[Allotment Jon]

I for the first time have grown Cucumbers from scratch as my Son loves them.

At the weekend I picked the first few as I noticed they were about 6 inch long and ripe looking.

I can not see the variety on the packet however they have what looks like little spikes all over them. I showed a neighbour who told me that type with spikes can be a bit bitter and after trying out on my son would say they are.

I do not have access to a greenhouse so was wondering what variety to look at next year.

[mumofstig]

My cues are spiky, but they are not bitter.............maybe you allowed them to get too ripe, rather than when they were fresh and green?

Mine are Spacemaster 80

[Trillium]

Pickling cukes tend to have those little bristly bits on them, and a quick swipe under running water with a nail brush will remove them and you can start eating. While I prefer the smoother texture of 'telegraph' style cukes, I find the pickling varieties are far easier to grow and more reliable in production, so I plant both each year. At the moment I'm eating my picklers while I wait for the table ones to size up (they're quite slow).

[arugula]

We've had the first fruit, picked when about 5 inches, off our surviving Marketmore plant (quite proud we can actually grow cues here ) and its wasn't bitter. Now waiting for the other little ones to grow up a bit.

[Trillium]

I forgot to mention, as MoS did, that if you leave any cuke too long it will taste bitter. The pickling cukes will become more tart if you pick them when they're more pale or starting to go yellow (seed saving ones). One rule with all cukes is that you must watch them because soon as you turn your back, they're past their prime and going to seed.

[Totty]

Somebody may know better but is there any truth in the fact that some cucumbers that are not hybridised, need to have male flowers removed as this can lead to the fruits becoming bitter. Was this why strains such as Femspot were bred? Am growing Mini F1 this year and they are lovely!

[janiejakemum]

I am growing an all female variety that produces small spikey cucs.  The plant has produced many male flowers and other than the first cucumber they are all now horribly bitter so next year i will grow full size ones as i have been told they are not as likely to be bitter.

[JayG]

When I can get the outdoor ridge cucumber "Marketmore" to live long enough to actually produce anything I find the flavour, texture and sweetness to be very good! They are prickly on the surface but I just ignore that.

Never thought of them as pickling cucumbers, in fact I'm not sure what that means! 

[Trillium]

Pickling cukes are better for pickling, as in brines or vinegar solutions. They're usually a smaller but fatter cuke and produces heavily for this very reason. Which is also why you need to stay on top of them or they'll turn bitter quickly as they go to seed. The skins of these are usually a bit 'warty' and they'll have those bristles on them, but they're good for eating if you get them at the right stage.
Eating cukes tend to be smoother, sweeter and larger in general and due to their size they don't pickle very well.

[galen]

I grew "Marketmore" last year and they went down very, very well with the rest of the family. Cucs and I don't get on (eating wise) and therefore growing "Burpless Tasty Green" this year. Although seeds a bit more expensive have had some very impressive fruits, even tried eating some myself and they taste really nice and sweet and, more importantly from my point of view, almost live up to their name