Redlands Long White Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Also known as: Long White


An Australian heirloom cucumber from the Redlands district of south-east Queensland — long, straight, ivory-white fruit up to about 18cm with a thin skin and a strong, tangy old-fashioned cucumber flavour. Equally at home sliced into a summer salad, layered onto a sandwich, or brined into pickles. Good resistance to powdery mildew keeps the vine cropping through humid weather that would slow other cucumbers, and the pale skin makes fruit easy to spot at picking size against the dark foliage. Vigorous climbing vine — best on a trellis for straight fruit and clean picking.

Days to harvest Around 70 days from sowing
Fruit size Long and straight, up to 18cm
Sowing depth 10mm
Germination 4–10 days at soil temperature 18–35°C
Spacing 40cm between plants, rows 80cm apart
Aspect Full sun; moist, well-drained soil
Frost tolerance Frost-tender annual — sow after last frost only

Growing notes

A warm, sunny position with a trellis suits it best. Redlands Long White rewards steady moisture and a light hand with the fertiliser, and its mildew resistance makes it a solid pick for humid inland summers.

Soil preparation: Rich, well-drained soil worked with well-rotted compost before sowing. Cucumbers dislike heavy nitrogen and respond better to a moderate, well-balanced feed than to a heavy compost hit.

Sowing method: Sow direct into warm soil at 10mm deep, or start in large pots and transplant with care — cucumbers have shallow roots that resent disturbance, so use larger pots and handle the root ball intact.

Support: A sturdy trellis, netting, or A-frame is strongly preferred. Trellised fruit hangs straight, keeps clean, and shows up clearly against the leaves at picking size.

Containers: Suits a large pot of 40L or more with a sturdy trellis. Keep water consistent, as pots dry out faster than beds and cucumbers need steady moisture through fruit set.

Watering & feeding: Deep, consistent watering at the base — never overhead, which invites mildew. Side-dress lightly with a balanced liquid feed once flowering starts, but avoid heavy nitrogen.

Harvest: Pick every two to three days once fruiting begins, cutting fruit at around 15–18cm for the best texture and flavour. Left too long the fruit turns tough and seedy, and slows the plant down, so pick even the ones you don't need. For pickling, harvest at whatever size suits the jar; for fresh eating, catch them at full length while still firm.

Timing: First fruit ready around 70 days from sowing.

Key features

  • Ivory-white skin — an unusual and striking cucumber
  • Thin skin with strong, tangy cucumber flavour
  • Multi-purpose: fresh, sandwich, or pickle
  • Good powdery mildew resistance
  • Prolific through the warm months
  • One of the few genuinely Australian heirloom cucumbers still in wide cultivation

Short season tips


Direct sow into warm ground from mid-spring to early summer once frost risk has passed. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, that means mid-November onwards. If time is tight, start seed indoors in large pots 3–5 weeks before transplanting — cucumbers resent root disturbance, so handle carefully and move on with the root ball intact. Staggered sowings three to four weeks apart extend the picking window into autumn.

  • Spring
  • Summer

Annual

  • Corn, climbing beans, nasturtium, borage, marigold, dill, radish
  • Potatoes, sage, other cucumber varieties within cross-pollination distance if saving seed


An Australian heirloom cucumber developed and selected in the Redlands district of south-east Queensland — a historic market gardening region on the Moreton Bay side of Brisbane, known through the mid-twentieth century for its intensive vegetable production. Kept in continuous cultivation ever since as one of the small handful of Australian-bred vegetable heirlooms in wide circulation, and carried forward by heirloom seed keepers around the country for its distinctive white skin, tangy flavour, and dependable cropping.