Attack of the Monster Cucumber!

zinnia11 · May 18, 2009

I just went oout to check up on my garden a little while ago and I found a 12 inch long, big fat boston pickling cucumber. I swear it wasn't there a couple of days ago.

I am new to all of this gardening stuff so just about everything amazes me.

Has anyone else had this kind of experience where it seems like a veggie just seems to come out of nowhere?

And by the way, are pickling cucumbers good to eat without pickling them? I wasnt quite prepared to start pickling yet.

duajones · May 18, 2009

It has happened to me as well, and it was there a couple of days ago it was just hiding

. And yes pickling cukes are good for fresh eating without being pickled

shelleybean · May 18, 2009

Squash and okra can grow really fast like that, too.

For eating fresh, I prefer pickling varieties to the slicers. I'd scoop the seeds out of that monster you just found if using it for salad. Otherwise, I try to pick them when they're five inches or under. The seeds are small then, too, and the pickling varieties usually have good crunch.

May 18, 2009	#1
zinnia11 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Port Orange, Florida Posts: 20	Attack of the Monster Cucumber! I just went oout to check up on my garden a little while ago and I found a 12 inch long, big fat boston pickling cucumber. I swear it wasn't there a couple of days ago. I am new to all of this gardening stuff so just about everything amazes me. Has anyone else had this kind of experience where it seems like a veggie just seems to come out of nowhere? And by the way, are pickling cucumbers good to eat without pickling them? I wasnt quite prepared to start pickling yet.

May 18, 2009	#2
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	It has happened to me as well, and it was there a couple of days ago it was just hiding . And yes pickling cukes are good for fresh eating without being pickled __________________ Duane Jones

May 18, 2009	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	Squash and okra can grow really fast like that, too. For eating fresh, I prefer pickling varieties to the slicers. I'd scoop the seeds out of that monster you just found if using it for salad. Otherwise, I try to pick them when they're five inches or under. The seeds are small then, too, and the pickling varieties usually have good crunch. __________________ Michele