Cornichon - Cucumber

Cucumis Sativus

This seed was given to us at a seed swap a few years ago and we first grew it out in 2022. It did really well, producing lots of tasty baby cucumbers that can be picked young and pickled or eaten as salad cucumbers if allowed to grow on a bit. We would love to multiply seed and add it to the SSN list 2025. Cucumbers need to be isolated to produce seed that is true to type – either by distance or by hand pollinating.

When to sow: March - April indoors

Requirements: nutrient-rich soil, regular watering, and a lot of sun.

When to harvest seed: July-Oct

Need to isolate: Yes, they cross readily and are insect pollinated, the require isolation and hand pollination of flowers or only grow one kind of cucumber to prevent crossing.

Seed Grown: Omved Gardens 

Seed harvested: 2023

Saving seed: Cucumbers cross readily with other cucumbers so either need to be isolated (Eg: grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse far away from other varieties). Or the flowers need to be hand pollinated so that they do not cross pollinate (Video coming soon). Once hand pollinated, allow the pollinated fruits to grow way beyond eating size, they will change colour (depending on variety). Once the vines begin to die back, bring the hand pollinated fruits inside and store them in a cool, dry place for two weeks (this helps the seeds fully mature). Cut the fruits open, scoop out the seeds (watch our video on this), wash and dry fully. Package, label and date. Save as many seeds as you can to share with friends, family and of course seen networks. 

How to send seed back: Please label all seed with variety, type, date and your contact, if you didn't get a chance to fill out our online data collection form, you can also send us a few lines about how it grew for you/flavour etc. Please aim to send back 1 tablespoon of dried seed or more so that we can continue to share with network members. Send to: Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF.