Sweet Success!

I will be forever grateful to a customer in May who took the time to chat with me and tell me his secrets to growing great cucumbers. He said he only grows Sweet Success cucumbers. They are a long English type. He explained he grows them on 8 foot lengths of rebar, continually tying them as they climb to the sky. I was so intrigued by his passion for Sweet Success that I planted a few myself.

As you can see from the photos of my garden, I was blessed with a bumper crop of long, textbook
perfect cucumbers! I’ve been bringing armloads to work to give to my co-workers, handing more over the fence to neighbours, and feeding the family plenty of cucumber salad. From only 3 plants, I’ve been astonished at the volume they have produced.

I only used 6 foot garden stakes and that proved to be inadequate. Remember that close to a foot will
be buried in the ground so now you are left with only 5 feet. Next year I’m going to be prepared and use 10 foot long 1”x1” cedar stakes from the lumber store. Growing long English type cucumbers vertically ensures they grow long and straight. When allowed to ramble along the ground, they still taste the same but are no longer straight but curled.

Growing them in a raised bed proved to be the key to their survival. During the 6 week period from late May through all of June, when we were inundated with cold and wet conditions, I watched the wee transplants sitting in the soil shivering. Every week I thought oh well, they’ll not be able to withstand this cold any longer. But hang in there they did! Once the sun finally came out, the growth took off like gangbusters. Having them in raised beds kept their roots from rotting as the soil has no choice but to drain because of gravity. There is also the added benefit of warmer soil temperature so all and all, raised vegetable beds are an efficient method of successful growing. Be sure to try the Sweet Success cucumber next year. I guarantee you’ll be happy you did!