Cucumber - Wautoma

Cucumis sativus 

This seed was kindly donated to us by Maggie from The Incredible Seed Library - a medium cucumber -  best grown in a greenhouse or polytunnel but can be grown in a warm spot outdoors.

Seed saved by: Maggie & Omved Gardens

When to sow: Sow indoors between March and April - at 21 – 24 degrees C

Requirements: Cucumbers require good, steady warmth to germinate, plants will die off in frosty greenhouses so bring inside if temperatures fall below 8 degrees. They prefer to grow in a greenhouse or polytunnel but can survive outside from mid May. 

When to harvest for food : June - Oct

When to harvest for seed saving: September onwards when fruits get huge and change colour

Saving seed: Cucumbers cross readily with other cucumbers so either need to be distance isolated (Eg: grown in a polytunnel or greenhouse far away from other varieties). Or the flowers need to be isolated and hand pollinated so that they do not cross pollinate (See our video for more info). 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, wash and dry fully. Package, label and date. Save as many seeds as you can to share with friends, family and of course seed networks. 

Isolation required: Yes 

Number of plants to save seeds from: 5 minimum, 5 or more is ideal

Pollination: Insect pollinated  

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: The Seed Saving Network, Omved Gardens, 1 Townsend Yard, N6 5JF.

Please remember, if you’re an individual grower you can order up to 4 packets of seeds. If you order more than this, you will receive just four packs to begin with. This is to ensure we get plenty of data in return and to keep our stocks sustainable for years to come.* 

*Community groups and Experienced Growers can order larger quantities, please email us at info@seedsaving.network if this is the case.

If an item is out of stock we will send a close alternative.