Thanks. Just had to tell someone who understands.

We sure do understand. I have three myself now, so microscopic that they still have the blossoms on the ends. I made sure they got pollenated, though (you may want to avert your eyes now --- LOL).

I also just pulled up the marigolds that were sharing the cucumbers' pot. I put them in there for interest --- while the cukes were little they grew so slowly I was worried they'd never fill their pot (a 12-inch bell planter with two plants of a space-saving bush cuke variety). But they're finally looking like they need the room.

Zabby

I think I'll do cucumbers next year, if only so that I don't have to clean that nasty wax off the ones from the store. I have started boycotting waxed produce.

My salad bush plants were doing so poorly at the beginning of June, I thought I'd never see cukes, but somehow, that was the first veggie I got from my garden this year. I ate my first cuke last week and I'm about to get the second this week. Pickin's are rather slim after that though, so I guess I'd rather have more cukes than early cukes!

Mike

Z

Yes, it's bees. Or obssessive gardeners. If you've seen some bees around, you are probably ok. I think that cuke flowers usually stay open for a few days, so you've got a good chance. Pumpkins and squashes have flowers with short lives, and fewer of them, so people seem to hand-pollenate them more often to be sure.

If you want to be ultra-sure you can do it yourself. You need to have both a male and a female flower open at he same time. Pick the male (he has just a skinny stem behind him, no mini cuke). Pick off the petal part of the flower so only the middle part remains. Swish this part (stamens? pistils? someone smarter than me can tell you what it's called; all I know is it's got pollen on it!) around inside your female flower. (You can do several female flowers with one male. Let's not discuss the metaphorical implications of that.... LOL)

But you I bet yours is pollenated. If it isn't, it falls off pretty quick. Happy cukes!

Zabby

Last year I was panicking; my first-ever such crop, three pumpkin plants, made nothing but males for a week, then nothing but females for 3 or 4 more days. I was going crazy; thought I'd NEVER get fruit. Started coming up with crazy cucurbit dating schemes! But pretty soon I was regularly getting both, and I ended up with 2 dozen or so pumpkins, so this year I'm trying to just have faith...

Zabby

After all my smug offering advice on ensuring cucumbers get pollenated, my first one withered away despite my efforts to enhance its sex life. Talk about ungrateful.

HOWEVER, a few others seem to have taken, without my intervention --- my biggest is 3 or 4 inches long now, about the size of a dill pickle. I'm waiting for it to be slicing size, however!

Hope yours are progressing...

Zabby

So today I'm looking through my William Dam seed catalogue, which is the local company where I bought most of my seeds. And I see that they say the variety I have, "Salad Bush," is "parthenocarpic," with "all-female flowers" and therefore needs no pollenation! So those few of mine that didn't develop must've dried up for some other reason, and I have no idea what it is. Several seem to have "taken" and be growing, so I've no complaints. Just the realization that, as usual, I know a lot less than I thought I did....

Zabby, who figures it's time to put out the seed catalogues and get out the recipe books...

BTW, size does matter and mine are defintely getting bigger! I never had any idea how pretty a cucumber vine climbing a white trellis could be. Pretty darn nice.

About pot size: some years back I grew the pickling type cucumbers in *I think* a 10" pot, they didn't do great but I had some cucumbers. Keeping them watered was the biggest problem.

We're both still learning all right!

Mine surprises me with its prettiness too, growing up my wrought-iron fence. I've got two more definitely growing in addition to my "biggie." Woo hoo! Let's do the happy cucumber dance and break out the salad dressing!

Zabby

I've noticed something else that's really pretty, I have pole beans in pots on the railing, growing up to the eaves and across. From the ground they look really nice. They have blossoms too!

I need to find out how to do stuffed zucchini. I'm thinking of handing the big zuke to my neighbor and saying it's my contribution to dinner, he can make a stuffed zuke since he told me he likes it like that. Then he can tell me how he did it. I bet I have more red cherry tomatoes out there too.

What do your pole beans climb up to get to the eaves?

My Greek cookbook's recipe for stuffed zucchini:

4 med. zucchini
2 Tbsp butter
1 sm onion, chopped
4 oz ground lamb or beef
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped oregano
2 tsps chopped fresh parsley
2 tsps chopped fresh fennel (I use dill)
2 oz cooked long-grain rice
2 tbsps grated cheese
salt & pepper

[If vegetarians are coming to dinner, I omit the meat, add a few Tbsps of bread crumbs and and egg to hold it together, and am generous with the cheese]

- remove ends from zuc, chop in half, scoop out middles
- parboil for 2 minutes in boiling salted water; rinse in colde water right away
- cook onions in half the butter until soft; & transparent; add meat and cook till beginning to brown
- chop remaining zuc flesh and add to meat
- add all other ingredients, mix well, and fill hollows in zucs
- melt remaining butter in large frying pan; place in zuchs in a single layer; add water to halfway up the sides; cover
- cook over gentle heat for 20 minutes, basting occasionally; add more water if nec.
- when zucs are tender, remove to a serving dish; save 1/2 cup of the liquid

SAUCE: beat 2 egg yolks and juice of 1 lemon together in a small saucepan; add some of the hot cooking liquid from the zucs; cook over gentle heat, whisking, till slightly thickened; strain & pour over zucs

I was thinking of trying this with my pattypan squash --- would be pretty!

Cheers,

Zabby

My beans are climbing upholstery thread! The day I was ready to take care of the stringing up, it was all I could find in my apt. to use. It works. I tied it to the railing and ran it up to the eaves and tied it to nails or hooks, whichever was already there. I did put a few small nails up where there wasn't anything else. I now have baby beans showing up! The beans climb up just fine but they only want to go up so I have to take the tips of the vines and move them horizontally along the threads. I learned from this that it makes sense to try to move them toward the sun rather than away from it. Obvious now, I should have realized it before I started.

Zabby

Sometimes I just pollinate one kind of flower at a time, or else I have to remember which kind of pollen I've got on a particular finger! To help remember which finger goes in to tickle each type of flower, I use a simple size system. The long middle finger only tickles the innards of the largest squash & melon/pumpkin blooms. Pointy finger goes in the next smaller/medium blooms - likely to be cukes, summer squash etc. size blooms. Pinkies are for tomato blooms. That way I can move thru the garden pretty quickly and don't have to wait so long to start seeing fruit.

Harvest of lemon cukes and summer squash begins for me this week - and peas, beans and greens have been going strong for awhile now. I have a few people scheduled for Aug and Sept to help with canning - for my first time - as more than 40 tomato plants are fruiting and lots more were set in last week. At frost my sunroom will be JAMMED with buckets full of ripening plants...all the way to Xmas. (I'm counting on an Indian summer - and still seeding stuff - and just can't stop! Somebody help me! LOL!)

pdxJules - newbie Urban Farmer

Folks are enjoying the Lemon Cukes I'm sharing. And 10 healthy pumpkins are nearly orange now already - Tickling gave me more & earlier than I would've had otherwise, IMO.

My pal Loyd and I joined forces and made a huge Horiataki Salad (which uses lots of Cucumber and tomatoes, and NO leaf lettuce) with what I grew, including tomatoes, celery, mint, oregano. My tender yellow squash were a nice addition to the Horiataki. Loyd added the lemon, olive oil, Feta, Green Pepper and Walla Walla Sweet onion. I snuck in an apple from a weekend gleaning mission in the Oregon Countryside.

For appetizers and dinner extras, make - or visit a European/Greek Market - for Hummus, Tatziki (salt and drain shredded cukes and then blend with drained yogurt, garlic and lemon), Pita or Greek bread, stuffed grape leaves, Kalamata Olives, Sheep Feta (highest in Omega 3 fatty acids of the cheeses)

Someone can also cook Spanikopita - there the many recipies on the web. It's a great way to use your garden Spinach and garic, and enjoy the Olympics.

Have someone pick up some Cava Boutari, Cambas, Santa Laura or other good Greek Wine - and you have an Olympic feast! Flaming Kasseri, Ouzo and Metaxa really are OPTIONAL after all this! Save that for Greek Independence day or the Olympic victory celebration - hosted by a friend
with large screen ot HDTV. Yiamas!

I've been sharing extras with lots of other gardeners - especially newbies from Craigslist.com or my local FreeCycle (scan Yahoo Groups for your area)
- and people who shared stuff with me from last year's garden definetly are getting theirs too! If someone is in the Portland area - come get some of my extra seed.

Perfect rainy weather for Winter Sowing now...altho I prefer to keep cukes indoors most of the time unless nights are warm, with the peppers, basil & tomato babies. Last month my cuke seedlings were outside alot. Consequently the cuke-kids look hardy, stems are strong, and ready to rumble, even though still short.

I predict they'll produce by early July and go all summer!
Am making Tatziki today with those tasteles guys from the store. Extra garlic and parsley will be the fix. And I'll use it as a dressing on some spicy mustard greens...currently the showiest thing in my late winter garden. The greens will be shaded by June with happy Cukes.