By Jennifer Poindexter
Do you enjoy grow cuke around your garden ? Have you struggled to find the perfect sentence to cull the crop ?
uprise cucumber vine is a wide-eyed task but bang when to glean them can be tricky . If you reap too ahead of time , you may not receive a full - sized cucumber .
However , if you reap too belatedly , they do n’t taste the same . How do you know the correct metre to glean , and how do you guarantee you do n’t escape your windowpane ?
I have a few peak to help you enter out the best clip to find fault yourhomegrown cucumber . Here ’s what you should know :
1. Make Sure the Cucumbers are the Right Size
There are many varieties of cucumber , but they can be placed in three universal categories . If you select a burpless cuke , it should be quick to find fault when it ’s just about one inch long .
Should you take a slicing cucumber , wait until they become large . They ’re typically quick when they ’re between six and eight inches in length . ultimately , pickling Cucumis sativus are ready when they ’re between two and six inches in length .
2. Look for Signs on the Cucumber Plants
Did you know you ca n’t just go by size of it alone when picking a cucumber ? There are a few additional thing you should look for when deciding if it ’s the right clock time to glean this harvest .
One matter to consider is has the Cucumis sativus dropped its bloom ? If the works is within the appropriate size , but still has a fully colored bloom attached to its backsheesh , it ’s not ready yet . As you see the bloom shrivel or drop , you ’ll know the cuke is quick for harvest .
3. Look at the Color of the Cucumber
The next step to knowing when to pick cucumbers is to check the colouration of the fruit itself . Is your cucumber fully green ?
Plus , some varieties produce a bumpy texture . If your cucumber has developed this ( if the smorgasbord calls for it ) and is a rich green , it ’s another foretoken that it ’s time to glean .
4. Feel the Cucumber
We ’ve already discussed the texture that some cucumbers develop as they get on , but there is more to finger for when deciding if a Cucumis sativus is ready .
As you cull cucumbers , take a firm grasp of each one . Does the cucumber feel unbendable and crisp ? If so , it ’s meridian time for picking . If the cucumber is still small , you ’re probably other . Should the cucumber seem limp , soggy , or overly large , you ’ve pretermit the windowpane for pick and should discard cucumbers which apportion this appearance .
5. Check Your Cucumbers Daily
A prank to pick cucumbers at the right prison term , and avoiding lack the appropriate windowpane , is to check your cucumber plants daily .
Understand , even if you check the vines daily and stake them , some Cucumis sativus may still hide from you on the vine . However , by checking your plants daily , it lessens your probability of overlooking too many cuke .
6. Pick the Cucumbers at the Right Time of Day
This is something I ’ve just jump doing this class , but I ’ve found it to be on-key in my experience . It ’s best to wake up bright and early to pick your cucumbers . Do n’t blame when the vine are going through the heat of the day .
Instead , remove the harvest from the vine while the plant life is still cool . My plants seem healthy , and my cucumber feel crisper . When harvest cucumbers , always remember to cut them from the vine instead of twisting or pulling as this avoids damage to the plant life .
7. Pay Attention to the Taste of the Cucumber
When I first began develop cucumbers many years ago , I could n’t figure out why myharvest was acid . The more I ’ve get cucumbers I ’ve instruct that if you want a delectable Cucumis sativus with a odorous look , it ’s significant to glean them on time .
As cucumbers hang on the vine , they ’ll become bitter overtime . Therefore , if your cucumbers come along to be the right semblance and texture but hold a caustic taste , try pick them a piffling earlier to see if their spirit improves .
8. Look Out For Yellow Cucumbers
If you ’ve ever grow cuke , you know that when a cucumber is hanging on the vine , is overly big , and is lily-livered , you ’ve probably missed your windowpane . In most case , old cuke call on yellow and do n’t taste very good . These usually become treat for my chickens .
There are a fewother understanding which can turn cucumber yellowas well . It could be a signboard of a deficiency of food , want of weewee , a viral transmission in the flora , or you could have planted a yellow variety of cucumber such as the Citrus limon cucumber . If you have yellow cucumbers , take the time to cypher out why to ascertain you do n’t waste your harvest .
9. Know Your Timing
Cucumbers are n’t a riotous maturate plant . In most cases , they take between two and three month before they ’re ready to glean .
Therefore , if you ’re wondering when to pick your cucumbers , look at the calendar . Know your plant date and begin check out your cucumber vine works around the two calendar month mark after planting . You should commence see cuke seem and hump that even if they are n’t ready yet , they should be soon .
10. Store Your Cucumber Harvest Properly
The last tip to picking cuke is store your harvesting properly . It does you no good to pick the cucumber at the correct clip if you do n’t get it on how to maximize their lifespan once off the vine to ensure you may enjoy the fruits of your labor .
Once the cucumbers are harvested , be certain to put in them based on the diversity you uprise . Most salmagundi can be stack away in the electric refrigerator for approximately three days . It helps to wrap them individually in atomic number 13 foil to stop moisture from pull together on the exterior of the cucumbers . Be aware not to stack the cucumbers on top of each other .
Pickling cucumber vine last a little longer than other smorgasbord . They remain crisper and do n’t require to be stored in the refrigerator . or else , salt away them in a cool , morose locating ( without stacking the harvest on top of one another ) , and they should last for close to five days .
11. Enjoying Your Cucumber Harvest
We ca n’t terminate this article without share a few ideas for using your cucumber harvest home . After all , many people do n’t grow cucumbers because they do n’t have a go at it what to do with them .
If you do n’t enjoy pickles , do cucumbers have a situation in your garden ? The answer is a reverberating yes !
I know homegrown cucumbers for many reasons . You may use fresh cucumbers as a snack . They taste great when disperse in Everything But the Bagel Seasoning and serve with a creamy dip .
Homegrown cucumber vine are scrumptious when contract up alongside red onion , tomatoes , and splash with Italian dressing for an easy love apple and cucumber salad .
You may also habituate the cucumber to make canned mess or icebox pickles .
Some people slit cucumbers and immobilize them on a sheet pan . Once they ’re quick-frozen , they place them in a memory bag and freeze them .
Then when they ’d like to infuse their H2O with cucumber , they put a few slices into their glassful , as take .
Finally , my favorite new mode of using my cucumber harvesting is to slice the cucumbers , sprinkle them with salt and pepper , and dry up them .
They make delicious vegetable french fries . If you take a shelf - unchanging healthier snack , this could be a nice , frugal option .
As you may see , harvest home cucumbers by all odds has its perks consider all the astonishing thing you may do with the harvest once it ’s ready .
However , it ’s vital that you appear for all the signs that your cucumbers are quick . In most cases , it ’s best to pick Cucumis sativus in the beginning rather than peck later as the texture and tone are compromise when they ’re lead hanging on the vine for too long .
Now that you sleep together these tips , adjudicate develop a few cucumber plant . assure you care for them right and stake them to keep the plants healthier and make blame easier .
Hopefully , these tips will help you discern when your crop is quick , so you may get the most delectation out of this pleasant-tasting flora .
More About Cucumbers
https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/cucumber-production.html
http://www.wifss.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/FDA_WIFSS_-Cucumbers_PDF.pdf
