Cucumbers, What are you growing

[kelleyville]

Those are beautiful Earl! I was thinking of using the bales next year for cukes but with the tomato trellis, all th ough then I might need a ladder to pick them

[kellemk]

Earl,
Your hay bale row method for growing you cucks looks like something I would like to try. I have real problems with cucumber beetles. Could you please explain a little on how you did it. no. of bales, ,added fertilizer, no. of plants, how long you leave on the row cover etc. If you did already in this thread I must have missed it. You have such great ideas. I always read you comments.
Thanks
Mary

[Earl]

Mary, here's how I did it. I bit different from usual threads on hay bales.

I bought the [supposed to be straw] bales last fall and stored them outside. They were heavy with water this spring but I flipped them onto a cart and hauled them to the row sight. I went with a double row type row, leaving a couple inches between the bales, and between the bales I sprinkled some Espoma fertilizer before adding potting [soil] I bought from the Odd Lots store.

Then I planted my homegrown plants in the potting soil, made a frame out of 1/2 pvc and put on the row cover [from Johnny's at $60 for a 10 foot by 250 foot role]. You'll need 10 foot wide.

I found the best deal on pvc clamps [these are a must have] to hold the row cover onto the hoops at
http://www.atozsupply.com/Snap_Clamps_C106.cfm

The cover did extremely well when the plants were young, but as the plants grew and gave off more smell [I assume] a few of the cuke beetles have found their way under the cover. But not enough so far to do any damage. I"m also using the cover for other stuff. I love that 10 foot wide row cover! I give the bales a shot of liquid fertilizer every week or so and water every couple days if no rain. Now I wish I had made the rows 4 bales wide since the cukes are sending runners out like Medusa's hair-do.

My neighbors, when I covered the rows in June, must have thought it had snowed.

[kellemk]

Thanks for the info. Earl
I'am going to make a copy of this post and put it in my cucumber file for next spring along with my varieties list.


This fall I'll pick up bales of straw and position them where
I plan to grow the cucumbers. If all goes well, all I will need to do in spring is to add soil, fertilizer, transplants
and the row cover. This will be great pickling cucks!
Plus it frees up more space in my garden beds for other
vegies.

This year i'am growing Sikkim cucumber. It's skin developes a very unique texture as it matures, looks like a rattlesnake's skin. Dark greenish brown with orangish under tones. very large for a cuck. picked my first ripe one yesterday. When I sliced it open it had a small hollow cavity inside. good flavor and crispy flesh. Definately have to grow them nrxt year.

Thanks again for the great information!
Mary



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