Solitary chicken - need advice

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I've got 2 cucumber plants in the kitchen which are going crazy and are outgrowing their pots . I'd struggle to repot them without damage so I thought this might work .

 

They're sitting in an Ikea tray so I've raised both pots with pot feet and have filled the tray with compost. My thinking is that the roots need the nutrients and they'll be quite happy growing through the holes in the base of the pots to access the new compost. Does that make sense?

 

[sjp]

makes sense to me you could have done it with out the extra compost and just used the tray for water. just feed them 2 or 3 times a week from the top with tomato feed as they'll need mores feed than in a bigger pot personally I'd pick that bottom cue and then as they get about that size otherwise they'll stop setting fruit

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for that! I was wondering how big I should let them get - never grown cucumbers before .

[Saronne]

Wow! I've never tried growing cucumbers on a windowsill like that. Is it south-facing? They look absolutely amazing.

As for the extra compost they've got their feet in, they'll do really well, I suspect. I used to grow my tomatoes like that in the greenhouse, e.g. as they outgrew their pots, they grew into the soil underneath.

[sjp]

Thanks for that! I was wondering how big I should let them get - never grown cucumbers before .

cues get to the length more or less before they fill out your variety looks like one of the short ones probably Passandra which get to about 6 - 8 inches long basically when it's at the Diameter you want then it's ready I pick mine about 1"Dia for eating and 2" for my displays

one tip remove ant male flowers as soon as possible their the ones with out the little cues behind the flower

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Thanks for that . I've got 2 kinds - Crystal Apple (which hasn't fruited at all yet) and Mini (which sounds a bit generic ).

 

I'm having trouble identifying which flowers are male . I googled it and found this - any truth in it, do you think? Sounds like getting it wrong could make the whole exercise a waste of time and money!

 

With Cucumber a lot is written about removing male flowers as they make the fruit taste bitter. This only applies to highly developed, such as F1, indoor varieties which produce the long sleek cucumbers that you find in supermarkets. 'Real' cucumbers, grown outdoors, need the male flowers for pollination. Without them you get no fruit and with them the fruit tastes just as glorious.

[sjp]

Thanks for that . I've got 2 kinds - Crystal Apple (which hasn't fruited at all yet) and Mini (which sounds a bit generic ).

 

I'm having trouble identifying which flowers are male . I googled it and found this - any truth in it, do you think? Sounds like getting it wrong could make the whole exercise a waste of time and money!

 

With Cucumber a lot is written about removing male flowers as they make the fruit taste bitter. This only applies to highly developed, such as F1, indoor varieties which produce the long sleek cucumbers that you find in supermarkets. 'Real' cucumbers, grown outdoors, need the male flowers for pollination. Without them you get no fruit and with them the fruit tastes just as glorious.

sorry didn't realise you had a real cucumber as well as a F1. leave the male flowers on the Crystal Apple if you can't find the male flowers then as of yet there probably aren't any once you have one of each to compare then it's quite easy to tell. that goes for all of the squash type family, melons can be a bit harder as the male flowers sometimes have smaller stems than the rest of the 'family'

[Ain't Nobody Here]

So the "Mini" is an F1? I am a complete cucumber novice .

 

Seems odd that the Mini is fruiting away quite happily but the Crystal Apple has lots of flowers but nothing else. Could it be a problem that they are growing right beside each other?

 

I did a taste test on the Mini - they are delicious and not at all bitter so presumably I've inadvertently done the right thing there!

 

I also have a single melon plant growing in a plastic greenhouse thingy - no sign of any flowers yet although it's about 2 feet tall. Is that normal?

[chickencam]

I have never removed cucumber male flowers and have never had a problem with bitterness, I always thought that this was much more of a problem with the older varieties. Female flowers usually have a tiny version of a cucumber behind the flower and male ones just a stem.

The melon will probably have to grow a lot taller yet before it sets fruit. I managed to grow a small watermelon last year and it took until late October to grow and ripen, even then it was only about 5 inches across.

 

Your tray of compost should help them stay healthy, because they like a bit of humidity around them, they will need regular feeding though.

[sjp]

I have never removed cucumber male flowers and have never had a problem with bitterness, I always thought that this was much more of a problem with the older varieties.

no it's the new F1 varieties that are supposed to be bitter if you leave the male flowers

crystal Apple does' tend to fruit a bit later than the modern varieties but it's worth the wait and should be a good cropper if you pick them regularly but you could have a problem growing it in your kitchen as it needs to be pollinated, it won't be a problem growing next to each other I grow at least 3 varieties mainly heritage or open pollinated ones. cucumbers are the only one of the family that I've never managed to save seed from other than melon which I can't get the fruit to ripen any way

chickencam a 5" melon is good going

[Valkyrie]

Wow! Looking good ANH!