Cucumbers Revealed

Gardeners often complain that their cucumber plants stop producing fruit early in the season. How can this be prevented? The secret is to pick the fruit young and often.

The cucumber’s life cycle is dedicated to propagating seeds. As long as no cucumbers ripen, the plant will set more fruit. Left on the vine unpicked, a cucumber quickly softens and turns yellow. At this point the seeds are mature and the plant’s cycle is complete – the vine promptly halts all new blossom and fruit production.

Of course, it’s easy to miss one, two or more ripening cukes. To prevent this, grow your cucumbers on a wire trellis. They adapt well to climbing up a vertical surface, which makes the fruit highly visible, as well as saving garden space!