growing cucumbers

For the last two years, I have tried to grow cucumbers. The vines grew extremely well, and the leaves were very healthy. The problem - no cucumbers. Right next to the cucumbers, I am growing tomatoes, pole beans, and peppers. They seem healthy. Lettuce does not grow very well in this part of my garden.

I am not going to completely remake my soil with fertilizers to ge4t the PH up down or whatever. But if anyone has an idea for a little change around the cucumbers, I will try it. Otherwise, I will forget about growing cucumbers in my garden.

I would appreciate any ideas you might have.

Thanking you in advance.

Sounds like you have a pollination problem. Cucumbers, squash, and melons for the most part require insects for pollination else the fruits abort. Fortunately you have two ways to compensate if this proves to be the problem. 1. Hand pollination may be practical for large cukes like slicers. 2. Try a parthenocarpic cultivar like Diva, Tyria, Rocky, Socrates, Tasty Jade ...

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/hortnews/2002/4-5-2002/cucumbers.html

Thanks. I will try a parthenocarpic cultivar.

You can buy a small paintbrush and transfer pollen between the flowers.
You can disassemble male flowers and rub them on the innards of female flowers.
Or yes you can buy parth...something cukes. :)

An additional thought about the soil pH question you raise: your soil might be nitrogen rich resulting in lots of green growth. To add phosphorus and potassium (necessary for fruit growth and general health) to the soil without testing, add an inch or two of well-aged compost in spring and fall. Compost is rich in the major and minor nutrients and trace elements and will build your soil quickly over just a year or two. If you are adding nitrogen-rich aged-manures, add them in the fall.

"Or yes you can buy parth...something cukes. :"

Hehehe, Feldon, yep that word can tend to make ya tongue-tied, eh? :>)
Another great parthenocarpic one is Little Leaf; I grow it every year.

Stephen, haven't seen you around the site so WELCOME to DG!
I, too, was wondering if Emorss soil was high in N but when he/she posted that the tomatoes, beans, and peppers, right next to the cukes were doing great I pretty much ruled out excessive N. Those crops would also be showing excessive foliage growth and little harvest if they were overdosed with N. And when the lettuce was said to do poorly that, too, says it can't be a N problem as lettuce loves N and should be doing well in that area.

Methinks it leans more towards Farmerdill's suggestion of lack of pollination. However, your suggestion of the addition of compost is certainly gonna help the situation, no doubt about it!

Emorss, cukes are fairly heavy feeders and side-dressing or supplemental sprays of fish emulsion or the like will surely benefit them.

Shoe

Emorss: When growing up, we used to plant marigold and nastursums in among the cukes. There were always all kinds of honey and bumble bees around when the cukes flowered, so I think that might be why the nastursums. It might help to plant a few beneficial flowers among your bed.

Just a thought.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I will try the complicated sounding word as well as planting flowers around the cucmbers to increase pollination. I could try to adjust the nitrogen level, but could this really be the problem if green beans and sweet peppers are doing well adjacent to the cucumber plants?

"I could adjust the N problem...could this really be the problem..?"

Nope, that's why I mentioned "I, too, was wondering if Emorss soil was high in N but when he/she posted that the tomatoes, beans, and peppers, right next to the cukes were doing great I pretty much ruled out excessive N."

I'm still inclined to believe it's pollination problem. Emorrs, I may have some Little Leaf cuke seeds in my larder if you'd like to try some. Feel free to Dmail me if you like.

Shoe

If you really want to make the hole thing simple, here is what I do. (because I have a pollination problem-no bees).
Hydro-Gardens in Colorado sells English seedless cucumber seeds (quite a few kinds) that are all female and are self pollinating. They are expensive (about $1.00 per seed, they sell them by the each). But guaranteed success. Beautiful, delicious, burpless cukes. Don't worry about anything but the correct seeds.

BocaBob

Bob, those are considered parthenocarpic as well as the others mentioned above with the same trait. Think I'll stick w/the cheaper variety. (Can't you tell I'm a miser?) ;>)

Shoe, who sits here staring at a thermometer that says it is 20º outside and salivating over Bob's cukes!

They may seem pricy, but i have had 100% germination and at least 50 cukes off each seed. To me that's cheap eats.

BocaBob

50 cukes, I'd say that is excellent!

Shoe

Bob, What kind of arrangement do you have for those cukes? Looks like they are hanging from a pergola? But then it looks like a window. How do you set up your garden? Has anyone tried a bee system like this from High Country Gardens?

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/catalog/search/products/blue+orchard?utm_source=ezine&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Bees09

We had bees last year, but more around the corner from veggies where I have flowers planted for hummers and butterflies. Need to plant more flowers closer to and in veggie garden to increase yield. Lots of vine for melons and winter squash last year, but only one small melon and one big and 3 small winter squash.

quiltygirl- hi I grow the cukes inside my pool enclosure. I put eye bolts into the support cross beams and run twine along it. As the cuke plants grow up, I use vine clips and attach them to the twine. Once they grow to the beam (10 feet up, I train them to go lateral along the twine attaching a vine clip every foot. Works great

Bob

I don't recall seeing vine clips at the store, but then again I wasn't looking for them. Wow, 10 ft up then they still keep going! Sounds like I could use the property line chain link fence between us and the flood control channel. I would need to make some kind of mesh 'box' to have in the dirt to put the seed into, then slightly cover with dirt so ground hogs don't get them, then a little 2 ft high chicken wire circle fence so the rabbits don't get them. I might have to buy those $1 ea seeds too! We'll have to see. I do need to get busy prepping and planting. Time to get over to neighbors' to fill truck bed with 1+ yr old manure.

Thanks Bob.