[julietmaria]

Oh my goodness, I am so excited one of my cucumbers looks almost ready for picking.  I have people coming for lunch tomorrow and want to put it in the salad.  It is about 4 1/2 to 5 inches long.  Can I pick it to use tomorow?    How do you know when they are ready to pick?

SO EXCITED 
Love to you all
Juliet

[DavidT]

Juliet I am going to try and keep this clean. If you are happy with the size of it, then pick it. The taste will be the same.

[Spana]

 

I like them little, the skins are soft

 Why has the size of Juliets cucumber made me laugh so much

[8doubles]

I picked 3 socrates cucs today 2 greenhouse and one from the garden ,the longest was about 5" and they were all ripe.

[barbarella]

Julietmaria - what type are you growing, a mini or full size variety?  Full size should be 8 -12 inches or more and about one to one and a half inches in diameter with parallel  sides.  I agonised over my Tasty Burpless (first time cucumber grower like you this year)  and eventually picked the first one when it reached this size.  It makes it worse when they say you should pick them promptly or the plant will stop producing!  If you pick too early, it might be a bit indigestible.  If you do decide to pick tomorrow let us know you get on

[solway cropper]

One of the varieties I'm growing this year is F1 emilie which produces a short fruit. After more or less leaving them to their own devices, apart from watering, I had a good look this morning and counted 16 cukes on 2 plants which were between 5 and 6 inches long. Picked one and it was very sweet so I picked another 2 and gave them to my neighbours. I prefer the smaller ones as they get eaten quickly whereas the large ones go soft after lying in the fridge for a week.

[pigeonpie]

I find my cucumbers get picked on a how hungry I am basis rather than by size.  If I'm hungry as I potter around in the greenhouse I pick one to munch on!  Size really isn't everything!!!

[Paul Plots]

I find my cucumbers get picked on a how hungry I am basis rather than by size.  If I'm hungry as I potter around in the greenhouse I pick one to munch on!  Size really isn't everything!!!

How very sensible... 

I've picked just two from my single all-female plant (a gift from my father-in-law). They were no great length - 8" maybe but quite a girth. 

Skin - a tiny bit on the tough side so I'm aiming to pick the next ones a little sooner and give up being patient 

[tosca100]

I've been picking the little ones for a few weeks now, they're crunchy and don't give me repeats like the bought ones. The flavour is not strong but I like that. They're abot 6 inches long when I pick them.

[Zippy]

I'm cucumber confused.  I was given a couple of Qs and told they were glasshouse plants. The fruit is spiky at first and become smoother as they develop.  I waited for the spikes to smooth out but i think I waited too long as the inside was slightly hollow.  The earlier fruit was still a bit spiky but more compact inside.

Both fruits were quite pithy and compact compared to shop bought ones which are more watery.

Is that about right? Of course it depends on variety I know, but i wondered if home grown ones usually are a bit beefier than supermarket jobs.

[barbarella]

Mine were spiky too (Tasty Burpless) and I was waiting for them to go smooth but they didn't and were quite big so I picked them anyway.  They were lovely but the skin was thicker than supermarket ones.  I have three plants and five cucumbers were ready for picking within a few days.  I am now waiting for the next batch to grow I think I might pick them earlier next time and see if the skins are thinner. 

[Belvoir]

Not had any cumbers yet!!

[Togalosh]

Last season we picked them at 1" & 6" ..the bigguns were good but the littl'uns were best - pickled, yum !

This year they've only just strated to fruit..

[kittenkirst]

Togalosh; Im so glad you said that- mine have only just started too and was getting worried that I was behind  You have alleviated my fears 

[Yorkie]

Everything is late this year because of the odd weather.  So really don't worry if others are having different timings to you