Hi!
This is a space to share growing observations and your gardening season with cucumbers. The GTS mix for 2026 includes pickling types and slicers and fun surprises like lemon cucumbers. Plant and grow them all together to encourage multiple crossing. Cucumbers can be direct sown or started in trays. Let some of the fruits mature to produce seed and save seed for the next growing season. Search and research for new varieties that can grow in your garden.
On March 29th I sowed the Canadian cucumber mix (along with some suyo long cucumbers and marketmore seeds that ive had for a couple years) in a covered tray outdoors and the germination is beautiful! Ive attempted to grow cucumbers twice before this but they were always eaten when the fresh sweet little leaves emerged after direct sowing them outdoors. This year i am very hopeful and confident that i will finally get fresh tasty cucumbers! Im intrigued by growing a type of cucumber that will do well for pickling at a young stage but also great as a crispy slicer cucumber for fresh eating. I think i will grow some plants with a trellis and others sprawling across the ground as they please
Transplanted cucumber plants wherever i could fit em on April 18th… slowly watching the nicest lookin ones disappear from rats and slug pressure 
In my experience south of you here in Seattle, that’s about 3-4 weeks early for cuke transplants. If the soil isn’t warm enough, they just sit there without growing much and are quite vulnerable. That said, it’s just about the perfect time for direct seeding now if you have more seed to fill in the gaps.
I find that the general guidance about when to plant relative to last frost date doesn’t translate well for many warm weather crops in our maritime climate where both soil and nighttime temperatures stay cool late into the spring even after the threat of frost.
The survivors from your early planting will hopefully contribute genetics that are more tolerant, but sometimes those super early plants just get stunted and never really thrive.
Huh, shucks. I have definitely noticed stunted growth but i was wondering if it was just my clay soil. Tricky trying to find the fine line when pushing the threshold for gardening timing. In the past i tend to play it super safe and would end up planting everything late but now that im learning about adaptive gardening ive been planting super early to see what happens haha. I appreciate you sharing your experience and i will be mindful of that next year 
perhaps i should be growing normally this year and let the genetics figure out the soil/weather a bit, then save lots of seed so i can mess around more in the years to come… That wouldve been a smarter plan!
