Cucumbers and broccoli

[AK Explorer]

Hi all - looking for verification/information about these two plants.

A friend stopped by today and saw our sprouting plants and mentioned that she thinks cucumbers have to be in a greenhouse up here or they won't grow.

She also said that we need to add something to the soil here or else broccoli will grow really tall and go to seed quickly without much to harvest. She wasn't sure what it was that she had heard needed adding to the soil for this, so I am asking to see if this is a known thing and what the additive might be.

Also wanting to know about the cucumbers as I thought I heard that they do well outside here. Thanks for any help.

 

[hiline]

We did cucumbers a few years outside, we kept covered them with visqueen they did OK but not great. You will probably have to pollinate them for some reason I can't remember they don't self-pollinate.
Our broccoli has always done good as long as we kept it watered & weeded I'm sure what you would need to add to the soil, maybe selenium? Alaska is supposed to be low on that one. We just use compost we have never flown out commercial fertilizers.

 

[Old John]

Hi all - looking for verification/information about these two plants.

A friend stopped by today and saw our sprouting plants and mentioned that she thinks cucumbers have to be in a greenhouse up here or they won't grow.

She also said that we need to add something to the soil here or else broccoli will grow really tall and go to seed quickly without much to harvest. She wasn't sure what it was that she had heard needed adding to the soil for this, so I am asking to see if this is a known thing and what the additive might be.

Also wanting to know about the cucumbers as I thought I heard that they do well outside here. Thanks for any help.

We have grown excellent broccoli in a garden in Chugiak, as well as a garden off of Diamond Ridge above Homer.. However here in the KGB area of Wasilla our Broccoli began to show yellow spots... A book I have suggested it was magnesium deficiency and called for more compost or a fertilizer with magnesium... I added lot more compost and the problem cleared up... this last summer our Cauliflower developed "Brown Curds".. the book said it was a Boron deficiency ... again more compost as well as adding some borax to the soil cleared that up.. I've resigned myself to the fact that the "soil" here in this area is very poor quality in regards to growing vegetables... by creating as much compost as fast as I can, as well as buying a few sacks of manure/compost I have slowly improved the quality and yield of our vegetables.../John

 

[dirtysteev]

cucumbers definitely like the greenhouse atmosphere better. they will self pollinate readily when the temperatures stay up around 70 for the better part of the day, and dont drop too low, say 55 at night. its the night temps that will really mess with pollination, not just for cukes, but tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc. so yes a greenhouse really helps, and covering with remay or the equivalent at night helps retain heat as well, especially early in the season.
broccoli going to seed is more an affect of temperature (too warm) than nutrients. most plants will go to seed when stressed. since nutrient-poor soils will influence the overall health of the plant negatively, it will bolt sooner, all other things being equal.

 

[mudbuddy]

Tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers in a green house.
Depending on the type of cucumber, some will self pollenate, be specific when buying them.
I pollenate every female I see blooming if I have males to get pollen from.
By the way, zucchini in the garden and you have to pollenate the females there too, sometimes you'll
see the little zucs turning yellow & rotting(didn't get pollenated). Sometimes no male blooms to get pollen from. Then the females die.
Plant 2 zuc plants one week, wait a week or so & plant 2 more. Helps have males when the females show up wit staggered growth.
I know some tomatoes will grow outside & you'll get some ripe, but if you want
nice sized tomatoes, a greenhouse. Same for cucs.
Peppers in the GH, aphids love them, so have a screen when the door is open, & check them often for aphid. If you see aphids on the pepper plant, spray it down with soapy water ASAP , carefully cut it off at the ground & carefully throw it outside. Get some boiling water & pour it over the root area to kill any in the soil. Peppers I use for aphid detectors, some years I get peppers, some not. but
if left un-checked they will eventually attack the tomatoes & cucs. They breed fast in a GH. & attack peppers first.
Broccoli in the garden , raised hill or raised beds 2 to 2-1/2 feet apart,
Any plant will grow here out side in the garden. Produce edibles?? no all will.
Hope this helped some. Try cucs & toms outside, may get lucky. After 30 some yrs, I have yet to get "good" cucs or toms outside.

 

[akflyfisher]

Have you tried Oregon Spring Toms?
Left one out all summer last year here in Kodiak and that plant thrived and had countless toms on it. Did have to bring it in september for all the fruit to ripen.

 

[mudbuddy]

Yes tried the Oregon Spring. Best, for me, outside was 4th July in my
solar heated raised bed. got several ripe fruit. Smaller & not near as
many & 4 - 5 weeks later than the same plant in the GH.

 

[dmneen]

Regarding aphids, I found out you can buy live lady bugs locally and put them in your green house. I had no trouble with aphids when I grew peppers, just could not get the peppers to grow. lol

 

[AK Explorer]

Thanks for all the info! I will definitely have to watch the zucchini and stagger their planting. I am only planning about 3-4 plants - is that enough to get a decent crop from? I was also planning 3 cucumber plants, but I may have to watch them closely too. Don't have a greenhouse yet, but I should by the end of the summer, so hopefully I can get something from the cucumbers outside this year. Tomatoes and peppers are definitely staying indoors.

The cucumbers are Early Fortune cucumbers. I don't know if they are any good for up here - I just picked them randomly. This is our first attempt at a garden. The peppers are bell peppers and Thai hot peppers.

As far as ladybugs, what is the deal? Do they keep aphids away? If so, where can you buy these local bugs?