I had a decent cucumber crop this year, but most of them have had a strong bitter taste on the stem side of the cucumber. If I cut away abut 1/3 of the length of the cucumber, the rest is usually very good. What makes them bitter?
My cukes have been bitter when they/ve exhibited slow growth due to dry weather and/or inconsistent soil moisture.
That's right, it's caused by stress. Fast growth on healthy plants will keep bitterness to a minimum. Of course there are several varieties that have been bred to eliminate bitterness. I like to grow "sweet success". It seems to be bitter free and quite seedless even if they get too big.
Steve
Watering - water must be simmilar temperature as the enviroment where they grow - no way cold water. Periods of watering try to be aprrox. equal. That's the most. Cukes love water - air humidity and ground.
Another thing is if the flowers get pollinated. Tradition has it that the male flowers should be pulled off to prevent pollination of the females, hence modern varieties bred to produce only female flowers.
Steve
For what it's worth, my grandmother used to attribute this to over-handling/stepping on/etc. the vines and leaves, which seems in keeping with the stress explanation.
Pick some when they are about half the size of the ones you see in a grocery store. If they taste alright, you are probably leaving them on the vine to long.
That is absolutely wrong, size doesn't determine bitterness.
I tried picking them small and large, it made no difference. The water supply is steady in the garden. Although we had a very dry summer, I do have a sprinkler system, so the ground stayed consistently moist.
Sounds like you/re doing everything right. What variety did you plant?
Soil pH and mineral content does affect taste, though I never noticed it with cucumbers. Which soil type and pH do you have? I usually correct my acid soil with wood ash for selected vegetables, such as tomatoes, lettuce, greens and cabbage.
I repeat from the last posts - don't use cold water, water temperature simmilar to enviromental temperature where it grows, leave water in some pots nearby cukes, it will be enough and use it in the evening - when sun goes down ( sunset). And always enough water, when they lack water also they could be bitter.
Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I did not mean the size makes them bitter, I meant that they have stayed on the vine too long, or the plant is just too dang old.. Here, this is from Texas A&M
A. Any stress on a cucumber plant such as high temperatures, low moisture, low fertility or foliage disease can contribute bitterness. Bitterness is usually associated with fruit harvested late in the season from unhealthy, poor-yielding plants. Once a plant produces bitter fruit, remove it from the garden because all subsequent fruit will be affected in a similar manner.
High temperature can cause bitterness? I'm in coastal Louisiana in July. The temperature is always high. Do they really mean that?
As if one can tell which cucumber came from which plant.
A. [snip] Once a plant produces bitter fruit, remove it from the garden because all subsequent fruit will be affected in a simila manner.
As if one can tell which cucumber came from which plant.
hope this might answer a few of your questions and help u as well.
-- sockiescat
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