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English Cucumbers have a scientific name of "Cucumis sativus." They are also known as burpless, hothouse, and European cucumbers.  They have a sweet taste.

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There are close to 100 cucumber varieties, but we are most familiar with slicing, pickling, and English cucumbers. These three types differ in size, appearance, taste, and texture. Of the three, the English cucumber is favored by many for several reasons.

English cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, were actually bred to create a cucumber without some of the more undesirable characteristics that this vegetable has, such as a tough outer skin, large seeds, and a bitter taste. They are also known as hothouse cucumber, burpless cucumber, seedless cucumber, and European cucumber.

Appearance

The English cucumber is long, thin, and straight. It can be twice the length of a regular slicing cucumber; a typical English cucumber is around 14 inches long. The skin is dark green and smooth (meaning without any bumps found on pickling cucumbers) with ridges running the length of the vegetable.

The interior is a light green studded with very tiny seeds in the center. Because the skin is delicate and easily torn or nicked, which opens the door for mold, it will almost always be packaged in shrink wrap to protect it and extend the cucumber's shelf life.

Taste and Texture

An English cucumber is generally sweeter than the regular, common cucumber which has many large seeds, contributing to their bitter flavor. The skin is thinner than a slicing cucumber and therefore doesn't need to be peeled. And because the seeds are very small and easy to eat and digest, the cucumber doesn't have to be seeded before enjoying-you can simply slice and serve.

Buying and Storing

English cucumbers are sold year round and are usually more expensive than regular cucumbers. Many times they are labeled as "seedless cucumbers." They can be found in the produce section of your local grocer, usually sold in plastic wrap.

Look for a cucumber that is evenly cylindrical, between 10 and 15 inches long and 1 to 2 inches in diameter. It will begin to decay at the ends first, so gently squeeze both ends of the cucumber to test for mushiness, and then run your hand along the entire vegetable to feel for any soft spots; the entire cucumber should be firm. It is best to avoid if the shrink wrap has come loose anywhere, especially if you see moisture or liquid inside the plastic.

Store the English cucumber in its plastic wrapping in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for about 1 week as long as it doesn't retain any moisture; you may want to avoid the humid vegetable drawer and place it in a drier spot in the fridge. When using just a portion of the cucumber, open one end and pull back the plastic, cut off the amount you need, and then rewrap the end with the excess plastic. Also be sure to only rinse the piece of cucumber you will be using.

Using and Eating

English cucumbers are preferred by most chefs over common cucumbers for their edible skin and seeds. This makes them easy to use and excellent for salads, raw side dishes, and even enjoyed on its own. They are perfect to use in cucumber tea sandwiches, in a creamy cucumber dip, and as part of a vegan spring roll.

Of course, you can also simply slice or cut into "fingers" and add to the crudite platter, or as a sandwich topping, or to contribute crunch to tuna salad.

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What Makes an English Cucumber Different?

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English cucumber, a long, thin, and straight cucumber variety, is sweeter than the common garden cucumber. It has smooth skin and tiny seeds.

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Write 2-3 sentences about your website.

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What exactly is that thing 50% of the population sling out of their McDonald’s burgers?

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A raw cucumber is actually made up of 95% of water, and a whole cucumber is only 16 calories.

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World Cucumber Day is being celebrated on June 14th, so I felt it was the perfect time to delve into the world of this intriguing green fruit. After all, what else is 2 foot long, 95% water and able to cure a squeaky hinge?!

1. Cucumbers originate from south East Asia.

2. Cucumbers can be up to 2 foot long!

3. China produces 76% of cucumber and gherkin production in the world.

4. A raw cucumber is actually 95% water.

5. A whole cucumber is just 16 calories.

6. Cucumbers can be grown in soilless medium, such as in water (hydroponic).

7. The large leaves on a cucumber plant provide shading for the developing fruits.

8. In Northern England, pickled cucumbers are sometimes called 'wallies'.

9. In Roman times, Emperor Tiberius had cucumber on his table daily all year round.

10. Cucumber plants climb by tendrils, which are thin spiralling shoots.

11. During the 17th century, hygiene prejudices meant uncooked vegetables, such as cucumber, fell out of favour.

12. Cucumbers can cool the body and the blood, which gave rise to the phrase 'cool as a cucumber'.

13. Cucumbers contain some carbohydrates, so can act as an energy pick me up mid afternoon.

14. A slice of cucumber pressed to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds can kill bacteria and freshen the breath!

15. The cooling effects of cucumber can soothe sunburn. Mix up a puree and apply it to affected areas.

16. Christopher Columbus is said to have taken cucumbers to Haiti in 1494.

17. It takes just 12 weeks from sowing cucumber seed to harvesting the fruits!

18. Some supermarket-bought cucumbers can be 2 weeks old, growing your own will be much more fresh!

19. Harvesting cucumbers regularly will mean your plant will produce more and more fruits!

20. Cucumber slices can be rubbed on noisy hinges to lubricate them!

In observance of World Cucumber Day on 14 June, Hendrick's Gin are asking drinkers around the world to join them by growing or adopting a cucumber! To assure scientific objectivity, they ask that everyone taste their results by way of a Hendrick's & Tonic garnished with cucumber, it's that easy! Find out more in 'The Unbearable Charm of Plant Life': On that day, there shall be a "harvest-and-garnish ceremony".

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20 totally cool facts about cucumbers! - Michael Perry - Mr Plant Geek

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World Cucumber Day is being celebrated on June 14th, so I felt it was the perfect time to delve into the world of this intriguing green fruit. After all, what else is 2 foot long, 95% water and able to [...]

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Somewhere between 75 to 85 degrees is good. - Layla in the black shirt

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Robert R. Westerfield
Extension Horticulturist

Cucumbers are one of the most popular crops in today's home garden. There are two types of cucumbers that can be grown-those for fresh slicing and those for pickling. Although they require substantial growing space, they can still be grown in small gardens by training vines onto vertical structures or in containers that conserve garden space. The cucumber ranges in size from the small gherkin type to the long, thin slicing variety. As a gardener, you can choose from the many varieties available to suit your needs.

Climatic Requirements

Cucumbers are a subtropical crop, requiring long, warm days, plenty of sunshine, and adequate moisture. The Georgia climate is well suited for growing cucumbers and gardeners can enjoy a harvest all summer long.

Cucumbers are in the cucurbit family with vines that bear two kinds of flowers-pistillate (female) and staminate (male). The first flowers are staminate. They drop from the vine and do not bear fruit. Subsequent flowers will include both male and female. Insect pollination is required. Recently, gynoecious plants (those bearing female flowers only or mostly female) have been introduced. These varieties tend to bear fruit earlier with a heavier yield because of the increased number of female flowers.

Cucumbers thrive best at relatively high temperatures, between 75 to 85 degrees F. The plants do not tolerate frost. Since they are a quick-growing crop, they must be well supplied with moisture and plant nutrients throughout the growing season. Water is especially critical for cucumbers during the fruiting stage.

Soils

Cucumbers can be grown successfully in many types of soils. The preferred soil is loose, well drained, and well supplied with organic matter and plant nutrients. In soils void of organic matter, work in 4-6" of finished compost or other humus to a depth of 10". The soil pH should be between 6.0 and 6.5. Soil temperature should be at least 60 degrees F before seeding for optimum germination.

Fertilizers

Lime and fertilizers are best applied using soil test results as a guide. Contact your county Extension office for information on soil testing. If a soil sample is not taken, make a pre-plant application of 5-10-10 at the rate of 3 pounds per 100 square feet. Side dress cucumbers with an additional application of nitrogen fertilizer one week after blooming begins then again three weeks later using 1 pound of 33-0-0 per 100 square feet of bed. Apply this fertilizer along one side of the row and approximately 6" from the plant's base. Cover the fertilizer with soil using a hoe or rake. Do not over fertilize as this encourages vine growth and retards fruiting.

Cultural Practices

Get a head start on growing time by starting the plants indoors 10 to 14 days before anticipated planting time. Use peat pots or pellets and avoid disturbing roots when transplanting. Planting outside should be delayed until the danger of frost has passed in the spring.

If direct seeding, cucumbers can be planted in hills consisting of four or five seeds per hill spaced 4-5' apart. If cucumbers are trellised, plant four to five seeds per foot in rows 30" apart. When plants are about 5" tall, thin them so they are approximately 12" apart.

Apply mulch around plants to conserve soil moisture, prevent soil compaction and rotting of fruit, and help suppress weeds. Newspaper placed around the plants, about three sheets thick, makes an excellent mulch. Cover newspaper with an organic mulch such as straw, bark, or other wood chips to help hold down the paper and provide additional weed and moisture control (Figure 1). Black plastic mulch or landscape fabric can also be used as a method of keeping the soil moist and minimizing weed problems.

Control weeds, insects, and diseases for optimum yield. Cucumber beetles, aphids, mites, pickle worms, bacterial wilt, anthracnose, powdery and downy mildew, and angular leaf spot are potential problems in cucumbers. The early and continuous control of the cucumber beetle is critical to success in growing cucumbers. The cucumber beetle can infect the plant with bacterial wilt as early as the cotyledon stage, when seedlings are just emerging from the ground. Bacterial wilt causes the plants to wilt and die. Avoid using insecticides in the garden when pollinating insects such as bees are working the flowers.

Avoid bitter taste in cucumbers by providing plenty of moisture as the fruit matures. Harvesting young, immature cucumbers will also help avoid any bitter taste. In addition, pickling cucumbers should be harvested before seeds mature and become hard.

Harvesting
Figure 2.
Cucumbers are ready for harvest 50 to 70 days from planting, depending on the variety. Depending on their use, harvest on the basis of size. Cucumbers taste best when harvested in the immature stage (Figure 2). Cucumbers should not be allowed to reach the yellowish stage as they become bitter with size. Harvest by cutting the stem 1/4" above the fruit. Do not trample the vines any more than necessary to harvest the crop.

Frequent picking of cucumbers is essential as they grow and reach optimum quality. Delayed harvest results in reduced quality products and less productive plants because fruiting is an exhaustive process for the plant. Harvested cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator.

Cultivars

Some cultivars to try in Georgia are:

Fresh Slicing (Bush)

Salad Bush Hybrid - 57 days to maturity

Bush crop - 55 days to maturity

Fanfare - 63 days to maturity

Fresh Slicing (Vine)

Burpless hybrid - 62 days to maturity

Straight Eight - 58 days to maturity

Sweet Success - 54 days to maturity

Sweet Slice - 63 days to maturity

Diva - 58 days to maturity

Marketmore 76 - 68 days to maturity

Pickling

Bush Pickle - 48 days to maturity

Calypso

County Fair - 52 days to maturity

Gynoecious

General Lee - 66 days to maturity (mostly female blooms)

Calypso - 52 days to maturity (pickling)

Status and Revision History
Published on Sep 26, 2007
Published on Sep 26, 2010
Published with Full Review on Sep 12, 2013
Published with Full Review on Jan 10, 2018

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Cucumbers are one of the most popular crops in today's home garden. This publication helps you to select the varieties to suit your needs.

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They taste good.

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Small, round, yellow cucumbers with a different taste. Despite the name, they aren’t bitter nor sour like a lemon, but have a pleasant, sort of sweet flavor to them.

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60 days. The shape, size, and color of a lemon, but with super-sweet flavor! This cucumber was famously peddled by one snake oil salesman as a genuine cross between an orange and a green cucumber. The huckster claimed that he had plucked an orange blossom from his daughter's bridal bouquet (orange blossoms were a popular bridal flower in those days) and used it to pollinate a cucumber plant! These "true lemon cucumber" seeds were sold at a bargain price of $1 per seed! Indeed, the lemon cucumber is a pretty convincing fake, with round, lemon-yellow fruit and a swollen blossom end, just like a real lemon. Alas, the lemon cuke is a true cucumber, a result of naturally selecting for round, yellow fruit. The lemon cucumber originated in the late 19th century and was introduced to the U.S. in 1894. The tasty fruit is low in cucurbitacin, that naturally occurring cucumber chemical that accounts for a slightly bitter taste. The flesh is citrusy and adds a real zip to salads! Fantastic for kids' gardens. One of our all-time favorite garden crops!

Growing Tips: Needs abundant soil moisture and rich soil. Some afternoon shade is beneficial in hottest summer weather. Trellis growing saves space. Harvest frequently to maintain production.

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cucumber vegetable seeds cuke round sweet yellow cucumber

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60 days. The shape, size, and color of a lemon, but with super-sweet flavor! This cucumber was famously peddled by one snake oil salesman as a genuine cross between an orange and a green cucumber.

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A cucumbers flavor comes from the seeds.