Home garden trellised cucumbers

NC STATE UNIVERSITY Horticulture Information Leaflet 8014-B Revised 1/01 - Author Reviewed 1/01 College of Agriculture & Life Sciences Department of Horticultural Science HOME GARDEN TRELLISED CUCUMBERS Douglas C. Sanders and Larry Extension Horticultural Specialists I Fresh market (sheer) cucumbers have been produced commercially in North Carolina for many years. The average yield is 2 to 3 times the average yield from non-trellised cucumbers. Some reasons for higher yields h orn trellising appear to be: • Improved fruit quality, particularly with respect to color and shape. Trellised cucumbers have no yellow “ground spot” and are less likely to curve or crook. • More effective control of many diseases and insects. • Less damage to vines resulting in a longer harvest season. • More thorough harvesting resulting in fewerjumbos and culls. Harvesting trellised cucumbers is easier than harvesting ground-grown cucumbers since fruit hang where visible and are easily reached. Production of cucumbers on trellises, however, involves a greater- investment than when grown on the ground. Some reasons for this are: • Cost of erecting trellises. • Labor for trellising and pruning. • Field cleanup at end of the season. source of irrigation water can mean the difference between an average crop and a superior one if irrigation is required at critical times. Good air circulation and air drainage are important in guarding against frost. These will also minimize certain disease problems. Select a southern exposure if earliness is important. A sandy loam to clay loam soil, high in organic matter, is ideal. Soils that cake or crust result in poorer stands. The soil should have good drainage and be naturally fertile. Anideal soil pH is 6.0 to 6.5. A soil sample should be taken well in advance of planting to determine the need for lime and to obtain proper recommendations for fertilization. The soil should also be assayed for the presence of nematodes, and if present, should be fumigated. Contact your county extension agent for proper procedures for taking and submitting samples for nematode assay and fertility analysis. Avoid planting cucumbers in fields that were planted to cucurbits (cucumbers, squash, pumpkins or melons) the previous year, because disease may carry over from one season to the next. Dislributed in furtherance Handling plants during trellising and pruning of ма°у'“ип1зоП?9Т48 таУ also spread certain bacterial and viral Employment and program diseases in the field, opportunities are offered to all people regardless of race, color, national oriqin, c ■ «.n.. . , , . , sex, age, or disability. North Selection of Site. Choose a field which is North carahna A&TState ^adily accessible. This is important for good university, u.s. Department management, especially at harvest time when of Agriculture, and local . . , , , , , . , governments cooperating, the crop is being hauled to market. A nearby Varieties. The ideal variety must produce fruit with the size, shape and color desired by the market. It must have good yielding abili ty. It should also have resistance to certain diseases, particularly scab and mosaic in the mountain area. These include Sprint 440S, Marketmore 76, and Dasher II. Each of these has resistance to scab and cucumber STATE UNIVERSITY A&T STATE UNIVERSITY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION Helping People Put Knowledge to Work