Regular fert application for Cukes

Post Reply
User avatar
TheMad_Poet
Reactions:
Posts: 101
Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2022 1:17 pm
Location: Holly Mi

Regular fert application for Cukes

#1

Post: # 90503Unread post TheMad_Poet
Wed Mar 01, 2023 9:22 am

Starting this thread to share my experience with cukes in 2022 growing season. I am not a cucumber guy, rarely eat one, but I love pickles. I love to experiment with pickle recipes. In 2022 I went totally organic as an experiment for better tasting tomatoes, and used the same techniques on my cukes and squash and peppers. I used high quality organic ferts on all. Tomato Tone on Tomatoes and peppers, and Jobes on cukes and squash. TT is specially designed for tomatoes, with a 3-4-6 NPK ratio. The jobes I believe was just a normal garden mix, but all organic. This was inspired by my neighbor who I share plants with. They live on a farm with cattle, and her husband loads her garden with composted cow manure. Her tomatoes ALWAYS taste better than mine. Thus this experiment was born. I can get free manure from them, and I did that the 1st year, but it was way more work than it was worth, and only 1 application before planting. So I settled on using high grade organics the second year. And what a difference it made. My best tomatoes held their incredible flavor right to the end of season. AND my cukes produced like I never imagined they could. 11 cuke plants produce around 1200 fruit. I start cukes indoors 2-3 weeks before plant out, around end of may. Normally they produce for several weeks then start dying off. Last year they stayed healthier a lot longer and were still producing well into September. The key was regular 2 week application of the organic ferts. I don't keep garden notes. I know I would be better off, but too many other irons in the fire. I used the organics after bed prep, before planting, then re-applied on a 2 week schedule. I did not note which cukes I planted, they were all from one pack of seeds, 90% sure they were Burpee Pickling Cucumbers. I have an open packet of those with planting notes scribbled on it. Vigorous vines with heavy yields over a long time. I usually grow these or Boston Picklers, with similar attributes. The ferts are expensive, but well worth it to me. I listed the cukes on FB market place, for $3 a dozen. Lots of folks wanting to make pickles that were willing to drive a ways to pick them up. They go into the fridge as soon as picked and washed, so they stay nice and firm. Had repeat customers. Made enuff from cukes to pay for all my ferts for the season, with some left over, and plenty of pickles for myself. !st year I ever kept track of the numbers on cukes, so the 1200 on 11 plants is accurate, it does include those damaged by slugs, and the ones I missed that got too big and were discarded. Guessing on past years, but believe I had at least double or more last year. Never developed mildew either, another 1st. But I did not over head water once they were established. I used landscape material to cover raised rows, with mulch around the base of each plant to preserve moisture. Going to repeat this process this year, but may try some with manmade ferts, applied regularly, some with a mix of man made and organics, and some with all organics. Will need to find man made with similar NPKs, especially for the maters.

User avatar
AKgardener
Reactions:
Posts: 1111
Joined: Fri May 22, 2020 1:28 pm
Location: Alaska

Re: Regular fert application for Cukes

#2

Post: # 90521Unread post AKgardener
Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:15 pm

Thanks for the input I plan on growing lots of cucumbers this summer last year I used master blend fertilizer this year I’m switching to only worm castings I only got 5 per plant the rest turned yellow before they could get started all out of the weather in pots in a greenhouse!! Trying it again different fertilizer

Post Reply

Return to “Cucumbers”