[sion01]

I,ve grown cucumbers for a few years but every year with the same outcome.The plant looks really healthy and I get 3-4 fruit and then the plant dies I grow outside .Does anybody know why this happens?

[prakash_mib]

1. what variety? I think only outdoor cues are marketmore (if i am right)
2. the fact that you are getting fruit means that you are doing most of the things right. are you feeding enough
3. Are there any female flowers (with tiny cues) dying?
4. 3-4 fruits per plant is i would assume good produce and if you hit 7-10 you have won a medal. you cant compare it with courgettes or marrows.
wait for more response 

[solway cropper]

There are quite a few 'ridge' or outdoor types but I only ever grow cukes in the greenhouse. I think with our dodgy climate you have to be prepared to take a few losses if you try to grow things like peppers and cucumbers outside...unless you live in Cornwall.

[the Kergan]

I was looking at cucumbers for this year but it seems like a minefield. Mother tells me you have male and female cucumbers and you have to remove the male flowers or the cucumbers will be bitter tasting.

How the hell do you sex a cucumber  

It's not like it has a tail you can lift up to have a look.

[prakash_mib]

I was looking at cucumbers for this year but it seems like a minefield. Mother tells me you have male and female cucumbers and you have to remove the male flowers or the cucumbers will be bitter tasting.

How the hell do you sex a cucumber  

It's not like it has a tail you can lift up to have a look.

i think its a myth. you shouldnt remove male flowers. they should be there to pollinate. They are easy to spot. female flowers have tiny cues at their bottom and male has none. (although these days you do get all female cues variety... dont know how it works!!!)
the only bitterness I've had is picking them after first frost.

[DD.]

It's not a myth, but here's where it gets complicated.

Ridge, (outdoor) cucumbers should have their male flowers left on. Greenhouse ones should have male flowers removed.

It's quite easy to tell the difference. Females have a small embryonic cucumber behind the flower, whilst males just have a long, thin, smooth stalk.

And in case you're thinking of being smart, we hear the same jokes every year!

[the Kergan]

Hmm, just looked at the seed packet and it even says on there to remove male flowers to avoid bitterness.

  It's all
Going wrong, new greenhouse installed and I love a cucumber as much as the next man and I don't want them tasting horrible even if I can get them to grow at all

[DD.]

I don't know what variety you have, but there's a lot of all female F1's on the market.

You pay a bit more for them, but it's worthwhile.

Here's an example, it's what I'm growing, shop around, you may find cheaper. Mine actually cost 50p in an end of year sale.

F1 Bella

[arugula]

It's not a myth, but here's where it gets complicated.

Ridge, (outdoor) cucumbers should have their male flowers left on. Greenhouse ones should have male flowers removed.

And if you grow outdoor cucumbers indoors as we have to and do successfully here?

[DD.]

I think it's down to the variety more than the growing conditions and they should still have their male bits removed.

[steved]

I was a greenhouse cucumber virgin last year and grew 2 Mini Munch F1. Fed with a teaspoon of dried blood every week i was getting about 20 six to eight inch cues per week until mid october. They were all female and very easy.

Were the plants still looking healthy when they stopped producing fruit or had the leaves yellowed?

Medwyn Williams reckons that cues run out of steam if fed with tomato food, they need high nitrogen feeds hence the dried blood.

Im doing the same this year but making dried blood soup kept in mt coke bottles, to make it easier to feed-an idea from this very forum as its quite difficult to get the dried blood to water in to the compost if it gets a bit dry.

Dont give up, if i can do it it cant be hard-i dont usually have to try too hard to nause something up!

[GYO Girl]

I was very lucky last year, I randomly bought a packet as a complete newbie, not knowing what I was doing, sowed them and got 5 great plants and loads of cucumbers with very little effort and tlc.  All I gave them was water and the occasional tomato feed when I remembered (which according to the above post was the wrong thing to do!)

Annoyingly I didn't make a note of which variety they were and I can't remember!  I'm really hoping the ones I'm growing this year are the same...

[DD.]

I've always given mine tomato feed!

[Craig69]

I used to grow Cucumber a few years ago in the greenhouse at my old place & always left the male flowers on & fed with tomato feed.

I'm trying some outdoor variety this year in the fruit cage.
Unwins "Burpless Tasty Green"
On the back of the packet it says to feed regular with a liquid fertiliser & not to remove male flowers as they are necessary for pollination of the female flowers

[steved]

Hi GYO girl, i dont think there is a right or wrong with growing anything, was just something i read last year and gave a go!
I do think we interfere/molly coddle our plants a bit too much tho when perhaps we should just let them do their own thing.
I uncovered a self seeded tomato plant in the corner of the greenhouse in mid January when it was below zero and had been for a while.
This was growing in the carpet i put down to smother the weeds until i can be bothered to sort out borders!
I bet that wouldnt have grown in those conditions with my input.