Japanese Climbing Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Japanese Climbing'
Height: 12 inches
Spacing: 12 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A high yielding, vigorous heirloom variety; produces 9" long and slender green cucumbers; crisp and delicious, perfect for salads or pickling when harvested 3-5" long; grows best if trellised or staked and consistently picked
Edible Qualities
Japanese Climbing Cucumber is an annual vegetable plant that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces dark green long cucumbers (which are technically 'berries') with light green variegation and light green flesh which can be harvested at any point. The cucumbers have a delicious taste and a crisp texture.
The cucumbers are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Pickling
Planting & Growing
Japanese Climbing Cucumber will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 6 feet. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. This vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Japanese Climbing Cucumber is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing the canvas against which the larger thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
