Growing Cucumbers- Marketmore 76

Fresh cut cucumbers say "summer is here" like no other fruit or vegetable, and they perhaps have only watermelons for competition in making that statement!  I tried growing cucumbers several years ago and had moderate success. I decided it was time to try it again. My family loves them. It is a great snack on its own, or added to a variety of salads. 

This spring, I planted about 12 Marketmore 76 variety seeds. It was mid April. To my delight, all of them germinated.

By April 20, I put the seedlings into a raised bed and added a trellis to help them grow. Since all 12 seedlings were growing, I had to put them in three different spots in the garden. None were planted in full sun locations. 

All my kitchen scraps go into the compost bin, and I have a steady supply of compost to feed the soil and replenish depleted nutrients. I do not add any other fertilizer to the soil, and there are no chemicals in my yard that target pests either. Companion flowers like Marigold, Zinnias, Sunflowers have helped in keeping pests in check until now. 

May 5, and they were growing well.

May 15- they had taken to climbing up the trellis as was intended. It is fascinating to see how  young tendrils on the growing plant seek out support and reach towards the sky!

By May 28, the plants were dotted with yellow flowers. All of them were male flowers to begin with. This May, we had a lot of rain, and I suppose that was the reason things went a little slow.

By the first week of June, female flowers were also growing in good numbers. Here is a female flower that has been successfully pollinated. Notice the spines on the female flower ovary that will eventually become the fruit.

A male flower and a female flower on a vine that decided to spread away on the ground.

More male flowers.

In about 4 days, the young cucumbers begin to grow. The flower (corolla) is still attached to the fruit. The spines remain on the growing fruit.

In another 3-4 days, the cucumber is ready to be picked!

They grow quickly and it is such a joy to pluck fruit from the yard and on to the table!

Here is another perspective of the size of a female flower with a fully grown cucumber in the background.

Here are two cucumbers I picked yesterday. They are a good size, deliciously crisp and fresh, and have a wonderful flavor!