Days to Maturity: 50 from direct sow
All-America Selections (AAS) Winner 2014
Trendy container vegetables come and go, but Pick a Bushel is standing the test of time. This All-America Selections Winner remains the favorite for big yields of versatile, delicious cukes on plants so compact, you can grow them in containers.
Pick a Bushel works because it's not only easy to grow in any sunny spot, it's also versatile. You can pick these white-spined fruits at just 3 inches for the most delectable gherkins you will ever eat, or let them mature to about 6 inches for fresh slicers. They are sweet and crisp, completely bitter-free. Yum!
This is a semi-bush plant, bearing up to 20 fruit on average. Give it a bit of support from stakes or a small trellis, or let the fruit dangle. You will quickly see what works for you. And of course it's great in the garden as well. Expect it to reach just 10 to 12 inches high but to spread (or be trained on a support) 24 to 32 inches long.
Pick a Bushel won a regional All-America Selection award for its performance in northern climates (specifically the heartland and Great Lakes areas), but we have found it to be very successful here in the warmer south, too. The secret is its disease resistance: Pick-a-Bushel stands up to cucumber mosaic virus, maize mosaic virus, and scab, among others. This means that even first-time gardeners can be successful.
Direct-sow seeds in a sunny spot in the garden or in containers on the deck after all danger of frost is past. For an earlier crop, you can also begin the seeds indoors, transplanting when the first true leaf appears. Cucumbers can be allowed to grow on the ground or loll over the sides of containers, but for longer, straighter fruit with better support, grow the plant in a cage or on a trellis, allowing 1 foot between plants in the garden, or one plant per container. Keep Pick-a-Bushel well-watered, and pick the fruits promptly; they can become tough if left too long on the plant.
