Growing and Pruning Cucumbers and Seasonal Recipe Ideas for Your Veggie Box
Why grow cucumbers at home Once you taste a home-grown cucumber you will know the answer. Rather than a slightly soft watery vegetable, freshly-picked cucumbers are unbelievably crunchy with a sweet and complex flavour that is irresistible. Most kids love them and they are prolific if grown well, providing lunchbox fodder for weeks on end. Not to mention the many other delicious ways to eat them, from salads, to rainbow wraps, sushi, rice paper rolls and even cucumber boats. High in fibre and hydrating in hot weather, cucumbers are a true Summer hero. How to grow cucumbers Cucumbers grow best in full sun with rich, moist, well-fertilised soil. I recommend succession planting a new bed every month for the best harvest, and removing old or diseased plants to make way for the new. Growing on a trellis keep the leaves and fruit off the ground and away from snails and slugs, and makes harvesting easier. How to prune cucumbers Cucumbers should be tied or clipped to the trellis as they grow. The lower leaves should be pruned off to at least 30cm above the ground to allow for good airflow, but only once they are tall enough to have enough other leaves remaining for photosynthesis. Cucumbers produce suckers along with each new leaf, which can themselves grow into a long vine. I allow each sucker to produce one or two fruit and then cut off its growing tip to prevent it from taking over, leaving the main leader to grow taller and taller. It is also good to keep pruning off the lower leaves as they yellow and die. Keeping plants pruned like this will make it easier to find the fruit and avoid large cucumber blimps which are seedy, watery and tasteless. Still to come Next time I will talk about what to sow right now for harvest in the heat of Summer. This week's recipe links Caramelised Zucchini, Olive, Lentil and Almond Salad from A Better Choice. Peanut Broccoli Salad from Taste. My Veggie Pasties from Jamie Oliver. Rainbow Cheese Chips from Well Nourished. More info To read more about what's happening on our local organic farm this week as we grow and care for veggies for our box delivery, check out this week's newsletter here.