During the winter months I was looking into how to grow cucumbers. My prior limited experience was only with the seeded types. Pick them early and they taste good but don’t eat the stem end. Do a little reading and you find out that there is another world of growing cucumbers out there. Like most gardener wantabees I jumped on board and ordered seeds of Diva, and China Jade. Pretty sure that Diva will fruit and be seedless in the absence of pollen. China Jade I’m not sure about. Do you prefer the seedless types or do you plant the other types like Streight 8?
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If they’re not getting water stressed, they usually don’t get disgustingly bitter on the stem end. I had mine growing up a trellis in my fenced off tree area and mulched them with wood chips.
It looks like both varieties you have a parthenocarpic and Diva is completely female flowered and parthenocarpic. China Jade will set fruit parthenocarpically and produces mostly female with a few male flowers. Growing them together, you’ll probably get some unpollinated seedless fruit and some pollinated larger fruit with seeds.
I started growing parthenocarpic, etc cucumbers two years ago. I mostly imported a bunch of dirt cheap hybrid seeds from Ukraine for like a dollar a packet. It wasn’t always super clear what exactly they all were, and a bunch were the smaller pickling types. They were producing more than we could use or giveaway.
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Thanks. I also have my cucumbers under a trellis. They are starting to grow and 2 of the China Jade already has a couple of female fruit that will bloom soon. The vines are growing well but they are only about 10" high. Good to get confirmation from someone who has already grown these varieties.
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I prefer the parthenocarpic gyneoecious ones. They seem to retain quality for longer on the vine and if you miss picking some, the plant doesn’t seem to shutdown production as severely as seeded varieties. I like the variety Excelsior the best, but I prefer the pickling types since they can be used in slicing applications.
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I always grew Jade and was very happy with it.
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We’ve also had excellent luck with Diva cucumbers. They are a staple every year for sure. We also grow Sashimi (another fully gynoecious and parthenocarpic) and H-19 Little Leaf (which is just parthenocarpic).
We grow about 6ft rows of each and gives us an abundance of different types for different uses.
Never tried the Excelsior but we may need to.
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Looks like there are several varieties that are good choices.
Good to know. Thanks
I only have 6 plants but I might add more.
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I was just looking over the plants this morning and 2 of my 3 China Jade has a female bloom today. They haven’t been planted very long and they are only about 10" high.
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Great to hear this, I’m growing sashimi this year along with Qwerty, manny, and party time. I decided not to sow diva but will next year from the good reviews
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I used to grow Diva, too. My main goal, though, was trying to find resistance to wilt. Never really did.
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If you want a pickler that’s low effort apparently H-19 little leaf is really hard to beat, parthenocarpic and very disease resistant and productive
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Thanks for the tip. I have been considering making some dill pickles.
I was watching a youtube video about growing cucumbers. In the video he said something similar to if you take good care of the plants they only last about 90 days so they should be succession planted. Is there anyone with experience in this area? If true it won’t be long before I need to start more plants.
They pick up various diseases very easily. Powdery mildew amongst others. Around here, cucumber beetles bite the plants, infect them with bacterial wilt and the plants die. They usually show up around midsummer here and kill any subsequent replacement plants. They like doing it to my melons, too.
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Thanks
I just goggled Querty. 50 days. My China Jade has put on 2 females but they look like they will wilt.
I’m guessing you’re more consistently warm than me at this point? Freakishly cold spring here and can easily argue I shouldn’t even have them in the ground yet based on what the weather has been. Concerned that early fruiting will only stunt then further. I have still have Sashimis, Party time and Mini Me (anongst other things) in quarts because it’s been so cold! I’ve never planted this late.
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