Why are my cucumbers so skinny>?

Question

They taste great, but their not fat like the ones in the store. Is this normal?

Answer 1

Depends on what kind of cukes you planted. There are many different kinds. Some are pickling...shorter and not too fat
some are burpless...long and skinny and many more. They all taste like cukes tho. If you plant a certain kind but it is not big enough for you...don't let it keep growing to get where you want it. It is not able to do that without getting pithy.

Answer 2

Could be your cucumbers are not healthy because of one or more contributing factors. Here are some tips for caring for them:

Cucumber plants have shallow roots and require ample soil moisture at all stages of growth. When fruit begins setting and maturing, adequate moisture becomes especially critical. For best yields, incorporate compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Cucumbers respond to mulching with soil-warming plastic in early spring or organic materials in summer. Use of black plastic mulch warms the soil in the early season and can give significantly earlier yields, especially if combined with floating row covers.

Side-dress with nitrogen fertilizer when the plants begin to vine. Cucumber beetles should be controlled from the time that the young seedlings emerge from the soil.

In small gardens, the vines may be trained on a trellis or fence. When the long, burpless varieties are supported, the cucumbers hang free and develop straight fruits. Winds whipping the plants can make vertical training impractical. Wire cages also can be used for supporting the plants. Do not handle, harvest or work with the plants when they are wet.

Answer 3

It all depends on the variety of the cucumbers. Different varieties provide different cucumbers. Some short, some long, some fat, some skinny, etc.
Another thing to look at is are they getting enough water. Any type of cucumber plant requires alot of water. The cucumbers themselves store alot of water and if the plant does not provide this it will only grow to the size it can sustain with the amount of water the plant itself is providing it.

Answer 4

The ones the store sells are grown by people who have studied how to grow larger cucumbers for a long time and have become rather good at it. They do soil samples and determine exactly what type of fertilizer is required to arrive at the optimal soil composition for growing fat, tasty cucumbers. I'm willing to bet you didn't do that.

Answer 5

Probably the variety you planted. Some are short and fat, others longer and skinny. I find the skinny ones have the most delicate flavor, though.

Answer 6

Is it possible you planted English cucumbers instead? They are quite skinny. Also, cucumbers are mostly water, so if you don't water them enough, they will be thin.

Answer 7

could be the soil you are planting them in....... I know this sounds gross but my husband is an excellent gardner and he buys bags of manure and mixes it with out garden soil.......our cucumbers are great and bigger than the ones in the store......might want to try that

Answer 8

It's not the quantity ,but the quality that counts :)