Recipes |About Catalogs | Bill Simpson | Bessemer Bend Stocks
Peppers - Squash |Tomato - Watermelon
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Recipes |About Catalogs | Bill Simpson | Bessemer Bend Stocks |
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Peppers - Squash |Tomato - Watermelon |
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Varieties and Sources, Part 3: Cucumber to Peas
Cucumber
Cucumbers originate from the India-Burma area. Members of the squash family, Cucumbers grow well in Wyoming. They like lots of heat, water and rich soil.
Cucumber Habit :
Many varieties of cucumber do not do well if night temperatures turn cold after they are set out. Even night temperatures in the low 40's (F.) can kill them if they have to live through very many of them. It is quite possible to have ground temperatures warm enough and still have cucumbers killed by cold nights.
If you are having this problem, I recomend you direct seed your cucumbers, but only after day temperatures have reached or exceeded 90 degrees (F.) for four successive days.
Plant immediately into rich soil. Fetilize when sprouts first emerge and every two to three weeks thereafter. Fertilize heavily when first blooms appear, and then stop fertilizing. Use a balanced fertilizer, water soluable if possible.
Watch cucumbers closely when they are young. They can be sunburnt. Mark McAtee thinks that one of the purposes of the first leaves on cucumbers is to absorb the shock of our strong ultraviolet light. What appears to be sunburn may, in fact, be fungus. Consider using a fungicide.
Mulch new plants right away with grass clippings to keep moisture in the roots. Cucumbers also like wind breaks and up to half-shade when young.
Links: University of Illinois Extension, B's Cucumber Pages
Soils: Prefers lots of humus and lots of droppings, or heavy commercial fertilizer; but will grow in any soil. Soil should be loose, sandy is fine.
Companions: Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Corn, Peas, Radish
Germination: 95 percent when soils are 59 degrees. Corn can be sensitive about cool soils. Direct seed.
Group: Cucumis (Cucumis sativus) We planted Cool Breeze and Sweet Success in 2002,2003 2004-2006. We will plant them again in 2007. Harvest pickling cucumbers when 2 to 4 inches long. Harvest slicers when plump and still dark green. Do not leave cucumbers on the vine until they yellow.
Planting: Set plants out, or direct seed when no chance for cool weather
Shading Cucumbers:
In 2002 I made a note to myself that cucumber sprouts seem to need immediate heat but also need some shade for part of the day. Then I forgot about the shade this year until it was too late. We lost most of our starts of Cool Breeze Cucumbers. They appeared to have simply burned up. Then I remembered my note about the need for shade for young plants. And I recalled from past years that Cucumbers don't really take off until they are big enough to shade their own ground (over their roots). I also recalled a comment my partner Mark McAtee once made about how the first two leaves seem to fill the function of absorbing the abuse of our harsh sun in the early days of the plant. So I began putting mini shades up, pieces of paneling about 3 inches wide by 4 inches high just to the west of each new plant. It shades the plant for the last 1/4 of the day and breaks up the wind too. I did this for all Cucumbers and most Melons. It kept one musk melon from dieing, and the Cucumbers are doing better. Above the Cool Breeze I also suspended strips of wood which shaded them even more. The plants seemed to appreciated the shade. 2004: We had to replant cucumbers due to bug devastation. When we did, we planted seeds inside 3 inch pvc tubes and tied mosquito netting over the top of each tube. We removed the netting when the leaves first touched it. Cucumbers thrived in these conditions.
About Cucumbers:
Trellising Cucumbers:
We plant cucumbers in raised beds. That means we also plant very intesively. Our typical 3' x 3' bed leaves no room for the cucumbers to vine and run. So we have taken to providing trellis support. We curve the wire mesh first, then bury the base in the raised bed, curved into the wind as shown at left. We stake the base of the wire into the soil and support either end with tall stakes.
We train our cucumbers up wire grid (usually 2x4) trellises. They seem to thrive this way.
Maturity
Days to
Name - Description
Plant Height/Length
Product
Burp 58,
Farm 55,
Feld 54,
Gurn 54,
Jung 55,
Nich 50,
Park 54,
Pine 54,
Shum 58,
Ttom 58,
Vrmt 58,
Recommend
Sweet Success, [AAS Winner], seedless or nearly so, best tasting slicer I have ever grown. This is a big cucumber. It is always crisp, and may be the sweetest slicer you can grow. This variety is somewhat disease resistant. Production is heavy. Grown in 2002-08.
Will grow in '09. Medium Seed Potency
4 to 6 feet
10 to 12 inches
Bakr 70,
John 58,
Jung 68,
Shum 64,
Stok 58,
Vrmt 68,
Marketmore 76 - Grown by Bill Simpson with great success in 2008, a cold year.
?
10 inches
Pine 70
Summer Dance - Uniform fruit, resistant to mildew, 1 inch wide, vigorous grower, many lateral vines. DPPP
?
10 inches
Feld 63,
Gurn 63,
Jung 62,
Park 62,
Sche 45,
Shum 64,
Stok 62,
Ttom 62,
Vrmt 62,
Sweet Slice, Offered by many Wyoming greenhouses, large fruit, vigorous vines, most popular cucumber offered by the catalog companies. This is a big cucumber. Fine quality cucumber, but not as crisp nor as sweet as Sweet Success. It is a heavy producer, but does not seem to have any resistance to wilt. We grew this in 2000, 2001, and 2002. We will try to find a replacement for it that is more disease resistant. Medium Seed Potency
6 to 10 feet
10 to 12 inches
Varieties We Rate as Failures:
Amira, Straight Eight, Sugar Crunch, Suhyo TK, Diva, Marketmore 96
Maturity DDPP
Pick early when fruits are small and make smaller batches of pickles. Keeping the vines picked will force them to put on more fruit. I keep brine on hand all summer to make batches of pickles in quarts or pints. They like lots of water and rich soil. They can grow up a trellis to save space.
Days to
Name - Description
Plant Height/Length
Product
Feld 45,
Jung 45,
Nich 45,
Park 45,
Pine 47,
Terr 45,
Ttom 45,
Vrmt 45,
Recommend
Cool Breeze, a French Cornichon cucumber, has great taste, excellent as either a pickler or slicer, small seeds, takes heat well. It is parthenocarpic, requiring no insects for fruit production. Grown in 2001-2008. Will grow in '09. We like this one so much that we probably will not plant any other variety of pickling cucumber. We regularly get more than 20 quarts of pickles from a 3'X3' raised bed. If you can only grow one cucumber we think this should be the one.
Medium Seed Potency
...Heirloom***
4 feet
4 to 5 inch
Farm 59,
Feld 52,
Jung 58,
Pine 52,
Seed 53,
National Pickling - Chicago Pickling, the old standby for a reason, the hardiest cucumber you can grow. It can also be eaten as a slicer. It does tend to grow too big too quickly, and seeds are very large. Growing this is like having a Border Collie in the house, you have to keep your eye on him all the time. Medium Seed Potency
6 to 8 feet
3 to 8 inches
Jung 47,
Diamant, From the Jung Seed Catalog: "This early ripening cuke has crisp texture and fresh. mild flavor that's a delight to both fresh eating or pickling. The dark green 4 to 5 inch fruits are nearly smooth and abarely noticeable spines. Space-saving, compact plants are parthenocarpic, so they don't require pollination to set fruit. Their resistance to downy and powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus, and cucumber scab keeps them bearing all summer. Yeilds are amazing."
5 feet
6 to 8 inches
Shum 51,
Stok 53,
Calypso, good disease resistance, L/D Ratio=3 to 1, DDDPPP
?
5 inches
Jung 52,
Park 48,
County Fair, multi-disease resistance, early and high yeilds, seedless if grown away from other cucumbers, never bitter. DDDPPP
5 feet
6 to 8 inches
Varieties We Rate as Failures:
Wisconsin SMR-58, H-19 Little Leaf,
Greens
Greens love water and loose soil. Try to get a variety that takes heat and is slow to bolt. Most greens you can grow are Brassicas, particularly the Mustard Greens
Soils: Prefers lots of humus and lots of droppings, or heavy commercial fertilizer; but will grow in any soil. Soil should be loose, sandy is fine.
Companions: Other Brassica: Broccoli,Brussel Sprout, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Chinese Cabbage, Kale,
Germination: 95 percent when soils are 59 degrees. Corn can be sensitive about cool soils. Direct seed.
Group: Brassica We will plant greens at home from now on not at the plots.
Planting: Direct seed
Maturity
Days to
Name - Description
Product
John 40,
Nich 35,
Park 40,
Pine 43,
Seed 50,
Sche 40,
Shum 42,
Stok 40,
Terr 45,
Vrmt 40,\
Mizuna (Mibuna) (Brassica rapa, Japonica group) - Often used in mesclun blends, deeply cut and lacy leaves on 4 to 8 inch stems, mild and sweet flavor, can be used in stir fry, Mibuna has non-lobed leaves. We grew this in 2003-04, but not since. We decided it was not that great.
8 inches
Seed 50,
Terr 50,
Beetberry - Edible half inch berries are mildly sweet. Both berries and leaves are good in salads. Trialed this in 2004, did not germinate.
?
Bakr ?,
John 45,
Nich 45,
Pine 48,
Seed 50,
Sche 43,
Stok ?,
Terr 45,
Vrmt 50,
Tatsoi - Tah Tsai- (Brassica rapa, Narinosa group) - Compact rosette, mild, for salads or stir fry
8 to 12 inches
Lettuce
Lettuce was first grown around the Mediterranean. Lettuce loves water and loose soil. Try to get a variety that takes heat well and is slow to bolt. Lettuce actually likes slightly alkaline soils.
Try planting lettuce later, say June 7 to June 10. Lettuce planted later like this tends not to bolt as much as lettuce planted earlier.
Links: University of Illinois Extension, Ohio State University, UC/Davis,
Soil: Prefers loose soil with lots of humus. Do not add manure and do not fertilize. Nitrogen (found in both) will make lettuce bolt.
Companions: Beets, Cabbage, Carrots, Cucumbers, Leeks, Onion, Strawberries\
Germination: 98 percent when soils are 48 degrees. Lettuce does not like the soil to dry out.
Group: Lettuce (Lactuca sativa) We grow no head lettuce, only leaf lettuce because we get more sustained production. Cut lettuce no later than 60 days after planting, and keep it cut to prevent bolting.
Planting:Direct seed
2002: Our two 3x3 lettuce beds produced more lettuce than we three families and friends could use. Note the wire cages over the beds to discourage rabbits.
Maturity Grown in every year from 2002 to 2009. Steady producer. Did not ever bolt. Medium Seed Potency
Days to
Name - Description
Product
Jung 70,
Nich 70,
Pine 68,
Sche 73,
Shum 70,
Terr 48,
Vrmt 50,
Recommend
Summertime (Crisphead type), takes heat well. Medium Seed Potency
8 inches
Burp 75,
Farm 65,
Feld 65,
Gurn 65,
John 46,
Jung 68,
Nich 65,
Park 65,
Pine 53,
Seed 53,
Shum 66,
Stok 60,
Terr 48,
Vrmt 66,
Buttercrunch [AAS Winner] (Butterhead type) - I have not grown this, but have seen it grown a lot here.
9 inches
Lettuce loves water and loose soil. Try to get a variety that takes heat and is slow to bolt. I often plant head lettuce seed in a row with my loose lettuce. It grows fine that way and will give good crisp leaves that come back after cutting. Always cut the leaf leaving just a fringe of green above the white stem when harvesting. Do not pull lettuce. You will end up pulling up the whole plant.
Burp 45,
Gurn 45,
Pine 45,
Park 45,
Shum 45,
Terr 50,
Ttom 45,
Recommend
Green Ice, very frilly leaf, slow to bolt. Grown in every year from 2002 to 2009.Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
Burp 48,
Farm 38,
Feld 48,
John 53,
Jung 48,
Nich 45,
Pine 48,
Shum 48,
Stok 41,
Terr 53,
Vrmt 48,
Recommend
Simpson Elite, Very slow to bolt, light green. Grown in every year from 2002 to 2009.Medium Seed Potency
6 inches
Feld 40,
Gurn 40,
John 55,
Nich 45,
Park 45,
Pine 48,
Terr 53,
Vrmt 45,
Recommend
Red Sails, [AAS Winner] the best of the reds. Grown in every year from 2002 to 2009.Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
John 48,
Jung 56,
Sche 60,
Seed 53,
Terr 48,
Vrmt 56,
Recommend
Nevada - a Batavia-type lettuce, shiny green leaves, holds well in hot weather, resistant to tipburn, mosaic virus, downy mildew, bottom rot, and bolting, can be cut again and again.
7 inches
John 55,
Jung 29 ,
Pine 45,
Seed 55,
Stok 43,
Terr 29,
New Red Fire - very dark red, very crinkly, very slow to bolt. Frilly.
?
Park 45,
Green Towers, Romaine type, great mild flavor, does well in hot and dry. Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
Terr 63,
SloBolt, Loose head type Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
Terr 63,
Crisp Mint, Romaine type, heat tolerant and flavorful. Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
Terr 56,
Valmaine, Romaine type, heat tolerant and flavorful. Medium Seed Potency
7 inches
Melon - Musk/Cantelope
Melons are closely related to Cucumbers. They like lots of water and rich, loose, friable soil. We grow musk melons each year in our Wyoming garden. When choosing seed, watch the days to maturity and the size of the fruit very carefully.
Links: Oregon State University,
Soil: Prefers year-old droppings in moderate quantities, or light applications of commercial fertilizer. Humus should be 25 to 50 % of soil.
Companions: Corn, Morning Glory
Germination: 94 percent when soils are 77 degrees. Melons love the heat.
Group: Cucumis (Cucumis melo) Musk melons did fine after we replanted in tubes. That makes us suspicious of our results in prior years. Maybe it wasn't a bad variety, maybe it was the bugs. Best when they ripen in warm, dry weather. As the melons ripen the stem slips easily from the fruit. Harvest when that happens.
Planting: Set out as plants, or direct seed (if you have a short-season variety) when all danger of frost is past.
Maturity
Days to
Name - Description
Plant Height/Length
Product
John 68
Recommend
Sun Jewel - Asian, 3 1/2 X 7 Heavy bearing, crisp and sweet flesh. Taste is similar to a honeydew. Turns yellow when ripe and slips easily off the vine. Has the look of a long, yellow, and very fat cucumber with white sutures, smooth skin. SSSPP, Grown in 2002, 2004-07. Will definitely grow again but maybe not in '09, so as to have room for watermelon experiments.
Medium Seed Potency
4 feet
8 inches
Feld 65,
Gurn 75,
John 79,
Jung 75,
Sche 75,
Stok 82,
Terr 75,
Athena - Middle Eastern Hybrid, big and flavorful, reliable producer, small seed cavity SPP
?
5 pounds
Burp 66,
Feld 66,
Gurn 66,
Shum 65,
Sweet 'N Early Hybrid - Super sweet, heavy production, round or oval fruit. Bill Simpson grows this regularly with good success.
?
4-6 inches
Feld 65,
Sweety Hybrid - Super sweet, heavy production, round or oval fruit
?
4-6 inches
Stok 79
Primo - High Sugar Content, small seed cavity, 7 1/2 inches, disease resistant, SSSP, Stokes rates this variety as its sweetest. Planted in 2005. Will not plant in 2006.
?
8 pounds
Bakr 80,
Burell's Jumbo - Delicious old variety from D.V.Burrell Seed Co., and improved selection of Hale's Best.
?
8 pounds
Bakr 75,
Early Silverline - Oval yellow fruit with silver stripes, 1-2 lbs.. White flesh is crisp and sweet
?
8 pounds
Bakr 80,
Noir des Carmes - Nearly black melon turns orange as it ripens. Deeply ribbed with smooth skin, flesh is orange, thick, and flavorful, 3-6 lbs.
?
8 pounds
Minnesota Midget, small, a little smaller than Trocadero, but very sweet, pick when stem falls off melon. Grown in 2001 and 2002, would grow this variety again
4 feet
1 to 1 1/2 pounds
Alaska, sweet melon, pick when orange and eat right away, flesh can turn a bit 'mealy'. Grown in 2001 and 2002, would grow this variety again
4 to 8 feet
4 to 4 1/2 pounds
Trocadero, a French charentais, smooth skin that turns to blue-grey when ripe. Subtle and sweet taste. Dependable producer, but most people like a stronger flavored melon. The size of a softball. Grown in 2001.
6 feet
2 pounds
Varieties We Rate as Failures:
Scoop II, Gold Bar, Savor, Whopper
Onion
Onions were first grown in Central Asia. Onion, of course, comes in seeds, plants, and sets. I recomend you use sets. They can be planted between and amongst many other plants in your garden, particularly carrots, lettuce, and peppers. Onions grow in a surprising variety of soils across the United States: the black volcanic blow sand of Eastern Washington, Eastern Oregon and Idaho; the 'muck' soils of upper New York, and the yellow clay/sand soils of New Mexico and Texas.
Links: University of Illinois Extension, Texas A & M,
Soils: Prefers lots of humus and lots of droppings, or heavy commercial fertilizer. Soil should be firm, not loose, and well drained.
Companions: Beets, other Alliums, most carrots, lettuce, peppers, tomatoes
Germination: 98 percent when soils are 41 degrees.
Group: Allium (Allium cepa) Other Allium: garlic, leek, scallion, shallot.
When you receive onion plants, stick them in the refrigerator, with the bulbs in water for a day. Then plant in temporary beds before moving out for final plantings.
Planting: Start from seed in February, plant starts or sets early in spring 6 weeks later. Onion growth and yield can be greatly enhanced by placing a fertilizer rich in phosphorous (10-20-10) 2 to 3 inches below transplants at planting time.
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Planting Onions:
In 2002 we learned that the onion sets that accidentally got planted deeper, produced much larger onions. So here is an idea. Go ahead and plant your sets as you would normally. But leave room in your bed for more soil. Then, when the onions are up nicely, 4 to 5 inches out of the ground, pour on another inch or two of soil. We think you will see increased production. Harvesting Onions: Harvest green onions when tops are at least 6 inches tall and as big around as a pencil. Harvest dry bulbs in late July or early August, or as soon as stems above the bulb get mushy. Let air for 2 to 3 weeks to dry. Cut tops to 2 inches, or less for storage. In 2007 at least half of all our onions will be from sets we have purchased from a local feed store. |
| Days to Maturity |
Name - Description | Long/Short Day - Keeper | Product Size |
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| Dixn 95, | Super Star, Globe shaped and moderately pungent flavor, with bronze wrapper, Grows big in Wyoming | Only a medium keeper | 4" | |||
| Farm ?, Feld ?, Gurn ?, Jung ?, ,Vrmt ?, | Yellow Sweet Spanish Onion, Globe shaped and moderately pungent flavor, with bronze wrapper, Grows big in Wyoming | Only a medium keeper | Medium | |||
| Jung ?, Park ?, ,Vrmt ?, | Copra Onion, a yellow onion. Grown in 2007. Will grow again in '08. | Most suppliers say this is the best storage onion. | Medium | |||
| Gurn ?, | First Edition Onion, Dark Bronze Skin, round | Very good keeper | Medium | |||
Peas
Peas were first grown in Central Asia. I have grown nearly every kind of pea there is. They will all grow in Wyoming. The standard peas like Wando,Laxton's Progress, and Mr. Big are good varieties. However, I find that I prefer the edible-pod varieties. Soaking the seeds before planting, and getting them in early is essential. The best performer is Sugar Snap and its descendents. Peas will rot in our heavy clay soils. I have had my best results planting in a trench of pure sand. Do trellis your peas for best results. Hint: Deer love peas and beans.
Links: WHFoods.org, www.peas.org, University of Illinois Extension,
Soil: Prefers loose soil, with lots of humus. Sandy is fine. Do not add fertilizer.
Companions: Beans, Corn, Carrots, Cucumber, Lettuce, Potato, Radish, Tomato
Germination: 94 percent when soils are 50 degrees.
Group: Legume (Pisum sativum) Other Legumes: Bush Beans, Pole Beans. Harvest when pods are 2 to 3 inches and before peas reach maximum size.
Planting: Sew directly early in spring
| Days to Maturity |
Name - Description | Plant Height/Length | Product | |||
| Bakr ?, Burp 70, Farm 63, Gurn 70, John 62, Seed 65, | Recommend Sugar Snap, [AAS Winner-1979] edible pods, pick at any stage, keeps extending vines and putting on flowers throughout the season. This one produces like it was made for Wyoming. High Seed Potency |
6 feet | 3 inches | |||
| Burp 64, Feld 66, John 60, Jung 66, Park 64, Pine 62, Sche 64, Terr 58, ,Vrmt 70, | Super Sugar Snap, [AAS Winner] edible pods, pick at any stage, keeps extending vines and putting on flowers throughout the season. High Seed Potency | 6 feet | 3 to 4 inches | |||
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