Dill pickles are HUGE around here. People will even freeze the pickle juice and eat it likes its a popsicle. Yes, that is a thing!
To have some great pickles, you’re gonna have to grow some great cucumbers.
Cucumbers are one of those continuity producing veggies, so you have the potential to have A LOT! There are TONS of varieties of cucumber but they fall into two main categories, slicing and pickling.
Here are 6 tips to help you grow massive amounts of cucumbers, plus a video of me showing you how I grow mine.
Good soil is a must! This goes without saying for anything you grow, but cucumbers love rich, fertile soil that is well drained.
They have a shallow root system so water often rather than deeply.
Trellis your plants. Cucumber are vining plants, and while they can grow on the ground, they are susceptible to rot and fungus. Allowing them to grow up a fence or trellis will allow water to drain off and air to dry leaves.
Cucumbers do NOT like the cold, so make sure that soil temperatures are at least 60 degrees and the fear for frost has passed.
Cucumbers love sun, so make sure they get at least 8 hours with morning sun preferred.
Once the cucumbers start producing, they need to be harvested regularly to continue to produce. If you allow the fruit to stay on the vine, then the plant will put energy into producing a larger cucumber instead of more flowers. Plus, those left on the vine will become woody and bitter. This is fine if you want to collect seeds, but if you want to be able to eat them, make sure you are continually picking.
