Growing gerkins

[Primrose]

We eat quite of lot of these pickled in dill brine so I've decided to grow a couple of plants this year for the first time. Can anybody tell me whether they will thrive outside in the same way that mini cucumbers do, and how many fruits I can expect to harvest off each plant. And are they climbers?

[Geoff]

We tried pickling cucumbers (Parisian Pickling) outside last year for the first time but they were a pretty miserable failure but it was a terrible summer and you are a lot further South, perhaps somebody down there in the tropics has some better advice. What does the packet say about the variety you have?

[Chantal]

I grew gherkins last year (Lidl's seeds) on the allotment and they did OK, even in all the rain. I had them climbing up a trellis against a corrugated iron fence.

In 2006 I grew them up canes and they spent most of their time throwing themselves on the floor. I had more gherkins than I could deal with that year as it was sunny. Lidl seeds again.

I have to admit I'd not have bothered trying them initially but Tigger gave us all a packet of seeds at Malvern Spring Show so I gave them a go and will grow them every year now. I am trying a different variety this year though.

[Primrose]

Thanks for your comments folks. Geoff, you say yours were "a miserable failure". Was this the growth of them, or the pickling process. I'm keen to find a receipe for the dill brine, if anybody has one?

[Tiltonblue]

Primrose

I did a quick google and came up with quite a few links, hope they are of use.

http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=dill+%2B+brine+%2B+recipies&meta=

My favourite recipies are the German and Polish.

Mike

[Primrose]

Thanks, will check them out. Now I'll probably have to start growing fresh dill as well or is that one of the herbs you can buy regularly in the supermarkets?

[Chantal]

You can buy it "fresh" from supermarkets, but it's dead easy to grow and looks beautiful.

[Geoff]

They simply didn't grow outside but were OK in cold greenhouse.

[retropants]

I alway grow 'venlo pickling' gherkins outside every year. They are extremely vigorous, and send out lots of stems, so they do not grow only up the cane that I have supplied for them, and always end up on the floor! I also grow dill, and I pickle the gherkins with malt vinegar and one whole dill flower head per jar. Everyone loves them, but I cannot stand them!!
So , go for it, I have found them one of the easiest of crops to grow. The leaves will probably get a bit of mildew towards the end of the season, but by then, we are all gherkined out!