Jamaican Burr Gherkin

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65 days to harvest Cucumis anguria

Tangy, sweet and gloriously crunchy, we love Jamaican Gherkins as juicy 1 to 2-inch fruits. Delectable raw, pickled or cooked like summer squash, Jamaican Burr Gherkin are extremely productive as well as pest and disease resistant, being an entirely separate species from most cucumbers. If you love their tang, go ahead and harvest them larger than 1 inch; if you love a more traditional cucumber flavor, go small.

We could not keep up with harvesting them in the cool summer of 2014 and they produced all the way until the first frost from a June planting. Originating from West Africa and brought to Jamaica, likely braided into the hair of kidnapped enslaved people, we were given these seeds by Adaptive Seeds and are thrilled how well they produce in the Northeast.

Would you love to receive these seeds? Rather than selling and shipping, we share seeds as an embodied gift practice.

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Organic Jamaican Burr Gherkin

Planting Method: Direct Seed Recommended

To Direct Seed: Sow after last frost, 2 seeds every 2 feet (thinning to 1). Two-gallon containers or larger will produce the most fruit.

For Transplanting: Sow indoors 2-3 weeks before last frost in peat pots (plant entire pot) or soil blocks to minimally disturb roots when transplanted. Harden off and transplant after last frost.

Seed Depth: 1/4 inch Days to Germination: 10 at 70°F (21°C); 3 at 80°F (26°C)

Sun Needs: Full

Spacing (after thinning/transplanting): 2 feet; 30-36 inches between rows

Trellis for easier harvest & less disease pressure.

Days to Harvest: 65 Height: 5-foot+ vines

Harvest: We love Jamaican Gherkins as juicy 1 to 2-inch fruits, delectable raw, pickled or cooked like summer squash. If you love their tang, go ahead and harvest them larger than 1 inch; if you love a more traditional cucumber flavor, go small.