[slingshot2000]

Hi everyone,
My cucumber plants are thriving, but the cucumbers themselves are just not growing. I first saw the signs of a tiny cucumber 2 weeks ago and I have kept an eye on it since. There are plenty of flowers with tiny cucumbers visible behind them, but they are just not growing. The first one I saw is now about an inch and a hal long, but it is no thicker than a pencil.

The plants are in 5gallon buckets, with the stems planted in small plant pots with the bottoms cut out as I understand the stems do not like to sit in water-logged conditions. They have been watered daily, as require and had small portion of tomato feed every 3 or 4 days.

Can anyone, please, suggest a more suitable feed or can anyone suggest something that I may be doing wrong?

Thanks in advance,
Jon

PS; This is my first year in my new greenhouse and everything was late going in, but everything else seems to be thriving.

[Salmo]

Give them a really  good watering.

[JayG]

What variety are they?

All-female types don't need pollinating (they shouldn't produce any male flowers - if they do you should pick them off.)

Ridge type cucumbers do need pollinating, and may need some human intervention if grown inside where there are possibly no insects to do the job for you.

[slingshot2000]

Thanks for the prompt replies.
I am off to my plot in the next few minutes, I will check the variety and post it here. They are all from the same packet and all eight are almost touching the roof of my greenhouse.
I will given them a good soaking now, before the sun get out of bed ! !

Thanks again
Jon

[slingshot2000]

Well, I went and gave them a good soaking and checked the variety;
They are Johnson's "Cucumber Gherkins". Does this mean anything to anyone?

Thanks again,
Jon

[Christine]

They will be short and fat if they are gherkin type. They are greedy feeders I have found and do like heat and light.

[JayG]

They are Johnson's "Cucumber Gherkins". Does this mean anything to anyone?

Assuming I've found the right one, according to Johnson's website they are an 'outdoor' type, which when applied to cucumber varieties usually means they need pollinating.

Next question - are there male flowers as well as female?

If so you need to arm yourself with a cheap artist's paintbrush or similar and get flower tickling!

[Salmo]

If they are gherkins they will not grow big. Pick them when they are about 2 inches long and pickle them in sweet vinegar. There may be instructions for making sweet vinegar in the cookery section.

If you pick them as they get to the right size they will keep in the fridge for a few days until you get enough to fill a jar or two. Equally sweet vinegar will keep so you can do a jar at a time