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McClellan Ranch Project Trial 1996
Cucumber Trial
by Ralph Riddle, October 3, 1996
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| An example of trellising cucumbers taken at our research plot at McClellan Ranch. |
This year we tested our soil before planting using a sample and mail-in kit donated by Master Gardener Heidi Johnson, who works for Yamagami's nursery in Cupertino. The results were unsurprising. We have great soil at McClellan Ranch. Each year we incorporate large amounts of compost and tree trimmings. As the test showed, Our soil has adequate levels of organic material and all necessary minerals except nitrogen. We correct this using soybean meal and blood meal. Both are organic sources of nitrogen.
About cultivation: Our chief scientist, Ralph Eddy, designed the cucumber planting. We first tilled last year's mulch, (tree trimmings), into a five foot wide strip down the center of our 50 x 30 foot plot. Then we laid in three lengths of soaker hose. We covered this all with a 6 foot wide strip of black plastic mulch to keep down the weeds and provide warmth. The remainder of our plot was mulched with tree trimmings. We had few weeds.
We planted the seeds on May 24 after the soil had reached an average temperature of 60 degrees. First we installed trellises that were very finely built by Patrick Daugherty. We then made slits in the black plastic near each edge, and planted four sets of three seeds for each variety. The seeds began to sprout in a few days, after which we experienced a heat wave that cooked some of the seedlings. We re-planted the missing varieties a week later. After the plants were about 6" tall we thinned to four of each variety.
All the varieties but one were grown on trellises. The exception was "Salad Bush", bred for container growing. It grew with a more compact, but still spreading, habit that would be suitable for patio containers.
Many of the varieties experienced attacks of powdery mildew. It didn't kill any of them but, may have slowed their growth and productions somewhat. One variety seemed to have been attacked by an unknown root disease. We had a mole that burrowed the entire length of one side of the planting. We also had evidence of a gopher. They may have contributed to the demise of a couple of plants, but no positive identification.
We kept the vines picked to encourage production until a week before the tasting. Then we began to accumulate and store the fruit in a refrigerator. The Master Gardeners took some of the fruit home and donated the rest to community services and Senior Centers. The Lemon variety was the slowest to bear. We had only a few fruit available for the tasting on August 24. "Supermarket" cucumbers were purchased for comparison. I learned from a seed supplier in Salinas that many similar varieties are used to produce the type we commonly see in stores. Market More and Dasher are two that are widely grown in California.
We grew two pickling varieties and offered them for tasting both raw and pickled. The cornichon, bred for small, 2" long, European-style pickles will also produce traditional size fruit. Although it scored lower in raw taste, it was the better of the two varieties as a pickle. It was also the heaviest producer of all varieties.
We held our cucumber tasting at the Ranch on August 24. It was a beautiful summer day; dry and sunny, typical of Santa Clara county, so the tasting was held outdoors as usual. We sliced the cucumbers and offered them both with and without skins. Virtually all of the thin-skinned varieties can be considered "burpless." Most people preferred the taste without skins however. Ralph Eddy pickled both the pickling varieties and had them for people to taste. Over 100 people attended the event. It had been announced in an article on Aug. 22nd in the Mercury News. We received about 75 rating sheets that I used to compile the ratings in the accompanying table.
Cucumber Ratings (Ordered by Taste Preference)
| Style | Variety | Notes on Taste* & Texture | Yield (1=high) | Notes on Culture |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slicing | Tamara Hybrid (3)
(middle eastern: Beit Alpha) |
Crisp, juicy, sweet, slight herbal flavor | 4 | Slow growth, disease-free. Short, 5"-8" long fruit. Smaller than "supermarket" variety with shiny, smooth, dark green, tender skin. |
| Burpless | Tasty Green (2 ) | Crisp, mild and bland | 10 | Very slow growth, some plants died from soil-borne disease or gophers/moles. Long, medium green, lightly-ribbed fruit. Digestible skin. |
| Armenian | Yard Long (1) | Crisp, slightly sweet, bland. | 7 | Very vigorous growth, slight mildew. Long, pale green, deeply-ribbed fruit. Digestible skin. |
| Slicing | Salad Bush (2 ) | Crisp and sweet | 3 | Moderate growth, disease-free, developed for containers, grew well without a trellis. Short, 5"-6" long, dark green, smooth-skinned fruit. |
| Lemon | Lemon Cukes (3) | Crisp, mild and bland | 8 | Moderate growth, latest to bear, slight mildew. Heirloom. Round, light yellow fruit. Best when size of a small lemon. Tends to be tough when larger. |
| Pickling | Saladin (3) | Firm texture, sweet, mild | 2 | Moderate growth, slight mildew. Dutch-bred variety is traditional pickle size, with curved, knobby-skinned fruit. |
| Armenian | The Duke (3) | Crisp, sweet, mild | 6 | Vigorous growth, light mildew. Fruit is same as Armenian yard long |
| Slicing | Market More, et al (purchased) | Crisp, not very flavorful, basic cucumber taste | n/a | We didn't grow these. Large, thick, 8"-10" long, 3" diameter, smooth, dark green fruit. Skin is not easily digestible. |
| Pickling
(miniature) |
Cornichon (3) | Best pickling variety, crisp, tasty, mild | 1 | Vigorous growth, disease-free. earliest and longest bearing, Heaviest producer. Curved, knobby skinned fruit. Bred for European-style, miniature (2") pickles, but will produce traditional pickle size. |
| Japanese | Early Perfection (3) | Slightly sweet, some bitterness, better w/o skin | 5 | Moderate growth, disease-free. Long, slender, dark green fruit which tends to curl at end. |
| European | Holland Hybrid (3) | Very crisp, strong flavor, better w/o skin | 11 | Very vigorous early season growth, eventually contracted heavy mildew. Long, straight fruit, with dark green, lightly-ribbed skin. Yield may have been reduced due to gophers/moles. |
| Japanese | Yamato Extra Long (2) | Variable, some sweet, most bitter | 9 | Vigorous growth, disease-free, had tendency to wilt during heat. Long, slender fruit which tends to curl at end. Dark green striped skin. Yield may have been reduced due to gophers/moles |
* Taste results compared fresh, not pickled
Seed Sources
1. Abundant Life Seed
2. Nichols
3. Shepherds (donated seeds)
Volunteers: Roxanne Beverstein, Sarah Le Forge, Howard Craven, Karla Meadows, Ralph Eddy, Jean Reed, Eve Hansen, Gordon Vosti, Tina Lee, Marla Yononine
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