What to grow now
CUCUMBERS & GHERKINS
Why you should grow them Cucumbers taste best when homegrown, as the flavour and sweetness of the fruits is notably di erent from shop-bought. Most cucumbers are climbing plants, meaning one seed produces a big crop from one plant that won’t take up much ground space.
When to sow
Sow cucumber seeds from early spring to early summer, ideally indoors (although they can be sown directly into the soil if started in June). Seeds need a minimum temperature of 20C to germinate, and the plants will not tolerate frost.
When to harvest
Harvest cucumbers from mid-summer to mid-autumn. Gherkins are ready about a month after the first cucumbers.
Varieties you won’t ind in the greengrocers Availability in the shops bears very little relation to the richness of options you can grow yourself. Decorative heirloom varieties include ‘Crystal Apple’ and ‘Crystal Lemon’, a climber with round, flavoursome yellow fruit that’s suitable for indoor and outdoor growing. For lunchboxes, try ‘Green Fingers’ (short and smooth-skinned), or cucamelons (Melothria scabra) – tiny fruits that taste like a cucumber crossed with a lime. This plant is a new arrival on the UK veg-growing scene. For gherkins, grow ‘Venlo Pickling’, which can be preserved or eaten fresh, or ‘Patio Snacker’, a variety that’s compact enough to be grown in a pot. While most cucumbers grown at home are dark green, ‘White Wonder’ is creamy white all over and has a citrussy flavour. It’s one to grow outdoors and is a prolific cropper.
Alternative uses
Train a traditional variety to cover a wall, with fruits forming on several sideshoots. For modern varieties, grow several plants up one large tripod, with a space in the centre for a little den. Try harvesting half a large cucumber, leaving the rest on the plant for later. Cucumbers are best stored in the fridge, but you can leave them in a jug with the stem end standing in a little water to make them last longer.
Other bene its
Cucumbers go from plot to plate faster than most other veg. Due to being held o the ground, they stay clean and they’re easy to cut and peel, so this is a crop that you’ll be strongly motivated to harvest.