Bitter Cukes

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creativedecor Dothan, AL(Zone 8b) Jun 30, 2007

Hi All,
I have some cukes growing on a cage and the ones I have picked so far have been awful bitter. I think I read somewhere that you need to pick off the male flowers but I looked at the plant and could not tell the difference...can someone tell me how to find the male flowers.

Thanks
Gail

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kls_01 Champaign, IL(Zone 5b) Jun 30, 2007

Here's some links explaining why cukes get bitter...sounds like heat and drought. Don't know about you, but we've been having a lot of heat and little rain(up until this past week...we've gotten almost 5 inches now!)

Kristie

http://www.theeagle.com/homegarden/062102horne.htm

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/bittercukes.html

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eweed Everson, WA(Zone 8a) Jun 30, 2007

Infrequent,shallow,and lack of water tends to make my cukes bitter. That is when I can grow them,last Sunday it hailed twice and it killed them all except for one poor hill that looks pretty sick. Ernie

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easter_lily Greentown, IN(Zone 5a) Jul 17, 2007

Hey, everyone and hi again, Kristie. Thanks so much for the links! Those sites completely synch up with what we're experiencing in our garden! Our cucumbers...especially the "neck" or the stem end and the skin...are terribly bitter. We've been really disappointed with our whole crop. We've been trying to water them, but it doesn't compare with good rainfall. Maybe I still have time to save a few of them by better watering and mulching around the plants. Does anyone have first-hand experience with which cucumbers are best to grow in our zone? Perhaps some that are not as prone to bitterness? Thanks for any help!

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cabrlamo Alexandria, IN(Zone 5a) Jul 21, 2007

Easter-lily, I have no idea what cukes are best for our zone. (I am in Alexandria, IN) We made sure to turn the sprinkler on every once in a while and our cukes are fine. But boy has it been dry.

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easter_lily Greentown, IN(Zone 5a) Jul 23, 2007

Hi, Cabrlamo! Wow! You're the closest person to home I've encountered so far on this website. This weather has been rough this year, hasn't it?! Do you have any idea what kind of cucumbers you planted? If they could make it through this drought, they're probably pretty hardy! It's great to "meet" someone so close to home, so thanks for posting! Hope to run into you again here on DG.

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