Parthenocarpic Cucumbers

I know it is problematic to plant monoecious and Parthenocarpic cucumbers within at least 150 feet of each other, but can I plan t 2 Parthenocarpic cucumber varieties in the same garden such as Sweet Success and Suyo Long? (I think sumo long may not be parthenocarpic but I also have Diva and Sweet Success and I believe both of these are) . Will they cross pollinate and affect the characteristics of the cucumbers?

This message was edited Mar 9, 2021 9:34 AM

Parthenocarpic plants are seedless or have sterile seeds. Suyo long is not parthenocarpic. I have grown it for years and always save seed. I can't always go 150' so I plant fence or trellis crops such as pole beans or tomatoes as a divider.

To me the main advantage in growing parthenocarpic plants is to be able to row cover because of insect problems. Since insect pollination is not required there's no problem. I can't advise on your other varieties as to their parthenocarpy.

I keep reading that Parthenocarpic varieties will misshapen or become bitter if grown with other pollinating varieties in a garden. Is this true? I've grown Suyo long for years and it was never bitter (right next to all sorts of others).
The 150 ft rule seems arbitrary (and probably not true) since bees travel miles to bring pollen home...they could easily flit a 150 ft from one cucumber plant to the next.

Once again...Suyo is not a parthenocarpic cucumber variety. It is an open pollinated heirloom. I have no expertise with parthenocarpic cucumber varieties but my guess would be that just as their open pollinated cucumber and squash relatives become misshapen from poor pollination, perhaps the inherent suppression of pollination results in a greater number of deformed fruits with parthenocarpic varieties.

Parthenocarpic cucumbers can be pollinated. They even produce a few male flowers. They are gynoecious cucumbers so they produce mainly female flowers. If they are pollinated unevenly, the fruit will be misshapen and the seeds will be larger. The fruit will still be edible. It just won't be uniform. As far as I know, I have grown Suyo Long cucumbers for years and they are parthenocarpic and do not require pollination for fruit set. The way you can tell if a cucumber is parthenocarpic is to look at the seed cavity. If the seeds are small and undeveloped and has not been pollinated, it is probably parthenocarpic. If a parthenocarpic variety has been pollinated, it will develop larger seeds. The varieties you mention that are parthenocarpic can all cross pollinate, however, only if you plan to save seeds, would it be necessary to isolate them. Remember too, that most of the cucumbers you mentioned are hybrids in the first place and may not breed true to type. Suyo Long is an heirloom from China, but normally it does not set seed so you would have to pollinate it on purpose. How you pollinate the plant and if your pollination is exclusive will determine whether the plant will breed true from seed.

I stand corrected. Suyo is parthenocarpic. Mine have well developed seed, without any assistance other than insects, that are viable with a great germination rate. I plant them distanced from Sumter and Boston Pickling. I have been growing this variety for more than fifteen years and from seed saved each year.