From: songbird@anthive.com   
      
   T wrote:   
      
   > This is my first year growing regular cucumbers.   
   > Prior years I grew lemon cucumbers, but they were   
   > a complete loss   
   >   
   >   
   > 1) How do I know when they are ready to pick?   
      
     when they reach a size you like to eat.  i'm   
   not sure what variety you are growing.  we have   
   been using a pickling cucumber which doesn't   
   get much more than a foot long even at full size.   
   but they are usually much better eating at a   
   smaller size about 8 inches long and 1-2 inches   
   across.   
      
      
   > 2) they are planted in a row of ground pots.   
   >     I move their vines perpendicular to the   
   >     row of pots but they keep move back towards   
   >     each other.  Is this by design?  Cross   
   >     pollination needs?  Should I just let them   
   >     do their thing?   
      
     i don't care what they do and right now ours   
   are starting to grow through the fence and up   
   the fence and into the neighboring tomatoes.   
      
     pick every 4-5 days or check for ones you   
   want to pick about that often.   
      
     keep them watered well.   
      
     we have four plants and they produce 1-2   
   five gallon buckets of cucumbers per week.   
      
     last year we had 15 or more plants.  we sure   
   didn't need that many...   
      
     almost all we're growing are for my brother   
   and nephew and to give away.  i've eaten maybe   
   one or two small cucumbers so far this season.   
   i should be eating more of them since they have   
   so few calories and can be used to fill up on   
   and to lose a few more lbs.   
      
     i am not making any pickles this year.  we   
   have enough.   
      
     for pollination purposes the things that help   
   the most are the native bee species you have   
   around.  if you have been able to get squash and   
   melons to grow ok you probably have the bees   
   around you need.   
      
      
     songbird   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)