How to Grow Cucumber
'Burpless Tasty Green' F1 from Seed
The outdoor cucumber for UK summers — crisp, sweet, and genuinely bitter-free (the "burpless" quality means no cucurbitacin, so no digestive discomfort); a ridge variety that grows outside without a greenhouse, training up a sunny trellis or fence from June through to the first frosts of October
'Burpless Tasty Green' is named for a quality that anyone who has ever found cucumber indigestible will understand immediately: the absence of cucurbitacin, the bitter compound naturally present in cucumber skin and seeds that causes the digestive discomfort — the "burping" — associated with eating cucumber. This F1 hybrid has been bred to produce fruits without this compound, with a small seed core and thin, tender skin. The result is a cucumber that can be eaten skin-and-all, is genuinely easy to digest, and has a sweeter, cleaner flavour than older varieties.
It is also one of the most versatile UK cucumber varieties in terms of growing location. As a ridge type — named for the slightly textured, warty skin characteristic of outdoor varieties — it succeeds equally in a sunny outdoor border, growing bags on a sheltered patio, or a cold greenhouse. The RHS includes it among their recommended outdoor cucumber varieties, confirming its reliable performance in UK summer conditions without the need for heated greenhouse cultivation.
Quick Facts at a Glance
Type
Ridge cucumber — outdoor or greenhouse
Burpless
No cucurbitacin — no bitterness; easy to digest; eat skin-on
Fruit size
Up to 25cm; dark green; small white spines
Critical rule
Keep BOTH male and female flowers — needs pollination
Height
Climbs to ~1.8m; needs support
Difficulty
3 out of 5 — straightforward with warm conditions
Understanding the Variety
Cucumbers divide into two main types: greenhouse (or indoor) cucumbers, which produce long, smooth, all-female flowers and require warmth; and ridge (or outdoor) cucumbers, which have slightly textured skin, produce both male and female flowers, and are suited to UK outdoor growing. 'Burpless Tasty Green' is a ridge cucumber — a key distinction, because ridge types require insect pollination and both flower types must be present for fruit to develop.
⚠️ Critical Rule — Keep BOTH Male and Female Flowers
Greenhouse cucumber varieties are sometimes all-female (gynoecious) and instructions for those varieties say to remove male flowers (to prevent pollination that causes bitter fruits). The opposite applies to 'Burpless Tasty Green'. This is a ridge variety that requires pollination by insects — male and female flowers must both be present. Never remove male flowers from ridge cucumbers. Doing so will mean no fruits develop. Male flowers (on a thin stem directly from the plant) appear before female flowers (which have a tiny embryonic cucumber behind the petals).
Why "Burpless" — The Science Behind the Name
Cucurbitacins are bitter-tasting compounds produced by plants in the Cucurbitaceae family as a natural pest deterrent. In conventional cucumber varieties, cucurbitacins concentrate particularly in the skin and at the stalk end of the fruit, and can cause digestive discomfort in sensitive individuals — the origin of the "cucumber makes you burp" reputation. 'Burpless Tasty Green' has been bred to produce fruits with a small seed cavity and virtually no cucurbitacin content, making the skin pleasant to eat and the fruit easy to digest. This is the variety for anyone who has previously avoided cucumber for digestive reasons.
Sowing & Growing On
Sow on Its Edge — Prevents Rotting at the Tip
Cucumber seeds should be sown standing on their edge (pointed tip facing down) rather than laid flat. This prevents water pooling on the flat seed surface, which can cause the tip to rot before germination. Push each seed approximately 1–2cm into moist seed compost in an individual small pot, with the seed standing vertically. Germination typically occurs in 7–10 days at 20–22°C.
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Sow indoors in April, one seed per pot, on its edge at 1–2cm depth. Sow into 7–9cm pots of seed compost. Keep at 20–22°C — a warm propagator or windowsill with consistent warmth. Germination in 7–10 days. After germination, protect seedlings from harsh direct sunlight which can scorch the tender first leaves. Grow on at 15–18°C in bright conditions.
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Prepare rich, moisture-retentive planting positions before hardening off. Two to three weeks before planting out, prepare each planting position: dig a hole 30cm deep, incorporate generous compost or well-rotted manure, and backfill. This soil preparation is the single most important factor in cucumber productivity — cucumbers are hungry plants that reward rich, deeply prepared ground.
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Harden off for 7–10 days and plant out late May–June in full sun. Cucumbers are frost-tender. After all frost risk, harden off gradually over 7–10 days. Plant out in a warm, sheltered, south-facing position in full sun. Space 90cm apart. Erect a support structure — cane tripod, trellis, or fence — before planting, as the vines climb readily and reach 1.5–1.8m.
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Water regularly and begin feeding with high-potash fertiliser when flowers appear. Keep consistently moist — cucumbers under water stress produce bitter or misshapen fruits and reduced yields. Once the first flowers appear, begin weekly feeding with a high-potash liquid fertiliser (tomato feed works perfectly). Train the main stem up the support and pinch out the tip once it reaches the top.
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Harvest regularly when fruits reach 15–20cm for best flavour. Cut — do not twist — fruits from the plant using scissors or a knife. Pick every 2–3 days at peak size. Fruits left to over-mature on the vine turn yellow and signal to the plant to slow further production. Regular harvesting maintains productivity into October.
Growing On & Care
Identifying Male and Female Flowers
Male flowers appear first — attached directly to the main stem on a thin stalk, producing pollen but no fruit. Female flowers appear a week or two later, with a clearly visible tiny embryonic cucumber (the ovary) immediately behind the petals. Both flower types are needed — bees transfer pollen from male to female. In cool or wet weather, hand-pollinate by picking a fully open male flower and touching its pollen-laden stamens to the centre of an open female flower.
Training the Vine
As the main stem grows, tie it loosely to the support every 20–30cm using soft garden twine. When the main stem reaches the top of the support (approximately 1.5–1.8m), pinch out the growing tip. Side shoots will then develop — allow these to grow to 60cm and pinch their tips too. This framework of main stem and side shoots maximises fruit-bearing laterals while maintaining a manageable structure.
Watering — Consistent and Deep
Cucumbers require consistently moist soil — irregular watering produces bitterness, hollow centres, and split fruits. Water deeply at the base of the plant every 2–3 days in warm weather, daily in heat. Mulching around the base with compost or straw retains moisture between waterings. In containers or growing bags, water is needed more frequently — daily in warm weather.
Eating the Harvest
The thin, tender skin of 'Burpless Tasty Green' can be eaten without peeling — the skin has genuine flavour and the burpless quality means no bitterness. Slice raw into salads and sandwiches; use in tzatziki and raita; quick-pickle in white wine vinegar with dill for a Scandinavian-style side; add chunks to cold summer soups. The freshness of a cucumber harvested in the morning and eaten the same day is significantly better than any shop-bought equivalent.
Growing Bags and Containers
Two plants per growing bag is the standard spacing. Use a tomato growing bag or equivalent compost-rich bag in a warm, sheltered, south-facing patio position. Erect a cane framework above the bag for the vines to climb. Water daily in warm weather (containers dry significantly faster than open ground) and feed weekly with liquid tomato fertiliser once flowers appear. Growing bag plants typically produce slightly smaller yields than open-ground plants but are perfectly productive.
The Greenhouse Option
'Burpless Tasty Green' performs equally well under glass — in a cold or cool greenhouse it produces earlier, larger, and more plentiful fruits than outdoor-grown plants. In the greenhouse, pollination by bees is less reliable; hand-pollinate daily during flowering by touching male flowers to female flowers. Greenhouse fruits can start from late June rather than August.
Sowing & Harvest Calendar
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
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| 🌱 Sow indoors |
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| 🌿 Plant out |
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| 🥒 Harvest |
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Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Likely Cause | What to Do |
|---|---|---|
| Flowers but no fruits forming | Male flowers removed; no pollinator activity | Never remove male flowers from ridge cucumbers (only remove them from all-female greenhouse varieties). If bees are absent in cool or wet weather, hand-pollinate: pick a fully open male flower and dab its stamens into the centre of each open female flower. Do this in the morning when both types are open. |
| Bitter cucumbers | Water stress; over-mature fruits; temperature stress | Maintain even, consistent watering — irregular drought followed by heavy watering causes bitterness even in burpless varieties. Harvest before fruits turn yellow. Avoid growing in temperatures above 30°C without shade. Burpless varieties are significantly less prone to bitterness than standard types. |
| Powdery mildew on leaves | Late-season fungal; normal by August–September | Late-season powdery mildew is almost universal on cucumbers from August onwards. Improve airflow around plants, avoid overhead watering, and remove badly affected leaves. Plants continue cropping through mildew. A dilute sodium bicarbonate spray (1 tsp per litre of water) applied weekly can slow spread. |
| Plants not growing or yellowing early | Cold; insufficient sun; planted too early | Cucumbers are heat-loving and stall in cold or sunless conditions. Ensure planting position is warm and south-facing. Cover with fleece in any cold spell after planting. Yellowing after planting is often cold stress — the plant will recover when temperatures improve. |
Plant Specifications
The outdoor cucumber that doesn't need a greenhouse — crisp, sweet, and genuinely bitter-free
Sow in April on rich-prepared soil with a cane support ready, keep both male and female flowers, water consistently, feed weekly from flowering, and harvest every two to three days from August. 'Burpless Tasty Green' produces crisp, sweet, thin-skinned cucumbers that can be eaten skin-on without any digestive discomfort — a genuinely superior fresh flavour to anything available from a supermarket shelf, from a plant that succeeds in a UK sunny border without a greenhouse.
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