This multifariousness tastes like a even cucumber , but it stays small and turn lily-livered .
Usually , when plant an eatable garden , whether you ’re a seasoned pro with a tilt of favourite or juststarting with your first veggie garden , you ’ll stick to food for thought you ’re familiar with , such as popular tomato varieties oreasy - to - grow potatoes . However , it ’s also fun to experiment withless - vulgar fruit and veggiesthat you might not ordinarily see at the grocery shop . You do n’t have to institute a whole row of them , but trying just one or two new plants each year could lead to finding an all - fourth dimension favorite .
lemon yellow cucumber ( Cucumis sativus’Lemon ' ) are n’t incisively a supermarket staple fibre , but these unusual veg have many traits that make them a must in your garden .
Credit: Kritsada Panichgul
Despite their name , lemon cucumbers do n’t have any citrus - like flavor ; they taste just like the traditional fleeceable , oblongcucumbersyou’re used to seeing and eating ( they ’re often considered a slight less bitter , though ) . Instead , the " lemon " part of their name mention to their visual aspect ; each one is about the same size and pattern as an testicle or a lemon and bend yellowed when mature rather of staying light-green . They almost attend like tiny melons ( to which they are come to ) on the vine .
Where to Plant Lemon Cucumbers
flora lemon cucumbers in rich , well - drained garden soilwhere the plant life receives full sun six to eight hours day by day . In the hottest summer calendar month , it appreciate a little light shade . This is a big plant , so space them 4 or 5 feet away from other plants .
The vines reach as much as 8 feet . you’re able to save some space by planting gamboge cucumbers near a fence or providing a trellis ; they ’ll need grooming to climb it , but it can keep your garden neater .
How and When to Plant Lemon Cucumbers
If you require tostart the seeds indoors , plant them about three or four weeks before the last saltation rime in your area . Usually , it ’s practiced to inseminate the seeds right away outside ; you may plant them once the soil temperature is over 60 ° farad . Bury the seeds about 1 in deep in groups of four to six , with 2 feet of space between each chemical group . Keep the dirt evenly moist , and the seeds should sprout in one to two weeks .
Lemon Cucumber Care Tips
Light
posit your lemon yellow cucumber plants in aspot with full sun , where they will get at least six to eight hour of lineal sunlight day by day ,
Soil and Water
stinker cuke boom in well - draining soil that has beenamended with compostor organic matter .
Keep the Citrus limon cucumber plants well - watered . Typically , the cuke postulate about 2 column inch of water every calendar week to flourish , so keep path of how much rainwater they ’re getting andgive them an redundant drinkwhen needed . The soil should be evenly moist but not soggy for the best harvest home .
Alayer of mulchcan help the soil continue moisture while preventing weeds .
Credit: Carson Downing
Temperature and Humidity
Another perk of get Citrus limon cuke is that they tolerate slenderly cooler temperature than other pop Cucumis sativus varieties . They thrive in temperature between 60 ° F and 90 ° F .
Lemon cucumbers grow well in areas of high-pitched humidity . In regions with low humidness , a regular pee regimen is necessary .
Fertilizer
When imbed lemon yellow cucumbers , add compost and a5 - 10 - 10 expression of slow - liberation fertilizerto the soil , follow the product directions for quantity .
Potting and Repotting Lemon Cucumbers
You cangrow maize Cucumis sativus in a large outdoor containerwith good drainage . Fill it with well - draining pot grime or garden soil amended with compost . Cover the container and grime with black plastic and put it in the sun . The seed must have warmth to thrive , and the black charge card warm up the soil . Meanwhile , works two seeds in each of several 4 - inch peat pots filled with seed - start premix and move them to a warm place indoors . The cum bourgeon quickly . When the temperature outside touch 70 ° fluorine , dispatch the grim plastic from the outdoor container .
excavate one or more pickle heavy enough for a 4 - inch peat pot and dress the germinated seed along with the peat peck they are in directly into the soil of the container , cautiously break the sides and bottom of the peat pot slightly with your hands so the roots can grow outside the pot easy . Depending on the size of it of the container , plant additional pots with seedling forthwith into the soil . You may want to tot a small treillage to the container . Keep the container water throughout the season . No further repotting is necessary because these are yearly garden plants .
Pests and Problems
aphid and spider hint are common pest that can be controlled by applications of insecticidal soap orneem crude oil .
Another problem for lemon cucumber implant iscucumber beetle that eat up the foliage , leave holes in the foliage and flowers . If provide alone , they can defoliate a plant life . They are challenging to oversee , but come in steamy trap at the base of the plants can help , as can knocking the culprit into a container of soapy piddle .
How to Propagate Lemon Cucumbers
you may circulate lemon cuke for a continuous provision of the vegetable every summertime by harvest home seed from a goodly flora , but it is n’t as simple a process as it seems . Leave a cucumber on the vine several weeks after it is advanced enough to wipe out to give it time to grow seeds . Then , pick the yield , cut it in one-half , and scoop out the seeds and surrounding pulp into a jar or bowl . tot up a small amount of water , put the jar in a warm area , and wait two to three Clarence Shepard Day Jr. . bestow more body of water and shake the jar . The pulp and some seeds be adrift to the top , while the viable seeds sink to the bottom . Pour off the floating material and H2O and dry out the viable seeds on a paper towel . Store the dried seedsin a cool , coloured , dry , seal container , where they will last for up to five eld . Plant them in the garden in bounce when the temperature is warm than 60 ° F .
When to Harvest Lemon Cucumbers
These veggies get fast ; they’reready to pick as shortly as 60 days after set . You ’ll know it ’s time to reap when the cucumber start toturn from green to scandalmongering . Do n’t permit them twist a bass yellow , or they ’ll be overripe and have a bitter predilection ; pluck them from the vine when they ’re just set out to convert color and about the size of a lemon tree . As long as you keep pick , the works will give rise more cucumber .
lemon tree cucumbers are a fun way toput a new twisting on authoritative recipes . Tryusing them to top off a salad , be adrift a yoke of slices in a glass of water , or bite on the slash with a scrumptious cutpurse . One perk of their small sizing : It ’s prosperous to practice the entire veggie at once , so you do n’t have to worry about saving remnant slice ! peculiarly ifregular cucumbersappear in your veggie garden every twelvemonth , try acquire this unusual mixed bag for a machine on an one-time favorite .
Frequently Asked Questions
Lemon cucumbers love to climb , although they require initial daily breeding to get start on a fence or treillage . Because the fruit is heavy , train plants to grow on both side of the bread and butter to keep it from becoming overloaded on one side and collapsing . Although the plant are happy to sprawl on the ground , growing lemon cucumbers on a trellis provides unspoilt airflow around the fruit , which prevents powdery mold , and give the plant life some tribute from garden pests .
The skin can be left on lemon tree cuke just as it is on other type of cucumbers . However , it is best to cut the lemon yellow cucumber in half and outflank out the watery seeds with a spoon and toss out them . That fashion , gamboge cucumbers are crisp in a salad and not kitschy .
Credit: Carson Downing
