My Cucumbers

I planted my cucumbers pretty late this year. Our spring in eastern Iowa was cool and wet. Every time I had the chance to plant, the soil was too wet to work with. . . and inevitably when the soil conditions were just right for a 24 hour period, I was too busy. I did manage to get them in, but now I'm anxiously awaiting the first blossoms and fruiting. I'm trying a different variety this year. On a whim I bought a packet of Holland White Cucumbers from Seed Savers Exchange (SSE). According to the seed packet it was first offered by Glenn Drowns in the 1995 SSE Yearbook. It promises that the cucumber has sweet, crunchy flesh and that it scored near the top for flavor in an evaluation of 200 cucumber varieties conducted in 2009. That all sounded good to me.

When I stop to look at my cucumbers I note how they are growing, how healthy they look, and if there are any pests that I need to worry about but the patch itself always looks like a jumbled mess of leaves and vines. So I love to dive in a little deeper and look at the nooks and crannies.  I'm always pleasantly surprised with the abundance of beautiful shapes and forms within the plant, even before the beautiful yellow blossoms begin to appear.

There always seems to be an explosion of activity at the end of every vine.

I think the texture of the plant is amazing.

The shoots that the vines send out to grasp anything within reach to assist in the climbing of the plant form such beautiful curls and twists.

When you focus your attention you get to witness the birth of the first flower. The plant's promise that something even more exciting is happening. 

The leaves of course, are also incredible.