These Are By Far The Best Cucumber Varieties To Grow In Your Home Garden
Few things taste more like the essence of a summer harvest than a fresh cucumber that has been picked straight from your own home garden. However, not all cucumber varieties are created equal. Some can become soggy or mealy, while others may be too hard or bitter. Further, other types may not fare well in certain weather conditions or against pests, making them difficult to grow. That's why it's important to buy cucumber seed varieties that are well-suited to home gardening, as this will allow you to have a happy cucumber harvesting season down the road.
Cucumber types are split into two major categories: slicing and pickling. Slicing types are typically served fresh and raw, like what you'd want to put in a tomato salad, and tend to be long and juicy. Pickling types are meant for, of course, pickling, and are usually on the smaller side. You can plant a mix of both types in the garden or just one or the other, but you should know what kind of seed you're planting in advance. After all, nobody wants to try to squeeze a giant, juicy cucumber into a pickle jar. We also found some of the best disease and weather-tolerant varieties to ensure your cucumber plants stay healthy no matter where you're gardening.
Best slicing cucumbers
When you bite into a slicing cucumber, you want something that is sweet, crisp, firm, and juicy but not watery. The best slicing varieties to grow at home are Sweet Successes, Straight Eights, and Divas. Sweet Successes are perfect if you hate tasting any hint of bitterness because, as the name suggests, these types come out very sweet. Interestingly, this variety is parthenocarpic, which means that it doesn't require pollination to grow fruit. That makes these ideal if you're growing in a natural area with few pollinators or a controlled environment such as a greenhouse. The lack of pollination makes for very few, if any, tiny seeds, making these perfectly-suited for slicing and enjoying fresh.
Straight Eights also make for excellent slicing cucumbers. They receive their name because these cucumber fruits have no curvature and are generally harvested at around 8 inches. Straight Eights can thrive in many different weather and soil conditions. Finally, Divas would also be a great addition to your home garden. These cucumbers, which are known for their thin skins and sweet taste, are also parthenocarpic and don't have seeds, making them ideal slicing cucumbers.
Perfect pickling cucumbers
Pickling cucumbers tend to be much smaller than slicing varieties, and you'll rarely see them peeled during the pickling process, so you want one with a nice skin that often includes plenty of bumps. You may typically see these called "Kirby" cucumbers, but that actually just refers to a small cucumber. Our top specific pickling varieties include Nationals, Bostons, and Bushes.
Nationals are an easy-to-grow pickling variety. While these aren't considered disease-resistant, they're able to tolerate powdery mildew better than other pickling varieties. Bostons, which are known for staying crisp during the pickling process, are a high-yielding plant. Boston cucumbers grow to about 3 to 7 inches and also resist or tolerate common diseases. Finally, consider planting Bush cucumbers, also known as Picklebushes. Bush pickles grow in compact and bushier patches than other vining cucumber types. They're relatively easy to grow successfully, and because of their smaller growth sprawl are ideal for container gardening and smaller gardens.
Growing cucumbers for disease and weather tolerance
Not sure how to maintain a cucumber plant in your garden? This is a common concern, especially in particularly hot climates or if you've had a crop die due to disease. Some of the best cucumber varieties for gardens in trickier growing environments include Ashleys, Country Fairs, and Calypsos. Ashleys are another great option for home gardens if you want slicing cucumbers. This hybrid was bred to withstand very hot and humid climates. It's resistant to mildew which is a common issue for cucumbers growing in humid environments.
If your past cucumber crops have fallen victim to bacterial wilt, consider planting County Fair cucumbers. These pickling cucumbers are resistant to this disease, which is transmitted by cucumber beetles. They're also parthenocarpic, meaning that they don't need to be pollinated to produce fruit. Finally, we recommend Calypsos as a pickling variety that is resistant to several of the major cucumber diseases including cucumber mosaic virus, angular leaf spot, and powdery mildew. This variety is used in commercial crops, but it's also a good choice for home gardeners as well. However, this seed variety is high-yielding, so be prepared to eat your weight in cucumbers.