Cucumbers are an easy-care vegetable that loves sun and water, cucumbers grow quickly as long as they receive consistent watering and warmth. Don’t let cucumbers get too large before you pick or they will taste bitter! See how to plant, grow, and harvest cucumbers in your garden.
There are two types of cucumber plants: vining cucumbers and bush cucumbers.
If you’re interested in making pickles, we recommend several prolific varieties below that are bred especially for pickling, such as heirloom ‘Boston Pickling’ or ‘Calypso’. For crispy pickles, be sure to prepare them within a few hours of harvesting!
For more information on how to grow Cucumbers click the following hyperlink to Farmers Almanac Cucumber.
For other resources please click on Cornell Universities Cucumber link or click on Gardening Know How's Cucumber link.
Mexican Gherkins also called mouse melon, sandita, and Mexican sour gherkin, this fun, diminutive veggie is a great addition to the garden. Knowing how to harvest a cucamelon, though, is not obvious, so it is important to understand how and when these fruits ripen and how to know when they’re best to pick and eat. Cucamelon Harvest Info If you have yet to discover and grow cucamelon in your vegetable garden, it’s time to try out these fun little fruits. A cucamelon in Spanish is called a sandita, or little watermelon. Both names describe just what this fruit is like: it looks like a miniature watermelon, and it is a member of the same family as cucumbers.
For other resources please click on Gardening Know How's Mexican Gherkin link.
Cucumber Seeds, Ancash Market:
Description: A Peruvian treasure that was collected in Chacas, Peru, by the late pepper historian Jean Andrews. This landrace traces its ancestry to cucumbers brought from Spain in the 1500s. It is also known as Pepino Criollo Chacasino or Ancashino. It has been carefully selected for its resistance to pests and mildew. Grown in the cool climate of the high Andes, this cucumber is especially suited to cooler parts of the U.S. and will remain productive all season if grown on trellises. The cucumbers are best when harvested 6 inches long.
Description: Exceptionally sweet, tender, and above all -- hardy. Aonaga Jibai is one of our finds from a recent seed saving expedition to Japan. Known in the southern islands of Japan, the seeds have been preserved over generations by an old family in Beppu City on Kyushu Island. The long, slender 8-inch fruit is bitter free and super sweet with inconspicuous seeds, making it a perfect marketing cucumber with flavor that stands out from the rest! The1939 seed catalog of Tanaka & Co. said: “Hardiness and prolific bearing character are meritorious features of Japanese varieties of cucumber. They withstand drought, moisture and attack of fungoid disease to a remarkable degree.”
Cucumber Seeds, Armenian Yard-Long:
Description: Light green, mild tasting, deeply ribbed fruit. The elongated fruit yields uniform, easily digestible, fluted slices. They are apt to twist and coil growing on the ground, but develop nice and straight when hanging from a trellis. Fruit reaches over 24 inches long, but is best harvested at about 15 inches. This classic Armenian “cucumber” is actually a melon genetically.
Description: A delicious, very sweet cucumber that is usually picked small and does not need peeling, as the skin is very tender. This variety is very popular in the Mediterranean, having been developed in Israel at a kibbutz farm, and it is now becoming popular with Americans because of the fruit’s fine flavor and high yields. This cuke is also burpless and has great shelf life. A parthenocarpic variety, you can grow in a greenhouse without pollinators.
Cucumber Seeds, Boston Pickling:
Description: An old heirloom dating back to 1880. Vigorous vines give large yields of smooth green fruit. It is excellent for pickles; very crisp and good quality. A very popular variety at the turn of the 20th century.
Description: Stunning jade-colored flesh and unmatched sweet flavor make this a superb snacking cucumber. A popular cucumber from northern China, it grows well both in the garden and in the greenhouse. The crop is believed to have been brought from western China to the east during the Han dynasty in 216 A.D. Cucumbers have long been selected and perfected in China for sweet, nutty gourmet flavor. This variety is an homage to those many years of natural breeding; the long, slender, thin-skinned fruit will develop without pollination, making a seedless and burpless cuke. In Chinese medicine the cucumber is used as a natural refrigerant in the intense heat of summer; the cooling effect is said to soothe heat-related ailments! A favorite in our trials; we just love the flavor and gemstone-colored flesh! Try growing this variety in a greenhouse without pollinators; the result is a tender and delectable burpless fruit without seeds.
Description: Here’s a gorgeous all-purpose slicing/pickling type. The plants are of bush habit, usually running no more than 18 inches or so, making them superior for small gardens, containers, or anywhere space is tight. Fruit holds well on the plants, avoiding the need for constant picking. Plants are also tolerant to downy mildew, which is so often a problem in humid summer climates. The bumpy, brightly striped exterior is particularly attractive as well. A superb new Polish variety!
Description: Beautiful cream-colored fruit is about the size and shape of a large egg! Mild, bitter free and sweet tasting, this little cucumber sets massive yields in our gardens. So fun to grow, and very unique looking; great for children and all who like delicious cucumbers. We were sent this heirloom favorite by Reinhard Kraft, a German seed collector, but this heirloom originated in Croatia.
Cucumber Seeds, Dutch Yellow or Gele Tros:
Description: This large yellow cucumber was popular in Holland for making sliced pickles. The Dutch call this cucumber the “ancient race.” With its sunny yellow color, the ripe fruit is quite striking. This fine old strain is very rare now, even in Europe.
Cucumber Seeds, Early Fortune:
Description: A super dependable garden cucumber, great for pickles and slicing. Fruit grows 7 to 8 inches long, 2 inches in diameter. Originally selected out of Davis Perfect (now believed extinct) by George Starr in Royal Oak, Michigan, in 1906. Upon its release, it was described as “the earliest and best white spine cucumber ever offered.”
Cucumber Seeds, Jibai Shimoshirazu:
Description: The sweetest cucumber we have tasted, this Japanese variety is a perfect snacking cucumber with no bitter flavor! Produces shorter, slightly thicker fruit than other Japanese varieties. Can be grown on the ground or on poles and is vigorous. Deep green fruit is about 7-8 inches long. Adapted to high temperature, humidity, and is disease and powdery mildew resistant.
Description: The shape, size, and color of a lemon, but with super-sweet flavor! This cucumber was famously peddled by one snake oil salesman as a genuine cross between an orange and a green cucumber. The huckster claimed that he had plucked an orange blossom from his daughter’s bridal bouquet (orange blossoms were a popular bridal flower in those days) and used it to pollinate a cucumber plant! These “true lemon cucumber” seeds were sold at a bargain price of $1 per seed! Indeed, the lemon cucumber is a pretty convincing fake, with round, lemon yellow fruit and a swollen blossom end, just like a real lemon. Alas, the lemon cuke is a true cucumber, a result of naturally selecting for round, yellow fruit. The lemon cucumber originated in the late 19th century and was introduced to the U.S. in 1894. The tasty fruit is low in cucurbitacin, the naturally occurring cucumber chemical that accounts for a slightly bitter taste. The flesh is citrusy and adds a real zip to salads! Fantastic for kids’ gardens. One of our all-time favorite garden crops!
Cucumber Seeds, Marketmore 76:
Description: Marketmore ‘76 is a name that is synonymous with vigor and productivity. Marketmore ‘76 is possibly one of the most recognizable heirlooms, and rightfully so. Decades after its initial introduction, this delicious, refreshing cuke still boasts impressive disease and pest resistance. Fruit averages 8-9 inches long, perfect for slicing. Dark green with thick protective skin, a perfect choice for market gardening as the rugged little fruit stand up well to shipping but still have the high quality of flavor and texture that grocery store cukes simply can’t match!
The original Marketmore cucumber was developed at Cornell University in 1968 by Dr. Henry Munger. It was hailed as a breeding breakthrough for cucumbers. For 30 years, Dr. Munger perfected the Marketmore (and many other incredible vegetable varieties). In 1976, he released a particularly vigorous open-pollinated strain of Marketmore, and it remains a favorite of home and market gardeners alike! We are grateful to Dr. Munger, who in his 60 years of breeding at Cornell championed the idea of bringing more densely nutritious vegetables to the forefront of the diet in order to promote health.
Cucumber Seeds, Metki Dark Green Serpent:
Description: This bitter-free, thin-skinned delicacy is botanically a melon, but it possesses all of the best qualities of the cucumber. An ancient heirloom from Armenia, the long, slender fruit is best harvested at 12-18 inches; however, it can grow much longer if left on the vine. Its mild, sweet flavor, coupled with its thin, mild skin makes it a delectable treat raw, pickled or even cooked!
Cucumber Seeds, Mexican Sour Gherkin:
Description: Mexican Sour Gherkin, also known as cucamelon is an incredible, small cucumber-like fruit shaped like baby watermelons. They are good added to salads or can be pickled. They have a cucumber-like taste with a touch of lemon. The ornamental vines have tiny leaves and flowers and are perfect for the cottage garden. Very unique and fun for kids. Huge yields.
Cucumber Seeds, Miniature White:
Description: Prodigiously productive little pickling cukes in black and white! These white-skinned, black-spined cukes grow on bush-like plants that seldom run over three feet, making this a great variety for container planting. It is excellent for fresh eating, too; this strain has none of the bitterness that has unfortunately come to be associated with the white-fruited types.
Description: From our Polish grower, who recommends ‘Monika’ for pickles. This one is parthenocarpic, which simply means it doesn’t need pollination to set fruit. This is great news to gardeners who find they lack local bee populations to pollinate regular cucumbers. It also means you can grow pickling cukes under glass. Makes a nice slicer as well.
Cucumber Seeds, Parisian Pickling:
Description: The productive pickling cucumber that has fed generations of gardeners with perfect pickles! This is the famous, old French “gherkin or cornichon” pickler. Listed in America in 1892 by the seedsman J.H. Gregory. Great for making tiny sweet pickles, slices, or fancy dill pickles.
Description: This creamy, light green fruit has delicious, crisp, and juicy flesh. A sweet and mild Indian variety, it hails from the city of Poonah, or Pune, the cultural capital of the state of Maharashtra, India. There, it is popular juiced or in salads, and Pune street vendors sell it as a snack to beat the intense heat. Poona Keera is simply divine when sliced and sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper. Potato-shaped with yellow skin, it turns a handsome brown as it ripens. Disease resistant and very hardy, it is one of our best varieties. Vines produce early and the yield is very heavy.
Cucumber Seeds, Richmond Green Apple:
Description: Super sweet fruit is crisp, like an apple! A unique heirloom from Australia, where it is still popular. The fruit is the size of a lemon but is of a beautiful lime green color. These are excellent for eating: very mild, sweet, and juicy. Hard to find and really fun to grow. Excellent flavor! This is an annual favorite at the Baker Creek farm and is truly bitter free. We eat these green globes skin and all.
Description: The historic cucumber of Sikkim. Fat, large fruit can reach several pounds in size. The ripe fruit is a unique rusty red color and is good eaten cooked or raw. In Asia, cucumbers are often stir fried and are quite tasty. This variety is grown in the Himalayas of Sikkim and Nepal. Botanist Sir Joseph Hooker first discovered it in the eastern Himalayas in 1848. He wrote of the cuke: “So abundant were the fruits, that for days together I saw gnawed fruits lying by the natives’ paths by the thousands, and every man, woman and child seemed engaged throughout the day in devouring them.”
Description: Long, ribbed, dark green fruit can grow to 18 inches. They are very mild, sweet, and burpless. One of our personal favorites for fresh eating. This productive heirloom comes from northern China and is very attractive. A parthenocarpic variety, you can grow in a greenhouse without pollinators, and vines will produce masses of burpless fruits that have few seeds, making them more tender and crisp!
Cucumber Seeds, Tokiwa 'Tokyo Green':
Description: Great Taste! The small, 9-inch fruit with tender skin and few seeds makes excellent pickles and sets the standard for slicing cucumbers; buttery soft, supremely sweet, and never bitter. This old Japanese variety, also known as “Tokyo Green,” came from China in the Meiji era, then became the dominant variety sold around Tokyo. The 1932 edition of the Oriental Seed Company catalog noted: “The vines attain twice the length of common varieties.” They do well on fences and trellises, saving space in the gardens. Vines are almost mildew proof and well adapted to hot, dry summers.
Cucumber Seeds, West India Burr Gherkin:
Description: A super funky cucumber relative great for kids’ gardens, snacking, and pickling! Believed to be native to Africa, and introduced to the Caribbean and eventually the U.S. in the 1700s. Pickled and boiled by the colonists in Jamaica and a favorite of 3rd president Thomas Jefferson (who was known to be a lover of pickled gherkins). Very beautiful long vines and hundreds of small tasty fruit. Grows well in hot, humid weather. Yields better than any other cucumber. Will not cross with traditional cucumbers.
Cucumber Seeds, Xylangouro Melon:
Description: A delicious silky textured cucumber like melon originally from the Greek island of Chios. Mild lightly honey- sweet flesh is velvety soft, a superb heat tolerant cucumber substitute. Our seeds were shared with us from the St. Nektarios Greek Orthodox Monastery gardens in Roscoe, NY. We have shared seeds with this monastery garden in the past and were delighted went they sent us seeds for this large, lightly fuzzy cucumber like melon. The vines are vigorous and heat loving, producing masses of these “cukes” which are very similar to Armenian cucumber.
