How to harvest cucumbers

leegolf7 24/11/2011 at 15:28

certainly never knew you could harvest part of a cucumber and leave the rest on the plant - great idea - thanks

casenna 24/11/2011 at 15:28

I am growing cucumbers for the first time and I've been told that I should ensure the mail pollinates the female - even hand pollinating if there are insufficient bees to do the job - as otherwise the tiny cucmbers will die. This video says specifically not to pollinate. Have I misunderstood something? Thanking anyone who can help.

growmyown_26 24/11/2011 at 15:28

This is the second year running I have grown cucumbers and I absolutely love it, they are far most the best fruit I have ever grown. With comment to casenna, please make sure you nip off the male flowers as they will make the cucumbers bitter as he said in the video. I also removed some of the leaves last year (not all of them, as the leaves provide protection) as this gave the fruit more nourishment
Good Luck with your growing

Bethy 24/11/2011 at 15:29

How come that when i dont pollinate it the fruit just shrivels up and then the fruit drops off???

beginner'sluck 24/11/2011 at 15:29

As they say - you learn something new everyday. Certainly very useful to know that cucumbers can be portioned off from the plant. I expect the remaining portions will continue to grow? My cucumber plant is growing lavishly with multiple fruits. The first fruits are already 12 ins long. I hesitate to harvest them because although the skin near the stem is smooth, it's still prickly further along the fruit. Should I wait till the whole fruit is smooth skinned?