Your comments and tips

15 Feb 10, Kellie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

hi there, I am a new gardener, growing cucumber in pots on my verandah. I get to the stage where a couple of fruit are produced and then the leaves turn yellow and brittle and the whole plant seems to die back. Any ideas? Many thanks!

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05 Feb 10, Suzanne (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Do you need to cut back cucumber plants after they have stopped producing fruit?

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02 Feb 10, noel (Australia - temperate climate)

how do you stop cucumbers going soft after you pick them

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30 Jan 10, Ben R (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

My cucumbers have been weird this year. They are similar to John D's - they have grown in the shape of a butternut pumpkin from early on and they are now about 30 cm and yellow/brown. They have good sunlight, were watered regularly, in mushroom compost. They did not at any stage go dark green, just from light green to yellow. They probably weigh about 2 kilo's each. I have not cut one open yet - i think the whole crop may be headed to the chickens... any ideas to avoid the same next year would be appreciated.

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26 Jan 10, Chris (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Karen, some cucumber varieties turn bitter immediately they get short of water. I would cut off any currently growing, and keep up the water while new ones come on. Try picking them smaller, too. You could try the Armenien variety (Yates have seed) as it doesn't seem to turn bitter so fast when stressed.

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19 Jan 10, Karen (Australia - temperate climate)

I have tried growing cucumber, there were a lot of cucumbers on the vine. A few at the start were nice but but then the rest had a really horrible sour taste so they couldn't be eaten. Any ideas?

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04 Jan 10, Matthew (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Barb, thanks for the advice. I am getting both female and male however I just seem to lose the cucumber before it is pollinated. I think there are a few about to go now.

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05 Mar 23, Lolly (Australia - arid climate)

I had that as no bees so I now hand pollinate and they always grow. Pick when 3 to 4 inch long with Lebanese.

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02 Jan 10, Barb (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Matthew, Keep you cucumber plants well watered and well fed - hopefully they'll start fruiting again. Cuc's don't like drying out. They respond well to a complete organic liquid fertilizer like fish emulsion and/or good compost. They're very susceptible to powdery mildew so spraying with milk and/or chamomile tea helps. Are you getting female flowers or just male flowers?

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01 Jan 10, mand01 (Australia - temperate climate)

fezz you need to rotate your crop - planting the same plant in the same place each season increases the likelihood of a soil borne disease, or exhausting the soil of the nutrients preferred by that particular plant. Try growing something from a different family (not a curcubit) in that spot next season, and grow your cukes elsewhere.

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