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| From top to bottom: Marketmore, Sikkim and Lemon cucumbers |
Last week I harvested the first Sikkim cucumber of the season, so I
thought I would share some thoughts on this unusual looking cucumber. As you can see, it is a bit thicker than a typical cucumber.
It also has a very melon-like skin, which isn’t as tough as it looks (we ate a
couple of slices with the skin on and it wasn’t anything like the almost
plastic tasting skin large cucumbers can develop).
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| Tasty and cool looking! |
In terms of flavor, I would say the Sikkim cucumber
is slightly sweeter than an average cucumber, with a very pleasant mild taste.
The seeds are tender, and the fruit is nice and firm. This is definitely a
delicious cucumber, but I don’t think the taste is radically different from
other cukes.
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| Sikkim cucumbers in various stages of development |
One important factor to consider with the Sikkim cucumber
is the yield. I harvested this one, and I have 5-6 others on the plants in
various stages of ripening. There are also 1-2 small cucumbers on the way. This
is on 3 plants in a 7 gallon pot. Just for comparison’s sake, I planted 3
plants of Marketmore and I have already harvested three 9 inch cucumbers and
have probably a solid dozen about that size ready to pick, with at least a
dozen smaller cucumbers coming right behind. The same is true with the lemon
cucumbers; we’ve already eaten 4-5 and we have at least 12 almost ready to pick
now with many small ones coming.
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| Sikkim cucumbers ripening |
Given all of this, the Sikkim is a somewhat low yielding plant,
which backs up what reviewers online said about the variety. If there is a
negative at all, it’s that the Sikkim
cucumber doesn’t produce a large number of cucumbers relative to other
varieties. This is not a big deal to me (I do this mostly because I enjoy
growing unusual varieties) but if you are into square foot gardening and high yields
are a crucial component of your plan then I would consider a different variety.
However, if you want a tasty, exotic, and unusual cucumber
then I highly recommend the Sikkim
cucumber!
