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slimy_okra

Lemon cukes and specialty cukes

Slimy_Okra
11 years ago

Do you know if the customers at your market(s) express any demand for specialty cucumbers? At our market, only the regular English and pickling cukes are sold.

Comments (10)

  • rustico_2009
    11 years ago

    I think lemon cucumbers will do fine here they are cute and good. People might not ask for them much but they will buy them.
    Armenian here in Southern California also because so many people from different parts of the world use them, or something closer to them than regular cucumbers. I do get asked if I have these(and don't yet).

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    11 years ago

    I usually start the year with only slicing and pickling cucumbers. I also end the year with only these. However, to change things up mid summer, I grow Armenian and Lemon Cucumbers then. Also, Poona Khern a brown cucumber.

    People get tired of the same cucumbers every week, so it is nice to change it up. I can't say I sell a whole lot, but I think I sell enough to keep planting them.

    My problem with Armenians Cucumbers is they get so big that they are hard to transport to market. I usually pick them when they are 12 to 18 inches, but I have missed a few too!

    Jay

  • randy41_1
    11 years ago

    i grew lemon cukes in a hoophouse last year. they were early for my market and they sold well for 50 cents a piece.
    this year i am growing them outside and not so early. all my inside early space for cukes has either diva or tasty jade.
    tasty jade is one of those long varieties. it also sold very well early last year. i don't remember what i charged for them. i got the seed from johnnys. cuke seed for greenhouse production is expensive.

  • rustico_2009
    11 years ago

    I saw on another thread that none of Jay's cucumbers are trellised. I have my first two plantings with a trellis and am ready to put up a trellis on the third,which are marketmores.

    Am I wasting my time? Maybe Jay is only growing bush type?

    I do have lots of space available to let them run on the ground. It seems a white spot on a lemon cucumber where it touches the ground wouldn't matter much?

  • randy41_1
    11 years ago

    i trellis mine but still end up with some on the ground. some straw mulch might be good to keep the fruit off the ground.

  • jrslick (North Central Kansas, Zone 5B)
    11 years ago

    Rustico_2009:

    I have grown cucs on a trellis and I have never had any luck with them. They always seem to get diseases, bugs and breakage faster than the ones on the ground.

    I don't grow bush types. I am currently groing Vertina, H-19 Little Leaf, Early Pride, Marketmore, Olympia, Sultan, Diva and Lemon Cucumbers. I am trialing different varieties to see what happens.

    Jay

  • rustico_2009
    11 years ago

    I guess I'll just have to let some go without a trellis and keep trellising too and see what happens. A double trellis about 20" apart has worked well, more like an elongated cage, but that was on a small row and may not be that practical for more production. With the double trellis, I never had to train the vines at all, and there was never any strain on the vines like they sometimes get from single trellising.

  • brookw_gw
    11 years ago

    Last year, I grew nearly 20 varieties of cukes. I really had to push the odd ones. Three of my favorites were Dragon's Egg from Baker Creek, Salt N Pepper and Miniature White from Johnny's, I think. They never really caught on, but I planted just a few this year. Like Jay's, my trellised cukes never fared too well. However, I like to let mine vine up on those cheap, worthless tomato cages. They aren't too high but keep them off the ground enough to help them grow straight. They make picking a lot easier too.

    I've had mixed results w/melon varieties. I've grown Crenshaws, Green nutmeg, Christmas melons, all types of honeydews and canary melons. A good canteloupe like Ambrosia will outsell them all combined. I will say though that my orange and yellow watermelons have been huge successes. I've been increasing plantings of them every year--especially Orangeglo and Yellow Doll.

  • lachase
    11 years ago

    Last year I tried Crystal Apple cukes from New Zealand. They looked similar to the lemons, but were bitter and awful. I don't know if others have had better luck with these. I was so excited to taste them, but what a disappointment.

  • 2ajsmama
    11 years ago

    I was wondering about growing Little Leaf and cornichons in hanging baskets since the fruit doesn't get too large (and LL has pretty ivy-like leaves). Only problem is they would have to be watered at least once a day (esp. on west side of house). Anybody ever try it?

    I'm also going to plant some along the fence, will try the 3-ring cages (I was saving for peppers and eggplant) with the Bush Champion, which did well last year but are not what I'd call a bush.

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