Harvesting Cucumbers in the New Brick Beds

I’ve been pulling cucumbers from the new brick beds this week, and I have to admit - it feels good. The landscape fabric under the soil has kept the weeding to almost nothing, which means I can spend more time actually harvesting instead of crawling around pulling grass. The cucumbers, on the other hand, haven’t slowed down for a minute. I planted too many, and now the vines are coming up and over the sides of the bed like they’re trying to take over.

How to Grow Cucumbers Cucumbers don’t ask for much, but they do want consistency. Here’s how I grow mine, I wait until the soil is warm at least 60°F - before planting. They need full sun, so I make sure the bed gets a clear stretch of light. The soil has to drain well, but it also needs to hold steady moisture, especially when the plants are flowering and setting fruit. Uneven watering is the fastest way to end up with bitter cucumbers. I give them space to breathe, then either let the vines sprawl or train them on a trellis if I want to keep the paths clear.

That’s really it. If the basics are covered, cucumbers usually take care of the rest.

Harvesting is all about timing. The key to good cucumbers is picking often. Don’t wait until they look like baseball bats. For slicing cucumbers, I pick them around 6–8 inches long, when they still feel firm and smooth. Pickling cucumbers are smaller, usually 3–5 inches. Once the seeds start to swell and the skin gets tough, the flavor goes downhill fast. The more you pick, the more the vines keep producing, so check the plants every day.

Pickling vs. Slicing Cucumbers

Both are cucumbers, but they’re not interchangeable. Not all cucumbers are the same. The pickling types are short and blocky with thin skin and very few seeds, which makes them stay crisp in brine. The slicing varieties stretch longer and smoother, with thicker skins and bigger seed cavities, great for eating fresh but not ideal for the pickle jar. I planted both this season, which is why the bed looks like a cucumber jungle spilling over the bricks. And since you can’t really think about making pickles without dill, I made sure to plant a lot of that this year too. The dill patch is thriving, so I’ll have plenty on hand when I start the jars.

Fresh Ways to Enjoy Them

At this point, I’m eating cucumbers almost every day. Sometimes I just slice them and sprinkle a little salt and pepper. Other times I toss them into a green salad or mix them with a quick yogurt dressing. Chopped into a simple relish also works, though I’ll save that story for later. And then, there’s my favorite way to dress them up — Lavender Italian-Style Vinaigrette

A simple dressing that I make right here with our own lavender.

Ingredients

• 3 parts olive oil

• 1 part vinegar (red wine or white wine works well)

• 1 teaspoon Italian herb mix (dried basil, oregano, thyme)

• A few buds of culinary lavender

• Pinch of salt and pepper
  

Steps

1. Put everything in a small glass jar or bottle.

2. Add the lavender buds last.

3. Close the lid and shake until the dressing turns cloudy.

4. Pour over sliced cucumbers or any fresh greens.

It keeps for a few days in the fridge, and the lavender flavor deepens slightly as it sits.

That’s where I’ll leave it for today. I’m heading back out to play around with pickling, since the baskets are piling up. Next week, I’ll share how I’m turning this overflow of cucumbers into jars that will last well beyond the season.