

Thanks!

Stellabee

Comments (15)

  • amberroses
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    These are cucumbers' enemies:

    1. Hot or cold temperatures- You have to plant at the right time of year.

    2. Disease: Particularly powder mildew. You can plant a resistant variety and spray anti-fungals to prevent this. Good air circulation is also important.

    3. Nematodes and/or poor soil fertility. Our sand is not the favorite of cucumbers. Grow in containers or raised beds with good loose soil.

    4. Insects- Lots. My least favorite is the pickelworm.

    Do you think one of these may be your cucumber killer?

  • suddensam
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Lou, you just cost me $19.05, seeds ordered. I too have one heck of a time with cucs, squash,or mellons, powery mildew, aphids or white flys one or the other is a real problem. Im gona try again.
    Plant em if you got em.
    Sam

  • amberroses
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Tip O' the Day- Johnny's had Diamant on sale a couple of weeks ago when I ordered from them. I think the seeds were $1 or $2.

  • loufloralcityz9
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Suddensam,

    With my heated greenhouse tents I try to grow veggies year
    round when there are no bees to pollinate the crops. That's
    why I was very interested when Tom led me to the varieties
    of parthenocarpic veggies. They also have zucchinis. They
    are working on a yellow summer squash, but it's in field
    test stage right now (soon to be released).

    Perfect Pick Hybrid Zucchini (Jung 03561)

    Just about the most perfect zucchini you can grow!
    This superb summer squash has the unique feature of
    being parthenocarpic, it doesn't require pollination
    by insects to set fruit. As a result, it produces
    high yields even when weather conditions aren't
    favorable. It can even be grown under row covers or
    in greenhouses successfully. The fruits are very high
    quality with glossy dark green skin and nearly seedless
    flesh that has excellent flavor. Optimum picking size
    is when fruits are 6 to 8 inches long.

    Caveli Hybrid Zucchini (Jung 03526)

    The light green partner to our popular Perfect Pick
    Hybrid! Caveli is also parthenocarpic and has all
    the great qualities of Perfect Pick, but has light
    green, tender skin and nearly seedless white flesh
    with outstanding flavor. The leaves of the bushy
    plants are curiously mottled with light green, making
    them almost ornamental. If you like Perfect Pick,
    you'll love Caveli.

    Sure Thing Zucchini Hybrid (Burpee 54841A).

    This Burpee zucchini bears fruit early in cool, cloudy
    conditions even when there are no bees or male flowers
    around. Its medium-size fruits are long and very tasty.
    Strongest flavor, good with other vegetables. 48 days.

    Lou

  • whgille
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree with all the posters above about the cucumbers being one of the most difficult crop to grow. Like Amber said it is the most important thing to plant them at the right time. The soil has to be heavily amended to avoid nematodes and have to spray regularly for disease and bugs. Can also successfully grown in a container. Some varieties do better than others. I like to plant a variety small for just one salad, medium ones and bigger ones like the oriental varieties. Since they are all difficult to grow, go for the one that you like the taste.

    Chinese cucumber

    {{gwi:44481}}

    Suyo long

    {{gwi:44483}}

    Diva

    Silvia

  • tomncath
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One more parthenocarpic cuke by Jung is the Sweet Success, I grew this one as well as the others in containers last season and it was fav right up there with Diva and Cool Breeze. You have to keep them well separated from pollinators though as cross-pollination will result in deformed shapes, cukes won't be uniform in size and shape at all.

    Tom

  • tomncath
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I didn't manage to get any really good pictures of Sweet Success on the vine but here's a picture after being picked, Sweet Success on the left, Cool Breeze on the right. No Diva's in there but their size is in between the other two.

    Tom

  • loufloralcityz9
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Sylvia grows those very very long thin Asian cucumbers because all the nematodes in her garden are short fat little fellows.

    Lou

  • Stellabee
    Original Author
    13 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey Amberroses, you know, I really don't know exactly why they got so weak and died. I did notice that after it got down into the 30's one night, that they started to look pretty pitiful. It is rare for that kind of weather to happen here, so I covered them with sheets.
    Outside of that though, the Marketmoore really wouldn't even grow??!! Weird...

    Hey Lou, thanks for so much information. After reading your stuff here and some of Tom's, I'm thinking about Diva and Sweet Success. I'm kind of bummed though that organic strains don't seem to do well down here. Hmm....?!

    Anyway, thanks so much for the input, Everybody!

    Stellabee

  • awmartin22
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have a raised bed and my cucumbers grow but, i only get 2 n by then the plants have died out.. It looks like white spots n like something is eating the leaves.. What can i use or do to prevent this from happening? I live in south fl.. Redlands area..

  • nighthawk0911
    7 years ago

    Tried Marketmore 76 & Spacemaster before. Neither did well, but Marketmore is a real loser in 9B. Plants don't handle the heat well. One catalog description says it's more for NORTHERN gardens.

    Like everyone says cukes are hard to do in Florida. Partly because we have nematodes, diseases and the dreaded pickleworm/melonworm moth maggots all year long here. They decimate the plants unless you spray with BT or something else. My next attempt will be self-pollinating varieties like Diva or Sweet Success in containers on my screen porch to keep those miserable pickle worm moth maggots at bay. According to what I have read cukes surprisingly only need a 1 gallon pot to grow in.

  • dirtygardener73
    7 years ago

    nighthawk0911, I share your frustrations over cucumbers. It takes a long time to get used to the growing seasons in your area. I finally gave up and just planted everything in pots. I did find that pickling cukes did better than the long ones, and the Armenian cukes did best of all. I do recommend growing them in containers, though, and don't sit the containers on the ground, sit them on something that the nematodes can't get up through. I elevated my containers on landscape pavers.Cucumbers simply will not grow in the summer here. I had the hardest time getting used to not having fresh cucumbers in my salads. Gardening in SC was an absolute BREEZE compared to SW FL. I haven't tried cukes up here in 9a yet, but I may do some in containers this winter.

    If you like zucchini, I'm having good luck with angled luffa, which is a good summer substitute for it. I don't have a lot of seeds, but I'd be happy to send you a few. PM me if you like.

  • nighthawk0911
    7 years ago

    Thanks.

    "Don't leave your car windows down during Zucchini season" : ) - Old gardening joke

  • Bob & Merlou Glazer
    4 years ago

    We planted Tasty Jade from Johnny's Select seeds, and have had great success. We live in the Keys, and planted them from seed in late February. They are still growing and producing now (late August). We have 2 vines planted in raised beds (horse tanks), and growing on trellises. We amend the soil with compost and a vegetable fertilizer that contains calcium. So far we haven't had any problems with pests or diseases. This variety is resistant to powdery mildew.

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