We were cleaning out the old cucumber vines, and found where one cucumber had buried itself in the foliage, rotted, and the seeds had started to sprout. We now have a dozen or so little cucumber plants starting up. The question is--do we yank them up (we really don't need more cucumbers) or thin them out and keep two or three? What would you do, and why?
I think I'd thin them out and save just a couple. You never know when you might have use for some more cucumbers even although you have plenty just now.
How about letting them continue on their life mission and give the resulting produce to the local food bank.
I might keep a couple for the fun of seeing if I could keep them over the winter and see what they would produce next season. The thing is thst with cucumbers, courgettes and the like is that you are not guaranteed that the insects that pollenated the flower only went to cucumber plants. Those pollinators often go back and forth with different other curcubids, giving you a cross-bred, inedible fruit. I have tried this already and so I would not waste my space for this uncertain trial, but if you have never tried this before, you might enjoy the exercise...and who knows, you could get regular cues. Looking back, I guess that my answer is really a non-answer. My excuses.
Well, we decided to keep two of the strongest, and see what happens. We know they will not overwinter, but we have a long fall season and may get cucumbers. If we have an overabundance (as we have with cucumbers and squash this spring and early summer) the excess will go to the food bank again. Folks at the food bank are beginning to look askance when I show up with a couple of bags!
If you want to save some, why not save them indoors over the winter? Good luck with those volunteers. Please come on here and let us know how you get on. BTW, folks may see that you have less for the Food Bank, but the folks getting the fresh veg will be happy. We regularly ask the Food Bank director and workers if there are things that folks reject, and the clients have only not taken the Swiss chard. I am not sure why, but we do not take it any more and have let other donors on our complex know it. Our gherks have petered-out now but others are still having a few; but again, not as much as normal.
Sjoerd, I wonder why folks at the food bank don't want Swiss Chard? Perhaps a recipe or two included with the Chard might help. I won't be bringing the cucumber starts inside. By the time cold weather hits (late Oct., early Nov.) the vines will be a few feet long. Not decorative for the holidays! Deck the halls with vines and holly . . . .
Jane, they did not tell us exactly why the people refused the chard. I can’t imagine why someone would not like it. It is a staple for the Bride and I.
