Cucumber Excelsior F1 (gerkin) naturally nurtured seed

Excelsior are wow, you can grow these outdoors or undercover for a massive haul of little fruits (gherkins) about 10cm long!  Tasty fruits are delightful, completely bitter free with light prickles They predominately have female flowers and you can grow them up canes or a trellis or let the scramble around if you have room.  They are easier to see if tied into a trellis (fruits can hide under the leaves) but any fruits that escape detection and grow larger can be peeled and sliced for salads.  If you let them scramble then cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch to suppress any weeds.

SOW: start seeds in pots during April and May. Water from underneath.  Pot on when they have 2/3 leaves. The stem is very delicate, be careful during transplanting & when tying in.

GROW: harden off & transplant outdoor cucumbers in May or June after all danger of frost has passed. To make the fruits easier to see tie them into a trellis or canes as they grow.  You can let them scramble but cover the soil with a thick layer of mulch to suppress weeds.  Water your cucumbers carefully (avoiding the stem) to avoid damping off, using a planted bottle to water helps with this (cut off the base and turn upside down & “plant” next to your cuc, fill with water and allow to drain into the soil by your cucumber’s roots).  Harvest at 10cm from late June onwards picking regularly.

EAT: pickle with vinegar, touch of sugar (or stevia based sweetener), garlic & coriander.  Traditional gherkin pickle often contains dill.  Larger cucs can be peeled and sliced for salads.