[chillinut]

Hi All

I am new to this Grow your own Lark

We have a cucumber in the greenhouse that is growing very well has approx 18-20 small cucs on it ( 3-6 cm long at the moment )

What I need to know is do I need to pinch out the top growth ? or do I just let it grow as it is doing - it's not very tall only about 2 1/2 feet tall lots of leaves and the little twisty things 

Hope someone can help

Caroline

[Trillium]

If you don't want more cukes, then pinch out the tops.

If you want more cukes, leave them alone. The twirly things are called tendrils and help hold the plant up if it climbs, or anchors it from winds if it crawls on the ground.

To keep the harvest good and coming, keep the plants well watered (usually every day) and never let the cukes yellow on the vine which will then stop production because it will now have set seeds. Best to pick off older cukes and compost them rather than leave on the vine.

[Growster...]

If you don't want more cukes, then pinch out the tops.

If you want more cukes, leave them alone. The twirly things are called tendrils and help hold the plant up if it climbs, or anchors it from winds if it crawls on the ground.

To keep the harvest good and coming, keep the plants well watered (usually every day) and never let the cukes yellow on the vine which will then stop production because it will now have set seeds. Best to pick off older cukes and compost them rather than leave on the vine.

Thanks Trillium, I'm always wondering if I should pinch them out, so always leave about half to grow it alone...

[8doubles]

Pinch the surplus cuc`s out at 3-4"long and pickle `em.

[chillinut]

Thanks all 

might just leave it be then - a bit scared of killing it to be honest I know from reading here they can be a bit temperamental

It gets watered every day and fed once a week - the cucs are still thin but seem to be growing well

thanks for the tip by the way will try pickling them 

Caroline

[chillinut]

took the first fruit off as it was laying on the compost and since then it has had an effect on all the rest they are growing really fast the bottom fruit is about 12cm long - is this big enough to pick and eat as a cucumber it is about 4/5 cm round too

Thanks

Caroline

[Growster...]

took the first fruit off as it was laying on the compost and since then it has had an effect on all the rest they are growing really fast the bottom fruit is about 12cm long - is this big enough to pick and eat as a cucumber it is about 4/5 cm round too

Thanks

Caroline

Yup!

Nice size, and well grown Chills!

We did the same today - perfick flavour!

[chillinut]

Yup!

Nice size, and well grown Chills!

We did the same today - perfick flavour!

Took your advice and chopped the bottom one off kids loved it and the hubby who is not keen on cucs tried it and said it was lovely and that it tasted of cucumber not water like supermarket ones !!

I love this grow your own lark potatoes for tea last night cucumber today just need the tomato plants to ripen now

[Growster...]

Good thinking Chills!

Just wait until you have so many toms, you have to make a bruschetta every other day - that's living!

[chillinut]

Good thinking Chills!

Just wait until you have so many toms, you have to make a bruschetta every other day - that's living!

Ha Ha can't wait growster can't wait 

and seen as though the hubby has done 22 tomato plants I think we will be eating a lot of recipies that include toms lol

[mumofstig]

and don't forget that toms freeze very well, for casseroles and sauces in the winter 

[chillinut]

and don't forget that toms freeze very well, for casseroles and sauces in the winter 

Thanks Mumofstig been having a look at the preserving and storing section - all I did last year was freeze about 3 tonnes of blackberries from the 20ft + load of bushes at the end of my garden  mind you we didn't have anything else lol our first year of growing so very excited

can you freeze toms without cooking first ? I was just going to do a simple base tomato sauce and freeze it like that as reduced as possible

[mumofstig]

Any excess cherry toms that I have, I just bag up in 'tin-sized' portions and freeze just like that.
Then in winter they just get tipped into casseroles
So yes, you don't have to do anything with them before freezing, unless you want to

[shokkyy]

Yes, I do that with the cherry toms too. The bigger cooking tomatoes I turn into passata and seal in jam jars, which keeps me in pasta sauce for quite a while and doesn't take up freezer space. Never found any good way of preserving excess cucumbers though, I tried pickling them and didn't like the taste.

[chillinut]

Yes, I do that with the cherry toms too. The bigger cooking tomatoes I turn into passata and seal in jam jars, which keeps me in pasta sauce for quite a while and doesn't take up freezer space. Never found any good way of preserving excess cucumbers though, I tried pickling them and didn't like the taste.

Thanks and I don't think at this rate that there will be any spare cucumbers ha ha