GARDENER'S READING ROOM
Edibles

Cool as a Cucurbita

I've always considered myself pretty cool and savvy when it came to vegetables. When I was a kid, my parent's garden included not only the basics, but also such kids' favorites as kohlrabi, parsnips, and rutabagas. But the first time one of my vegetable suppliers offered me lemon cukes… "Lemon cucumbers, are you serious? What do you do with those?"

"Squeeze them on fish, of course!"

I almost fell for his answer. Since then I've learned they are called that because of their shape and color, NOT because you can squeeze them!

Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbit family, which also includes squash. They are easy and rewarding to grow, and they adapt well to limited space. Compact bush varieties are available, while standard vine types can be trained to grow up a trellis, fence, or up and over a tomato cage.

Warmth is the key to growing these cool customers. Give them full sun and daytime temperatures above 65°. They are happiest when planted out in mid-May, and young plants will benefit from a protective enclosure like Wall O' Water ™or Hot Caps™. Bitterness can sometimes be a problem in cooler Northwest summers. If you encounter a bitter cuke, cut off the stem end, because this is where the bitter compounds tend to accumulate.

Give cucumbers rich, loose, well drained soil with ample amounts of compost added. Mix in ½ to 1 cup of Whitney Farms Vegetable Food™ below each hill or clump of three plants. Water often and uniformly; pick frequently to encourage more blossoms.

What are the coolest cukes in our opinion? Lemon, of course; Burpless lives up to its name; Cool Breeze sets fruit without pollination; Sweet Success, seedless, burpless and needs no pollination; and finally, Bush Crop, for limited space gardens and containers.

The expression "cool as a cucumber" ...
apparently comes from English physicians advising patients to lie on cucumbers, in the mistaken belief that this would lower their fever.

By Lynn Wright
Skylights Spring/Summer 2006 Vol 21, No. 2

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