Hi, I recently found some cucumbers at the farmers market and pickled/processed them last night. I really like the size, straightness, and uniformity of them. (They’re a bit longer and fatter than my middle finger.) Made it easy to really pack them into the jar.
I’d like to grow my own of a similar variety, from seed, but when I asked the kid at the stand he just shrugged and pointed to the sign that read, “pickling cucumbers.”
Any suggestions on a variety of cucumber seed I can buy to grow something like this for next year’s pickling?
by ChampagneStain
8 Comments
Why not ask the farmer next market?
There are lots of pickling cukes out there. I like [Little Leaf](https://www.johnnyseeds.com/vegetables/cucumbers/pickling-cucumbers/h-19-little-leaf-organic-cucumber-seed-331G.html).
The trick to growing any pickling cuke is to check for them and pick daily. They can get away from you so fast in the summer.
I suspect it is H-19. This is not the Adam variety but that is also a variety that can be harvested at that size.
I think my farmer grows Excelsiors for us (but I also agree it’s about the WHEN for perfect pickling size!)
I’m a big fan of the Cool Customer Cucumber (several seed outlets sell seed packets), I grew two plants this year (zone 7a/7b) and they produced amazing well. Like someone else said, even pickling cucumber varieties will keep growing (and *fast*) to large size, you need to be out there pretty much every day picking ones that have reached ideal pickling size, 3″ or so
My seed packet just said “pickling cucumber” lol. There are several varieties that are called that, and they tend to max out pretty small compared to slicers. But you still have to watch and pick them when they get to the size you want, because they will get bigger, and even on the same plant they will get to the desired size at different times. If there aren’t enough for a full jar all at once, you can cut off the blossom end and store them in the fridge in brine for a week or so while you let more grow.
Getting them to grow straight is a matter of complete pollination. Partially pollinated cukes will curl around the unpollinated seeds because that part of the fruit won’t develop. If there don’t seem to be many bees around, you can hand-pollinate the female flowers to have a better chance.
I’m a gardener who grows to do home canning. I have tried many cucumber varieties over the last 35 years. I tried Boston pickling, and a bunch of the other pickling varieties. I finally settled on a cuke that grows well in my area, is great when picked at any size, and produces well. I make a lot of sliced pickles, and a refrigerator dill. I have grown a cuke called ‘General Lee’ for about 25 years now. There was a panic when I couldn’t find seed, but it was given a more ‘PC’ name as it is now called ‘The General’.
The whole key to cukes is as someone else said—you have to keep them picked. The more you pick, the faster they will grow. I live in NE Ohio, zone 6. I pick every day once they come in.
I tried pickling cukes, but once they stop growing in length, they get blocky and the seed cavity is large. My General cukes just grow larger, and the seed cavity isn’t large until they get left too long.
I’ve also found you need to match your variety for one that grows well in your climate/zone. What works for me, may not do well for you. Experiment. I did my own test grows, and still do. The only thing I grow one variety of is beets. That’s because I trialed against other varieties, and one was a clear winner just on how they grow. No woodyness, no matter how long I leave them in the ground.
I buy pickling cucumbers from the supermarkets or local markets and usually they are known as Kirby’s.
Them so purdy cukes