PHOTO HEATHER CARSTON
WE get so used to seeing the perfect shape of vegetables in the supermarkets, it feels a bit odd to see Mother Nature doing her thing in our own vegetable garden.
This season, I’ve heard a few queries about why cucumbers in particular have been curled in shape, rather than the elegant long ones we are used to.
Even my own have had a few of these.
The reasons can be many, but the most prevalent is that of inadequate pollination, which isn’t surprising this year, given the amount of rain we’ve had.
Just one visit from a pollinator won’t do, they require repeated visits over a few days in order to get the best result.
This is one of the reasons why companion planting works well and in our gardens, I try and make sure I always have a variety of flowers that attract the bees.
Cucurbits, the family of which the cucumber belong, are favourites of bumble bees. In the veggie garden, it’s good to have the complementary herbs you will use in your kitchen that honey and bumble bees like such as borage, rosemary, lavender, sage and thyme, along with flowers like marigolds, calendula, nasturtiums and poppies.
Many of these plants, like marigolds for example, will also deter such pests as mites.
But in getting back to curling cucumbers (we’ll cover companion planting another time), there are other issues that can cause this. High humidity, which we have had a bit of, along with really strong full sun for some varieties (the “burpless” ones). Irregular watering and for these gross feeders, not paying attention to what they need foodwise can also have an effect.
High potassium and phosphorus feed like tomato fertilisers are ideal to help cucumber fruits develop evenly and should be applied after flowering starts on a weekly basis.
When your cucumbers have put on a few feet of growth, mulch again once a month with garden compost for a nutrient boost as well as a protective cover for groundwater. This makes sure that cucumbers don’t dry out and stops them from curling thanks to better access to moisture and nutrients.
Curly or not, the cucumbers will still taste fabulous – and next week, look for a recipe for using all the excess cucumber and courgettes in your garden this year.
