March 9, 2025 – A recent article mentioned under- and overwatering causing cucumber curling. Over watering is NOT a curling cause. Underwatering, irregular watering and under fertilization can cause curling. Poorly vented greenhouses with high humidity, and direct sunlight with high temperature can also cause curling, but underwatering and under fertilization are you best bets for causing it. Sorry for the earlier incomplete statements.
Then, there’s the question as to how long a cucumber will last in your home before turning mushy. Many store them in refrigerators, but cucumbers should be stored at temperatures above 50°. This usually implies leaving them on the countertop, but that may not work either! It’s better to wash and dry them before wrapping in a paper towel, placing in a partially unsealed baggie, and placing them in the refrigerator door away from other foods that give off ethylene gas. They should stay fresh for a week.
Cut or sliced cucumbers should be kept in the refrigerator to prevent bacteria growth. To use. Cut off what you need and place the end of the remainder in plastic wrap and return it to the baggie. Again, they should stay fresh for a week.
Growing cabbage near tomatoes can stunt a tomato plant’s growth and seriously reduce fruit production. Cabbages compete much more efficiently for the same nutrients as tomato plants. When they grow close to each other the tomato plants will suffer.
From a botanical perspective, watermelons and bananas are berries, but strawberries and raspberries are not! Good viable seeds and acorns will sink in a glass of water. Non-viable seeds will float. The only exception seems to be viable cranberries which have small pockets of air inside them causing them to float.
A strawberry is the only fruit that bears all its seeds (200 of them!) on the outside.
