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tracydr

Planting cucumbers for pickles

tracydr
12 years ago

I have given up on spring cucumbers in AZ, at least traditional cucumbers. Fall is a much better season, I believe. I've had dismal failure for two years trying to get enough cucumbers to pickle. I think the heat stresses the plants into producing an abundance of male flowers. The season goes from too cool to too hot far too quickly. Ive tried afternoon shade, but its not working. Therefore, I'm moving my spot, preparing a new trellis and researching predominantly female flower varieties.

What pickling cucumber would you recommend for fall planting? I'm thinking about maybe Miss Pickler?

How many plants should I plant and how long of a trellis to be able to get enough to do full batches of pickles?

Please help, I really want some homemade pickles!

I love eating Armenian and lemon cukes but I just want to make some old fashioned pickles!

Comments (9)

  • digdirt2
    12 years ago

    Boston Pickling is my personal favorite but I also grow Miss Pickler. But to get enough ready all at one time for making a full batch you need several plants going all at the same time. 4-5 hills of 3 plants each will just about do it.

    Dave

  • tracydr
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Why do you prefer the Boston Pickler, Dave? Is it taste, production?
    Is there any difference in best variety for fall vs spring? I will be planting in 105 degree heat but it will be probably high nineties when the plants start producing.

  • terrybull
    12 years ago

    i grow the variety called homemade pickles and boston pickler and i think the boston stay crisper. just my 3 cents.

  • digdirt2
    12 years ago

    Agree that Boston stays crisper than most other varieties I have tried but it also climbs better than Miss Pickler and produces more.

    Miss Pickler tends to stay relatively small plant and vine wise - good for containers or small gardens. Boston is a much bigger plant with longer vines and more production. But I also find it less heat tolerant than Miss Pickler so several of both gives me the best of both worlds. JME

    Dave

  • tracydr
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I have Boston Pickler seeds, if I could get them to produce. My problem, right now, is that the plants look fabulous, despite a few whiteflies. However, they are only making male flowers, and have been since they started flowering. I believe I planted these around the first of May, so they are around 8 weeks old.
    Could be a combination of shade and heat. I put them in a shady location, partly hoping to minimize heat and partly because i have a great trellis there.They get only about 4 hours of sun a day. I have since realized that the sidewalk and house wall are a heat sink and they are probably much hotter than if I'd put them in direct sun. So, I'm going to put a new trellis in a garden bed that I'm currently filling and it will be direct sun. This will be a sixteen foot trellis, dedicated to cucumbers for the fall. Perhaps I'll just give the Boston Picklers another try. I have no problems with pollination, my squashes are getting pollinated without any artificial insemination on my part, although I do sometimes help my lonely kabocha along, since it doesn't have any other Maximas to play with. I have to be careful not to get stung by a bee whenever I mess with the flowers, though.

  • cozy
    12 years ago

    We went with Regal this year and it has performed well for us.

    {{gwi:81386}}

  • tracydr
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    If they are a little less heat tolerant, I could just plant them a little later. My first frost date is sometimes not until December. Last year, I planted one cucumber in about October, gave up on cucumbers and fro got about it, not even watering it. Late in December, I was cleaning the barrel of vines and I found one perfect little cucumber. I ate it and there wasn't a trace of bitterness. Makes me think that fall cucumbers stand a pretty decent chance of being far more successful than spring cukes, at least for certain varieties, anyway. Probably not the real heat lovers like lemon or armenian cucumbers.

  • lazyfaith
    9 years ago

    I made bread and butter pickles using Armenian pickles and Maui onions
    They turned out great !

  • galinas
    9 years ago

    I plant Little leaf and Adam Gherkin Hybrid, they both parthenocarpic, we have bad cucumber beetles issue, so I have to plant in a screen house. Little leaf is a little slow to start and not gynoecious, but very dependable for me. Adam did OK, at least started earlier and it is gynoecious. Also tried other gynoecious European cucumbers, but they seem not to like even our zone 5 b summer heat. Not sure how Little leaf and Adam will do in zone 9.