When should you pick straight eight cucumbers?
The Straight Eight cucumber is a relatively large variety best picked when it reaches 8″ in length. These cukes are quite popular thanks to their straight shape, deep green color, adaptability to weather and soil conditions.
How do you harvest straight 8 cucumbers?
As soon as the vines on your straight 8 cucumber plant begin to flower, train the plants up a vertical or A-frame trellis. Keeping the fruit off the ground will produce straighter specimens and make them easier to harvest. Harvest to Table reports that straight eight cucumber plants are great for pickling.
How long does it take Straight Eight cucumbers to produce?
Straight Eight
| Cold Winters May – June | Mild Winters April – June |
|---|---|
| Sun/Shade Full sun | Space Seeds Rows: 18 inches Hills: 6 inches |
| Days to Germinate 5 – 10 days | Days to Harvest Approx. 60 |
How tall do straight eight cucumber plants get?
6 – 8 IN
Mature Height6 – 8 IN. Fruit Size6 – 8 IN.
Why are my straight eight cucumbers bitter?
Cucumbers plants that are stressed during the growing season may produce fruit that is bitter flavored. Commonly a lack of water or temperatures too cold or too hot cause cucumbers to bear bitter tasting fruit. Cucumbers contain organic compounds called cucurbitacins that can cause fruit to taste bitter.
Can you grow straight eight cucumbers in a container?
Although cucumbers have sprawling vines, you can grow them in containers. The key is to choose a compact variety and train those vines up a trellis. The crop climbs high, conserving space and harvesting is a breeze.
Do straight eight cucumbers need to be pollinated?
Such cucumber plants do not need another cultivar cucumber plant for pollination. They require bees, other insects or wind, however, to spread their pollen from their male flowers to their female flowers.
Why do you rub the ends of a cucumber?
Cucumbers are members of the gourd family which produces a particular class of compounds called CUCURBITACINS which are bitter. Hence you rub the ends, sprinkling the salt helps in extracting the white milky fluid that contains the cucurbitacins.
Can I eat a sour cucumber?
Cucumber tastes sour: Cucumbers are not naturally sour, so it’s not a good sign if a cucumber tastes sour. This can cause the plant to become stressed and produce a sour taste. However, it’s important to note that bitterness is much more common with cucumbers because of a soil or climate condition gone awry.
Is Epsom salt good for cucumbers?
Your cucumbers might be a bit weathered and worn come mid season. You can use Epsom Salts as a way to green them up and give them a boost. This is true for both container and ground planted cucumbers. If you are growing cucumbers in containers, you should be feeding them at least 2x’s a month when they are producing.
Does rubbing the ends of a cucumber do?
Is it OK to eat the end of a cucumber?
Fortunately, the predator-foiling cucurbitacins tend to gather in the peel and ends of a cucumber, and therefore should be easy to avoid: just don’t eat the peel and ends. Fail to do this, and each time you scrape the peeler down the cucumber’s length you’ll spread bitter cucurbitacins to the rest of the vegetable.
How big does a straight eight cucumber get?
A cucumber superstar, this classic has excellent flavor and is widely adapted. An All-America Selections winner, Straight Eight has cool, firm flesh and a bright, sparky taste. For peak flavor and ultimate toothsome texture, pick when 8″ long.
Why are straight eight cucumbers good for pickling?
Harvest to Table reports that straight eight cucumber plants are great for pickling. Of course, keeping the fruit off the ground also improves air circulation, which may ward off some fungal diseases. Since cucumbers climb via tightly coiled tendrils, tying them in a few places helps train them to grow up the support.
When is the right time to harvest cucumbers?
Cucumbers need a long growing season and are ready for harvest in 50 to 70 days. Harvesting ripe cucumbers at the right time ensure sweet fruits that have no bitterness. Cucumbers left on the vine too long have a bitter taste that ruins the fresh flavor.
When did straight eight cucumbers become All American selections?
Straight Eight Cucumber was an All American Selections winner in 1935. A real superstar, most likely the most recognized cucumber variety with home gardeners. Asian in origin, cucumbers have been cultivated since ancient times. Notably, these frost-tender annual vines thrive in the warmth and sunshine of summer.