Helping You Become a More Successful Gardener
Plant Search
Cucurbitaceae
CUCUMIS sativus 'Boston Pickling'
Boston Pickling Cucumber, Cucumber
A favorite since its introduction in the late nineteenth century, 'Boston Pickling' bears quantities of thin-skinned cucumbers that are excellent for pickling or for eating fresh. The spiny, bright-green "cukes" are tastiest when 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) long. Plants grow from seed to harvest in about 57 days.
Asian in origin, cucumbers have been cultivated since ancient times for their prickly, tough-skinned, succulent fruits. These frost-tender annual vines bear large, lobed, rough-textured leaves on long, bristly, trailing stems that climb via clinging tendrils. Mature plants produce yellow flowers that are either male or female. Pollen-bearing male flowers appear first, followed by the fruit-bearing female flowers. The female flowers are easily recognizable by the bulbous ovaries at their bases.
Grow your cucumbers in full sun and fertile, evenly moist, perfectly drained garden loam. After the threat of frost passes, sow cucumber seeds directly in the ground. If transplanting container-grown plants, take care to not damage their tender white roots unless they are root-bound. Root-bound plants can be saved only if their roots are gently teased apart before planting. Be sure to harvest fruits regularly, so they will continue to flower and produce fruit. Overripe cucumbers have spongy, bitter flesh and large, tough seeds, so it’s best to harvest them when they are young and crisp.
Cucumbers may be trained on a trellis or cage or allowed to ramble freely across the ground. Fresh or pickled, cucumbers are a favorite vegetable, and they are as easy to grow as they are tasty.
12 - 1
A1, A2, A3, H1, H2, 1a, 1b, 2a, 2b, 3a, 3b, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Vegetable
Full Sun, Partial Sun
6"-10" / 15.2cm - 25.4cm
6'-8' / 1.8m - 2.4m
Early Summer, Summer, Late Summer, Early Fall, Indeterminate
Hybrid Origin, Southern Asia
Neutral
Well Drained
Loam
Very Fast
Average Water
Vining/Climbing
Summer, Fall
Showy
Yellow
Green, Yellow Green
Green
No
Single
Yes
Coarse
Matte
Edible, Herb / Vegetable, Vine
© 2006-2021 Preferred Commerce. All Rights Reserved.
