crystal lemon cues

[screwbylil]

Can anyone help, im growing crystal lemon cue and it is absolutley covered in flowers and looks like a triffied! some of the guys at our lottie say i should remove male flowers and some say not whos right the do"s or donts

[sarraceniac]

Hi Lil. I've grown them for years. Mine look like they are going to be brilliant this year as well.

I have never in 15 years removed male flowers (they are needed for fertilisation anyway). People say that if you don't they will go bitter. What makes them go bitter is trying to grow them too big. Harvest them at about the size of a tennis ball or medium apple. (Their other name is crystal apple).

They are one of the tastiest cucs that there is.

[seasprout]

).

They are one of the tastiest cucs that there is.

They are also one of the rudest looking.!

I grew them a few years ago as a heritage variety, as something new, I only got round to taking a few flowers off, they where ok.

Interestingly they were the only cucumbers i grew that year that dint get powdery mildew.!

[Alice]

You don't have to remove anything Screwbylil. Just keep harvesting the the little crystal apples. Don't let them get too big - they go seedy. They're very prolific and it can be hard work to keep up with them - sometimes I've had to make soup.

[screwbylil]

thanks so much for the info i look forward to eating the first one. have a good season