[Market-farming] Cucumbers

mhcsa at verizon.net mhcsa at verizon.net
Tue Dec 23 19:22:20 EST 2008


I grow Carmen [from Stokes] in a high tunnel  clipped on a single string 
and pruned to a single leader and two, or three if I am on top of 
things, fruit per spur. When the top growth reaches the horizontal 
support bar the string is tied to I drop the whole plant down until the 
lowest fruit is just off the ground [this requires 2 to 3 times the 
length of string to be installed at the outset ]. the stem is then 
covered in new compost which it roots into. This method requires minimal 
pruning every other day and harvesting on the off days. Done this 
frequently the pruning is only pinching and therefore very fast and 
obvious. This is my most productive and hungry crop as well as the most 
expensive seed; I have never had one fail to germinate. The first two or 
three fruit spurs are pinched off because the fruit would touch the 
ground and rot. They go in the ground mid April [Western Mass ], crop by 
the end of May and, if the the cucumber vectored bacterial wilt does not 
get them will crop until my CSA folk wont look at another [late 
September]. Sometimes I rip them out mid production if I need to plant 
the high tunnel up with fall greens or if the GH tomatoes are coming out 
because the field crop is good.
Dave Inglis
Mahaiwe Harvest CSA
Berkshire County, Mass..

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 11:15 PM, Kate Halstead wrote:

> I tried cukes with circles of remesh and even though we're in an area 
> where
75-80 is a rare heat-wave, it appeared that when the tendrils went to 
grab
the metal, they got too hot and seemed burnt. Can't imagine how it would
work for folks in places that actually experience summer. Only way I 
could
get it to work (sorta) was by weaving the entire plant through the mesh
squares. Yields were way reduced and the plants just survived.

I've gone back to a heavy mulch of alfalfa. Keeps the cukes clean and
disease is usually not an issue. Picking is still a 'discovery 
expedition'.

Kate
Puget Sound

-----Original Message-----
 From: market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org 
<mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org>   
<mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org>
[mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org] 
<mailto:[mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]>   
<mailto:[mailto:market-farming-bounces at lists.ibiblio.org]>  On Behalf Of 
Garth & Kim
Travis
Sent: Tuesday, December 23, 2008 7:48 AM
To: Market Farming
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cucumbers

Greetings,
I have been growing my cucumbers on trellises for years.  I plant at 6 
inch
spacing at the bottom of remesh, [concrete reinforcing mesh] supported 
by
t-posts every 6 feet.  I find I have far fewer mildew/disease problems 
this
way and it is much easier to harvest.
Bright Blessings,
Kim

Bill Bradshaw wrote:
> Need some input on growing cucumbers on trellis. We grow pickling 
> cucumbers about .5 acre per planting. Labor cost for harvest is 
> getting real costly, I thought maybe we could pick faster and have 
> cleaner fruit if trellised. What is your ideas.? Thanks Bill
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> --
>
> _______________________________________________
> Market-farming mailing list
> Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org 
> <mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>   
> <mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org> 
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 
> <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>   
> <http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>
>
>   
_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org 
<mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>   
<mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>   
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org 
<mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>   
<mailto:Market-farming at lists.ibiblio.org>
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>   
<http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/market-farming/attachments/20081223/d0be1193/attachment.htm 


More information about the Market-farming mailing list