You can tell by the one Susan Swift is holding they can become quite long and certainly do resemble a serpent.
If you aren't familiar with this cucumber, they stay tender no matter how long they grow.
The only problem I've had with this cultivar is they split along the stem end. The damage shows up as open sores which enlarge into large splits as seen below.
This problem may be due to too much soil moisture. Slicing cucumbers tend to become bitter when they lack adequate soil moisture. Which is worse, a cucumber that is bitter or one that splits open?
Excellent close up photos!
ReplyDeleteMy experience has been that Armenian cucumbers do not become bitter. My wife grew up in Grand Junction and I lived there for a while. I really do wonder why they would crack. Perhaps the cracking is more due to the poor coverage by the leaves of the plant than by overwatering. This variety usually doesn't do a very good job having the leaves cover the fruit. This variety does fine in Tucson, Arizona the painted serpent is much slower to mature than the lighter variety of armenian cucumber.
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