PlantFiles: Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Lemon'

You really don't get cuter cucumbers than these lemon cukes. I grew many of these in the summer of 2010 and although I was prevented from reaching them for harvest after my Sungolds basically fell over blocking my path, they continued to crank out cukes, even with very old, very yellow cukes on the vine.

I enjoyed looking at them more than eating them, sadly. The interior flesh to seed ratio is lower than what I'd prefer - I'd say out of a fruit picked at 2" total diameter, about an 1" in diameter is seeds. Even still, the taste is lovely and mild, and very slightly sweet, and I'll continue growing at least a couple of these as something sort of unique and cute.

The fruit of this baby is so cute and odd. If you don't plan on peeling it you'll need to remove the little spikes on it, I used my thumbnail to scrape them off. The flavor is very nice, smooth and just a bit sweet. I harvested mine when it had just started turning yellow to keep the plants producing.

The first two plants I grew in a large strawberry pot in the top center opening, with chard in the lower pockets. I recommend giving it a dedicated container as these two plants only produced one short vine and just 3 fruits each before they called it quits. The roots definitely don't like sharing resources. I now have a plant in its own private container, a weird shaped one with about...1 cubic foot of soil I'd say and even though it's a small space it's doing much better than the shared ones did. Already has 3 or 4 vines going and very vigorous, several flower buds developing :)

This is a very good cuke if you like to grow odd things. Althought I don't notice a big difference in taste versus the normal tube shaped cikes. I just grow them because its something different.

We were browsing the veggie starts in a nursery last year and an enthusiastic gentleman edged over to suggest we try the Lemon Cucc. We did, they flourished, and we now have a new favorite cucc. So prolific that we eat them like apples during their growing season. This year we're starting from seed and have found the seedlings to be as healthy and exuberant as last year's store-bought baby plants. A keeper!

I love the lemon cucumbers! Nice, mild flavor, prolific, and they're cute. Get lots of attention when extras are taken to work.

My first time to plant and harvest this Cucumber and I don't think I will plant it again. I guess I waited to long to harvest as the cukes were bitter. I did get some that were smaller and they were somewhat bitter so I am gonna pass next season and stick with the ole tried and true Burpless.

It grew successfully I just don't like it. Wonderful vine and lots of cukes on the vine.

A great cucmber to grow. To me the taste puts the green grocery store cukes to shame. I too like to pick them, wash them, and then just bite right into them, LOL!

From your friends at Botanical Interests: These unique lemon yellow fruits are sweet and crisp with mild flavor that’s easy to digest. They look like lemons, but have white flesh and great cucumber taste. The 3.5” x 2.5” fruits are great for slicing and eating fresh or pickling. Lemon Cucumbers are hard to find in the grocery store, so this is a great one to try in your garden. The plants are somewhat drought tolerant, and the fruit stores well in the refrigerator.

Amen to all the positive comments. We just harvested our last good ones a week ago. Also makes a good cucumber soup and you can make neat little faces from the older ones if you let them dry. Lilybob in Colorado

Lemon cukes started off slower than all my squash but once they grabbed they were prolific. Nice tasting. They love to climb so you can grow a lot in a small space. Photo I posted is of two plants in a 15 gallon grow bag--footprint was less about 2 feet square. Note the powdery mildew forming on the lower leaves. Because I did not take care of it, those plants were gone within two weeks of taking this picture (but I did have a harvest which lasted 6 weeks).

This cultivar grows best of all the cucumbers that we have ever trialed. Rampant vines bears loads of white > yellow cucumbers. This cultivar requires a lot of water. Makes great relish.

One of my favorite cucumbers! We love the taste and prefer to eat them just like an apple. Great heirloom cucumber!

Dittos to all the above comments. These are my favorite cukes, I don't even eat others. I grow mine vertically in a long narrow raised planter up against the fence which makes it easier to see and pick them. I have attached a sturdy wire mesh (heavy wire with a grid large enough to reach your hands through) to the posts, top and bottom headers of the fence...super simple, easy to clean off dead vines at the end of the season, just yank!. They happily move right up the trellis without any help from me except for a little guiding when first planted. This also leaves more gardening space for other things.

Nothing but good things to say about these Lemon cucumbers. As others have already mentioned, good producer, sweeter, crunchier and would make great pickles!
I'll definately be growing them again.

I first grew lemon cukes in a large garden in Oregon in the 1970's, and they remain one of my favorite cukes to this day. I've had great success with them in large black plastic decorative pots, in a sunny spot with an Eastern morning exposure. They are very prolific and need lots of water, especially in a pot.

I agree that the flavor is best if they are picked when small and just turning yellow. They are really delicious in salads, or sliced and served with yougut, sour cream, or extra vigrin olive oil and sprinkled with Spike seasoning. Their round slices are also pretty on a platter with sliced tomatoes and sliced green peppers. They can be very crisp, but the flavor is mild for a cuke, especially if picked when they are small, and I like them because they are rather "burp less." If you don't have a large family, be prepared to give lots of them away.

Very productive, interesting cuke!!! Lots of cukes, produced over long period. Nice taste, sweeter and crisper than typical cukes. Would make great pickles.

Very productive and tasty. This very old variety makes lovely pickles and it tastes great eaten fresh also.

An heirloom variety dating back to the late 1800s, it produces tennis-ball size (and shape) green to yellow fruit. Can be harvested before fully ripening (and for the crispest flesh, it's recommended to pick them when they're still fairly small and just starting to turn yellow.) Pretty in salads, especially when matched with darker green-skinned varieties.