Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

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

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Angi said:
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

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 in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 02:01:20 GMT, "Angi"
wrote:

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


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

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

Pat

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

On Sat, 19 Jul 2003 02:01:20 GMT, "Angi" wrote:

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



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.

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
....
Now I grow seedless cukes under screening because I was tired of
loosing
my plants to bacterial wilt.
...

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

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

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

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

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

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Emmet Cummings said:

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

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

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

No, the screening is over the plants to keep off cucumber beetles (which carry
the wilt). I plant parthenocarpic varieties, which do not need pollination.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

jc said:

"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
...
Now I grow seedless cukes under screening because I was tired of
loosing
my plants to bacterial wilt.
...

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

'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: hhttp://www.superseeds.com/home.htm
Johnny's: http://www.johnnyseeds.com/catalog/index.html

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

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

'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.

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

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

In article ,
Jim Carter wrote:

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

'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.

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


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

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Thanks for the correction, Pat. Learn something new every day.


"Pat Kiewicz" wrote in message
...
Emmet Cummings said:

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

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

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

No, the screening is over the plants to keep off cucumber beetles (which
carry
the wilt). I plant parthenocarpic varieties, which do not need
pollination.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Jim Carter said:

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

'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.

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.

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.)
--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

simy1 said:

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.

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.


--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

Cucumbers grown inside cages
 

Jim Carter wrote:

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

'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.

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

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

Mary