I'm not sure if it applies to cucumbers, but squash and gourds tend to produce male flowers on the main leader, and female flowers on the lateral branches. When I was growing gourds, I let the leader run about 6-8 ft (2-3m), then pinched out the growing tip to encourage growth in those side runners. I should try it on one of my cucumbers this year and see if it makes a difference. Sue

To be clear, there were 5 vines total, untrellised and grown in very fertile and very light soil (my garden is a former cattle holding pen). Further, the variety is called Mideast Prolific, and from what I hear and have seen it is called Prolific for a very good reason. Had I taken the time to trellis, pick at prime maturity (I let quite a few go too large), and did not have problems with cucumber beetles, then I can only imagine how many I whould have harvested. I think then that keys to a good consistent harvest are: 1. luck 2. trellis (lends a better fruit as well) 3. plant in mounds of well dug, fertile soil 4. give them lots of room - I had mine on 4 foot centres and even that was a touch crowded 5. black plastic to warm the soil early on - I also used pop bottle cloches to get them started well 6. pest control - if you figure out how to get rid of cucumber beetles, let me know 7. good weather - lots of water 8. luck If anyone is looking for the seed source, I have included the link to an heirloom/rare seed specialist in my area (zone 5). And just in case you were wondering, the Mideast Prolifics are very good cucumbers. About a 7.5/10 on taste, 8.5/10 on skin, and about 1.5 week shelf-life in the fridge before they turn into grocery store quality cukes. Did not try any pickling for the record. Cheers! Here is a link that might be useful: The Cottage Gardener - Cucumbers

Thanks, Jean Do you think the seeds from the 'double' plant would be more likely to produce double? I'm thinking that with successive plantings and without cross pollination, I might manage purer seeds. Carol

Some seed packets come with a few seeds to use as pollinators they are usually dyed different color to distinguish them from the others. That way you know which are which. There are some new varieties that are only female and do not require a pollinator. I looked at the Burpee description and it doesn't mention the need for a separate pollinator. My guess is that you'll be fine with one plant. A way to be sure is to contact Burpee since it is their hybrid. Good luck! Kim Here is a link that might be useful: Kim's Garden