[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
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<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
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