The best tips for quick, abundant harvests

When are cucumbers ripe?

Due to the large number of varieties, the time of ripening varies:

• Cucumbers are grown in the greenhouse or under foil. These are harvested when they are no more than six inches long.
• Pickled cucumbers or pickles are especially crunchy if you don't let them grow larger than nine centimeters.
• Gherkins should be picked when they are less than two inches long.
• You can safely grow peeled and braised cucumbers. When fully developed, they can weigh up to five kilograms.

Harvest cucumbers not too late, because then they lose a lot of their typical aroma and become dry.

Maturity characteristics

You can recognize ripe cucumbers by the fact that the fruits feel firm from flowering to the end. If they give in to light pressure, they are already overripe and are only suitable for pickling.

The skin should be uniform in color and, depending on the variety, have a smooth or granular structure.

How often should you harvest?

It is ideal if you cut off the ripened cucumbers every few days. As a result, new flowers are formed again and again and the plant continues to bear.

The harvest

1. If you harvest cucumbers preferably in the morning, then they are the crispest.
2. Wear sturdy gloves when harvesting, as contact with the hard, rough leaves can lead to uncomfortable injuries.
3. Cut the fruit with sharp scissors or a knife.
4. You can pinch small cucumbers with your fingers.
5. Make sure that the wounds have smooth edges. If this is not the case, pathogens could enter and damage the plant.
6. Do not tear the fruit under any circumstances, as this could loosen entire shoots.

Remove all flowers from September so that the fruits still on the cucumber plant ripen before the first frost.