As cucumber varieties
are selected or mix with other cucumber varieties they often change, based on
either a specific goal in the mind of the grower or not. For years I have been
searching for seed of the Long Dark Armenian cucumber.
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| Cucumbers Sprouting in Late July |
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| Cucumber seedlings, Late July |
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber with first True Leaves |
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber with second set of true leaves |
When I initially saw
this variety I contacted the seed company whose growers inadvertently crossed a
Painted Serpent with a Dark Armenian cucumber.Perhaps because said company
has catalogues that say “Pure Seed” they would not admit that any variety had
been crossed, even after I pointed it out to them. Instead, they continued to
grow and sell this new long dark Armenian hybrid without selecting for specific
traits - such as uniform length or plant size.
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber beginning to grow vines |
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber beginning to produce male blossoms |
So, in order to try to get this
specific variety, I began contacting growers who had posted pictures of them
until I could find one who happened to have a few seeds left. I am grateful
that I did, because I soon discovered that said seed company’s 2014 seed
packets would produce more off-types than ever.
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| On this morning there was dew on the leaves of the growing vines. |
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| Another picture of the dew on some cucumber leaves. |
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| The dew on the leaves was very pretty |
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| Another view of the leaves with the dew. |
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| Female blossoms are often hiding behind the cucumber leaves. |
Backing up a little,
it helps to know what a medium dark Armenian (or Tortarello Barese Verde) looks like. Though a rare off-type
may occur, regular Armenian cucumbers grow to be 10 to 16 inches (at the
optimal consumption stage) and the plants grow an average size (around 4 x 4
feet without trellising). If the goal is tasty cucumbers, it is essential that
the gardener goes out each day and checks on the plant to ensure that the
cucumber does not become hardened and bloated as it prepares to make seed. The
process is very similar to growing zucchini, which is tender when young but huge and
rock-hard when left unattended for a few weeks.
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| The Dark Armenian Cucumber plants continue to grow |
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| One of the Dark Armenian Cucumber Plants still growing |
The Armenian
cucumber seeds sprouted quite well after my solarization and application of
EM-1 to my garden. However, after some lower leaves developed burn-like spots
after a later application of EM-1 I am beginning to believe that EM-1 should be
used for only the soil level down, while a bacterial-based aerobic compost tea
should be trialed for the leaves of plants, such as cucumbers and tomatoes. A
recent TOG speaker noted findings at the University of Arizona that suggested
that aerobic compost tea contains bacteria which can decimate common garden
diseases. When I save up enough money and have enough time to start brewing
aerobic compost tea I’ll be sure to share my findings.
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber blossom |
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| Another look at the blossom |
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| Cucumber-Melon blossoms are beautiful |
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| Female Dark Armenian Cucumber blossoms before and after fruit set |
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| Dark Armenian Cucumber plant growing strong supportive vines |
Because the gardener
who so graciously shared her seed with me did not send me enough for my whole
garden, I purchased some additional seed from the original company. The
original plants grew quickly, as did the second batch – though in my frequent
visits to the garden I was met with a drastic range of plant sizes and a few
odd female flowers.
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| A cucumber setting fruit with a pretty hanging vine |
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| The sequence from left to right of fruit set and growth (Sept. 1st) |
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| Dark Armenian Cucumbers almost ready to pick |
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| The Dark Armenian Cucumber - Ready to Pick - Later September |
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| Two long, immature brother Dark Armenian Cucumbers |
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| Here they are all grown up |
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| This one is getting longer! |
To illustrate the range
of growth patterns and fruit sizes in the population I developed a case study
of three of the 12 plants I grew of this rogue variety.
Case 1: Large Plant,
Medium Length Cucumbers
Case 2: Small Plant,
Small Cucumbers
Case 3: Medium-Large
Plant, Long Cucumbers
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| Case 1: The longest plant is growing up into the bird netting |
Case 1: First of all,
some of the plants produced large plants with medium cucumbers. This can be
very advantageous in long-season climates with long summers, such as here in
the Southwest. The larger a plant grows, the more it is able to fend of pests,
and the more fruit it will produce. My largest cucumber plant from this group
grew between15-20 feet out from the root and is still growing and producing. If
a cucumber plant is going to grow this big, in all directions, then the fruit
can go from just fertilized to cucumber sized in less than 48 hours. It is
often nice when the plant produces longer cucumbers, so the gardener or farmer
does not have to go out each day to check if cucumbers need to be picked.
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| One of the many cucumbers from Case 1 |
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| The cucumber grows |
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| This is the perfect size for picking and eating - Yum! |
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| A few brothers from my huge productive plant. |
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| The plant continues to grow over my shed and back again. (Late September) |
Case 2: I really do
wonder if the selection of this seed that I received this year is not partially crossed
with a Mezzo Lungo di Polignano. The plants are very small and the fruit is
very short. Based on the coloring and the shape of the fruit I know that this
plant is not a Mezzo Lungo di Polignano but it is difficult to argue that these
are some very short cucumbers. Plants that are short produce quickly, but often
may not last as long as some larger plants.
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| Case 2: The dwarf Dark Armenian Cucumber plant with dwarf fruit |
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| This female blossom is reminiscent of a Mezzo Lungo di Polignano |
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| The dwarf Dark Armenian Cucumber plant beginning to set fruit |
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| A very pretty look at the fruit set of the dwarf plant. |
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| Another look at the dwarf plant setting fruit. |
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| And yet another - I love seeing the fruit grow! |
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| At this stage the plants are beautiful. |
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| And after the long wait we have... a very small cucumber! |
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| All grown up! - This dwarf Dark Armenian Cucumber looks quite... small! |
Case 3: The goal of
my trail this season was a medium-large plant with long Tortarello Barese Verde
or Dark Green Armenian fruit. Though I do currently have only one (1) plant
that might produce this one (1) fruit
that I self-pollinated, I did have another earlier that was beginning to
produce longer fruit until it was smitten by cucumber mosaic (on account of
brown leaf-hoppers). Obviously, seed from this fruit would initially experience
some inbreeding depression if I grew only one plant - though if all goes well I
may be able to save the seed and grow out this beautiful variety in the future.
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| This female blossom looks like what I have been searching for! |
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| The growing cucumber affirms my initial suspicions. |
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| Another look - just for fun! |
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| In comparison to the other cucumbers in the garden. |
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| One of the longest cucumbers from the dwarf Dark Armenian Cucumber plant. |
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| The long dwarf Dark Armenian next to the Long Dark Armenian. |
From these and other
past experiences I have learned the following 3 lessons:
First, should I desire to begin
breeding my own Carosello or Tortarello variety for a specific trait, it may be
just as well that I do it myself. Often times, well intentioned seed suppliers
either choose to grow varieties too close together (leading to crossing) or do
not select their plants for specific traits (leading to a wide variance). Secondly,
if I find that my seed is producing all kinds of strange varieties or producing
inconsistent results, it might be a good idea to find a seed supplier who
selects each vegetable variety for its characteristic traits.
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| A few Dark Armenian Cucumbers destined for dinner! |
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| A deliciously displayed delicacy of digestive delight! |
The last thing I have learned from my experience is that it makes a real
impact when one can find farmers and suppliers who know their vegetables and
are able to assist the amateur in growing them successfully.
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| A few medium-sized Dark Armenian Cucumbers on display. |
