2009 Ostman Farm Plant List

Cucumbers

Cucumbers have been cultivated for thousands of years, and are native to Africa and Asia. They can struggle in our cool, wet coastal climate, so it is important to make sure you have good growing conditions for them. A warm garden spot in full sun with rich, well-drained soil is key. Training the vines up a trellis will save on garden space, and help give the vines good air circulation. Some varieties will grow well in containers (with a minimum 16” diameter and depth) and all will do fine in a greenhouse, if you have one.

Slicing Cucumbers

Marketmore 97 (OP) 55 days.
Vines grow to 6’ long, so they will need to be trellised. The 9-11” fruits are bitter-free and burpless. Developed at Cornell University to be highly disease resistant. A very popular variety.

Early Russian (OP) 55 days.
A European heirloom first recorded in 1854. Produces a good continual supply of short, medium green fruits that are good for both slicing and pickles. The flavor is mild and sweet. This is a hardy variety, good for Northern areas with short growing seasons.

Diva 58 days.
Bred by the excellent folks at Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Maine. This was a 2002 All American Selections winner. Thin, no-peel skin, tender, crisp, sweet and seedless. Best flavor when harvested small, pickle sized. Plants are parthenocarpic (fruits grow without pollination) and gynoecious (all female). Resistant to mildew and scab.

Salad Bush Hybrid 51 days.
This AAS Winner is a wonderful space-saving cucumber that produces big fruits on a small plant. Salad Bush bears a good harvest of dark green, smooth 8” long fruits that are great for fresh eating. Highly resistant to powdery and downey mildew, cucumber mosaic virus and scab. A good variety to grow in containers, the 2-3’ vines do best when grown up a small trellis.

Pickling

Homemade Pickles (OP) 55 days.
A great variety for both fresh eating and pickling, Homemade Pickles is a hardy plant that is very disease resistant. The 4’ vines are good for small gardens, plants can also be grown in large containers. This is a monoecious variety, meaning it does not need pollinators to set fruit. A heavy yielder, it will produce an abundance of 1-5” cucumbers that are green with small white spines.