Cucamelons are aso known as mouse melons.  These grape sized fruits, growing in profusion on tall slim vines, taste of pure cucumber with a tang of lime; fresh, crisp and tasty. They are happy growing outdoors, pest & drought resistant, and you can train them upwards or even let them trail from a hanging basket.  Price for 10 seeds.

Full growing instructions are included with your seeds...

EAT & ENJOY: The fruit can be eaten straight off the plant.  Harvest them when they are the size of a grape, but still nice and firm,

The best for salads are the tender ones less than 2.5cm in size – simply squeeze gently to feel how tender they are. 

You can slice them into salads or sandwiches, put out a bowl full as a handy snack or serve with cheese, pop them into lunchboxes:  anything you would use a cucumber for try with cucamelon.

You can also chop them up to put into salsas for additional flavour and texture or pickle them whole.  I have heard that they can be stir fried but this is not something that I have tried but I am looking forward to seeing if I can pop them in with roasted peppers… 

Stun family, friends and neighbours alike with these amazing, slim, light green cucumbers that can reach 75-90cm in length! Mild and crisp they are perfect for salads. Grown on a trellis the fruits are straight, if left to scramble across the ground they curl and coil into twisted shapes. Price for 4 seeds

SOW & GROW: inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not soggy) and warm.  When they have 2/3 leaves harden off over a couple of weeks before planting out.  They like a very sunny and sheltered site or grow in a greenhouse.  Let this variety scramble on the ground for fantastic twisted shapes or grow up a sturdy trellis so the fruits hang straight. Keep plants weeded and well-watered.  These will ripen later in the season. 

EAT: try these slices and sprinkled with a little salt & pepper, a touch of vinegar & some garlic or onion – add sour cream & chill before feasting!  When very ripe they have a flavour reminiscent of melon.

Beit Alpha F1 is suitable for growing outdoors, sow inside in April and put out after frosts. Pick the very dark green fruit at 15cm long for a flavour that is fantastic in salad. They can also be pickled. Price for 4 seeds

SOW & GROW: inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not waterlogged) and warm.  If planting outside, harden off once they have 2/3 leaves; they prefer a sunny and sheltered site and you may need to protect them from wind while they settle in.  Beit Alpha is happy to climb a low sturdy trellis, wires or canes (up to 1m in height by 1.5m spread).  Greenhouse growth is more vigorous; train onto firm supports and nip out growing tip when the plant reaches the top!  Mulch if possible, they respond to a mid-season liquid feed too! 

EAT: harvest and enjoy from mid-summer to early autumn, slightly earlier if grown indoors.  Small fruit can be pickled.

Burpless Tasty Green F1 is a favourite for outdoor growing.  They produce slender, medium to long fruits that are crisp, juicy and delicious. The burpless cucumbers are said to be easy to digest. Price for 4 seeds

SOW: inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not waterlogged) and warm. 

GROW:  to plant outside, harden off once they have 2/3 leaves; they prefer a sunny and sheltered site and you may need to protect them from wind while they settle in.  This variety is happy to climb a low sturdy trellis, wires or canes (up to 1m in height by 1.5m spread).   Mulch if possible, they respond to a mid-season liquid feed too!  You can grow this variety in a greenhouse if you prefer where it may have a greater spread.

EAT: harvest and enjoy from mid-summer to early autumn.

Wow oh wow, abundant fruit that are straight, slightly ribby, can grow up to 40cm long, mild and bitter free: lovely long slicing cucs – AGM winner.  This outstanding all-female variety is the top choice for most vegetable exhibitors.  Carmen also features superb resistance to powdery mildew, scab and leaf spot.  Happy plants are capable of producing 50+ cucumbers each! 

Price for 4 seeds. 

Crystal Apple has over a hundred years of history behind it – flavour is key to its longevity in production.  The little round fruits also have randomly spaced, short black bristles over their skins.  These can be rubbed off the fruit so don’t be put off as they are sweet and juicy, ready to harvest when they turn from green to a paler shade.  Let them scramble around low down or train them upwards – each vine can be 2-3m long so don’t let them get out of reach!

Price for 4 seeds. 

To scramble or train?

     When scrambling the plants will intertwine and criss-cross whilst staying low to the ground.  You can plant them in the soil or a pot or grow bag and let them do their thing.  The advantage is low maintenance – simply water, the disadvantage is spotting and picking the fruit (some will miss your eagle eyes and go over their best). 

     Training requires you to tie them in to a trellis or frame – they will not reliably climb on their own – the advantages are that they take up a smaller area of your plot and you can see the fruit more easily. 

     It all comes down to personal preference and how much ground space you can give them when you might have lots of other veggies that you also need space to grow!

Crystal Lemon is so different and a real eye opener (we know because we have grown it). Both vigorous and prolific, the round pale fruits are suitable for outdoor growing. You can allow the plants to grow close to the ground and where they are quite happy to scramble around. Price for 4 seeds

SOW: inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not waterlogged) and warm, ready to start to harden off once the plants have 2/3 leaves

GROW:  harden off over a couple of weeks before planting out.  They prefer a sunny and sheltered site; you may need to protect them from wind while they settle in.  Crystal Lemon is happy to scramble around close to the ground or it can climb a sturdy trellis or canes.  Keep plants weeded and well-watered.  Mulch if possible, they respond to a mid-season liquid feed too! 

EAT: a round yellow cucumber – enjoy. 

Crunchy sweet aromatic flavour, this is beautiful.  They have a very thin, almost translucent skin, you can simply bite through this with no need to peel unless particularly sensitive to cucumbers.  These fruits are mid length (16-18cm) and are a pretty pale green colour.  Outstanding female variety.  Price for 4 seeds.

SOW: inside, February to early May, in individual pots, keep moist & warm at 21°C.  Once they have 3 true leaves pot on, and when about 10cm tall they can be planted 

GROW:  Delistar really does need the additional shelter and warmth of a greenhouse to do its best.  You can train the plants on canes or stings – leaving space in your greenhouse for other crops.  Although Delistar is a female cuc male flowers can appear when stressed & these should be removed immediately: stress is most often caused by watering and temperature changes.

EAT: simply bite through these with no need to peel (unless particularly sensitive to cucumbers) to enjoy these tasty fruits.

The tender skin, crisp texture, sweet taste, and non-bitter flavour and seedless nature of the very small fruits (up to 15cm) give this variety its superior eating qualities. Combined with the fact that Diva is an all-female (gynoecious, parthenocarpic) variety with good yields from 8 weeks onwards, it is truly a cucumber for your consideration. Price for 4 seeds

SOW: inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not waterlogged) and warm. 

GROW:  Diva is considered a greenhouse cucumber; it really does need the additional shelter and warmth to do its best.  The fruits are produced on the main stem and so it is easy to train the plants as cordons up a single string or wire – leaving space in your greenhouse for other crops.  Don’t grow an all-female cucumber with other types as it will be affected by cross pollination.

EAT: harvest and enjoy from mid-summer to early autumn.

Early Spring Burpless F1 features crisp, mild and delicious thin-skinned fruits up to 30cm long, prolific and early (60 days to maturity).  Grow on a trellis for straight fruit but this variety is happy to scramble around giving you curly fruits.  Price for 4 seeds

Burpless cucs are all pros and no con: no need to peel, no need to train, no need to remove male flowers.