Cucumber, Tasty Green Burpless

Grow long, crisp dark green cucumbers for fresh slicing from a productive summer vine.

Long fruit for the slicer

Tasty Green Burpless produces dark green cucumbers about 10 inches long, with crisp flesh and a mild eating quality. Expect maturity in about 58 days. The long, straight fruit suits sandwiches and salads, where a firm slice should hold together instead of collapsing into the bowl. Keep a few chilled for quick lunches. If you prefer smaller pieces, cut them into spears for a plate of raw vegetables or a simple vinegar salad.

Give the vines room and a route upward

Cucumbers need warm soil, sun, and a bed that drains after rain. Sow after frost danger has passed, or set out transplants once the ground has warmed. Vines spread, so plan the row before planting. A sturdy trellis keeps fruit off wet soil and makes it easier to find cucumbers under the leaves. Tie or guide the young vines loosely as they grow. Keep water steady while flowers and fruit develop, especially during dry spells.

Pick before the fruit gets seedy

Check the vines often once cucumbers begin to lengthen. Harvest while the skin is still dark green and the flesh remains crisp. Use a knife or pruners to cut each fruit from its stem; tugging can damage the vine. Leaving oversized cucumbers in place diverts the plant toward mature seed, so remove ripe fruit promptly. A basket by the garden door makes it easier to bring in the crop regularly instead of discovering a hidden giant after it has yellowed.

Keep the harvest crisp

Use fresh cucumbers raw when their snap is at its best. Slice them thin for sandwiches, chop them into a tomato salad, or serve spears with a dip. Refrigerate what you will eat soon and keep the fruit dry until washing. If the vines produce faster than the household can use them, share the extras while they are firm. For quick pickles, cut the cucumbers into even pieces so they take up brine at a similar rate.