Outdoor cucumbers – wigwams or on the ground

[JohnParticipant]

Hi Charles

I am growing outdoor Burpless Tasty Green for the first time and the advice is to grow either along the ground or up a wigwam with some stout netting. It seems to be a toss up between ravaging by slugs or strong winds! What would you suggest?

John

[charlesModerator]

You sum it up well, wind or slugs, though slugs don’t say cucumbers too much, here at least. In windy Exmouth I suggest ground-growing.

[JohnParticipant]

Hi Charles

Thank you the advice. For Exmouth the Met Office is forecastins gusts of up to 50mph early next week, and even Castle Carey’s forecast is not much quieter. Perhaps the slugs will be blown away.

John

[ElizaDParticipant]

I too am undecided about growing my outdoor cucumbers along the ground or up a trellis so will probably do some of each and judge from results which worked best! A question I have is do I need to pinch out the growing tip after about seven pairs of leaves have formed or is this not necessary? Some places I’ve looked for info mention this but not others.

[ElizaDParticipant]

Please can anyone advise on whether or not to pinch out the growing tip – see my question above?

[charlesModerator]

I think it depends how you want to train the plant, I don’t pinch it out, let it ramble.

[devonstewParticipant]

I grew my cucs along the ground last year – marketmore was the variety – and just let them go wild. worked fine, slugs really weren’t interested in them….i’m going to try growing up this year to compare, but I think it may be pointless….!!

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