Fall cucumbers

b54red · September 18, 2014

I have had really good luck this year with my fall cucumbers which is not usually the case. Usually whiteflies and the heat are devastating on fall cucumbers down here but I set them out down at the bottom of the garden which gets a lot of heavy shade after 2 pm and mulched them very heavily and ran them up strings with tomato clips as extra support. Both Sweet Success and Orient Express have both fared well this time. I did have to replace a few of the plants the first week due to the extreme heat killing a few of the baby plants within a couple of days of setting them out.

Bill

peppero · September 19, 2014

Bill what variety/ies do you normally plant for your late crop? I would like to find some cukes that would give me a late crop.

jon

**Lee** · September 19, 2014

I put out some Diva plants a few weeks ago, and I'm not sure how
they are going to fare.
Between foliage diseases and worm attacks, the plants don't look especially healthy.
My broccoli plants I set out at the same time were totally devastated by a major worm infestation.... guess I didn't get the dipel(BT) on them soon enough....

Lee

FILMNET · September 19, 2014

Wicked healthy cucumbers plants, after 3-5" rain , this shot is plants from July which died, i put new seeds in the pot. This is then 2nd pot of cucumbers this year.

b54red · September 22, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by peppero

Bill what variety/ies do you normally plant for your late crop? I would like to find some cukes that would give me a late crop.

jon

Orient Express and Sweet Success.

Bill

b54red · September 22, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

I put out some Diva plants a few weeks ago, and I'm not sure how
they are going to fare.
Between foliage diseases and worm attacks, the plants don't look especially healthy.
My broccoli plants I set out at the same time were totally devastated by a major worm infestation.... guess I didn't get the dipel(BT) on them soon enough....

Lee

Lee I usually include Diva as one of my spring cucumbers but since disease, heat and pests can be quite a problem sometimes in the fall I left them out. I have never had much luck with them in the fall as they tend to be more sensitive to the harsher conditions of fall.

I just started my broccoli and other fall seeds a week ago. As slow as the cool down is getting here I may have to delay planting them if it isn't cool enough in the next month or so. I usually have trouble deciding when to start seeds for fall and winter crops because of our erratic weather. It is still far too hot to even think of setting out something like broccoli now as it would head before it got 8 inches tall in this heat. Of course it might suddenly cool down like it did last year and I won't have anything ready to set out.

Bill

b54red · September 26, 2014

Finally the pickle worms have hit my fall cucumbers and I had to dust with Sevin this morning. Other than a couple of weird green fat grub looking worms that bored into the new growth in the top of a couple of vines the fall cucumbers have been pest free this year. Oh well it was nice while it lasted. I guess the nematodes will get them soon.

Bill

feldon30 · September 29, 2014

I just harvested my first 4 cukes yesterday. 1 of them had pickleworms in it. The plants are massive and just getting started so I'd better hit everything with BT.

b54red · September 29, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

I just harvested my first 4 cukes yesterday. 1 of them had pickleworms in it. The plants are massive and just getting started so I'd better hit everything with BT.

BT has never worked well for me with pickle worms. I used to use it when they first appeared but for some reason that is one of the only few worms it doesn't seem too effective on. Maybe it is because they just bore straight in instead of munching on the surface like cabbage worms. Even the Sevin is not 100% effective on pickle worms but it does get most of them very quickly.

Bill

feldon30 · September 30, 2014

I'm just worried about the Sevin because of the bumblebees.

b54red · October 6, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by feldon30

I'm just worried about the Sevin because of the bumblebees.

I only apply it very late in the evening when there is no bee activity. I've still got a lot of bees this year even after the little cool spell we just had. This year I have had more bees than I have seen in at least a decade.

Bill

feldon30 · October 6, 2014

Picked 30 more cukes. Going to have a good batch of pickles for sure.

b54red · October 6, 2014

This year has been really unusual because even though I didn't plant very many cucumbers in the fall each one is doing far better than my spring plants. I think the cooler nights have something to do with it and the lack of pests that were a real pain on my spring plants.

Bill

gssgarden · February 9, 2015

Outside of Sevin, any organic methods to prevent pickle worms?? They got to the cukes last fall as well as the Cantaloupe that were next to them. I have BT already. Will that do?

Thanks,

Greg

Starlight · February 10, 2015

Row covers at night. You can remove them during the day to let your pollinators do their job. Covering at night prevents the pickle worm, Diaphania nitidalis, from laying eggs.

You can use cheese cloth or go to a fabric store and buy tulle. Just sew the pieces together and toss over the plants come dark.

You can build a cheap square type frame a bit higher than what you expect your cuke plants to grow out of pvc pipe. The cheap 20 foot for about 2 bucks 3/4" works good. Just design it in a box shape and you can even tack the fabric down permanently on one side , so you only have to toss the row cover back on to the top of the frame for easy pulling down at night.

September 18, 2014	#1
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Fall cucumbers I have had really good luck this year with my fall cucumbers which is not usually the case. Usually whiteflies and the heat are devastating on fall cucumbers down here but I set them out down at the bottom of the garden which gets a lot of heavy shade after 2 pm and mulched them very heavily and ran them up strings with tomato clips as extra support. Both Sweet Success and Orient Express have both fared well this time. I did have to replace a few of the plants the first week due to the extreme heat killing a few of the baby plants within a couple of days of setting them out. Bill

September 19, 2014	#3
Lee Tomatopalooza™ Moderator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: NC-Zone 7 Posts: 2,188	I put out some Diva plants a few weeks ago, and I'm not sure how they are going to fare. Between foliage diseases and worm attacks, the plants don't look especially healthy. My broccoli plants I set out at the same time were totally devastated by a major worm infestation.... guess I didn't get the dipel(BT) on them soon enough.... Lee __________________ Intelligence is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put one in a fruit salad. Cuostralee - The best thing on sliced bread.

September 29, 2014	#8
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I just harvested my first 4 cukes yesterday. 1 of them had pickleworms in it. The plants are massive and just getting started so I'd better hit everything with BT. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

September 30, 2014	#10
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	I'm just worried about the Sevin because of the bumblebees. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

October 6, 2014	#12
feldon30 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2006 Location: Rock Hill, SC Posts: 5,346	Picked 30 more cukes. Going to have a good batch of pickles for sure. __________________ [SIZE="3"]I've relaunched my gardening website -- [B]TheUnconventionalTomato.com[/B][/SIZE] * [I][SIZE="1"]*I'm not allowed to post weblinks so you'll have to copy-paste it manually.[/SIZE][/I]

September 19, 2014	#2
peppero Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: selmer, tn Posts: 2,944	Bill what variety/ies do you normally plant for your late crop? I would like to find some cukes that would give me a late crop. jon

September 26, 2014	#7
b54red Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 7,068	Finally the pickle worms have hit my fall cucumbers and I had to dust with Sevin this morning. Other than a couple of weird green fat grub looking worms that bored into the new growth in the top of a couple of vines the fall cucumbers have been pest free this year. Oh well it was nice while it lasted. I guess the nematodes will get them soon. Bill

February 9, 2015	#14
gssgarden Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: N.C. Posts: 1,827	Outside of Sevin, any organic methods to prevent pickle worms?? They got to the cukes last fall as well as the Cantaloupe that were next to them. I have BT already. Will that do? Thanks, Greg

February 10, 2015	#15
Starlight Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: AL Posts: 1,993	Row covers at night. You can remove them during the day to let your pollinators do their job. Covering at night prevents the pickle worm, Diaphania nitidalis, from laying eggs. You can use cheese cloth or go to a fabric store and buy tulle. Just sew the pieces together and toss over the plants come dark. You can build a cheap square type frame a bit higher than what you expect your cuke plants to grow out of pvc pipe. The cheap 20 foot for about 2 bucks 3/4" works good. Just design it in a box shape and you can even tack the fabric down permanently on one side , so you only have to toss the row cover back on to the top of the frame for easy pulling down at night.