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Grow Some Cool, Crunchy Cucumbers
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The first ripe
Cucumber of the season rarely makes it into the kitchen. Strolling through the garden munching on a crunchy
Cucumber is one of those deeply satisfying experiences that only gardeners are able to enjoy. Eat one or eat a dozen! Thirst-quenching
Cucumbers are more than 90% water and will never spoil your appetite or expand your waistline. They are high in Vitamin C, beta-carotene and manganese, and have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits as well.
Given rich soil and plenty of moisture, a
Cucumber plant will produce an astonishing amount of fruit~a good thing considering their affinity for pretty summer salads, irresistible appetizers, chilled soups and refreshing beverages.
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Direct-Sow Cucumbers Now!
Easy, direct-sow
Cucumbers are heat-loving plants that need full sun, well-draining soil, high fertility and plenty of water. You can start the seeds in pots about a month before planting outdoors, but if you wait until the soil warms up to at least 60°F, you can simply direct-sow the seeds into the garden and the plants will quickly catch up. In warm soil (80-85°F),
Cucumber seeds will germinate in just 3 days. In cooler soil, germination can take up to 10 days or longer.
Plant the seeds in twos or threes, spaced 2 to 3 feet apart.
Cukes need regular watering and prefer a rich garden bed. For the best-tasting Cukes, never let your
Cucumber plants go thirsty. Bitterness is usually the result of dry weather. Fertilize those hungry plants regularly. Cucumbers taste best
before they reach their largest size. Pick frequently, before the seed cavities begin to swell. Be sure to peek under the leaves so that you don't miss any fruit. If a plant produces one full-size
Cucumber with mature seeds, its production will slow or stop entirely.
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A Cuke for Every Garden
Some Cucumbers are short and fat, while others are long and thin. Some have smooth skin and some have prickly little spines. To know them is to love them! We would like to introduce you to a few of our favorites.
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These are the workhorse Cucumbers, so useful in summer salads on a hot summer day.
Slicing Cucumbers are usually long, firm and thin-skinned.
Greenhouse English-Type Cucumbers are the seedless cukes that you see shrink-wrapped in the markets. They are long and slender and pale green with paper-thin skin. They are delicious and have extra-crunchy flesh.
65 days. This vigorous heirloom holds up to hot humid weather and is resistant to downy mildew. This is an early maturing slicer with a high yield of tapered, 7" to 9" dark green Cucumbers. (OP.)
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50 days. Tanja produces slender, dark green, 12" Cukes that are firm and crunchy, burpless and bitterfree~everything you want in a great slicer. The plants start producing in just 50 days. (OP.)
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52 days. This Mediterranean-type has smooth, shiny, bright light green skin with a slightly tapered, cylindrical shape best picked when 6" by 2". It because it need not ever be peeled. (F1.)
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55 days. Small leaves and short vines make this disease-resistant and high-yielding Cucumber ideal for growing in pots or raised beds. Self-pollinating blossoms produce extra-crispy, thin-skinned Cucumbers. (F1.)
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60-65 days. Perfect for the garden or greenhouse, this adorable little cuke is self-pollinator yielding oodles of emerald-green, thin, smooth-skinned beauties that grow to 4 1/2" to 5" long. Its tasty, crunchy flesh is
burpless and
never bitter. (F1.)
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60-70 days. An oriental-type from Japan, Tasty King produces great tasting, burpless Cucumbers that are amazingly long. Imagine that: they can grow to 18" long but still stay scandalously thin, remaining less than 2" thick. (F1.)
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60-70 days. Pepinex is a seedless English-type variety that abundantly produces long, slender, straight, slightly ribbed, high quality Cucumbers. Grow its disease-resistant vines on a supportive trellis to keep the fruits long and straight. (F1.)
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Pickling Cukes tend to be smaller than full-size cucumbers and are bred to stay crunchy even after being processed. **All seed counts are approximate.**
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40-50 days. Moringa yields a bounteous crop of fruits which stay slim, uniform and crisp. They lend themselves to repeated small harvests over a long period. They are non-bitter and ideally harvested at 4" to 6" long and 1" in diameter. (OP.)
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45-55 days. Alibi has been bred to produce smooth fruit from the tiny, pinkie finger stage to full maturity at 4" long and 1 1/2" wide. A top-yielding variety with disease-resistant, compact vines. It is known as one of the best pickling cukes. (F1.)
A pack of 35 seeds is $3.45.
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50-60 days. This is a premier pickling Cornichon. It produces loads of gherkin or Cornichon-sized, dark green, small-spined, seedless, crunchy-sweet Cucumbers. Harvest at no more than 2" long and the width of a child's finger. (OP.)
A pack of 25 seeds is $3.55.
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Stretch your definition of Cucumbers by growing these fascinating and fantastic varieties.
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60-70 days. This petite creature resembles a lemon with whitish-yellow skin! The branching vines produce 40 to 50 crispy fruits. Pick at 2" long, before the skins darken. Enjoy it right off the vine for a burst of citrus summer flavor. (OP.)
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35-60 days. White Wonder is an heirloom variety growing vigorously even in very hot weather, producing lots of oval, ivory-skinned cukes. The crisp, tender flesh, mild flavor and unique color makes White Wonder a treat at picnics. (OP.)
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60-70 days. This rare and unique Brown Russian heirloom dates back to at least 1879. It yields plump, 5"- to 7"-long fruits with netted brown skin and crisp white flesh that imparts a mild flavor with sweet undertones. (OP.)
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60-70 days. Known as one of the best slicers, this Armenian heirloom is rarely available for purchase so you'd best grow your own. Thin-skinned and slightly ribbed, it's crisp, mild flesh has a citric finish with a unique sweetness. (OP)
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Imagine jars of your own home-grown, delicious pickles lining the shelves of your pantry. Enjoy them all winter long and give them as thoughtful holiday gifts! Make it happen in your garden
and your kitchen this year with this special discounted collection that includes seeds for all the Cucumbers and flavorings you need to get started, including (
clockwise from bottom left):
Get all 7 varieties for just $19.95! Snag this collection HERE.
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We share our best-of-the-best
recipes
in our online cookbook so you can feed your family and friends well without feeling frenzied, and practical, hands-on
Horticultural Tips
to demystify gardening with seeds. It's not tricky or difficult: it's more like easy magic.
If you need help with anything, our office hours are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. You can email us at
[email protected]
or call us at (860) 567-6086. Lance Frazon, our seed specialist, is happy to help you in any way possible. He loves to talk seeds.
23 Tulip Drive * PO Box 638 * Bantam, CT 06750
Phone: (860) 567-6086 * Fax: (860) 567-5323
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