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Telegraph Improved Cucumber Seeds

Heirloom

#0257
This packet sows up to 8 feet of trellised cucumbers.
3.3076923076923 out of 5 stars
(13 reviews)
Availability: Out of Stock
The English cucumber is longer (up to 18") and thinner than traditional cucumbers, with very small, soft seeds. 'Telegraph Improved' was developed in the 1800s for growing in greenhouses, but is now a favorite of home gardeners for the long, thin-skinned, burpless fruits that add a cool, mild flavor and a snappy crunch to salads and sandwiches. Cucumbers develop best when grown on a trellis and get regular moisture while fruits are forming.
$2.69 20 seeds
Out of Stock

Botanical Name: Cucumis sativus var. sativus

Days to Maturity: 60 days

Family: Cucurbitaceae

Native: Southern Asia

Hardiness: Frost-sensitive annual

Plant Dimensions: 8' vines

Variety Information: 10"–18" long, skinny, dark green fruits with sweet flesh. Vines can be up to 8' long.

Type: Parthenocarpic, slicing cucumber

Attributes: Burpless, Parthenocarpic

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks after your average last frost date, and when soil temperature is at least 60°F, ideally 70°–90°F.

When to Start Inside: 2 to 4 weeks before your average last frost date. Cucumbers are sensitive to root disturbance; sow in biodegradable pots.

Days to Emerge: 5–10 days

Seed Depth: ½"

Seed Spacing: A group of 2 seeds every 12"

Row Spacing: 36"

Thinning: When 3 leaves, thin to 1 plant every 12"

Harvesting: Pick, and pick some more! Overly mature cucumbers on the vine will slow production of new cucumbers. Cut the stem rather than pulling at the fruit, as stems are fragile. To increase the quality and storage time, once picked, immediately immerse in cold water to disperse "field heat".

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Telegraph Improved Cucumber Seeds Reviews

13 reviews

Best cucumber seeds ever!

5 out of 5 stars Aug 15, 2019
These plants are pretty amazing, I have never seen so many flowers on a cucumber plant, at this time the cucumbers are just starting to form and I am very pleased on how easy these seeds were to grow and the results, friends and family will be happy too, since I know I will be sharing this harvest in the upcoming months.
Christine Fornek from IL

Wrong Seeds

3 out of 5 stars Jul 8, 2020
Well, my cucumbers are fruiting at about 70 days post-transplant and it's safe to say these aren't Telegraph variety as stated on the package -- I have a different English cuke growing elsewhere and the two look completely different. The seeds I received are for some kind of pickling variety. This actually works out because I was kicking myself for not planting pickling cukes this year so I guess I'll try whatever these are! They have nice big, vigorous vines (5' and climbing) that are only just starting to show disease pressure in our hot, humid climate. They have been putting out male flowers nonstop for a while now which I'm sure my pollinators appreciate! So five stars to whichever pickling cuke I have received, but you might want to double-check the telegraph packages :)
lyla from MD
Owner Response: Thank you so much for making us aware of this issue. Our deepest apologies. A customer service agent will be with you shortly.

Poor germination

2 out of 5 stars Aug 13, 2020
Only 4 germinated.
Leslie from OR
Owner Response: Hi Leslie, Thank you for sharing your experience. We are sorry you experienced poor germination with this seed. We do have our seeds tested frequently by a third-party laboratory to ensure germination levels exceed federal and our own standards. We pride ourselves on quality and guarantee our seeds. It appears you had a hard time with a few varieties. A customer service agent will contact you shortly to troubleshoot and see how we can help.

Male flowers

4 out of 5 stars Aug 21, 2020
My plant just start showing flowers but all of them are male flowers is it ok?
Abdulla from NJ
Owner Response: Hello, Thanks for the review. Male or pollen-bearing flowers are usually the first to appear on plants presumably to attract pollinators to the area. Fruit-bearing flowers will follow unless there is intense heat which can cause a dominance of pollen-bearing flowers. If you have questions we are always here to help. Feel free to submit questions to customer service or our horticulturists via the "contact us" link at the bottom of any page on our website. Happy gardening!

Disappointed

1 out of 5 stars Aug 22, 2020
Not impressed with these, very disappointed. No tendrils formed for climbing altho trellis was available, bitter, definitely not long and straight--curled and more gourd shaped.
Debra from OR
Owner Response: Hi Debra, Cucumbers do need a little help at first finding a trellis and an occasional redirect to the trellis. This is usually a fun, easy task. This cucumber doesn't have the bitter gene that makes cucumbers sometimes bitter so this could be nutrient or water issue. The curling and misshapen fruit you described is a sign of incomplete pollination. It takes about four visits from bees to get one flower to be pollinated well. This has become a very common problem as our pollinator populations struggle. Native bees, in particular, are much more thorough than European honey bees at this task. You can try sowing some bee-loving flowers by the cucumbers, like borage or you can hand pollinate. We have an article and video about hand pollination in the "learn more" tab on this page or you can search "hand pollination" in the search bar to find it. We hope you find these tips helpful. Happy gardening!

Great Taste & Highly Productive

5 out of 5 stars Sep 3, 2020
This was my first time growing cucumbers from seeds and they were more productive than any other cucumber I've bought at a nursery. I first tried these in pots but found they did much better in the ground. Will definitely plant these again!
Lauren from MD

Awesome

5 out of 5 stars Sep 9, 2020
This is a great variety to grow ..Plants are vigorous with above average flower sets and have been producing 18-20" cukes for months now ....Will order again
brian from ME

Disappointing

1 out of 5 stars Sep 16, 2020
We started these indoors and transplanted to our garden. We had mostly male flowers and we only harvested three cucumbers.
Rita Wojchik from NJ
Owner Response: Hi Rita, Thank you for sharing your experience. It is normal for the first couple of weeks of flowers to be pollen producing and not fruit producing. It is also increasingly common that gardeners need to hand pollinate flowers because of an absence of native bees (European honey bees aren't very thorough and it takes 4 visits to a flower to pollinate). High heat can also cause an abundance of male flowers, but rest assured that there isn't anything about the seed that would cause this issue.

Too bitter to eat!

1 out of 5 stars Oct 20, 2020
I've never grown had this problem before this. They grew well up the fence and produced plenty of fruit but they were inedible. They were terribly bitter from end to end. They received plenty of water as well. Disappointing it was.
Jo from MN
Owner Response: Hi Jo, thank you for taking the time to share your experience. These cucumbers are generally not bitter, which makes us wonder if there was a stress issue or if they were possibly harvested large, with more developed seeds. We would love to troubleshoot this issue and we are always here to help gardeners get their best result. Please don't hesitate to contact us for help. Happy gardening.

Success for this total novice gardener

5 out of 5 stars Jul 11, 2021
I had to call my mom with a million questions along the way but I'm delighted to say my two young boys and I have watched these plants go from seeds to eating cucumbers today! They are delicious and easy to grow. We planted them in pots and they them grow up and over our porch railing. I've never been good with plants but it's been a fun science this summer!
Christina from VA

Do not seem to be pure

3 out of 5 stars Sep 22, 2021
Grew several plants snd some of the cukes looked liked standard shape cukes, not long thin cukes. May have been some cross-pollination involved. I have grown these from another source in the past and did not have this experience.
Jerry from CO
Owner Response: Hi Jerry, We are sorry this seed didn't perform as expected. A customer service agent will be reaching out to you by email to help.

No female flowers

3 out of 5 stars Jul 20, 2022
I planted this variety side by side with a suyo long. It grew well but it never developed female flowers. Ended up losing a he plant due to neglect and being out of town. I will try again.
Shekhynah from TX
Owner Response: Male or pollen-bearing flowers are usually the first to appear on plants presumably to attract pollinators to the area. Fruit-bearing flowers will follow unless there is intense heat which can cause a dominance of pollen-bearing flowers. If you have questions we are always here to help. Feel free to submit questions to customer service or our horticulturists via the "contact us" link at the bottom of any page on our website. Happy gardening!

So abundant during historic drought & so flavorful

5 out of 5 stars Feb 23, 2023
I have never grown an English-type cucumber. What I thought would be a delicate variety produced heavily during a drought that broke 140 year old records and didn't succumb until we hit four straight weeks over 100F. I only watered them overnight with a soaker hose once a week and they still outperformed the usual canning varieties. Granted, they made a less crunchy bread and butter pickle, but were still good. They were perfect in fresh veggie salads, sushi rolls, etc., and were burpless for me. I will continue to plant these with my Marketmore and Homemade Pickles.
Caryn from TX

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