Triple Your Cucumber Harvest

[Granny Smith]

Found this on Pinterest, but not on the site it led to.

When a cucumber is taken from the vine let it be cut with a knife, leaving about an eighth of an inch of the cucumber on the stem, then slit the stem with the knife from its end to the vine leaving a small portion of the cucumber on each division and on each separate slip there will be a new cucumber as large as the first.

I've never heard of this, but I am going to try it and see if it works. If it does, it would triple the number of cucumbers you'd harvest.

[joanfromzone6]

but then you could split the second generation and then the third.....and soon you'll be begging for advice on how to stop those invasive vines -

- bad as kudzu -

wonder if you could pull the same trick with squash - or with drumsticks ?

[Granny Smith]

Probably not drumsticks. The chickens would take exception. It might work with other viney things, though (I'm thinking cantaloupe)

[joanfromzone6]

Apr 17, 2013 16:49:21 GMT -5 Granny Smith said:

Probably not drumsticks. The chickens would take exception. It might work with other viney things, though (I'm thinking cantaloupe)

i suspect anything with a high sugar content would be ant or mouse food before it developed into a new fruit -

[Granny Smith]

You might be right. I was thinking you might be able to scoop out a little of the rind without cutting into the fruit. If I get some to grow, and the groundhogs don't get them, I'll try it with one and see what happens. It would be nice to get as much produce from a smaller garden and have fewer plants to tend.

[Valerie]

Gotta try this one!

[Valerie]

Wanted to bump this up. I just picked/cut the second cucumber and once again forgot to do this.

[joanfromzone6]

i do know that the party you cut off and take into the house will stop growing -

[Valerie]

LOL, too bad! I could keep cutting off sections and get by with only one plant!

[upnorthlady2]

In all honesty, I'm lucky just to find those cukes with my bad eyesight. If I had to do a split like this after picking every one, I'd be there forever! I usually plant 5 or 6 hills of cukes, and end up with enough to feed half the country. When it's hot out there, and the skeeters are biting, and I'm sweating, and there's cats underfoot, and I'm in a hurry, somehow I can't see myself bending down to that low level to make sure I get a sliver of cucumber left on the vine, and then split it all back to the end of the plant. Just saying, ya know?? I suppose if I had just one vine and a lot of time I could do this and have lots of cukes.

[Cyngbaeld]

LOL, I'm the same way, Patty. When I plant them, I plant enough to make pickles for the next ten yrs. End up jerking plants out because I'm sick of them. Still, I'm curious to know if it works, so do give it a shot, Val!

[Valerie]

Well, I've only got one row of cukes, no kitties underfoot *sad face*, and like to carry my handy dandy dragon knife in the garden, so I'll try it on the next one. I'm sure Becky will be all excited to try it, too.

[Valerie]

I did this today. I'll keep y'all posted on what happens. I ought to take pics.