I'm in Zone 5b and getting ready to plant my cucumbers this season. Last year, I struggled with striped cucumber beetles, and I'm eager to find natural ways to handle them this time. I've heard that certain cucumber varieties are more resistant to pests. Has anyone had experience growing these? If so, which variety did you try, and did you see fewer pests compared to other types? Also, were there any downsides in terms of flavor, yield, or disease resistance? I'm also planning to use radishes as a trap crop and row covers this year. Any tips on that would be great! Thanks! Happy growing! 🌱
3 Answers
I've typically gone for Armenian cucumbers because of their overall hardiness. I rarely see cucumber beetles and, even when I do, they usually only cause minor feeding damage. I find these cucumbers are pretty resilient against many pests and diseases. Just keep in mind they take a bit longer to mature, but they are super productive once they get going! They can thrive in higher temperatures too.
For pest control, I just use a handheld vacuum to suck up the beetles right after dusk. It’s pretty effective! Just make sure to go out at night when they’re less active.
I've been using row covers for my cucumbers too! I decided to try out the Picolino cucumber seeds this year because they're parthenocarpic, which means they don’t rely on pollinators to set fruit. That should help me with the cucumber beetle issue since they can be tough to control. They are so tiny and seem to hide everywhere!