Facts on Cucumber Seeds

The taste, size, and appearance of cucumber seeds vary depending on the type.

Cucumbers are a relatively easy vegetable to grow in a garden. Cucumbers are grown from seeds and there are many different types of seeds available. Cucumbers are often eaten sliced, placed in salads or used for pickling. They have a pleasant lightly sweet flavor and vary in size depending on the type of cucumber.

Cucumber Seed Growing Facts

When planting cucumber seeds, they are expected to mature in 55 to 65 days. Cucumber seeds are planted 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep in fine loose soil and planted in rows 2 to 3 inches apart.

Burpless Cucumber Seeds

Burpless cucumbers are grown from specific seeds that grow a milder tasting cucumber than some of the other varieties. Burpless cucumbers also contain less of the burp-causing compound that many other types of cucumber seeds contain. Burpless cucumbers are also referred to as slicing cucumbers. Slicing cucumbers are the cucumbers most people slice up for salads. These types of seeds grow cucumbers that are milder in taste and easier to digest. Some types of burpless cucumber seeds are divas, beit, celebrity, addis and Armenian seeds.

Pickling Cucumber Seeds

Pickling cucumbers are grown from specific seeds for the purpose of canning. These cucumbers are grown, picked and sliced. They are placed in a vinegar mix and are then called pickles. These types of cucumbers have pale green, thin skin. Some types of cucumber seeds used for growing pickling cucumbers are alibis, Boston and bush pickle seeds.

Greenhouse Seeds

Greenhouse seeds are cucumbers grown in a greenhouse and then used eventually for seeds. The cucumbers are grown for the purpose of getting the seeds from them to grow more cucumbers. Some examples of greenhouse seeds are cucino, divas and Holland hothouse seeds.

Saving Cucumber Seeds

Many people choose to save seeds from their cucumbers to grow additional plants sometime in the future. To do this, the cucumbers are left on the vine until they totally enlarge and turn yellow. They are not removed until the vines are dead. The cucumbers then are picked and brought into the house. They must sit a couple more days to allow them to ripen even more. When they soften, the seed mass is scooped out of the cucumber and placed in a jar of water. They sit in the water to ferment for five days and then only the good seeds are removed from the jar. The seeds need to continue to dry out, which takes approximately three weeks. They are ready when the seed snaps in half when bent. The seeds now are stored and used within eight to 10 years.

References

• Grow Cucumbers: Cucumber Facts
• Organic Food: Cucumber Nutrition Information
• Wellsphere: How to Grow Cucumber