Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Cucumbers

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: mhcsa AT verizon.net
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Cucumbers
  • Date: Tue, 23 Dec 2008 18:22:20 -0600 (CST)

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]  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 
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 
>
>
>  
_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org 
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org 
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming 




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page