Cucumber Varieties and
Types of Cucumbers

Cucumber varieties come in slicing, pickling, and "burpless" types. There are also "specialty" heirloom and greenhouse varieties of cucumbers.

Cucumber Varieties—'Chelsea
Prize'© Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

Slicing Cucumbers are the long, straight cucumbers commonly seen in supermarkets. They’re bred for fresh eating, with thin, non-bitter skins and slow development of seeds. "Burpless" cucumbers are slicing cucumbers bred to produce less of the bitter chemical that releases gas in the stomach.

Pickling Cucumbers are shorter, stouter, and have more spines, as well as drier flesh that allows them to soak up more of the brine they’re pickled in.

Specialty Cucumbers include heirloom cucumber varieties like ‘Lemon’ cucumbers and 'Sweet Armenian' cucumbers, as well as greenhouse cucumbers that require no pollination to set fruit.

Container Cucumbers are bred for compact vines, and are better for deck plantings and small space gardens.

In looking at cucumber varieties, you’ll see terms like "parthenocarpic" and "gynecoecous". Parthenocarpic cucumbers require no pollination, and are best for growing cucumbers in greenhouses, at lower temperatures, or where pollinator populations are low. Gynecoecous cucumbers produce mostly female (fruiting) flowers, to increase yields.

Slicing | Pickling | Specialty | Cucumber Varieties for Containers
Growing Cucumbers

Links to buy seeds below go to Cook's Garden Seeds, our seed supplier. Several photos are also from Cook's, since I don't have good photos of these varieties. Links go to organic seeds, whenever they're available, but not all varieties are available as organic seeds. Don't let lack of organic seeds keep you from trying new varieties. As long as you're growing your cucumbers organically, there will be no measureable chemical residues in plants you grow.

Slicing Cucumbers

Slicing cucumbers are bred for thin, non-bitter skins that don’t need to be peeled, and late seed formation. Harvest at the size recommended for the variety. If allowed to grow too large, seeds develop, the skins thicken, and the cucumbers and may become bitter.

'Burpless' cucumber are bred to reduce the bitter chemical that may cause stomach upset in some people. 'Oriental' varieties are the long, slender cucumbers found in Asian markets.

Cucumber Varieties—'Bush
Slicer'© Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

‘Chelsea Prize’ (F1 hybrid, scab resistant) is a classic English slicing cucumber. Thin-skinned, non-bitter, "burpless", and sweet, with very few seeds, harvest these beauties at 12-15" (30-38cm). Parthenocarpic (self-pollinating) plants, suitable for outdoor or greenhouse production.

‘Bush Slicer’ (F1 Hybrid, Resistant to powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus, and scab). Produces crisp, sweet 6-8" (15-20cm) cucumbers with thin skins and small seed cavities. Compact vines are excellent for growing cucumbers in containers.

‘Diva’ (58 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to downey mildew powdery mildew, and scab, 2002 AAS All-American winner) produces thin-skinned, non-bitter, sweet, crisp, dark-green cucumbers that are seedless if harvested at optimal size, 7-8" (18-20 cm). All-female, self-pollinating flowers suitable for outdoor or greenhouse growth.

Cucumber Varieties—'Green Sweet Hybrid Burpless'

'Green Sweet Hybrid
Burpless' Cucumbers
Photo from Cook's Garden

Buy 'Green Sweet Hybrid
Burpless' Seeds

‘Green Sweet Hybrid Burpless’ is one of the sweetest slicing cucumbers, and it's also "burpless". Medium green, harvest at 10-12" (25-30cm).

Buy 'Green Sweet Hybrid Burpless' Seeds

‘Sultan’ (56 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to powdery mildew and pepper, zucchini, and watermelon mosaic viruses) has high-yielding, vigorous vines that produce dark green, thin-skinned, delicious cucumbers. Requires pollinators for fruit set—outdoor production only.

‘Babylon’ (63 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and downy mildew) is a consistently great performer across a wide range of soil types and temperatures. Produces abundant 7-8" (18-20cm) dark green, ribbed, sweet fruit.

'Marketmore 76' Cucumbers
Photo from Cook's Garden
Buy 'Marketmore 76' Seeds

‘Marketmore 76’ (58 days, heirloom open pollinated, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and scab) is a reliable producer of straight, 8-9" (20-23cm) dark green fruits, across a wide variety of weather conditions.

Buy 'Marketmore 76' Seeds

‘Corinto (48 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, angular leaf blight, downy mildew, powdery mildew and scab) starts early, and produces uniform 7-8" (18-20cm) fruits with small seed cavities. Produces well across a wide temperature range. Self-pollinating, all-female flowers.

‘Olympian’ (52 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and downy mildew) is a very productive slicer that produces dark green, 8-9" (20-23cm) fruit.

‘Raider’ (52 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, angular leaf spot, and scab) is an early, prolific producer of dark green, glossy, thin-skinned, crisp cucumbers. Early, robust, and disease resistant.

'Orient Express' Cucumbers
Photo from Cook's Garden
Buy 'Orient Express' Seeds

‘Orient Express’ (64 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and cucumber mosaic virus) is a long, slender oriental slicer that grows up to 2 feet long (60cm)! Best harvested at 12-16" (30-40cm), but doesn't get bitter and retains excellent eating quality even when large.

Buy 'Orient Express' Seeds

‘Fountain’ (65 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and cucumber mosaic virus) is a vigorous producer of crisp, thin-skinned, burpless 8" (20cm) cucumbers. Produces well even in very hot weather.

‘Rocky’ (46 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to powdery mildew, parthenocarpic—produces fruit without need for pollination) is among the best cucumbers for harvesting small, "baby" cucs at 2-3" (5-8cm).

Slicing | Pickling | Specialty | Containers
Growing Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumber Varieties

'Sumter' Pickling Cucumbers
Photo from Cook's Garden
Buy 'Sumter' Seeds

Pickling cucumbers are shorter and stouter than slicing cucumbers, with drier flesh that soaks up more of the brine they’re pickled in.

‘Sumter' is a classic pickling cucumber, light green, squat, with a few white spines. Plants are resistant to cucumber mosaic virus and powdery mildew.

Buy 'Sumter' Seeds

‘Northern Pickling’ (55 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to scab and tolerant of cucumber mosaic virus), is a high-yielding producer of medium green, straight-sided pickling cucumbers.

‘Vectina’ (49 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to powdery mildew, scab, and cucumber mosaic virus) is a high-yielding, dark green pickling cucumber.

‘Alibi’ 49 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, downy mildew, and powdery mildew) produces large yields of uniform, green cucumbers with white spines, on short vines.

'Homemade Pickles' Cukes
Photo from Cook's Garden
'Homemade Pickles' Seeds

‘Homemade Pickles’ (55 days, F1 Hybrid) is an excellent pickling cucumber bred for uniform size and shape. Vigorous, disease-resistant plants produce over a long season. Harvest at 1 1/2" (4cm) for baby sweet pickles, or at 5-6" (13-15cm) for spears or dill pickles.

Buy 'Homemade Pickles' Seeds

‘Diamant’ (47 days, F1 hybrid, resistant to cucumber mosaic virus, downy mildew, powdery mildew, and scab) is early, disease-resistant, and produces abundant yields of sweet cucumbers that can be eaten fresh or pickled. Parthenocarpic plants produce fruit without need for pollination.

‘Wautoma’ (60 days, heirloom open-pollinated, resistant to anthracnose, angular leaf blight, cucumber mosaic virus, downy mildew, powdery mildew, and scab) produces 4-5" (10-13cm) cucumbers on vigorous, 4-5’ (1-1.5m) vines. Great disease resistance, non-bitter and burpless, with excellent brining qualities.

‘Salt and Pepper’ (49 days, open-pollinated, resistant to angular leaf blight and powdery mildew) is a white-skinned pickler with black spines.

Slicing | Pickling | Specialty | Containers
Growing Cucumbers

Specialty and Heirloom
Cucumbers

'Sweet Armenian' Cucumbers
© Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

Specialty cucumbers are heirloom cucumber varieties or greenhouse varieties. Heirloom cucumbers tend to produce later and have less developed disease resistance than modern hybrids, but are still widely grown for flavor, color, or other desirable characteristics.

Greenhouse cucumber varieties are self-fertile, and don’t require pollinators to produce fruit.

‘Sweet Armenian’ Cucumbers (60 days, heirloom open-pollinated) are long, ribbed cucumbers, often found in middle eastern markets, where they may be called "snake melons". Pale green or white and with pronounced ribs, they can be as large as 2’ (1/2 meter) long, and 3" (7.6 cm) wide, but they’re best harvested smaller, at 12" (30 cm) long and 1.5" (3.8 cm) wide.

'Lemon' Cucumbers © Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

Sweet Armenian cucumbers have a mild cucumber flavor, like a melon without the sweetness. They need no peeling, and their ribbed shape makes interesting cross-sections when sliced.

‘Lemon Cucumbers’ (65 days, heirloom, open pollinated) are small, round, yellow cucumbers you often find in farmers markets. Harvest at 1 ½-2" (3.8-5 cm) for best flavor.

'Crystal Apple' Heirloom Cucumbers
Photo from Cook's Garden
Buy 'Crystal Apple Seeds

Lemon cucumbers are great for slicing into salads or onto sandwiches, but also make delicious pickles.

Buy 'Lemon' Cucumber Seeds

'Crystal Apple' (75 days, New Zealand heirloom) is a variety I'm trying for the first time this year.

‘Boothby’s Blonde’ (60-65 days, heirloom open-pollinated) produces high yields of 3-5" (7-13cm), light yellow fruits with black spines. Great for fresh eating or pickling.

Slicing | Pickling | Specialty | Containers
Growing Cucumbers

Cucumbers for Containers

Cucumber Varieties—'Bush
Slicer'© Steve Masley
Click IMAGE to Enlarge

Although most varieties of cucumbers grow well in containers (as long as they’re at least 5-gallon size!), bush cucumber varieties are bred for compact vines, and are less rangy on decks and in small space gardens.

‘Bush Slicer’ (F1 hybrid, resistant to powdery mildew, cucumber mosaic virus, and scab). Produces crisp, sweet 6-8" (15-20cm) cucumbers with thin skins and small seed cavities. Compact vines are excellent for growing cucumbers in containers.

‘Green Fingers’ (F1 hybrid, powdery mildew tolerant). Excellent "Persian" style cucumber, like those found in middle eastern markets, has vigorous, self-pollinating vines that start producing early and produce well under challenging conditions (low or high temperatures). Harvest ‘Green Fingers’ at 3-5" (7-13cm).

Slicing | Pickling | Specialty | Containers
Growing Cucumbers