Cucumbers grown inside cages

[Angi]

I had posted this in another gardening newsgroup but was politely told to post this in the (edible) gardening group. I am growing cucumber plants inside tomato cages which are about 5 feet high and about 2 feet wide because I now have limited garden space where in prior years I had enough area to let the vines sprawl on the ground. The vines are healthy and are starting to grow to the top of the cages and the tendrils have been twisting themselves onto the wires as the plants have grow vertically with almost daily guidance. My question is whether I should tie the vines to the wires in addition to the tendrils. I expect the vines will start growing back towards the ground and this may suffice but I would be grateful for advice from gardeners that have had grown cucumber plants vertically in cages etc. My fear is that when the cucumbers start bearing that the vines may suddenly slip to the ground and the tendrils snap! Thanks

[Pat Kiewicz]

When I grew cukes on trellises I never had to tie them. Just be sure to cut your fruit free (and do it before the cuke gets monstrously huge and seedy).

Now I grow seedless cukes under screening because I was tired of loosing my plants to bacterial wilt.

[Pat Meadows]

I've grown cukes outside a circle of wire fencing.

I never tied them. The cukes stayed hanging up in the air.

Pat

[James Mayer]

The last time I grew them, I did it that way. The only thing is that I had to "coax" some of the follow the wires in the cages and not take off in odd directions. I doing it again with this lates planting.

[jc]

I assume the cucumbers under screening must be parthenocarpic such that lack of pollination would not be a problem. Any recommended variety/source? -Olin

[Emmet Cummings]

I would imagine that the screening is under the plants and off the soil.

[Pat Kiewicz]

'Sweet Success' is a widely available, dark green slicer. 'Diva' was introduced by Johnny's Selected Seeds and is also available from Pinetree Garden Seeds. It's a lighter green Mid Eastern Beit-Alpha type cucumber.

Pinetree Garden seeds also supplies a variety named 'Cool Breeze' which is listed with the French vegetables. It a small variety, suitable for pickling.

Pinetree: h

's:

[Jim Carter]

On Sun, 20 Jul 2003 06:47:57 -0500, [e-mail] (Pat Kiewicz) wrote in rec.gardens.edible:

Which zone are you in? I have some Diva planted and they are doing next to nothing. "Sweet Slice" is producing like gang busters. I read somewhere that Diva likes a soil temperature of at least 70°F.

-- Gardening Zones Canada Zone 5a United States Zone 3a Near Ottawa, Ontario

[Phaedrine Stonebridge]

We finally have some Divas that are doing just OK. We have really had to baby them to get them to grow at all. The Armenians, OTOH, are growing like crazy. Missouri 5b

[Pat Kiewicz]

I'm in that pocket of zone 6a in southeast Michigan. Cukes are running late this year for me, because the spring was so cool that they were late going in. (The tomatoes, corn, and beans late too.)

[simy1]

Where did you get the screen, Pat, and how thick is it? This year I tried growing zucchini under bird netting and lo and behold they are still borer-free. Onyl trouble is that the plants are too weak to even push up netting - once I supported the netting with peony rings they took off. So I would like some screen for next year to make it permanent.

[Pat Kiewicz]

I previously used spun-bond insect covers over hoops, but the birds usually managed to tear it to shreds half way through the season. When the cukes really started coming, the birds would peck through, the beetles would get in, and the plants died of wilt. But at least we got quite some cukes, which I hadn't been getting from unprotected plants.

This year we have a solid frame with window screen and lift-off covers -- a cucumber frame with screen instead of glass. I stuck to using the sunniest part of the vegetable garden. So far, so good -- though weather (and some surgery I had in June) have ensured the crop will be late this year. The whole thing was improvised construction, using lumber and pins to align the corners and bits of coathangers bent through eye-screws to hold it together. Knocks down for storage.

[Mary McHugh]

I tried Diva last year and it was a complete failure. Hmmm.

Mary

[Phaedrine Stonebridge]

Last year the deer ate all mine. :(