Home grown cucumber

moments_of_sanity

Nomnomnom........just had some of my first home grown cucumber! I bought 2 plants from Te&co and lost one but the one that survived has at least 12 cucumbers growning on it.

Having never eaten home grown cucumber, I have to say it has a very 'earthy' taste which isn't unpleasant in any way and a perfectly formed triangle shape down the middle which is hollow.

Can anyone tell me how I will know when my yellow courgettes are ready to eat please, it is quite large but didn't come away from the plant when i pulled it!!!?

gazza975526570

Normally harvest about 4 inches or longer - depends how many you have/want etc

Dont pull at them - you need to cut them with a sharp knife

DaftyDuck

Twelve cucumbers at one time on the plant may be too many at once for the plant. ( I go for 4 to 6 at a time in my greenhouse (Beth alpha main vatiety). Hollow centre may be caused by irregular watering, slightly strong taste can be caused by fertilised fruit - some older varieties need the male flowers removed.

Courgettes, as above, harvest with a sharp knife to prevent damage to plant. Take when small to grow many more smaller ones: if they are allowed to grow big and develop seed, further courgettes are less likely. Again, removing most (not all) male flowers helps make more female flowers. They do need to be pollinated, but you often get many male flowers at the beginning. One male flower can pollinate many females.

browneyedbazzi

I can't wait for my cucumbers to be ready to harvest...fresh, home grown cucumbers are lovely and nothing like the tasteless uniform shape/size things you get in supermarkets.

I'm not a courgette fan but my mom always grew them and just cut them when they got to a reasonable size...she always said they were nicest when harvested smaller (usually about 6"). Big ones she would only use grated up in cakes or similar.

moments_of_sanity

Harvested my first courgette today, I have grown yellow one's so looking forward to eating it.

My blueberries are ripening nicely but are quite tart at the moment, hopefully they will get better.

I have also managed to get some strawberry runners to root in water so planted up 6 of them at the weekend, that should give me a nic crop next year :j