The UK is simply a much more exciting place to be, and the cucumbers reflect that. 
1 Like
I buy noa cucumbers, very dark green almost black skin, slightly warty, flesh very white and crunchy.
1 Like
I’ve not encountered a floppy cucumber here. If I did I wouldn’t buy it! I do tend to buy the smaller ridge cucumbers from our Turkish veg stall, and they are solid things. But even when in desperation I get one from supermarket they are ok. I wonder why you can’t find them?
1 Like
I’m not sure where you’re buying your cucumbers @_Brian but to back you up, either of the main supermarket options near to us (assuming we use the same ones) seem to have soft floppy cucumbers, I’ve though and commented about this myself, so maybe it is a Vienne/ Haute Vienne specific issue 
1 Like
Me too Vero, I much prefer the texture.
1 Like
Definitely tend to be on the dehydrated side in the local supermarché, as I said earlier.
Desalination is very doable - I used to live in the Turks and Caicos Islands where there are no rivers - some houses used to catch rainwater off the roof and store it in a big tank, otherwise you had “town water” if you were connected to the mains, or else had it delivered (expensively) by truck!
Most of the water on Provo (our island) came from a big desalination plant.
Mind you, that did not stop some of the hotels giving their guests bottled Fiji water - I kid you not - plastic bottles of water shipped all the way from the South Pacific to the Caribbean!!
Back on topic - cukes are 43p each in my local Sainsburys in Surrey, on a price match with Aldi.
I think price, quality and availability of cucumbers in France would be more on topic…
2 Likes
Depends on your fridge.
I prefer to eat my home raised cucumbers, but currently my cucumber plants are enjoying the living room until May 13 is over!
I’ll be sowing mine this weekend. Can’t remember buying them or tomatoes for years now.
1 Like
I lost my first tomato plants during the last frost, so I am a little more careful and wait until May 13 before I put the plants out.
My potatoes like the greenhouse, I guess I spoiled them! They are safe of the frost and my dog, that digs out potatoes!
1 Like
So it seems, any improvement is good a few years back they were all the same.
Do you mean planting out or actually sowing? I thought I’d missed the boat this year but maybe not!
I wrote sowing so that’s what I’ll be doing.
Most plants catch up and even surpass those sown earlier from what I’ve found. Beware however o sowing tomato seeds too early in a house that’s not over heated during February March. Except a few like peppers 
. So not to late. Get sowing in doors then nurture them and plant, you’re in a warmer climate than me.
1 Like
I’ve never grown any veg in my life but quite fancy having a go. Can you or anyone else recommend any good books or other sources of info to get me started - would be much appreciated 
I’m in 34 so it does get a tad warm in the Summer months 
1 Like
I can only recommend UK books, the Readers Digest book, The Complete Vegetable Gardener, is a good newbies guide. It covers all the important things, pest ID, how to sow, plant,feed, when to harvest & how to store your home grown goodies. My copy is very old now but I’m sure there’s a more recent one available. If you’re thinking of trying no dig, then books by Charles Dowding are well worth reading. He used to live and grow in France and has a large European & world wide following. Have fun whatever you do.
2 Likes
Hi @Annie2
Interesting you say May 13 as the safe date to plant out, our closest (only) neighbor AKA Darth Weeder, who is my hive of information on growing veg using the force sternly told me she doesn’t want to see anything sneaking out from my botanical garden living room, kitchen, hallway or dining room and into the garden until May 14, or there’d be trouble…
Could anyone explain why this date or there bouts is “the” date?
I have five cucumber plants in large pots, grown from seed (seeded 6th Feb) and I am looking forward to getting them settled into their new home outside.
Edit: I planted Helena cucumbers, I bought the seeds from https://www.bingenheimersaatgut.de/ and paid 4 Euros 21 cents for 8 grains, seeded 5, all 5 germinated and seem to be healthy plants, re-potted easily and are chomping at the bit to be unleashed…
It’s the Saints de Glace….well known folk lore.
Hi @JaneJones
As I used to hear drunkenly and loudly said many times in the pub when I was a child “well I knew that”, cept they didn’t and nor did I.
Thanks for the intel