Cucumber Crystal Apple

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!

SOW: seed depth 1-2cm, inside in April/early May in individual pots, keep moist (not waterlogged) & warm, ready to start to harden off once the plants have 2/3 leaves before planting out

GROW:  they prefer a sunny and sheltered site; you may need to protect them from wind while they settle in.  Allow Crystal Apple to scramble around low down or train them up a trellis or frame.  The fruits are supposed have randomly spaced, short black bristles over their skins – these can be rubbed off before eating

ENJOY: these little round fruits are ready to harvest when they turn from green to a paler shade.  

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!