There’s nothing like crisp cucumbers, especially when they come straight from your own garden. Not only are cucumbers a great source of hydration (they’re made up of 95% water), but they also contain nutrients like vitamin K, vitamin C, and potassium. You can enjoy cucumbers with your favorite dip, add them to salads for a bit of crunch, or make them the star of a smoothie recipe.
There’s no shortage of reasons to give this versatile vegetable a spot in your garden. That said, experts share there’s one simple mistake gardeners tend to make when picking cucumbers—yanking them from the vine.
The Common Mistake Gardeners Make
Cucumbers are typically ready to harvest between 50 to 70 days after planting, but it’s crucial to proceed with a lot of care. Christopher Satch, founder of NYC Plant Help, a horticultural consultancy, says yanking them from the vine is a big no-no. “You can snip them off the vine, twist and snap them off, or use your thumbnail to slice off the vine from the top of the cuke. But if you’re careless and yank them, you can damage the vine,” explains Satch, who is also known as the NYC Plant Doctor.
When to Harvest Cucumbers
Since cucumbers are in the Cucurbitaceae plant family along with foods such as zucchini, watermelon, and squash, they should be harvested before they ripen. “When cucumbers ripen, they turn yellow or orange and become extremely bitter, to the point of it’s just too unpalatable to eat them,” says Satch. “So, when picking, timing is everything.”
It’s also important to remember the cultivar you chose for your garden (there are more than 100 varieties worldwide, by the way). “A lot of this is knowing which cultivar of cucumber you’ve planted, and what size of cucumber it’s supposed to produce,” he says. “When the green cucumbers reach that size, pick them before they ripen.”
If you happen to miss the window to pick your cucumbers, there are some alternatives to consider: “You can either leave the ripening cucumber on the vine to produce seeds for next year, or if it’s too early in the season like July or early August, then pluck them and compost them so that the plant does not waste energy making seeds when it could be making more cucumbers,” Satch says.
Monique Valeris is the home design director for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand’s home decorating coverage across print and digital. Prior to joining GH in 2020, she was the digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she explores everything from design trends and home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing her monthly column, “What’s in My Cart.”
Source: Home Ideas - goodhousekeeping.com
