what causes duke to be bitter?

[habitat_gardener]

Here's a question from a fellow community gardener: the first cucumbers he's picked are bitter halfway down, not just at the tip. What causes this? And is there a way to prevent it?

My own cucumber plants are still working on their first sets of leaves.

[shelleybean]

This may not be the only cause but I've heard it's from lack of water. It starts at the blossom end and works its way inward. I've also read that the little hollow space that sometimes appears in the seed cavity is also due to lack of water. I've had cucumber plants wilt in the afternoon and then give me bitter cukes. If I water twice a day this seems to eliminate the problem. There are also varieties I see that are described as "never bitter" too so that might be something worth researching before next season. Check back in and let us know how it turns out.

[ScottinAtlanta]

A bad breakup?

[tlintx]

I was going to say "Tar Heels" but then I noticed you'd edited it.

Still showing up in my new posts search under the original typo'd title, but looks fine here. Weird.

What I want to know is, when should I pick my cucumbers? They're much bigger than the pickling cukes I thought I planted...

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by habitat_gardener

Here's a question from a fellow community gardener: the first cucumbers he's picked are bitter halfway down, not just at the tip. What causes this? And is there a way to prevent it?

My own cucumber plants are still working on their first sets of leaves.

In all the plant of cucumbers are bitter substances. Optimal temperatures for planting of cucumbers are about from 50 °F to 90 °F. The bitterness float from the plant to the cucumbers, when in the time of the harvest is hot and dry weather (stress). There are varietes of cucumbers ( hybrid), which the bitterness haven´t in the plant and therefore cucumbers can not contain bitterness.
Vladimír

[nancyruhl]

Soaking the sliced up cucumbers in salty water for an hour before eating seems to help remove the bitterness.

[discoprincess]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

There are varietes of cucumbers ( hybrid), which the bitterness haven´t in the plant and therefore cucumbers can not contain bitterness.
Vladimír

There are some heirlooms as well, like supposedly the lemon cucumber or the Asian cukes, or the Armenian cucumber (although it's technically Cucumis melo).

Divas are supposed to be bitterfree.

[efisakov]

Luck of water and to much heat can cause some varieties to become bitter.
This once I grow and can say are not turning bitter for me: Suyo Japanese long, Bait Alpha, Armenian (as stated above technically not ...). Good luck.

[ddsack]

I grow Greek Spiny (from Sand Hill Pres.) and it is not bitter. Also matures much faster than the extra long varieties.

Also agree that lack of enough water can make any cuke bitter. Like lettuce, they need a lot.

[Trifaziux]

This year I planted "delikatess" and "saladin H" cucumber varieties in my greenhouse. "delikatess" cucumber is getting bitter... It might be lack of water, but the "saladin H" never got bitter... Last year I managed to grow "delikatess" cucumbers in a container at my window sill and they didn't go bitter at all...

[MrBig46]

I plant these varieties of cucumbers (to pickled): Blanka F1 (Czech-not bitter) and Elisabeth (Dutch-parthenocarpic not bitter).
Vladimír

[efisakov]

Very nice, Vladimir. Good harvest.