Growing Armenian Cucumbers
If you’re looking for a delicious way to enjoy fresh cucumbers in the heat of summer, look no further than Armenian cucumbers. These unique veggies thrive in hot climates and offer a delicious, refreshing taste perfect for salads, pickles, and more. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to grow Armenian cucumbers.
Are Armenian cucumbers really cucumbers?
First cultivated in Armenia in the 15th century, Armenian cucumbers (also called yard-long cucumbers) are not true cucumbers, despite their name and appearance. They are actually a type of musk melon (Cucumis melo var. flexuosus) that belongs to the same family as cucumbers. However, they taste similar to cucumbers and have a similar internal structure, so they are commonly called and treated as cucumbers in culinary contexts.
6 Tips for How to Grow Armenian Cucumbers
1. Plant Armenian cucumbers at the right time
These plants are particularly well-suited for hot climates as they tolerate higher temperatures than most cucumber varieties. This makes them an excellent choice for gardeners in warmer regions who struggle to grow traditional cucumbers. Armenian cucumbers are one of only a handful of vegetables that can be planted through July in the low desert.
There are many varieties of Armenian cucumbers. Try a few different types to see which you prefer. My favorite variety is the painted serpent Armenian cucumber.
Before planting, prepare the soil by amending it with compost.
Plant Armenian cucumber seeds when it is warm outside (consistent days above 65℉/18°C and 80℉/26°C are even better).
Plant 2-3 seeds ½ to 1″ (1-2cm) deep, about 1 foot (30cm) apart. When seeds are 3-4″ (75-100cm) tall, thin to 1 plant every foot (30cm).
Planting dates for the low desert of Arizona:
Although you can plant transplants, Armenian cucumber seeds do best directly sown in the garden. Click here for Armenian cucumber seeds.
2. Plant Armenian cucumbers in the best location
- Choose a location that gets at least 6-8 hours of sunlight. Afternoon shade is preferred but not required in hot summer climate areas.
- Armenian cucumbers are best grown on some sort of trellis to keep them off the ground. Trellised fruits will grow straighter. Armenian cucumbers love to vine and can easily take over a garden. If you are looking for vertical gardening ideas, read this post.
- Do not overcrowd plants. Crowded plants are more susceptible to pests and diseases like powdery mildew and squash bugs. Allow at least one foot (30cm) between plants for vertical gardening and 2-3 feet (60-90cm) if plants are left to sprawl.
- Rotate where you plant Armenian cucumbers. Do not plant in the same area as you previously planted other melons, squash, or cucumbers.
- Corn is a good companion plant for Armenian cucumbers, and they may climb the corn as they would a trellis.
Looking for ways to add vertical space to your garden? This post shares 10 of my favorite ideas.
In this blog post, find more ways to add vertical space to your garden.
3. Caring for Armenian Cucumbers
While they do need consistent moisture, Armenian cucumbers are more drought-tolerant than common cucumber varieties. This makes them a good option for gardeners in areas with water restrictions or those looking for low-water-use plants.
Mulch the soil around Armenian cucumbers.
Armenian cucumbers have both male and female flowers. Male flowers will appear first and continue to bloom; about two weeks later, the first female flowers will appear. Both types of flowers are yellow. Male flowers will bloom and be visited by a pollinator to pass the pollen onto the female flower, then wither and fall off. Female flowers are bulbous, will bloom, and, if pollinated, develop into a fruit.
Blooms are numerous, and hand-pollination is usually not necessary. Encourage bees by planting oregano, basil, zinnias, and other flowering plants nearby.
4. Prune Armenian cucumbers and remove suckers as needed
Cut off any yellowing or diseased leaves, as they can drain energy from the plant.
Pruning suckers is not necessary but may be helpful to control the size and spread of the vine and improve air circulation and sunlight exposure. Be careful to only prune side shoots and not the main vine itself. Here’s how:
- Locate the main vine of your Armenian cucumber plant. This is the thickest and longest vine that grows directly from the base of the plant.
- Find a side shoot growing from the base of a leaf stem.
- Follow it down to where it connects with the main vine.
- Cut the side shoot about 1/4 inch above the main vine. If a female blossom is present on the side shoot, cut just after that fruit, ensuring not to damage the main vine.
Prune some side shoots, but don’t remove all of them. Leaving a few shoots will help the plant maintain its structure and balance and also ensures there are plenty of male blossoms. I usually leave most of the side shoots in place. Pruning is an art, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you make mistakes.
5. Harvesting tips for Armenian cucumbers
Armenian cucumbers are prolific producers, and if you keep harvesting them regularly, they will continue to produce throughout the season. This ensures you have a steady supply of fresh “cucumbers” all summer long.
- Some varieties can grow to 3 feet (90cm) long quickly. They are best picked between 12-18″ (30-45cm) long and 2 ½” (2.5cm) in diameter.
- Pick fruit early in the day and immerse it in a bowl filled with ice water to lengthen storage time.
- Cut off fruit from the vine, as pulling can damage the vine.
- Leaving fruit on the vine too long signals the plant to slow or stop production.
- Larger fruit has larger, more noticeable seeds.
- Larger fruit tastes more like a watermelon rind and less like a cucumber.
6. Enjoy the harvest of Armenian cucumbers from your garden
Armenian cucumbers are known for their mild, slightly sweet flavor and lack of bitterness often found in other cucumber varieties. This makes them a great addition to a variety of dishes without overpowering the other flavors.
I love cutting up Armenian cucumbers and eating them fresh. They are so good! You’ll have enough, however, that you’ll need additional ways to use them. My favorite ways include eating them raw in salads and sandwiches and pickling them. They maintain their crunch when cooked and can be a delightful addition to stir-fries or grilled vegetable dishes.
- No need to peel; the skin on young Armenian cucumbers is thin and edible.
- Use as you would cucumbers in salad, dips, sushi, or sandwiches.
- Try grilling them in vegetable kabobs or puréeing in smoothies.
- Excellent with pork, fish, mint, oregano, dill, yogurt, and feta cheese.
Looking for more information on growing cucumbers in Arizona? This article will tell you what you need to know.
Summer gardening in Arizona can be a challenge. This post gives you the information to be successful.
If you enjoyed this post about how to grow Armenian cucumbers, please share it:
Thanks! I’m definitely going to use your cucumber tips!
Thanks Jeanette! Thanks for commenting!
I am jealous! I cannot get these to grow no matter what I do! I have a 4 inch one on right now, has been the same size for two weeks and the plant is dying. They get plenty of water and heat in very fertile soil.
Hmmm… Does it get enough sun? Let the soil dry out a bit between waterings, maybe it’s getting too much water. What zone are you in?
I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley the only “cucumbers” we grew were Armenian. I now live in Arkansas. Can they be grown here?
Good question. Armenian cucumbers do best in hot climates. I would recommend asking local gardeners if they grow them. It can’t hurt to give them a try and see what happens.
Hi i love your gardening. Encouraging me to do.I am growing Armenian cucumber this year. Please tell me what plant food I should feed it.
Thank you. I add mulch with compost during the season, and also a fish emulsion solution.
Thank you. I will try this.
We planted this plant in a large pot with compost and it is very healthy, but I am getting a lot of flowers but no fruit.. do I need to hand pollinate and if so how do I do this? Thanks for the help!
That’s great! Be patient – male flowers appear first, followed by the female blossoms (look like a small fruit) If you want to hand-pollinate, transfer pollen from the male blossom to the female blossom. Normally hand pollination is not necessary with Armenian cucumbers.
How often do Armenian cucumbers need to be watered. I have a lot of flowers on mine and it looks like some are starting to grow but some are turning yellow then brown?
During the heat of the summer it can be watered daily – but it depends on the depth of your beds and how deeply you water. Aim to water to the depth of the root zone each time and then let the top inch or two dry out between waterings.
As far as flowers, male flowers appear first, followed by female flowers which look like miniature fruit. If the female flowers are withering and not being pollinated you may want to try hand pollination. Remove a male flower, peel back the petals and gently pass pollen from the male flower to the female flower when both are in bloom. Hope this helps.
Great to know, thanks. I’ve always heard it’s best to harvest in the morning, but it’s nice to know the science behind it. Thanks for sharing.
I would love to try the cucumber variety you mentioned.
Leave our turning brown was told to spray THEM WITH soap and water
Be sure to rinse off any soap if you spray the leaves with soapy water. The soap can burn the leaves in the sun.
We live in the Central Valley of California and grow these cucumbers every year. Our issue is harvesting, for some reason we don’t see all of them and all of a sudden we see a huge cucumber! Any tips for finding them? It’s like they camouflage!
Ha! Yes, they remind me of zucchini. Nothing one day and the next, they are huge. I’m a big fan of spending time in the garden each morning. That’s a good time to notice them and see what’s going on. I like to pick mine small, the taste is better and the seeds are smaller.
I grew these in Iowa during a drought year and they were amazing! Huge fruits that were a conversation starter as well as tasty. They also made the best pickles ever-and it usually only took a couple cucumbers for a whole batch. I scraped out the mostly hollow & seed-filled centers and cut them into spears (probably let them grow to the watermelon rind stage as you’ve described). Came out crisp and wonderful.
I saved seeds for the next year, but the 2nd year I realized they had cross-pollinated with loofas…very odd result, not as crisp, fuzzier, leaf shape was from the loofa not the cucumber. 🙂
Love hearing this. Thanks for the details about the pickles. I’d love the recipe if you are willing to share it. I’ve had several people ask me for an Armenian cucumber pickle recipe. I did the same thing with saving seeds. It crossed with a melon, from now on I always buy fresh seeds for Armenian cucumbers (or use seeds I bought previously). Thanks for commenting.
What is causing my cucumbers to get fat and turn yellow? At the beginning they were growing longer, thinner and greener. Does it have anything to do with watering too much or too little?
It’s possible. Clip the yellow cucumbers from the vine and give the plant a good drink. Mulch plant well to help retain moisture. Feed it with a diluted fish emulsion fertilizer to give it a little boost.
Found your site while looking for Armenian cucumber growing tips and wanted to just say thank you for your informative article. Used to live in Arizona and work on a farm there in the late 70’s thru the early 80’s. Now live in San Francisco Bay area and am growing more and more food in the garden (and containers), and will be back to visit your site to learn more. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion. No Farms No Food. Organic Forever.
Thanks so much. I’m sure you have a lot of wisdom to offer. Best of luck with your continuing garden adventures!
My Armenian White plant has been producing flowers for almost 5 weeks. Still no female flowers. I see bees on the flowers almost every time I’m near the plant, but still no fruit. I have watered the fabric pot container frequently and added composted worm castings. Any suggestions to help it produce female flowers?
Be patient. It can take a while for the female flowers to come, but it sounds like you are doing everything right and they should come.
It’s my 1st time planting this Armenian cucumber. I picked 2 I was more darker green then the other and both with about 2′. We cut into it and it was a little hollow in the middle and the taste was like eating a old cucumber . Any ideas as to what happen?
For best flavor pick them a little sooner. I like to pick mine between 12-18 inches long.
I planted Armenian cucumbers in the last week of May. They are just flowering in the last 2 weeks, but the flowers close within a day and then wither. For the life of me, I cant tell the difference between male & female flowers. One of the plants’ tendrils are shriveling up as well. At one point I had a tiny fruit or 2 but they withered in the heat and died. Any tips?
Hi. The tiny fruit or two you are referring to are the female blossoms. Next time you see one of those, use a different blossom to pollinate it. Hope that helps.
Can you share your Armenian cucumber pickle recipe ?
Sure. Here’s the one I used: https://whatscookingamerica.net/KarenCalanchini/Pickled-Armenian-Cucumbers.htm
My Armenian Cucumbers were doing well the first month but now the cucumbers are super seedy and mushy no matter the size small or large.. They are also groing fatter instead of longer, what is happening? We have had a heat wave from 85 to 100 the last few weeks so wondering if that is doing something. I water once to two times a day because it dries out. It’s planted in a pot and trellised on my back fence. What could be the issue?
How large is the pot? The larger the pot the more soil, water and nutrients are available to the plant.
These do well in the summer in Georgia – both in ground in containers. You definitely need a trellis, fence or something for them to grow onto. You can start the seedlings outside around Memorial Day or earlier inside. They grow well all through the summer and into the early fall. So Yummy!!
Great to know, thanks for sharing.
Hi Angela,
Can you quickly explain how to save Armenian Cucumber Seeds for next season? Are they supposed to stay on the vine until they grow really big?
Yes, leave them on the vine until over-ripe. Don’t save if you are growing other melons in your garden. Here is a blog post with more info: https://growinginthegarden.com/how-to-save-seeds/
I have trouble with Aphids every year by mid July. What is the best way to control or kill the Aphids infestation? I’ve ordered Lady Bugs in past years that seems to help a little but I didn’t do it this year…….. they seem to be exploding this year for some reason.
Cut off the most damaged vines. Spray remaining vines a couple of times a day with a strong blast of water. You may have to treat for several days to get on top of it.
Hey there Angela,
I have over a dozen carosello cucumber varieties (including one called the Striped Carosello Leccese that I have supplied to San Diego Seed and Hoss Tools). These are very similar to the Armenian cucumbers, except that they grow faster and have a better texture and, depending on the variety, a better taste. If you would like to try some, just let me know. -Jay
Hi Jay, Sure I would love to give some a try. I’ll send you an email. Thanks.
I have planted for 1st time & now have 4 cucumbers about 13 in. already. Look very interesting.
That’s great!
I have grown Armenian cucumbers for a few seasons. Every season my Armenian cucumbers have been light green except this season. All of my Armenian cucumbers are dark green. Why? Any idea why the same variety became dark green?
Thanks,
It may have crossed with another variety.
Thank you for these wonderful articles! I grew an Armenian cucumber plant this July, and it has been great. I’ve fertilized it with fish emulsion, but the plant seems to be stunting its growth now. The stems growing are tiny, along with the fruit. None of them have been vital even after hand pollination, and the plants leaves are turning yellow. Any suggestions welcome. The plant is pest free as well.
It’s probably finishing up. They produce well for several weeks and then production slows.
Hi Angela! I was wondering if you have any experience with growing Beit Alpha cucumbers here. I’ve started some seeds, but am a little concerned I should have started them earlier in the year… I haven’t been able to find much information specific to this variety regarding tolerating our temps. Thanks!
They seem to be more heat tolerant than most, but not nearly as heat tolerant as the Armenian type cucs.
I have a pest that destroyed my leaves in one night, any idea what it could be?
Probably rollie-pollies – here’s a blogpost that may be helpful: https://growinginthegarden.com/5-ways-to-keep-pill-bugs-from-destroying-your-garden/
I have 2-3″ pollinated female Armenian cukes that have all yellowed and withered on the vine in Southern Arizona.
Hmmm… could be the eat or other issues. Hopefully you’ll have more that survive.
Hello! I have learned so much about gardening in AZ from you! Thank you! A question on armenian cucumbers. Mine are actually looking decent still, but only producing a few here and there. Do you pull the vine out at the end of the season and plant something else there or leave the vine on the trellis? Thank you!
As the plants age, production often slows down. Remove the plant and amend the area with compost and plant something else. You can cut it off at the base of the plant and leave the roots in the soil to add organic matter if desired.
In AZ will cucumbers if planted in early September will they grow through cooler months
Cucumbers will keep going until temperatures get cool – they don’t like temps below 50°F.
How large of a container is needed here in the desert? I have 10 gal pots or 15 gal pouches.
Thanks!
A minimum of 10 gallons. Gardening in smaller containers over the summer can be challenging.