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Cucumis sativus var. anguria

pickling cucumber

Common names: spice cucumber, shell cucumber

pickling cucumber

Photo: Bff · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Source

This description was machine-translated.

Description

The pickling cucumber is a small-fruited cucumber ideal for jar preservation, short, robust, and with a firm rind, perfect for pickling with dill and mustard seeds. It grows low to the ground and produces abundant fruit for weeks in warm weather. A classic heirloom variety for the home garden is 'Vorgebirgstrauben'.

Care instructions

Sow from mid‑May (week 20) directly into a warm, wind‑protected spot with humus‑rich soil. Water only with hand‑warm water at the roots, as cold water promotes bitterness and powdery mildew. Harvest the small fruits regularly, ideally daily, to keep them tender and to encourage continuous flowering.

Soil & site

Soil pH

4.0pH 6–78.0

Soil type

humus-rich, loamy, well-drained, nutrient-rich

LightFull sun
HardinessFrost-sensitive
Crop rotationCucurbits
Water needHigh

Feeding

Heavy feeder

Companion planting

Good neighbors

legume family (Fabaceae)

Beans and peas enrich the soil with nitrogen, which cucurbits, as heavy feeders, can make good use of.

For example Pole beanBroad beanMarker peaSugar peaRed beanLima bean and 29 more species in the catalogue

Source: classic companion planting (DACH-Gartenpraxis)

Rather not

nightshade family (Solanaceae)

You should avoid planting potato and cucumber together because they share disease pathogens such as leaf and brown rot and stand in each other's way as strong feeders.

For example Sweet pepperCocktail tomatoEggplantCape gooseberryChiliPeperoni and 7 more species in the catalogue

Source: basic crop-rotation rule

Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.

Some of these explanations were machine-translated.

Diseases & pests

1 relevant

From the knowledge base, automatically linked by affected species. How to spot and prevent them is covered in full in the lexicon.

DiseasehighJun–Sep
False Mildew

Peronosporaceae

You will find that the False Mildew is not a true fungus, but an oomycete that comes from the underside of the leaf, unlike the True Mildew.

More on False Mildew

Notes from real gardens

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