tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post6089968429355566078..comments2023-10-22T09:24:14.464-04:00Comments on The Slow Cook: Training CucumbersEd Bruskehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12217850970833353800noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-73632032421221623932008-06-26T14:55:00.000-04:002008-06-26T14:55:00.000-04:00Erica, I hear you. The year I planted melons, they...Erica, I hear you. The year I planted melons, they took over the entire yard and were growing out the fence into the sidewalk. You can get a great yield going vertical.<BR/><BR/>Kevin, you have to use the lash. Often. Without mercy.Ed Bruskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12217850970833353800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-50976224589349360672008-06-26T14:00:00.000-04:002008-06-26T14:00:00.000-04:00Ed,I've never had any success training cucumbers. ...Ed,<BR/>I've never had any success training cucumbers. They won't even come when I call them. And as for learning to heel, forget about it.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01385923797403540154noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-3447571389748058412008-06-26T11:51:00.000-04:002008-06-26T11:51:00.000-04:00This is my goal next year for our garden, to grow ...This is my goal next year for our garden, to grow up instead of out to save on space. Right now, 1/3-1/2 of my garden is just cucumbers, squash, and melons!Ericahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01588446434293186676noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-17411442108223701352008-06-26T10:09:00.000-04:002008-06-26T10:09:00.000-04:00Meg, if you like cucumbers--if you like making you...Meg, if you like cucumbers--if you like making your own pickles--I would encourage you to grow some cucumber plants. You don't need very many. They are very prolific and extremely easy.<BR/><BR/>Meg, I've done the tangles mess thing, and it was a lot of mess for not very many melons. Cucumbers, canteloupe, zucchini--these are all members of the curcubit family but they have different habits. The cucumbers I've grown are all vining plants producing tendrils that seek out things (like string) to grab onto. My Italian marrow squash, on the other hand, grows into a big bush. Other vining squash and melons can be trained to grow up. Wrap the stem around the string. Squash and melon with heavy fruit should be grown on a more substantial trellis. Heavy fruit can be supported by tying it up with women's panty hose (it's true, I'm not making this up.)<BR/><BR/>A (please don't post anonymously), cucumbers will grow very large if they are not picked, but I've never had one break off the vine. You'd be surprised how strong and resilient these plants are. However, the foliage will become very dense at a certain point--you may have to look hard to find your produce.Ed Bruskehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12217850970833353800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-31251112393834077952008-06-26T09:03:00.000-04:002008-06-26T09:03:00.000-04:00Fabulous! I've been wondering if something like th...Fabulous! I've been wondering if something like this was possible. I need more "vertical interest" in my garden, and I thought growing vegetables vertically would be the perfect solution. I was worried that the cucumbers would be too heavy and break off the vine, but I guess not! Do you know if this technique would work for zucchini or squash also?<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the inspiration!<BR/><BR/>JulieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-49989340705451600292008-06-26T08:20:00.000-04:002008-06-26T08:20:00.000-04:00That's great! We've always left our cucumbers and ...That's great! <BR/><BR/>We've always left our cucumbers and mellons to grow in a big, tangled mess in some corner of the garden, but space is becoming tighter as we keep cramming in more cultivars. Next year I think we're going to have to go up...do they pull themselves up the strings pretty easily, or do you have to manually train them?Meghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830705259612540929noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5603202988847584283.post-79000521790897329172008-06-26T08:17:00.000-04:002008-06-26T08:17:00.000-04:00Just reading this post and seeing the photos makes...Just reading this post and seeing the photos makes me want to plant cukes. Ed, your enthusiasm is infectious!Meg Wolffhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10052363163218543818noreply@blogger.com