Table of contents
- Ripening time of cucumbers
- duration of the harvest season
- Harvest maturity of different types of cucumbers
- Features of ripe cucumbers
- frequently asked Questions
It is the (delicious) must for every vegetable garden: the cucumber! If the location and care are right, the fruits ripen at breathtaking speed. Therefore, every gardener must be careful not to miss the optimal harvest time. But when exactly are the different cucumbers ripe?
Ripening time of cucumbers
Most types of cucumber deliver about three weeks after flowering or eight weeks after sowing the first fruits to be harvested. Since cucumber plants (Cucumis sativus) are sensitive to frost, direct sowing outdoors is usually only possible from mid-May. In a greenhouse Cucumbers can also be sown in March, which ensures an earlier start of harvest.
- Outdoor harvest begins around the beginning of July
- Harvest can begin in the greenhouse from mid-May
Tip:
Start growing outdoor cucumber plants indoors or in a greenhouse from mid-March, or buy pre-grown plants. This allows you to harvest ripe fruit up to three weeks earlier, even outdoors.
duration of the harvest season
A cucumber plant can give us many fruits. Luckily they don't all ripen at once. Because it opens its flower buds with a time delay, bears flowers, unripe and ripe fruit at the same time. Under ideal conditions and depending on the weather, the harvest season can last until the end of October. In the greenhouse, the harvest time usually lasts a few weeks longer. Is the greenhouse even heated and well lit, some cucumber varieties, such as the snack cucumber, can bear fruit even in winter.
Tip:
From September, the temperatures outside drop significantly, the plant has less energy available and the ripening of the fruit slows down accordingly. You should therefore pinch off all new flowers from this point onwards so that the fruits that have already formed can still ripen.
Harvest maturity of different types of cucumbers
When a cucumber has reached the ideal ripeness for picking also depends on how it is used after harvesting. The length reached serves as a guide for harvesting the different species:
- cucumbers: depending on the variety from a size between 20 and 30 cm
- Small gherkins (cornichons): about 4 to 6 cm long
- pickled cucumbers: with 6 to 12 cm in length
- Gherkin: as soon as the peel is completely yellow
Features of ripe cucumbers
Two to three weeks after the first yellow flowers open, you should check your cucumber plants for ripe fruit every other day. Because the development of a harvest-ready fruit takes place within a few days, especially on warm days and with a good supply of water and nutrients. These are the signs of optimal maturity:
- Fruit has reached varietal length
- it smells pleasant and fresh
- Shell is dark green and evenly colored
- Skin is taut, flesh firm (finger pressure)
When a fruit touches the ground, the skin that touches it may be lighter in color. That's just a blemish, the cucumber is still ready to harvest.
Identify overripe cucumbers
Overripe cucumbers are soft at the ends, and the skin is spotted or discolored yellow to brown. They can smell unpleasant and show signs of decay. After cutting open an overripe cucumber, many large seeds, some of which are already hard, become visible. The pulp can taste slightly bitter.
frequently asked Questions
The ideal time of day to harvest cucumbers is in the morning. Each cucumber must be separated from the rest of the plant with a clean, smooth cut. The easiest way to do this is with a sharp, disinfected knife. Do not eat the fruit as this can easily tear off part of the tendril as well. Twisting the stem or snipping with your fingers is also not recommended, as this will leave a frayed or bruised end over which to pinch pathogens find their way into the plant.
In terms of taste, an earlier harvest does not harm. The cucumbers are then even crunchier, richer in vitamins and tastier. But an earlier harvest also means making do with smaller fruits. It must therefore be carefully considered.
Ripe cucumbers should be harvested promptly. The fruits remain edible longer, but may need to be peeled and cored. They also consume a large part of the plant's energy. It is better to harvest them so that the energy saved will allow new flower buds to develop and, as a result, new gherkins.
In the varieties grown today, the bitter taste was bred out. When a plant is under stress outdoors, it can still produce bitter fruit. For example, in the event of strong temperature fluctuations or a lack of water. Usually only the part around the base of the cucumber is bitter, the rest of the cucumber is edible.
Cucumbers can only be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for about four days. However, the temperature must not be below 4 °C, otherwise they will quickly become mushy. Cucumbers stay fresh for up to three weeks in a dark, 10 to 15 degree cool cellar room. Never store cucumbers next to apples and tomatoes, as these give off the ripening gas ethylene and cause the cucumbers to spoil more quickly.
Mirko
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