Cukes and H2O melons, newbie error?

[BlackThumb]

I may have made a mistake. I planted slicing cukes next to watermelons. The cukes are vining like mad, eight plants, and a total of six fruit. The watermelon are vining and about to bloom.

I don't know if the low production on the cukes is because they are too close to watermelon. Someone told me that I would have a problem, but I don't know what kind. Maybe this is it.

Should I tear out the cukes, not only because they are not producing and are taking up a ton of space (even on a trellis)? I actually didn't realize they are not pickling cukes until they produced fruit, so it would be no great loss, but with this being my first garden, I want to learn from the experience as well.

 

[ducks4you]

Build your cucumbers a fence--they LOVE to climb
http://growharvestcook.com.au/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/cucumberhero.jpg
This picture looks a lot like mine do right now. I have mine growing right next a fence. IRONICALLY, I have 4 watermelons growing about 5 feet away from the cucumbers!! But the watermelons are spreading over the ground.

 

[digitS']

They have different water requirements but that may not make much difference.

The watermelon fruit is full of water and one might think that they need to grow in a bog but that's not true. Apparently, they are a desert plant.

On the other hand, cukes do seem to need a lot of water. If their wild ancestors lived in the desert, they must have shown up in the bottom of canyons. They cover the ground with foliage.

Now, that may be a problem with being neighbors. Cukes can smother things.

If you do decide to take them out, you may well have time to start more - for pickles, or otherwise.

Steve

 

[lesa]

I can't think why there would be any problem having those two kinds of plants close together. Mine are a row apart, as we speak. Is there a law that says you can't make pickles from just any old cucumber? Do you see a lot of flowers on your cukes? In zone 9, I can't imagine that you wouldn't have great success with both those...Perhaps, you have that gardeners disease that we all seem to suffer from- impatience!! I would get those cukes off the ground with a fence or something and give it awhile. Good luck and Happy Gardening!!

 

[BlackThumb]

I haven't ever made pickles from cukes, only zucchini, so I am clueless. Can someone answer that? Because if I can make pickles with slicing cukes, I am SO there!

Water. Hmm. I think I will favor the melons on that one. Would much rather have them than cukes !!!

I have trellised the cukes on an A-frame made of PVC, and there are a few flowers and a few tiny cukes, but really out of proportion to the vines. I think pruning is in order. Should increase the yield and decrease the space occupying issue !

Since you guys are the smartest people I know, perhaps the person who told me that the two would cross pollinate may have been mistaken. I think the best solution is to cut back some of the vines on the cukes and water them from the other side so the melons are more dry.

Thanks all !!!

 

[patandchickens]

perhaps the person who told me that the two would cross pollinate may have been mistaken.

You do have to be careful about crossing between SOME of the squash family things, but I am pretty sure that cukes and watermelons are not a crossfertile pair. And anyhow that would ONLY matter if you were going to save seeds -- it will not affect the fruit you harvest this year to eat.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[elf]

They have different water requirements but that may not make much difference.

The watermelon fruit is full of water and one might think that they need to grow in a bog but that's not true. Apparently, they are a desert plant.

It seems that really wet years produce watermelons that are more mushy than crisp, and don't have much sweetness.

 

[dipence71]

Yes you can pickle ANY cuke. I pickle several diff kinds from slicing to actual pickling cuke with great success.

 

[ducks4you]

The Ball Book has an EXCELLENT recipe for pickled watermelon. I made it a few years back and my eldest DD is begging for more. You remove both the skin and the flesh and use the rind. You simmer a bag of spices with sugar and lemon and other great smelling things. The aroma is just heavenly!!
It's not overpowering, but you eat a little at a time, so it's great to put into 1/2 pints.

 

[hoodat]

If you really love pickled watermelon rind but can never come up with enough rind try growing the citron. It looks like a watermellon but has a hard white flesh all the way through. You might say it's all rind. My grandmother used to grow them but I seldom see them any more. You should be able to find seed in catalogs that specialize in unusual seeds.
Be careful ordering them. You want the citron melon not the citron fruit which grows on a tropical tree and is a citrus.