Does anyone have an idea of what may be causing my pickling cukes to curl up like this? The normal one on the right is the exception to the rule this year. They are planted in a raised bed with lots of compost dug in, they get regular irrigation when needed and they get a weekly treatment of Daconil. We had an exceptionally cold, wet spring, now we are having a very hot spell with no rain. Yield is also very low. I suspect weather is the cause, but would love to hear other ideas.
Not sure, but I have some of those too. But mine are English Cukes. They are really long and in the middle they are sometimes skinny and the ends are fat and they curl! HA! I have to figure out how to put in a picture. Guess I have to go to Dave School...LOL I will watch to see if any one knows why cukes do this. I was thinking maybe not enough water at some point in the growth. Just a guess.
Deformed cukes usually are indicative of a pollination problem.
Jul: Not enough water usually effects size and taste (they get bitter) rather than shape.
Thanks Brook. No bitter cukes here! We have had more bees this last week. But before that not too many. Sounds reasonable to me.
U-mmm....Cuke sandwiches.......>^,,^< SB
***NEXT DAY *** Umm-Um Sandwich-Smanwich! Enjoyed it right off the vine.....Life is good ;-)....SB >^,,^<
This message was edited Saturday, Jul 19th 1:47 PM
Harvesting Cucumbers
Harvest cucumbers for pickling when the fruits are 4 to 5
inches long. With some pickling cultivars, it may be
necessary to pick daily to prevent them from becoming
overgrown. If just one cucumber is allowed to fully mature,
the entire vine will quit producing.
If you plan to use them fresh, wait until they're 7 to 8
inches long. Use a sharp knife or pair of scissors when
harvesting, and leave a short length of stem on each fruit.
Cucumbers can develop a bitter taste when soil moisture is
inconsistent so keep the soil around the plants evenly moist.
Most of the bitterness is concentrated in the ends of the
fruits, so cut them off prior to slicing the fruits. Cucumbers
will keep for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Here is a picture of my English "Chelsea Prize" cucumbers. Some of them curled up and were hollow in the middle of the thin area. But most of these last ones look fine. I have noticed we have more bees in the yard lately. I like the mild non-bitter taste and the smaller seed cavity. But you will notice the vine does not look it's best. I can deal with that as long as the cukes are good. Very nice fruit and loves this hot weather. We have been in the 3 digits for the last 3 weeks.
