Exploding cucumbers

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Exploding cucumbers

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TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 8:55 am Post subject: Exploding cucumbers

Just placed my order for some unusual varieties on realseeds and also bought a set of exploding cucumber seeds which I'm looking forward to donating to our allotment chairman for all his good work (I'm not on the committee, but I'd like to thank him for all his work and advice etc)

I think exploding cucumbers sum my personality and nature up nicely, so as long as he doesn't blind himself I hope he'll be happy with them.

Fee

Joined: 21 Mar 2005
Posts: 15922
Location: Earth

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 11:41 am Post subject:
I've unsuccessfully tried them for the past two years, each year something has got in the way, can't remember what it was the first year, but last year it was slugs!

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 11:51 am Post subject:

I've found the trick with cucumbers and slugs/snails is quite simple. Grow them inside away from anything vaguely slug related. Then when you've got the second set of leaves on it, leave it outside on a table with a plastic cup filled with water on each table leg.

This will harden the plant to the point slugs have more trouble digesting it.

Finally plant it in the ground, preferably with a good deal of porridge oats about the base. Slugs prefer oats to cucumber.

Of course this plant fights back by exploding.

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 1:07 pm Post subject:
I grew achocha last year. They're very vigorous outdoors, climbing over everything. The yield is good- they really are covered with little spiky fruit by late summer. I didnt let any mature enough to explode. I grew "Fatboy" which is supposed to be a culinary variety, not so much an exploding variety. The big problem with them, however, is that they're not very nice to eat.

TimNeo

Joined: 06 Jul 2006
Posts: 636
Location: Ashingdon, UK

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 1:09 pm Post subject:
Fatboy didn't taste nice or the exploding ones? I've bought both!

gil
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 18416

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 2:01 pm Post subject:
The exploding ones are not nice to eat. The plants will spread and climb. Actually, they don't even explode that well/spectacularly, either. So the verdict was 'disappointing' in terms of food or entertainment value.

dpack

Joined: 02 Jul 2005
Posts: 46348
Location: yes

Posted: Thu Feb 26, 09 9:28 pm Post subject:
pends how they are charged

James

Joined: 11 Jan 2006
Posts: 2866
Location: York

Posted: Sun Mar 01, 09 11:36 pm Post subject:

fallscrape wrote:

Fatboy didn't taste nice or the exploding ones?

I've bought both!

fatboy didnt taste nice.
Not bad...but not good either.
As an ornamental climber, its worth growing. But as a vegetable, I'm not so sure.

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