Bitter Cucumbers

[veronicam]

What are your tips for growing cucumbers that are not bitter? Ours have bit awful for two years in a row.

[provocativa]

1/ adequate water 2/ remineralize the soil (some call adding lime 'sweetening the soil) 3/ check how you're cutting them. i just moved so i can't find my reference book, but, slicing the cucumber from the stem end versus slicing from the blossom end during food prep makes a difference in bitterness, so the old wives tale goes. but i can't remember which is recommended to slice first, blossom end or stem end, so do experiment with that. the deer have eaten our cukes two years in a row. . . .

[alivia]

we've found some of it is the variety too. we grew lemon pepino cukes this year and they did better than we've ever had cukes do in the past and they are much tastier - no bitterness at all. the soil we planted them in is actually pretty crappy soil right now, so we're sold on this variety.

[Erinz]

slicing at the blossom end first is supposed to help (I just do it, it has been drilled into me)

The type makes a difference as does the water. Cukes like just the right amount -- not too much, not too little. I find a dripper with lots of mulch tends to help. We've had a craptacular summer so far full of fog fog fog and overcast skies with fog. Best cukes we've ever had. Go figure. I think they do like a bit of protection in intense heat too.

[FarmerCathy]

So far I have not grown cukes without them being bitter. I try every year and its the same every time. Someday I will figure it out.

[veronicam]

Well I did some research and found out that cukes get bitter when the plants get stressed due to high heat and not enough water.....and of course I live in SC, so that explains it.

We do have a newer plant that has produced some really great cukes that aren't bitter yet, so we are a little hopeful for that one.

[plantnerd]

It's heat and drought. I usually pull mine up by July 15th or so. One thing you can try is peeling, then double peeling them. I find most of the bitterness lives in the skin.