---
title: Pickling Cucumber
created: 2026-05-24
updated: 2026-05-25
type: entity
tags: [fruiting-vegetables, heirloom, open-pollinated, chicken-friendly, goat-friendly, rabbit-friendly]
sources: [raw/articles/seedvault-home-page.md]
---
# Pickling Cucumber
## Overview
Heavy, continuous yields of 3" and 6" fruits perfect for pickling. Dark green, blunt-ended cucumbers.
- **Category:** Fruiting Vegetables
- **Price:** $3.12
- **Variety Type:** Open-pollinated
## Growing Instructions
### Sowing
Do not transplant well — use peat pots or direct. Start indoors 2 weeks before last frost: 3-4 seeds 1/2" deep at ~80°F. Harden off, plant at 65-75°F. Full sun, rich soil (pH 6.0-6.8). 1' apart. Trellis for space-saving and straighter fruit.
### Germination
7-10 days at 65-85°F
### Care
Consistently moist soil. Mulch after vines develop for moisture/weeds.
### Harvest
50-60 days. Pick at 3-5 inches for pickling.
## Soil & Conditions
- **pH:** 5.5-6.8, well-drained, rich organic matter. Warm soil.
## Seed Storage
- **Viability:** 3-5 years cool/dry. Store below 40°F.
- **Pre-treatment:** None required. Direct sow when soil 65°F+.
## Yield
- **Per Plant:** 8-12 lbs per plant
- **Harvest Season:** Mid-summer through fall
- **Note:** Pick every 1-2 days for best flavor
Allow fruit to fully ripen on vine (turns yellow/orange, shrivels). Scoop seeds, ferment 3 days, rinse, dry. Isolate ¼ mile from other cucumbers/squash.
## Pest & Disease
Cucumber beetles (row covers, diatomaceous earth), powdery mildew (resistant varieties, airflow), downy mildew, aphids. Rotate cucurbits 3 years.
## Harvest & Preservation
Pick 6" for pickles. Store refrigerated 1 week. Process into pickles, ferment in brine, or slice fresh.
## Companion Planting
### Good Companions
- **[[provider-green-bush-beans]], peas, corn, [[butter-crunch-butterhead-lettuce]]** — Beans fix nitrogen, lettuce shares shallow roots
## Related
- [[seedvault-market]]
- [[grow-guides]]
- [[seed-catalog]]