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Vegetable Gardening

Anyone else grow County Fair cucs this year?

15 years ago

I've been growing County Fair cucs from Park Seed for something like 20 years now. I know how they act when they get too big. But this year is different. They are a pickling cuc, and if I don't pick them in time, they can get 1' long and 4-5" in diamter! They had never gotten that big before, no matter how long I waited to pick them.

Its hard for me to believe that these are County Fair........although I guess they have to be, since there are no cuc beetles around. (County Fair are the bitterfree ones that don't attract the beetles.)

It isn't even producing like it used to. I wonder what's going on? They were new seed. Anyone else having the same experience with County Fair?

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Comments (5)

laceyvail 6A, WV
15 years ago
I too have been growing County Fair for many years.. I depend on them for pickle making and eating fresh. They do get oversized if left on the vine, but I've never seen them a foot long and 4-5 inches diameter. You must have been using some powerful compost!! (My seed isn't from Parks.)
never-give-up
15 years ago
I grew Country Fair, and a few others, for the first time this year from Park seed and thought I must have made a mistake when choosing a variety. What I wanted was a pickling cuke and ended up with long green.

Catherinet I wonder if the problem is the park seed? Where did you get yours laceyvail?
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I look and look and look for them, and don't see any. Then I go out the next day and find 6 huge orange ones! haha I keep all the big ones picked (eventually), so the plant won't quit producing. I've found that they still taste pretty good when they're huge at the beginning-middle of the summer. Towards the end, the big ones are a bit tart/sour. I've really got to do a trellis next year. This year, at the last minute, I laid 2 concrete reinforcing wire tomato cages side-by-side next to the row of planted cucs. They grew more than any other year, and the tomato cages have been a challenge to get close enough to to see all the cucs. I will sooooooo miss fresh cucs when Fall comes.
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My cukes have been fantastic. Tons of great ones, though the picture on the package and what I've been harvesting are two completely different things! They're still super tasty though. I think they've about lived their life at this point, though they'll definitely be on my list next year. I may plant another one for the fall too. The tomatoes have been a mix. My Jet Star got killed off by leaf spot of some kind, and had to be pulled. Only got a couple actual tomatoes off that one. My Juliet however has been going like gangbusters. I have a bowl full of ripe and nearly ripe ones, I've given away bags of them, and there's more ripening on the vines. I'll definitely do that one again! There was actually a front page story in the local paper recently about the poor tomato crops. Seems a lot of people around here have been having trouble, either due to disease or the wacky weather.
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Go for it! I'm trying to figure out some plants I can grow for the horticultural exhibit. I just found out that one man got $90.00 is prizes. I could live with some extra green stuff! I've always been intimitated by the skill of the people that enter, but I've got to start somewhere.
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catherinet
Original Author
15 years ago
Hmmm........I think I'll write to Park seed. Usually they're pretty dependable, but this year, the cucs are definintely not what they're supposed to be. I'll let you know what Park's says.
I, too, would like to know where you got your seed lacyvail.
gratefuled
15 years ago
I ordered my County Fairs from Totally Tomatoes and got the same old same old.

Ed
never-give-up
15 years ago
catherinet did you ever hear anything from Park Seed?

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