My cucumbers do not turn green; they are yellow and bitter. This is the second year this has happened, the fruit is large, the plants have many flowers, and are producing, but this yellow cucumber is all we get.
Hardiness Zone: 8a
By jeanne from Warner Robins, GA
Cucumbers are not meant to get large. Allowing them to get too big makes them yellow and bitter. All cucumbers start out green from the time the blossom drops off the immature fruit. For the best flavor, you should pick them when they are 4 to 5 inches long and still green.
I've had yellow cucumbers, they were called "lemon cucumbers." They were round and anywhere from light to bright yellow. If you do a google search, you'll find information.
I agree that cucumbers are best when they're younger. They'll have fewer seeds that way, too. What variety are you planting? Look at your seed packet (or the tag, if you purchased plants). Are they getting enough strong sun? The only yellow cucumbers I've had were the ones that were supposed to be yellow.
If you don't get a good answer here, check out (lots of good information!):
davesgarden.com/
Check out cucumber info from Organic Gardening at www.organicgardening.com/
It indicates that you need very even water supply and shade since you are in a hot zone. They suggest you give 50% shade to prevent bitter cucumbers in your type of area. Wish you all the best. We love cucumbers too.
This happened to me when I planted squash plants near my cucumbers. They cross-pollinated and the results were off-color and not tasty.
Squash cannot cross pollinate with cucumbers. Different species. Squash and other squash, yes, they can cross pollinate.
Leaving them on the vine - over ripens - they turn from green to yellow and do not taste good
this happened to me when I planted my squash next to my cucumbers...turned yellow...they can cross pollinate
I've planted and grown good, green cakes before. But like others stated, this year mine are mostly yellow. It's not from growing them too big or too ripe. They start out yellow this year, and stay yellow.
I did the same thing and thought the same thing
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
Hardiness Zone: 8a
By Don
Hi Woodysgood,
I found a really good website for you that lists the problems, possible reasons and pictures.
ipm.ncsu.edu/
from this it looks like it could be from poor pollination - apparently honey bees are essential for proper growth, the other thing it could be is a fungal infection such as scab or belly rot. In this case you would need to use some sort of fungicide.
The other thing it could possibly be is that your cucumbers have a cucumber mosaic virus, what do thier leaves look like? are they yellowing at all? do they show a mosaic pattern?
Have you noticed any bugs hanging around the plants such as aphids? Aphids are well known for transmitting many viruses.
This site may be useful:
vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell.edu/
If it looks like a virus, your best bet it to cut the whole lot down and get ride of it, you cant use virus infected plants for compost either as they will still carry the virus.
The picture I have uploaded is of cucumber mosaic virus which I think could really be your problem but Id need to know more details about the leaves before I decide.
Cucumber mosaic virus is a BIG problem as the disease can spread to farms growing cucumbers or any curcubit so if it does seem to fit the symptoms you definitely need to destroy it.
P.s the other reason I worry about the virus is because your cucumbers are bitter.
I was just wondering. Do you have them climbing on a fence or are they just laying on the ground. They look like the spots a watermelon gets from laying on the ground. My mother and everyone else I know who used to grow cucumbers always grew them on a fence and let them climb on that. I have some although their not in the ground yet. I'm going to get 2 post and staple chicken wire to it and let them climb on that because I don't have a fence. Maybe you could try that and see if it helps.
I too have small victory garden from decades of learning. Every year you learn something new and growing in Canada especially in Ontario it is near impossible. 2013 as of 10 years prior, ON Gov't leader decided he's smarter than all by
Yellowish white spots; disfigured cukes; etc are different probs. Spots are generally means it is touching a damp area; disfigured is sign of poor pollination; white spots around cukes prickles is over watering or not enough. Check the vine for cukes on vine closest to root; if no cukes then its over watering; if there are - the closest to root is taking the water or something is wrong.
Same goes for rotting/fuzzy duke on vine, pluck the good fruit even if it is a little small; rot throw out and lay off watering for a bit. regular observation is important, mother nature has much to say, if only someone will take time to listen - let alone decipher. Congrats on listening, now decipher.
My cucumbers the past two years have been very bitter. Any suggestions?
By Ramona W.
My former mother-in-law said that happened when the cukes were allowed to get too large. I don't know if that is true or not, but I have never had any cucumbers that were bitter.
Here is a link to show the possible resolution. It also lists cukes that don't become bitter.
www.hort.purdue.edu/
