Gardening

Kali

(55,878 posts) Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:28 PM Jul 2013

question about lemon cukes

I thought these were an old straight bred (or whatever you call it for plants) type, but I guess they are hybrids?

saved some seeds from last year - had a great crop until the grasshoppers showed up - and planted a few this year just to see if they would even come up. well they are doing great, huge plant, tons of flowers and WHOA big long Armenian-style (I think) light green ribbed fruits. sweet and delicious, but I sure wasn't expecting that style!

so what are the parent crosses of lemon cucumbers?

9 replies

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question about lemon cukes (Original Post) Kali Jul 2013 OP

Lemon cukes are open pollinated (non-hybrid) - you probably planted NRaleighLiberal Jul 2013 #1

no other cukes at all last year Kali Jul 2013 #2

gourds and cukes don't cross. only cukes cross with cukes....you have a mystery! NRaleighLiberal Jul 2013 #3

yeah I thought it was very odd (see edit above) Kali Jul 2013 #4

the fun of gardening! A few of the best tomatoes I've developed were either mutations NRaleighLiberal Jul 2013 #5

I have this 6 foot water trough filled with soil that was SUPPOSED to be an herb garden Kali Jul 2013 #6

If I can jump in, I was just explaining some of this to my partner today in fact. I would save the silvershadow Jul 2013 #7

heh! I can try, Kali Jul 2013 #8

This message was self-deleted by its author Lugal Zaggesi Jul 2013 #9

NRaleighLiberal

(60,576 posts)

1. Lemon cukes are open pollinated (non-hybrid) - you probably planted

Reply to Kali (Original post)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:46 PM

Jul 2013

a joke that bees played on you - cukes are easily cross pollinated...any other types growing around? The cuke you saved seed from ended up being an accidental hybrid, likely!

Kali

(55,878 posts)

2. no other cukes at all last year

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #1)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:52 PM

Jul 2013

in fact I think lemons are all we have ever planted, but we do have native gourds around (coyote gourds and skunk cabbage) but I thought crosses with them were always bitter?

and the nearest possible garden would be at least 2 miles, more likely 5.

NRaleighLiberal

(60,576 posts)

3. gourds and cukes don't cross. only cukes cross with cukes....you have a mystery!

Reply to Kali (Reply #2)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:55 PM

Jul 2013

only other possibility is someone close by had another cuke growing and a bee visited and brought pollen to your plant....

Kali

(55,878 posts)

4. yeah I thought it was very odd (see edit above)

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #3)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 10:57 PM

Jul 2013

no other gardens within 2 miles, minimum. oh well they are edible - actually quite good! so I guess I will save some of these seeds too and see what we get next year.

NRaleighLiberal

(60,576 posts)

5. the fun of gardening! A few of the best tomatoes I've developed were either mutations

Reply to Kali (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 11:00 PM

Jul 2013

or started with bee crosses - such fun! (Cherokee Chocolate is a skin color mutation of Cherokee Purple, and Cherokee Green a flesh color mutation of Cherokee Chocolate....Lucky Cross and little Lucky started with Brandywine X Tad (Tad is from a friend and is Tigerella X Old German) - so there was both regular and potato leaf, and red/yellow bicolor, pink, and different stripes all in the mix).

I am kind of a mad scientist in my garden!

Kali

(55,878 posts)

6. I have this 6 foot water trough filled with soil that was SUPPOSED to be an herb garden

Reply to NRaleighLiberal (Reply #5)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 11:07 PM

Jul 2013

but I keep putting an odd tomato (or cuke) in there and never getting around to doing the herbs. the husband did a pretty nice garden two years ago but he refuses to do fall prep and it got totally infested with bermuda grass, so this year he didn't plant a thing down there. sigh. there was a young apple tree in one corner and I had the idea to go ahead and just stick a couple fruit trees there instead of a veg garden (fencing is a big issue with livestock and deer around here) but the gophers ate teh roots and killed it, so all food production is in the yard right next to the house this year, and there wasn't much done. next year, right?

silvershadow

(10,336 posts)

7. If I can jump in, I was just explaining some of this to my partner today in fact. I would save the

Reply to Kali (Reply #4)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 11:12 PM

Jul 2013

seed and when you next plant them try to keep them isolated a little since you liked the taste. You might be able to get you a little stash of a new variety going with a little luck.

Kali

(55,878 posts)

8. heh! I can try,

Reply to silvershadow (Reply #7)

Thu Jul 25, 2013, 11:17 PM

Jul 2013

but as far as I could tell the originals WERE pretty isolated! So we shall see.

Response to Kali (Original post)

Lugal Zaggesi This message was self-deleted by its author.

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