A gardener's favorite since 1894 but hard to find in grocery stores, this unusual, eye-catching, lemon-sized cucumber has excellent flavor and is a great slicer or pickler. It is scrumptious eaten with the skin and all just like you would an apple; non-bitter and burpless. Plants are more drought-tolerant than other varieties.
Days to Maturity: 65 days
Family: Cucurbitaceae
Type: Slicing and pickling cucumber
Native: Southern Asia
Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual
Plant Dimensions: 3'–6' vines
Variety Info: 3 ½" x 2 ½" non-bitter cucumbers with yellow skin and white flesh. 'Lemon' cucumber, originally a popular Australian variety, was introduced in the U.S. in 1894. It is great for both slicing and pickling. It has very little cucurbitacin, so it's non-bitter, burpless, and easy to digest.
When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 60°F, ideally 70°–90°F.
When to Start Inside: 2 to 4 weeks before average last frost. Cucumbers are sensitive to root disturbance; sow in biodegradable pots.
Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
Seed Depth: ½"
Seed Spacing: A group of 2 seeds every 12"
Row Spacing: 36"
Thinning: When 3 leaves, thin to 1 plant every 12"
Harvesting: Pick, and pick some more! Overly mature cucumbers on the vine will slow production of new cucumbers. Cut the stem rather than pulling at the fruit, as stems are fragile. To increase the quality and storage time, once picked, immediately immerse in cold water to disperse "field heat".