Cucumber - Outdoor

Type: Vegetable

Rotation Group: 0, No rotation needed


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BURPLESS TASTY GREEN

Burpless Tasty Green produces long slender fruits of excellent flavour. It is highly digestable and bitter free. Fruits can reach up to 20-30cm (10-12in) in length and the flesh is tender and crisp. Use support when grown outside or indoors.
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MARKETMORE 76

A great choice for outdoor cropping, where it will produce plenty of 20cm/8in long, dark green-skinned straight fruits with a proper cucumber flavour. The plants show some resistance to powdery and downy mildews.
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LA DIVA

this all-female, indoor/outdoor variety is easy to manage, producing fruits that are extra sweet and non-bitter with a smooth thin skin. They have a lovely crisp texture as well. Pick from gherkin-size onwards.
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BURPEES BUSH CHAMPION

This superb bush variety grows to only about a third of the size of other varieties, therefore only requiring a third of the space. It's great for containers and raised beds, producing a bountiful crop of delicious cucumbers. Huge 20-30cm (8-12") cucumbers in one third of the space.

Site, Soil and Preparation

Outdoor cucumbers need well drained, rich, fertile (plenty of well rotted maure or compost) well dug soil in a warm, sheltered sunny site.

Indoor Sowing

Sow cucumber seed indoors from April to May for transplanting later on. Sow seeds on their sides in small 750mm (3in) pots of seed compost at a depth of about 25mm (1in). Place in a propagator or seal pots inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 20-25C (68-77F) until germination which takes 5-7 days.

Outdoor Sowing

In early summer it should be possible to sow cucumber seeds directly outdoors. Dig 300mm wide holes, 250mm deep filled with well rotted manure or compost and replace the soil to create a mound. Sow 2-3 seeds 25mm deep in each mound and cover with a cloche to aid germination. Plant 900mm (3ft) apart.

Thinning

"Thin indoor sown plants during transplantation to final growing position. Thin outdoor sown plants to leave 1 plant to each mound."

Transplanting

Transplant to outdoors in late May - early June into 300mm wide holes, 250mm deep filled with well rotted manure or compost and replace the soil to create a mound. Plant the cucumber seedling into the top of the mound. Plant 900mm (3ft) apart.

Care

Keep plants well watered and feed regularly with a high potash fertiliser. Climbing varieties will need the support of a framework or cane wigwam.

Harvest

Allow the fruits to develop to the full size for the variety and pick before they start to yellow.