Varieties of Cucumbers

There are numerous cucumber varieties available, ranging from those best used for fresh eating to cucumbers for pickling. Some varieties are seedless or "burpless," while others are specially tailored for growing in greenhouses. If you're looking for a specific plant variety to grow cucumbers, you'll likely find a specific type that fits your needs perfectly.

Long green slicing cucumbers varieties are typically grown for fresh eating, although you might pick them while they're small for pickling. Marketer is the old standard variety of slicing cucumbers, but it's prone to plant diseases. Marketmore 76 is a variation on this standard type, but it has resistances against multiple diseases and takes 68 days from seed to harvest. Straight 8 produces a large crop of smooth, 8-inch-long cucumbers in about 58 days, while Supersett is a disease-resistant hybrid variety. Like Straight 8, Dasher II also produces 8-inch-long cucumbers. Other varieties of long green slicers include Ashley, Poinsett, Cherokee, Gemini, Slice Nice, Centurian, Striker and Victory.

Some slicers grow into more compact plants and are better-suited for growing in containers or small spaces. Bush Crop matures in 55 days and produces 6- to 8-inch cucumbers, Salad Bush takes 57 days and yields 8-inch cucumbers, and Fanfare takes 63 days with a large yield. Spacemaster produces 7 1/2-inch-long cucumbers and is resistant to several diseases. One unique slicing variety is called Seman, which produces cucumbers that grow into a lemon-like shape and size with yellow skin.

Pickling cucumber varieties tend to produce much smaller fruits than slicing types and take a shorter amount of time to mature. Bush Pickle takes just 48 days from seed to harvest and is a compact plant, growing to only 2 1/2 to 3 inches tall. This pickling variety produces 5-inch-long cucumbers. Carolina takes 49 days to harvest, but it's a slightly larger plant than Bush Pickle and has more disease resistance. Other pickling varieties include Ohio MR-17, Wisconsin SMR-18, Lucky Strike, Miss Pickler, Calypso, Explorer, Premier, Southern Cross, Triple Cross, Score, SMR-58, Galaxy, Sumter, Pixie and Galaxy.

Sweet Success, Burpless and Sweet Slice Burpless are among the most common cucumber varieties that are seedless. Burpless is a Chinese hybrid that's the original seedless variety, while Sweet Slice Burpless is a variation on the Burpless hybrid. Sweet Slice Burpless produces 10- to 12-inch-long cucumbers, and like other seedless varieties, the fruits are mild-tasting and not bitter at all.

Greenhouse or "Parthenocarpic" cucumber varieties are specific types that don't need bees for pollination. These varieties tend to produce long fruits that are often seedless. In addition to the seedless cucumber category, Sweet Success is also considered a greenhouse variety. Other greenhouse cucumber varieties include La Reine, Toska, Fabulous and Femfrance.