4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Ness3103]

i've never grown any kind of veg before but thought i'd try this year. my tomatoes are doing really well and my courgettes too but my cucumbers aren't going so well. i'm very bad and didn't read the planting instructions i bought all the plants from tesco and just put them in a planter and hoped for the best one of the cucumbers grew really well and was quite large, i was looking forward to eating it so much. well it was horrid it tasted so bitter, like nail varnish remover i just wondered what i did wrong (other than not reading instructions )

[sjp]

It could be the variety I’ve had this with Boothby’s blonde 1st one was horrible left it to long the rest weren’t too bad

Or if it’s got male flowers on they need to be removed because they can make the cues bitter

[Cinnamon]

I seem to remeber that when I was a child my Dad had a batch that did this.

It was something to do with the pollenation I think

[Redwing]

Yes thats right, the male flowers (ones without the beginnings of a cuc behind) need to be removed leaving only the female flowers

 

You can get varieties that only produce female flowers so are less hassle

[Cinnamon]

Yep, I meant to say that I use female only plants myself.

 

Who needs males,eh?

[sjp]

I Prefer the older Varieties my self like crystal apple so I have to de flower but its worth it

I had to buy 1 plant this year due to snails chomping on the stems of all but one of mine suppost to be all female it isn't nasty little spines on it like wire wool not fun at 7am when the only one ready is at the back

[Snowy]

I Prefer the older Varieties my self like crystal apple so I have to de flower but its worth it

I had to buy 1 plant this year due to snails chomping on the stems of all but one of mine suppost to be all female it isn't nasty little spines on it like wire wool not fun at 7am when the only one ready is at the back

Thats interesting sjp. I've grown crystal apple this year, for the first time. I didn't deflower it. It is very prolific, but very seedy. Tastes OK, if a bit flavourless. Is it too late to deflower it? Would deflowering improve it's taste and the presence of all the seeds? There are loads of immature fruits still on it!

[sjp]

no it's not to late don't know if it makes any diiferance to the seed through. don't leave them on to long I pick just as they change colour but that’s how i like them they go a bit tuff for me as they get more gold also stops them fruiting if you leave too many on best to try them at differant stages to find the best time ti pick of your own taste

got some to pick in the morning first of the season I've left them on abit long as the bigger ones look better on the diplay I'm staging next weekend

[Snowy]

Thanks for that! Yes they do look lovely when all golden, but definitely best picked a bit early! I've had loads of fruit from it - and only 2 'proper' green ones!

[Ness3103]

thank you i didn't know anything about the male/female side of it i just thought the flowers were very pretty i know i didn't take much notice of the intructions but it didn't mention flowers at all

[sjp]

female flowers on all the squash/cucumber/melon family have little fruits all ready behind the flower males don't

[Blackrocksrock]

female flowers on all the squash/cucumber/melon family have little fruits all ready behind the flower males don't

 

 

I had no female flowers hence no butternut squashes this year at all!!! - bad seed I think as the plant was very healthy - have turfed it out of the greenhouse now as taking up room for nothing. My cucumber are fine but a bit tough in the skin for me - will try different ones next year.

[sjp]

female flowers on all the squash/cucumber/melon family have little fruits all ready behind the flower males don't

 

 

I had no female flowers hence no butternut squashes this year at all!!! - bad seed I think as the plant was very healthy - have turfed it out of the greenhouse now as taking up room for nothing. My cucumber are fine but a bit tough in the skin for me - will try different ones next year.

the weather play a large part in what flowers you get I've got about 10 squash/pumpkin plants only got 3 or 4 plants with fruit on plus 2 courgettes that have fruit on must have cut of 2o male flowers this morning still as many on

[AJuff]

I've never grown cucumbers before but despite planting them in early April they have only just got flowers on them. Will I ever get cucumbers?

 

I'm growing them for the hens as no one eats cucumber in our house!

[sjp]

should do one of mine only started to fruit last week its loaded now they dont take long to fill out