When To Pick A Cucumber

Most slicing cucumbers for fresh eating should be harvested when they are seven to nine inches long and have a dark green color. If they get much larger than this, they'll be bitter and won't have a pleasant texture. When you pick cucumbers, leave a small, one-inch section of stem attached to the cucumber.

How do you know when cucumbers are ready to be picked?
Why are my cucumbers prickly?
Will cucumbers ripen off the vine?
How many times can you harvest cucumbers?
Do cucumbers need to be refrigerated after picking?
How do you pick a good cucumber?
How do you use an overgrown cucumber?
Is wild cucumber toxic?
What cucumbers are prickly?
When should I pick my Burpless cucumbers?
How many cucumbers do you get per plant?
Can you pickle unripe cucumber?

How do you know when cucumbers are ready to be picked?

However, cucumbers are generally ripe and ready for harvest anywhere from 50 to 70 days after planting. A cucumber is normally considered ripe when it is bright medium to dark green and firm. You should avoid cucumber harvesting when cucumbers are yellow, puffy, have sunken areas, or wrinkled tips.

Why are my cucumbers prickly?

Some might have tiny little hairs and others all out spines. The slicing varieties are usually less prickly while the pickling types are spinier. Native to India, cucumbers may have become spiny for the same reason that some animals are camouflaged or have horns… to protect themselves from predators.

Will cucumbers ripen off the vine?

Unlike tomatoes, stone fruit, and avocados, cucumbers will not ripen off the vine. ... Pick the largest fruit first by cutting them from the vine and continually harvest fruit to encourage ongoing production.

How many times can you harvest cucumbers?

Pick pickling cucumbers every two days. Regular dills are best picked when 3 to 4 inches (7-10cm) long. Burpless cucumbers should be picked at about 10 inches long. Hothouse-grown English or Armenian cucumbers are best picked when 12 to 15 inches (30-38cm) long.

Do cucumbers need to be refrigerated after picking?

According to a post at Root Simple, cucumbers should be stored at room temperature – not in the refrigerator. Root Simple cites the University of California, Davis, which determined that cucumbers are sensitive to temperatures below 50°F. When stored at room temperature, cucumbers thrive and last longer.

How do you pick a good cucumber?

Look for firm cucumbers, without blemishes or soft spots, which can indicate they have started to rot. They should be dark green without any yellow spots, which develop as the cucumber is getting overly ripe. At that point, it will often produce off-flavors and odors.

How do you use an overgrown cucumber?

These oversized cucumbers are perfect recipes calling for chopped or shredded cucumber. Peel and quarter them. Cut out the entire seed cavity and chop or shred up the rest. This can be used for making cucumber-yogurt soup, Green gazpacho or tzatziki sauce.

Is wild cucumber toxic?

Marah macrocarpus, also known as wild cucumber, is a climbing vine with long, green tendrils. Its fruit is an ovalish shape, with spikes, but when the fruit is green, the spikes are soft. ... Almost the entire plant is toxic, so don't eat the fruit.

What cucumbers are prickly?

Plant Photos and Identification

Echinocystis lobata is an annual vine, setting fruit that resemble small, prickly cucumbers. It's a member of the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae). They look similar to bur cucumbers (Sicyos angulatus).

When should I pick my Burpless cucumbers?

If your burpless cucumber is 10 inches long, it's ready to be harvested. A uniform shape and color, firmness to the touch, and their crispness indicate it's time to snip them from the vine.

How many cucumbers do you get per plant?

Expect to get 10-20 cucumbers per plant. That's roughly two to three pounds. Pickling varieties will produce on the higher end of that estimate; slicing varieties will produce on the lower end of that estimate.

Can you pickle unripe cucumber?

The cucumbers that we eat fresh are slicing cucumbers, which are unripe and green. When ripe, it'll turn yellow and become bitter and sour. Although any cucumber can be pickled, commercial pickles are made from cucumbers specially bred for pickling.