Have you ever wondered, where did the cucumber originated?  Most of us, including yours truly, love to eat them as in a salad or as a salad but never really gave them a second thought.  The cucumber has a   very colorful history.

It is believed that they are native to India and have been cultivated in western Asia for 3000 years.  From India, this vegetable spread to Greece and Italy, then later to China.  The Romans probably took it to other parts of Europe, as records of cucumber cultivation appear in France in the 9th century and in England in the 14th century.  They were recorded in North America by the end of the 16th century.

The Spanish brought cucumbers to the Americas in 1494.  Cartier, in 1535, found them in what is no Montreal.  Cucumbers were found in Virginia gardens in 1584.  The Iroquois Indians were growing them when the first European visited them.

In the 1600s, New England gardeners produced bountiful gardens that were as well or better than their European counterparts.  Crops like turnips, parsnips, carrots, radishes, squash, cucumbers and onions.

Towards the end of the 1600s a dark cloud developed in the form of prejudice against any fresh fruits and salads or any other product that has not been cooked.  It was claimed that these brought about summer diseases and should be forbidden for children.  Even when diet reform swept amongst the colonies that recommended plain simple and natural foods, the poor old cucumber had a bad time shedding its' bad reputation.  “Fit only for consumption by cows” from which came the term 'cowcucumber'

Now cucumbers are a leading commercial crop and a popular home garden vegetable.  The commercial production includes processing types for pickling and those for fresh market.  The major portion of the commercial crop for processing in the United Sates comes from Michigan, North Carolina, Texas, California and Wisconsin.  Processing cucumbers yield an average of about 5 tons per acre in the U.S. and up to 18 tons per acre in California.

Cucumbers are a warm season crop and young plants are easily injured by frost.  The ideal growing temperature is 82 degrees.  Temperatures above 90 degrees and below 60 degrees cause slow growth.  High temperatures above 92 degrees have been implicated in the increase of bitterness in the fruit, as has water stress.  The bitterness may only extend a little bit in the cucumber and the ideal way to check it out is cut a slice from the end that was attached to the plant.  If it tastes bitter, cut another slice a bit further down and taste it.  Still bitter, repeat the process until you find a slice that does not taste bitter.  At least you may be able to save a portion of the cucumber.

Cucumbers are propagated by seeds and should be planted when the soil temperature had reached 55 degrees at a depth of 2 inches.  Planting in a very cool soil significantly delays germination, so little benefit is gained by planting seed early when the soil temperature is low.

Weeds must be controlled through the season for maximum harvest.  Either pull them out by hand or how them no more that 1 inch deep s shallow feeder roots are not damaged.  Remember, weeds rob the soil of moisture and nutrients.

Cucumbers have male and female flowers on the same plant.  The male opens first and eventually drops off.  Female flowers form the actual cucumbers and should not drop off.  You can tell the sex of the flower because the female will have a tiny fruit attached at the base.

Harvest cucumbers when they reach the desired size.  Don't wait until they turn yellow.  Yellow cucumbers are over mature and will have a strong flavor and poor quality.

Whether you plant cucumbers for pickles or fresh eating, enjoy them.