This spring I mapped out my small garden and actually stuck to the plan, with one exception. In the end I did not have room for cucumbers. Last year, I planted a few hills, but the cucumbers did not read the part on the seed packet about growing and producing. They quickly petered out and died and I may have picked two or three shriveled cucumbers.
“But what if I planted a few hills on the edge of the garden, near the fence? If they happened to survive, they could climb the fence, not take up any room and maybe I’d get a few.”
Be careful what you wish for.
I stuck seeds in five hills of Straight 8 Cucumbers, and they not only climbed the fence, they also took over the lower part of my garden. Vines are everywhere and I’m picking 20 cucumbers every day. That’s a lot of cucumbers.
Nancy has canned two big batches so far and we are doling out cukes to our friends and neighbors like pamphlets at a political rally.
“Do you like cucumbers? Good, here’s a half dozen.”
But boy are they good – sweet, crisp, and tender with that
“just-picked”
goodness of a fresh vegetable.
In hindsight, two vines would have been more than enough. But for now, we’re going to have a lot of pickles to eat.
