Getting My Cukes In

It is really late for me to be getting my cucumbers planted...but better late than never, I guess.  We had such a cool spring that I am just now getting around to it.  Cucumbers were the last 'group' of veggies I had to plant though.  It is raining again, but I got out real quick before it started and got my seeds in the ground. 

This year I am growing four types of cucumbers.  The first one I grew last year and the vines got HUGE.  It produced okay, but I think if I pick more, it will do better.  I got the Japanese climbing cucumbers seeds from Seed Savers Exchange.  It should be ready for picking in about 56-65 days.  This is my standard slicing and eating cucumber. 

The next one is Emerald Envy.  It is from Cook's Garden and I got it on sale at my favorite greenhouse, Holub's.  Emerald Envy gets to be a really deep, pretty green and almost never gets bitter.  It is ready to harvest in about 56 days, which means I will have pickles in less than 2 months!

The next two are from Renee's Garden.  I am very excited about these.  The first, Endeavor, is specifically for pickling.  It is early bearing, ready to harvest in about 53 days.  Endeavor has the little knobby bumps all over it that is characteristic of pickles.  This cucumber is supposed to be great for kosher dills, bread and butter slices, relish (YUM), traditional sweet pickles.  Endeavor is resistant to mosaic virus and powdery mildew. 

This one is making my mouth water thinking about it.  It is Persian Baby Cucumbers 'Green Fingers' from Renee's Garden.  These are cute, little baby cucumbers that are smooth, crispy, and have a thin skin.  They are ready to pick when they are 3 to 5 inches long, after about 60 days.  The vines are resistant to powdery mildew, which is important to me. 

Besides dealing with cucumber seeds, I also hung up my new basket I scored on sale the other day.  It is called Clerodendrum Thomsoniae Red, or the common name is Red Bleeding Heart.  It caught my eye hanging in the greenhouse immediately.  The leaves are so rich and healthy looking. 

I was also attracted to the blooms.  The tag says it blooms in fall and winter, obviously it is summer here, so I'm not sure why it is blooming now.  It is hardy to Zones 9-11, so it will definitely be living indoors here in the winter.  It must be VERY tender.  It likes light shade, so I am going to try it out in my front porch. 

The mature height is supposed to be 16 feet!  Obviously, some of that growth is going to have to be horizontal, since it is in a basket.  You can see in the first picture how the vines are reaching out...it looks very vigorous.  I am hoping that the vines will grow along the ceiling in my porch.  I am going to have to try hard to water it.  I tend to not be very good with baskets, but this year, I have been trying very hard with my outdoor baskets, so I will add this one onto my watering regimen.

I can't wait to see how everything turns out in the months to come.  What new things are you growing this year?  Do you grow your own cucumbers in your home garden?