On a salad or as a snack, cucumbers are refreshing and healthy. In fact, they contain a lot of the nutrients you need, like vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 and C; also zinc, potassium, iron, calcium, folic and more. They are very easy to grow in your home garden, or … [Read more...]
How to Grow Cucumbers
Whether you call them cucumbers, cukes or gherkins, cucumbers are one of the most popular home garden vegetables. A few years ago, cucumbers weren’t so easy to grow. Older varieties were prone to disease and insect pests and often failed to set fruit. The fruit was often bitter, … [Read more...]
Cucumbers: Calories and Nutritional Information
Looking for a cool, low-calorie summer snack? Why not munch on cucumber rounds? At just 16 calories per cup, cucumbers are a dieter’s dream food. Although fairly low in fiber (0.9 grams), they’re also low in carbohydrates (2.9 grams), fat (0.2 grams) and sugars (1.8 grams). … [Read more...]
Healthy Cucumber Salads
Summer heat got you down? Restore your appetite and your spirits with a crunchy cucumber salad. Cucumbers belong to the melon family and are more than 60 percent water, so they’re perfect for hot summer days. They’re also naturally low in calories. In fact, one cup of sliced … [Read more...]
How to Pickle Cucumbers
There is no better way to enjoy a harvest of cucumbers all year around than to pickle them. Surprisingly, many gardeners believe that pickling is a difficult, laborious process that requires a lot of canning equipment. In reality, there are a lot of ways to pickle cucumbers and … [Read more...]
The Health Benefits of Cucumbers
Known scientifically as Cucumis sativus, cucumbers are related to watermelons, zucchini and pumpkins. Cucumbers grow on vines that sprawl along the ground. They usually grow to around 9 to 12 inches long and are cylindrical in shape. Hothouse grown cucumbers come in a seedless … [Read more...]
How to Avoid the Problem of Bitter Cucumbers
If you have ever bitten into a bitter cucumber, you know it’s not something you want to do again. If you grow your own cukes, a few simple techniques will help you avoid bitter fruit. Why Cucumbers Taste Bitter Cucumbers contain the natural compound cucurbitacin, which causes … [Read more...]
What to Do About Squash Vine Borers
Photo found on Flickr, courtesy of La Grande Farmer's Market. Have you ever had a healthy-looking squash plant suddenly wilt and die? If your answer is yes, you know the devastation of the squash vine borer. To check for squash vine borers, look near the base of the plants for … [Read more...]
Keeping Squash Bugs Out of the Garden
Photo found on Flickr, courtesy of ILoveButter. Squash bugs are destructive feeders that attack members of the cucurbit (gourd or squash) family, especially pumpkins and squash. The insects suck on the underside of the foliage, causing leaves to wilt and eventually appear … [Read more...]
Grow Cucumbers in Pots with these easy tips
No ground for growing? You can still pick fresh cucumbers for your salad. Cucumber vines may get tangled and unruly in containers, but other than that cukes are well suited to container growing. … [Read more...]