Everyone knows them: small, crunchy, long, thin and even in blue: cucumbers. The first cucumbers will be available in the greenhouse from July. The fruits from the blue cucumber tree and outdoor cucumbers need a little more time. They follow three to four weeks later. Which cucumbers are ripe when? The four most important harvest tips.
When and how do I harvest cucumbers correctly?
Cucumbers can be harvested three weeks after flowering. The harvest time varies depending on the intended use, e.g. cornichons (4-6 cm), delicatessen cucumbers (6-12 cm), cucumbers (20-30 cm), peeled cucumbers (yellow skin). Regular harvesting promotes yield and avoids bitter cucumbers. Basically, cucumbers should be harvested young, in the morning and with a sharp knife.
When can I finally harvest cucumbers?
Whether for a snack, as a salad, soup, vegetables or as a cooling mask - cucumbers from your own garden or balcony taste delicious and have a variety of uses. With proper care and fertilization of cucumbers, recreational gardeners will harvest cucumbers in abundance.
Cucumbers ripen just 3 weeks after flowering. If sown early in the greenhouse, they will be ripe by the end of May. Open air from July to October. The harvest time depends on the intended use of the respective cucumbers:
- Cornichons – smallest pickling cucumbers from 4 to 6 centimeters
- Delicate cucumbers – for pickling from 6 to 12 centimeters
- Cucumbers – from 20 to 30 centimeters depending on the variety
- Peeled cucumbers – are ready to harvest as soon as the peel turns yellow
In terms of taste, cucumbers are tastiest when they have not yet reached the size of supermarket cucumbers. As soon as they turn yellow they are overripe.
Harvesting cucumbers regularly increases the yield
You actually can't harvest cucumbers too early. It's best to lose weight regularly and not let it get too big. If you leave cucumbers on the plant for too long, you risk them watering down, becoming bitter and sometimes rejecting subsequent crops in the early stages. Therefore, remove overripe fruits from the plant immediately so as not to weaken them unnecessarily. So let's get to the delicious cucumbers;-). Ideally, you can harvest fresh cucumbers twice a week until the end of October.
The 4 most important cucumber harvesting tips
- Harvest cucumbers as young as possible. This guarantees the highest vitamin content and best taste.
- Harvest cucumbers in the morning or early morning because that is when they have the most nutrients.
- Cut cucumbers with a sharp knife to avoid damaging shoots and tendrils.
- Tip off new flower buds at the end of September so that existing fruits can still ripen
Tips & Tricks
This is bitter - cucumbers react bitterly in stressful situations such as cold, heavy rain or water that is too cold. The bitter substances are distributed from the stem base into the cucumber. That's why the end of the cucumber sometimes still tastes bitter-free and can be eaten. The fact that cucumbers become bitter is genetically determined. Incorrect care can promote this.
