[ex-cavator]

..... but then I'm told there's no such thing as a silly question if you don't know the answer 

I'm growing my first ever cucumber plant and it's looking great - it's got 5 cuc's on it but only the one at the bottom is swelling up to gargantuan proportions (OK, so it's only 6 inches long and a bit thicker than my thumb so far  )

Would I be right in assuming the others won't swell until this one's ready, or is there something wrong?  :blink:

[Kleftiwallah]

The younger cuc's do tend to stay on the small side untill they are 'head of the list' then seem to grow faster.  A hint I've not tried ywt is to cut the cuc' in half and leave half on the plant untill you need it.    Cheers,   Tony.

[JayG]

Until this year I've only grown outdoor ridge-type cucumbers which you just leave to get on with it.

My neighbour, who has been growing greenhouse cucumbers for years (and seems quite good at it!) has advised me to remove the first cucumber as soon as it sets, and subesquently to make sure each side shoot carries only one fruit.

I'll be interested to hear what others think of that advice, although I'm a long way off having to worry about that yet!

[tosca100]

I grew the small "individual" size ones last year, two in the greenhouse and two outside. They were early and went on to october, had masses for us and some for friends. Didn't do anything special, just tied them to a cane as they grew, but I think they regulated themselves when they produced too much fruit, some just turned yellow and shrivelled up and others grew properly. I am growing the same this time.

[Springlands]

I would agree with JayG - when growing indoor plants I always remove the first cucumbers when they are small. This seems to encourage the rest to grow quicker. (I read this advice in a book but cannot remember which one.)