Gift that became an obsession — Cucumber

Someone gave me Cucumber as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was thinning seedlings to give each plant adequate space — once that clicked, the plant transformed. productive over a long season with successive sowing is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in an allotment plot with companion planting which works perfectly. sowing under cover from late winter for early crops is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. aphid colonies on brassicas and soft growth is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.