When To Pick Cucumbers
When I was out on the patio with Charlie this morning I realized there were two fairly good sized cucumbers hiding within all those shaded leaves. So I picked one that was about 8-9 inches long.
I wasn’t too sure about removing it from the vine yet, but it’s the right size. I guess I’ll find out if it’s ripe when I slice it up for supper tonight.
Average Cucumber Growing Season:
Cucumbers require a long growing season, around 50 to 70 days from planting. But of course I can’t recall quite when I planted the seeds. Next year I’m going to have to keep a journal and write these things down.
When To Expect Ripe Cucumbers:
When growing cucumbers, watch for the first female flowers to open. They are the ones with the miniature cucumber right beneath the flower. Expect ripe fruit in 8 to 10 days. Check the vines daily after they start to produce because cucumbers grow quickly.
Most slicing cucumbers should be picked when they are seven to nine inches long and have a bright dark green color. If they get much larger than this they will be bitter.
When you pick cucumbers leave a small one-inch section of stem attached to the cucumber. This prevents the stem end from rotting if you won’t be using the cucumber right away.
Best Way To Cut Cucumbers Off The Vine:
The easiest way to do this, and the least stressful for the plant, is to cut the cucumber off the vine with a sharp knife or pruners. If you twist or pull on the vine the plant can be damaged.
Some people leave cucumbers on the vine and let them grow as large as they can, but the flavor is better if they are harvested earlier.
A cucumber tastes best when its uniformly green, firm and crisp. If they turn yellow, you’ve waited too long to pick.
Pick Ripe Cucumbers As Soon As They’re Ready:
It’s important to keep your plants picked as soon as they’re ready because they’ll stop producing otherwise.
Once you’ve picked them tightly wrap them in plastic wrap. Cucumbers can keep for a week to 10 days when refrigerated.
Cucumber Storage:
The tight plastic wrapping helps cucumbers last longer in your refrigerator. It acts as both an insulator to protect against cold injury and prevents and slows dehydration and spoilage.
The flavor is best soon after you pick them.
Do you have cucumbers ready to eat yet?
That cucumber, onion and vinegar dish is one of my favorites. I can it it every day during the summer. I also like to add some of it on top of a salad!
My first time reading your blog, very nice! I’m a sometimes gardener and this year I planned cucumbers, beefsteak tomato and watermelon. Also planted lots of different flowers as well. This is the first time I’ve had success with the cucumbers and in thrilled! I have a question…I think I heard that you can pollinate your plant with a little paint brush to get more female flowers.. Is this true?
I accidentally planted 6 cucumber plants instead of zuchini this year. Needless to say our porch is now over run with vines and we have more cucumbers than we can even pickle let alone eat. We’ve taken to giving them to neighbors or using them as dog toys at this point. They are delicious but…enough is enough lol
I just discovered you! Yay! We had a garden, so big, we fed all our neighbors plus, when i was growing-up. We had cucumber & onion slices in a vinegar/water solution in the frig all summer long to be served with dinners as desired. Thanks again for the pointers & inspiration; im just having a garden again this year of decades of absence. Yay!☺♥️
Thankyou for educ & help. I agree!
I know you’re here every day posting (thank the Lord) but today I just feel like I miss you somehow.
Just know you’re so appreciated and I’m grateful for this safe happy place in this world of crazy scary.
Oh, you’re so sweet! Yep, I’m here for you every day of the week.
I do have cucumbers ready to eat! And I’m grateful for the advice you just gave on how/when to pick and how to wrap them before putting them in the fridge!!!
Mom always made cucumbers with sour cream. There is a mix of herbs & spices called Spike. Mom would use a few pinches to flavor everything. I think some bits of white onion was also added. Really delicious! You can probably do many things with this simple dish. Just to change it up.
Your advice on storing the cucumbers is good.
From now on I will do that.
Thanks Brenda. Enjoy your veggies 😋
P. S. Our grandma would serve cold, sweet beets with cucumbers!
When I was first married and the kids were little, I used to make this dish that was vinegary with cucumbers and onions. I no longer have the recipe, but I keep thinking how good that was. It was put together and then just refrigerated.
My mother-in-law made a dish with cucumbers, onions and add buttermilk, vinegar and a little sugar. It was delicious !
My mothersices cucumbers and onions and uses sour cream and a splash of red wine vinegar and some salt. It is amazing.
I wish my plant was producing cucumbers, but nothing yet. xo Laura
At least they’ve paused in stealing your tomatoes.
I love cucumbers sprinkled with lemon juice and salt. Years ago my husband planted a type of cucumber called “Lemon Cucumbers”. They were small, round and had yellowish skin. Those were the best cucumbers I had ever tasted. I didn’t have to sprinkle lemon juice on them because they already had a lemony flavor.
Lemon juice and salt sounds good. I’ll have to look for that kind of cucumber. I’ve never heard of it before now.
I love picking cucumber and eating it right away. They taste so good – the store bought never taste as good. I like the tips you gave. I will have to use my pruning shears. Sometimes I am to darn impatient! Happy gardening.
Yeah, me too. I like cucumbers in salad or just sliced up with a meal.
Thank you for the cucumber tips. I especially like the tip about wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap! I wonder if you bought them at the store or farm stand if you could do that to make them last longer?
I would imagine because the plastic wrap acts as an insulator. I doubt it matters where you got the cucumber in that case.