A healthy cucumber is a mild cucumber: Avoiding bitter cucumbers

For sweet cucumbers, help them practice a little stress
management

We've all been there. You take a big bite from your summer cucumber. But instead of that mild, cool taste, you get a bitter, face-puckering mouthful.

Bitterness is cucumbers is caused by too much cucurbitacin. Those levels rise when cucumbers grow under stressful conditions, such as low moisture, temperature extremes or poor nutrition. So naturally, if you want great-tasting cucumbers, you need to help your cucumbers practice a little stress management. Here's how:

• When preparing your beds, make sure you work in generous amounts of compost. This will lighten the soil and help ensure adequate drainage.
• Select varieties that have fewer problems with bitterness. Some that are reported to have a lower pucker factor include Sweet Slice and Sweet Success. You may need to start these from seed if they aren't offered at your local nursery.
• Mulch around the plants to help cool the soil from the hot summer rays.
• Ensure adequate and even watering, especially during dry spells.
• Use a good quality organic fertilizer, such as those offered by Espoma.
• Plant more than one variety of cucumber and plant in more than one location. Even plants a few feet apart can have very different tastes.

If you already have bitter cucumbers, don't despair. Help them avoid stress and future cucumbers should be better tasting.