By Burnsie, the Rhyll gardener

Basically, I’m a tomato grower.

Every year I grow a variety of tomatoes (Burnsie’s Organic Tomatoes) many of which, are exotic and unusual. 

I grow roughly 200-250 seedlings and sell many of them.

However, this season I thought that I might have a crack at cucumbers - just to supplement the tomato growing.

I obtained three varieties, including Crystal Apple, Lebanese and Russian Giant. All three were grown from seed and planted out into the garden at the end of last August.

I didn’t expect to achieve a lot, so the results have been pleasantly surprising. All three varieties have taken off like a rocket - with the Russian Giant growing leaves almost as big as a small pumpkin!

They’re huge cucumbers, 20-23cm long and 7-8cm wide! Dark green with yellow stripes, which progressively turn more yellow as they fully mature.

But then the story gets interesting.

My Russians decided to cross pollinate with my Crystal Apple, and instead of nice tennis ball sized cucumbers, I ended up with pale skinned giants the shape of a football. The Lebanese seemed unaffected and continued on their merry way to produce nice dark green cucumbers of around 20cm in length.

What I discovered however, was rats and ring tailed possums have a taste for cucumber. So, I’ve bagged my cucumbers (and tomatoes) with mess bags.

In most instances, two bags is enough to stop the little rascals chewing through to the fruit.

The Russians grew so heavy however, that additional support was needed so they didn’t break the vine (tying them with wool to the trellis).

I can report, all are good eating, with the flesh of the Russian being a little more firm than we are perhaps used to.

Cucumbers are like pumpkins and melons - they have a male and female flower. The female needs to be pollinated, but I have found the regular garden pollinators do a wonderful job and no hand pollination was needed.

They are suspect to mould and other disease if the foliage is watered, but a good dose of watered down milk acts as a deterrent and leaves a thin skin, thus preventing any fungus diseases taking hold (apply by spray once or twice a week).

Additionally, they also love a good feed.

I’m using ‘Power Feed’ at present, and as they are predominantly water in their makeup, keep their water intake up constantly.

Happy gardening.