There are such a lot of cucumber varieties (over 100) that it could really feel overwhelming to resolve which cukes to plant in your backyard. Right here we’ll focus on just a few favorites with the traits that set them aside and make them an incredible selection for any dwelling backyard. Cucumbers are among the many hottest vegetation grown in dwelling gardens, proper alongside tomatoes and peppers. In any case, is a summer season salad full with no homegrown cucumber? Not for me!
Most cucumber vegetation produce separate female and male flowers. To ensure that them to provide fruit, a pollinator should land on the male flower after which transfer pollen over to the feminine flowers. There are additionally parthenocarpic cucumbers that are varieties that produce largely feminine flowers, which make this course of even simpler, making certain extra fruit. They’re additionally also known as self-pollinating.
The sorts of cucumber that you just’ll generally discover within the grocery retailer are slicer cucumbers and English cucumbers, although as you’ll see under, there are such a lot of totally different varieties and kinds! So whether or not you’re searching for cucumbers for recent consuming, pickling, seedless, or simply so as to add some visible curiosity to your backyard, we’ve acquired the cucumber for you.
Slicing Cucumber Varieties
Slicing cucumber varieties are primarily used for, properly, slicing! These kinds of cucumber are greatest for recent consuming and sliced for a salad or sandwich. They often have excessive water content material and skinny darkish inexperienced pores and skin. Slicing cucumbers most intently resemble the cucumbers that you just see in grocery shops.
Marketmore 76
In all probability the commonest heirloom cucumber selection that’s identified for its capability to provide uniform fruit that holds up properly throughout transport making it a preferred selection for market growers. The Marketmore cucumber was developed by Dr. Henry Munger at Cornell College, and this open-pollinated pressure was launched in 1976. Immune to angular leaf spot.
Straight Eight
These kinds of cucumbers are named for his or her completely straight 8-inch lengthy fruits, every with a small seed cavity. Straight Eight is the epitome of a slicing cucumber. They’re greatest eaten uncooked however also can maintain as much as pickling. Develop these on a trellis to provide them loads of room to achieve their mature dimension.
Silver Slicer
Related in dimension and look to Straight Eight, a candy slice from members of those cucumber cultivars have white pores and skin. Cucumbers will typically flip bitter in the summertime warmth, however this cucumber can tolerate hotter climate with out dropping its candy taste. Additionally it is immune to powdery mildew, making it an incredible selection for growers in humid climates.
Longfellow
Longfellow was launched in 1927 by Jerome B. Rice Seed Co. of Cambridge, New York. Fruits that develop as much as 12-inches lengthy make this longer than most modern-day slicers. They’re simply recognizable by their darkish inexperienced fruit, which may seem virtually black.
Arkansas Little Leaf
This bush-type selection produces compact vegetation which might be excellent for container rising. It’s extremely immune to bacterial wilt, cucumber mosaic virus, mildews, scab, and leaf spots. The skinny-skinned fruits are small, 3-4 inches, and extra intently resemble a pickling cucumber. Nonetheless, they will also be eaten recent.
Mini Munch
Sometimes called a snacking cucumber or lunchbox cucumber, this selection produces thin-skinned cucumbers with a crisp texture that makes them excellent for consuming uncooked. That is one other of the bush cucumbers that’s good for rising in small areas and likewise powdery mildew resistant. Fruits will develop to be about 3-4 inches lengthy.
Early Fortune
Also referred to as Particular Darkish Inexperienced due to its deep inexperienced pores and skin. This number of American slicing cucumbers was launched in 1910 by Jerome B. Rice Seed Co. of Cambridge, New York. The plant will produce cucumbers which have a crunchy texture and a barely candy taste. For a candy slice, look no additional.
Japanese Climbing
As its title would recommend, these vining cucumbers like to climb. Rising Japanese cucumbers on a trellis is a should because the vine can attain 6 ft lengthy. Its taste has been described as tender, crisp, and barely tart. Japanese cucumbers are one other a type of sorts of cucumber which might be excellent for slicing however will also be used for pickling.
Spacemaster
One other bush selection, with compact vines, is nice for small areas. This selection may even be grown in a dangling basket. This cucumber plant produces giant, flavorful recent cucumbers excellent for slicing and recent consuming their crunchy texture.
Sugar Crunch
Once more, the title of this one is a lifeless giveaway. This cucumber is thought for its remarkably candy taste and crispy texture. This plant will produce medium inexperienced, thin-skinned fruits.
Persian Cucumbers
Persian cucumbers are wonderful slicing cucumbers with skinny skins and gentle taste. The primary distinguishing issue between this and different slicing cucumber varieties is they’re almost seedless and have a marked crispness that’s scrumptious for consuming uncooked. The fruits of this cucumber plant with compact vines are eaten small, too.
Bush Champion
These are nice cucumbers to develop if vertical cucumber gardening isn’t potential. Bush champion has giant fruit that has a lightweight crispness and gentle taste.
Pickling Cucumber Varieties
Not like slicing cucumbers, sorts of cucumber amongst pickling varieties have a thicker pores and skin and decrease water content material which helps them stand as much as the pickling course of and retain some crispness. These cucumbers will also be eaten recent, however they shine when saved by way of pickling.
Boston Pickling
This heirloom might be the preferred of the pickling cucumber varieties and is most generally out there at native nurseries. These cucumber vegetation produce a excessive yield of quick, spiny cucumbers excellent for pickling. Make sure that to select these cucumbers when they’re 3-4 inches lengthy. In any other case, they will flip bitter.
Picklebush
The actual selection is a Burpee unique which is thought for being particularly tolerant to powdery mildew and cucumber mosaic virus. It’s an incredible possibility for gardeners who’ve struggled with these points prior to now. These vibrant inexperienced fruits are immune to the watermelon mosaic virus as properly.
A&C, also referred to as Ace Pickling
This selection was launched in 1928 by Abbot and Cobb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. These develop somewhat giant for pickling cucumbers, about 10” lengthy, with darkish inexperienced flesh.
Calypso
3” lengthy pickling cucumbers which might be immune to many illnesses. This high-yielding hybrid will offer you loads of cukes for pickling. Decide them small and infrequently to encourage extra manufacturing.
Chicago Pickling
That is one other dual-purpose cucumber that will also be harvested at a bigger dimension, round 7 inches, to be used as a slicer. Harvest it on the smaller dimension, round 3-4 inches to be used as pickling cucumbers.
Wautoma
Developed by the USDA and one other extremely disease-resistant selection. Bitter-free and produces just about seedless cucumbers. They’re medium inexperienced and have bumpy pores and skin.
County Truthful
This can be a bush selection that’s excellent for small areas and containers. It might do properly on a balcony or patio. Immune to bacterial wilt and doesn’t require a pollinator.
Supremo
A high-yielding pickler with average resistance to most illnesses. These vegetation produce fruits with darkish inexperienced pores and skin and a gentle style.
Double Yield
Early to mid-season harvests make this an incredible selection for short-season growers. They produce mild inexperienced fruits with black spines. They will also be eaten uncooked.
Excelsior
Produces 4-5 inch, spiny fruits. Self-fruitful and does properly in areas the place pollinators could also be missing, like in a greenhouse or underneath row covers. They might additionally do properly in different areas not readily accessible to pollinators, comparable to a high-rise patio or balcony.
Endeavor
These Kirby cucumbers have a crisp texture and candy style, which makes them good for additionally consuming recent. The vegetation are immune to cucumber mosaic virus and downy mildew.
Nationwide Pickling Cucumber
These are lots like most cucumbers with skinny skins and a refreshing style. Nationwide pickling cucumbers are identified for his or her excessive yield and crispness. Consuming cucumbers like these imply the style of candy success isn’t far-off!
Seedless/Burpless Cucumber Varieties
These thin-skinned sorts of cucumber typically have only a few seeds. Any seeds which might be current are normally so small that they’re barely noticeable (just like the English cucumber that you could be discover wrapped in plastic wrap at your native grocery shops). Burpless cucumbers are bred with decrease ranges of cucurbitacin, which is what makes some cucumbers style bitter. Cucurbitacin ranges are highest within the pores and skin. Due to this fact, burpless cucumbers are typically thin-skin and have a candy style. Most burpless cucumbers also can produce fruit with out pollination.
Candy Success
Produces 12-inch lengthy darkish inexperienced fruits with a candy style. These belong to a bunch of parthenocarpic cucumbers which suggests they’ll set fruit with out pollination.
Burpless Magnificence
Identified for his or her crisp texture and lack of seeds. These darkish inexperienced cucumbers develop on a vine that can do greatest supported by a trellis. Give them the house to sprawl, and also you’ll be rewarded with loads of seedless cukes.
Backyard Candy Burpless Hybrid
Medium inexperienced 10-12 inch lengthy fruits with faint stripes resembling a pickling cucumber. This seedless cucumber could be eaten recent or pickled.
Muncher Cucumber
One other dual-purpose cucumber is nice for each slicing and pickling. Muncher cucumbers resemble the Persian cucumber, and their candy taste makes them fantastic shredded and added to tzatziki or pickled for relish.
Tendergreen
Medium inexperienced pores and skin with black spines and very tender and candy. If left on the vine to totally mature, their clean pores and skin can seem virtually black. Try our number of Tendergreen Seeds from San Diego Seed Co!
Inexperienced Dragon
Produces lengthy and slender cucumbers with mild inexperienced pores and skin. These cucumber vegetation have illness resistance to cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and scab.
Summer time Dance
These Japanese cucumbers are shiny deep inexperienced and develop to provide 9-inch fruits. These could be eaten uncooked or pickled and are particularly good for making bread and butter pickles.
Beit Alpha
This selection was developed in Israel and is turning into fashionable in America. These heirloom cucumbers are additionally parthenocarpic, which makes them ideally suited for rising inside greenhouses and even in the course of the winter in an indoor develop tent since pollinators aren’t required for fruit to kind.
Perseus
This selection is a hybrid Beit Alpha kind and shares related qualities talked about above. The caveat is that this selection does require pollinators with a purpose to set fruit.
Chelsea Prize
This English cucumber grows to be 12-15 inches lengthy and is most just like the number of English cucumbers that you just’ll discover within the grocery retailer. This seedless selection has a skinny pores and skin, only a few seeds, and a refreshing style.
Distinctive Cucumber Varieties
Cucumbers are available in so many sizes, shapes, colours, and development habits (bush pickle vs. vining). Under we’ll focus on just a few distinctive sorts of cucumber. There are additionally toxic cucumbers! Though you received’t discover these at your native nursery or seed provide retailer.
Suyo Lengthy
As its title would recommend, this selection produces very lengthy and infrequently curved fruit. They are often 18 inches lengthy at maturity. These heirloom cucumbers come from China. Gentle taste, burpless cucumbers.
Lemon Cucumbers
The heirloom selection, lemon cucumber has been round since 1894. These have a light taste and are much less apt to develop a bitter style. These spherical cucumbers are tennis ball sized with creamy yellow pores and skin. Though they seem like lemons, the lemon cucumber has a traditional cucumber taste. Lemon cucumbers have a skinny pores and skin.
Kiwano, aka Jelly Melon
That is technically not a cucumber and is definitely a melon (Cucumis metuliferus). Additionally it is generally often called an African cucumber melon or horned melon. It has a vibrant orange spiky pores and skin, however the inside is inexperienced with giant seeds that seem like cucumber seeds. It tastes like a cucumber and due to this fact is commonly handled as such.
Little Potato
This selection is initially from India, and with a brown blotchy skinny pores and skin, it resembles a small potato. Its taste has been described as gentle, even lemony.
Crystal Apple
These cucumbers develop into 3-inch oval-ish fruits, pale yellow, and seem like apples! This selection was launched by the Arthur Yates seed home of Sydney, Australia.
Boothy’s Blond
Think about an ordinary pickling fruit, quick and blocky, with bumpy pores and skin. That’s Boothy’s Blonde, however with a yellow complexion. Candy and crisp fruits which might be nice for recent consuming or pickling.
Edmonson
A hardy cucumber with illness resistance, pest resistance, and really drought tolerant. It has white pores and skin that matures to a deep red-orange, and it’s nice for pickling.
Miniature White
These specialty cucumbers should not grown commercially and are typically discovered on small farms and in dwelling gardens. Harvest cucumbers when they’re at or underneath 3 inches lengthy for one of the best style. Their white pores and skin provides visible curiosity to your cucumber beds.
Poona Kheera
One other selection originated in India and is much like the little potato. Fruits start mild inexperienced in shade and slowly mature to seem like russet potatoes. This heirloom has clean pores and skin, juicy flesh, and a crisp style.
Armenian Cucumber
Just like the Kiwano, Armenian cucumbers should not really cucumbers, however somewhat a melon. Nonetheless, Armenian cucumbers’ look resembles an English cucumber (although lighter in shade), as does the style. They’re grown and consumed very similar to cucumbers.
Often Requested Questions
Q: What number of totally different styles of cucumbers are there?
A: Over 100 varieties! Many seed firms repeatedly create new hybrids every season.
Q: What’s the commonest cucumber?
A: Marketmore 76 (slicing), Chelsea Prize (seedless), Boston Pickling (pickling), and Kiwano are all varieties that may readily be discovered at most supermarkets or specialty shops.
Q: What’s the sweetest kind of cucumber?
A: Candy success has been described as one of many sweetest tasting cucumbers.
Q: What are the best cucumbers to develop?
A: Straight Eight is among the best to develop dual-purpose cucumbers that can be utilized for each slicing and pickling.
Q: What are the three sorts of cucumbers?
A: Slicing, pickling, and seedless/burpless.
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