Burpee is a trusted name for home gardeners, known for reliable seeds and plants. Their cucumber varieties are popular, providing options for various culinary uses and growing conditions. Burpee cucumbers are a consistent choice for a productive garden, whether for fresh salads or preserving the summer harvest.
Selecting Burpee Cucumber Varieties
Burpee offers a diverse selection of cucumber varieties, each suited for different culinary purposes and garden spaces. This selection ranges from long, slender slicing types to smaller, firm pickling cucumbers, alongside some more unique offerings.
Slicing Varieties
Burpee’s slicing cucumbers are cultivated for fresh consumption, characterized by smooth skin and mild flavor. ‘Burpee’s Big Burpless’ is known for its easy digestibility and impressive length, often growing up to 10-12 inches. ‘Bush Champion’ offers a compact, bush-like growth habit, suitable for smaller gardens while still producing abundant, crisp cucumbers. These varieties are well-suited for salads or simply enjoying fresh off the vine.
Pickling Varieties
For preserving, Burpee offers cucumber varieties bred for pickling. ‘Burpee’s Pickler’ and ‘National Pickling’ produce smaller, blockier fruits with firm flesh that holds up well during pickling. These varieties mature quickly, often reaching an ideal pickling size of 3-6 inches. Their bumpy skin and dense texture contribute to a superior pickled product.
Specialty Varieties
Beyond common slicing and pickling types, Burpee occasionally offers specialty cucumber varieties that cater to unique preferences. These may include cucumbers with distinct shapes, unusual skin colors, or enhanced disease resistance. Exploring these options adds diversity and interest to your garden, providing unique flavors or textures for culinary experimentation.
Getting Started with Burpee Cucumbers
Establishing Burpee cucumber plants successfully begins with careful consideration of their planting environment and initial care. Proper site selection and soil preparation lay the groundwork for healthy growth and a bountiful harvest.
Site Selection and Soil Preparation
Cucumbers thrive in full sun, ideally six to eight hours daily. Soil should be well-draining and rich in organic matter to support vigorous root development. Amending heavy clay soils with compost or aged manure improves drainage and provides nutrients. An optimal soil pH for cucumber growth is between 6.0 and 6.8, which can be tested and adjusted.
Sowing Seeds or Transplanting
Direct sow Burpee cucumber seeds after all danger of frost has passed and soil temperatures reach at least 65°F (18°C). Plant seeds 1 inch deep and 3-4 inches apart in rows or hills. If starting indoors, sow seeds 3-4 weeks before the last frost date, ensuring seedlings have a few true leaves before transplanting. Handle young seedlings carefully to avoid disturbing root systems.
Spacing and Support
Proper spacing between plants ensures air circulation, helping prevent fungal diseases. For most vining Burpee cucumber varieties, space plants 12-24 inches apart in rows, or plant 3-4 seeds in hills spaced 3-4 feet apart. Providing support like a trellis, cage, or netting is beneficial for vining types. This saves garden space, keeps fruits off the ground, and reduces pest issues.
Nurturing Your Burpee Cucumber Plants
Consistent watering, fertilization, and pest management promote robust growth and maximize the yield of Burpee cucumber plants. These practices ensure healthy plants throughout the growing season.
Watering Needs
Cucumbers require consistent, deep watering, especially during flowering and fruit development. Aim for 1-2 inches of water per week from rainfall or irrigation, keeping soil evenly moist but not waterlogged. Inconsistent watering can lead to misshapen fruits or blossom end rot. Wilting leaves signal a need for water; yellowing lower leaves can indicate overwatering.
Fertilization
Burpee cucumbers benefit from a balanced fertilizer when plants begin to vine, followed by a high-potassium fertilizer once flowering starts. A balanced granular fertilizer (e.g., 5-10-10 or 10-10-10) can be incorporated into the soil at planting. Once fruits set, switch to a fertilizer with higher potassium (e.g., 5-8-10), applied every 2-3 weeks.
Pest and Disease Management
Regular monitoring helps detect common pests and diseases. Cucumber beetles damage foliage and transmit bacterial wilt; manage them by hand-picking or applying organic insecticides like neem oil. Aphids can be dislodged with a strong water spray or treated with insecticidal soap. Scrape off distinctive bronze squash bug eggs from leaf undersides.
Powdery mildew, a common fungal disease, appears as white spots on leaves, especially in humid conditions or with poor air circulation. Proper plant spacing and avoiding overhead watering reduce its incidence. Fungicidal sprays, including organic options like baking soda solutions, control outbreaks. Bacterial wilt, spread by cucumber beetles, causes sudden wilting and cannot be cured, making beetle control important.
Harvesting Your Burpee Cucumbers
Harvesting Burpee cucumbers at the right time ensures optimal flavor and encourages more fruit production. Regular picking provides continuous yield throughout the growing season.
Cucumbers are ready for harvest when they reach their characteristic size and firmness: typically 6-8 inches for slicing and 3-6 inches for pickling. The skin should be bright green and firm; yellowing indicates over-ripeness. Harvest by cutting the stem just above the fruit with a sharp knife or pruning shears, leaving a small piece of stem attached. Pulling the fruit off can damage the plant, reducing future yields.
Solving Common Burpee Cucumber Challenges
Even with diligent care, gardeners may encounter specific issues with Burpee cucumbers not directly related to pests or common diseases. Addressing these challenges promptly can restore plant health and improve fruit production.
Poor fruit set, where flowers bloom but no fruit develops, often indicates pollination issues, possibly due to low bee activity or lack of male flowers. Hand-pollinating by transferring pollen from male flowers (with a slender stem) to female flowers (with a tiny fruit behind the blossom) can improve fruit set.
Yellowing leaves not due to pests or overwatering might indicate a nutrient deficiency, such as nitrogen; a balanced liquid fertilizer can provide needed nutrients. Misshapen or stunted fruits can result from inconsistent watering, inadequate pollination, or insufficient nutrients, requiring adjustments to watering and fertilization.