This year Sow True Seed has graciously donated extra cucumber seed so that I can deputize @ Large Cucumber Reporters. The time for planting cucumbers will be here before you know it! Especially for those of you who live farther south than I do.
Let me tell you about the Cucumber varieties.
Slicing Cucumber Muncher: I’ve never grown this variety before. I typically grow cucumbers that stay on the smaller size. The description states that this one won’t get bitter even at the longer lengths that it grows.
Richmond Green Apple: I haven grown this one before – it’s an excellent producer for us. The roundish cucumbers have a milder flavor and the skin seems thinner to me.
Suyo Long: These babies can grow up to 18 inches long!!! Now that’s something to get excited about. I’ve never grown these either, but I can’t wait to see what a 18 inch cucumber tastes like.
Marketmore 76: This one is described as one of the best all around cucumbers – even good for selling at the market.
Boston: According to the description, this is the cucumber for pickling. I’m excited about growing it for the first time because I put up lots of pickles each summer.
Bush Pickle: I grow this one every year. It is a great producer and it does take up way less space than cucumber varieties that run.
So what does being a Blind Pig & the Acorn Cucumber Reporter @ Large mean?
Sow True Seed is always looking for feedback about their seeds. You know things like plant growth, production, pest issues, and most of all taste.
To be an @ large reporter you simply need to plant the cucumber seeds, keep track of how they grow, and send your findings and observations to either me or directly to Sow True Seed. If you can snap a few photos along the way for me to share here on the Blind Pig-that would be fantastic too.
*This year’s reporters @ large project has closed, but be on the lookout for other reporting @ large projects.
Tipper
I am thinking about planting cucumbers in the children’s garden at school. We are making an effort to be a “green school.” Marge
Big thanks to b.Ruth for her tips on how to use that charcoal! 🙂
Tipper,
If it helps Quinn…we use wood ash in sprinkled on top of our raised beds as we recondition them with compost old dried manure etc…before we tiller it all in together…
Adding some wood ashes to compost along is helpful as well…
I know this sounds crazy but we used to put burnt wooden matches in the plant hole, add a little soil over the ashes then plant our bell peppers and other pepper…We always have pretty peppers.
Our soil tends to be too acid so wood ashes brings down the high acidity…??
My Mother and I when making our soil up for replanting irises…gathered buckets of wood loam from under the trees…very light but then we added some wood ashes to lower the PH…We grew bearded irises…they also benefit from the potassium.
Thanks…
Tipper,
Because of my back issues, I may not have a garden this year, but I do enjoy reading about all the @ Large folks that participate. Sow True Seed, a company out of Asheville, is a must for our neck of the
woods as well as other parts of the country. I look forward to reading the reports later when the garden stuff starts coming in…Ken
Tipper,
Thanks to Sow True seeds and your blog for making available these beautiful cucumber seeds…I have my email on it’s way to you already. Hoping that this year will be a better year for us. We love cucumbers…Like “Bubba Shrimp” we use cucumbers a “zillion” ways…I love sliced cucumber, tomato, lettuce, mayo sandwiches…fresh cucumber (with salt/pepper) add a delightful crunch.. Chopped in a fresh from scratch garden slaw, grated cabbage, chopped tomato, chopped green onion, minced carrot, chopped more course fresh cold cucumber, mayo, salt, pepper and eat it quick or if you have left over…set it on a sieve the next day then eat or if necessary add a bit more mayo… All sorts of pickles. Sweet, dill, or sour! Sliced, chunk, spears, halves, or whole….Relishes of any type, sweet or sour…for beans, hamburgers, hotdog or on sandwiches… Sweet, crisp cucumber pickles alone or a sandwich, bread, one slice slathered with peanut butter…..No, I am not pregnant…just love the sweet crunch and peanut butter together…I have friends today loving this sandwich.. Cucumber salads congealed with gelatin (old recipe) but delicious! Chopped with tomato and add my favorite lite Catalina dressing goes well with spaghetti or pasta dishes…No need to add lettuce (if you are out of it) Keeps a day or so in the fridge too. Then there are pinwheels (don’t peel) make and pack in a pint jar of Red Wine Vinegar, add salt to taste…let sit a day if you can…or at least til supper…yummm! Then we eat sliced, spears salt/pepper just about any way….Many a time a small new cucumber gets wiped on a work shirt (if wet) and eaten, peel and all, before it gets to the house..ha
Thanks Tipper
That first picture threw me for a second – I thought it was some kind of rough-coated cucumber! 🙂 I’m hoping to put up a stockpanel arch for a trellis in one spot this year…maybe I’ll finally get some edible cukes.
Tipper, do you ever use charcoal in your garden? I burned off a huge brushpile and I’m sure the thousands of little chunks of charcoal would be good for some kind of plants, but no idea which ones.
Yes! Sow True and spring are synonymous. I am so happy to see both of them this year. It looks like a bounty year of cucumbers with some new varieties.
Thank you Sow True for sponsoring the @Large Reporters and for the work you do year round to save our traditional seeds!