Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds

Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80
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Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds
  • Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds
  • Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds
  • Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds
  • Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds
  • Sown from seed stock we sell
Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds

Crystal Apple Cucumber - Seeds

$5.80
$5.80

Minimum 25 seeds per packet.

Postage included. Bundle to save. Raised from heirloom seed at Turtledove Farm.

Cucumis sativus


The classic pale apple cucumber — round fruit around 10cm across, coloured a soft creamy pale green that reads almost white against the leaves. Skin is thin and dotted with fine soft spikes that rub off with a wipe of the thumb. Inside, the flesh is crisp, cool, and juicy with a mild, sweet flavour that eats out of the crisper as easily as an apple. Prolific, forgiving, and a favourite in Australian home gardens for close to a century. Kept picked, a single plant will crop steadily through the warm months. Vine — grows well trailing on the ground or trained up a trellis.

Days to harvest60–70 days from sowing
Fruit sizeRound, apple-shaped, around 10cm across
Sowing depth10mm
Germination4–10 days at soil temperature 18–35°C
Spacing40cm between plants, rows 120cm apart
AspectFull sun; moist, well-drained soil
Frost toleranceFrost-tender annual — sow after last frost only
LifecycleAnnual
Container suitableYes

Growing notes

A warm, sunny position suits it best. Apple cucumber rewards steady moisture, regular picking, and a light hand with the fertiliser.

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: Either left to trail on the ground or trained up a sturdy trellis. Trellised fruit hangs cleanly and is easier to spot at picking size; ground-grown plants do just as well if given room to sprawl.

Containers: Suits a large pot of 40L or more with a trellis for support. 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. Overhead watering invites mildew, which cucumbers are prone to in humid weather. 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 10cm across for the tenderest eating. Wipe the fine soft spikes off with a thumb or a cloth before slicing. Larger fruit turn tough and seedy, and slow the plant down, so pick even the ones you don't need. Fresh use only.

Timing: First fruit ready 60–70 days from sowing.

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. A staggered sowing three to four weeks after the first extends the picking window into autumn.

Origin



An heirloom apple cucumber that came into wide cultivation across Australia and New Zealand in the 1930s — most often traced back to New Zealand, though the exact provenance isn't firmly documented. Made popular by Yates, the trans-Tasman seed company that distributed it into home gardens on both sides of the Tasman early on, and kept in continuous cultivation ever since — carried forward for its dependable cropping, its clean flavour, and the sheer pleasure of pulling a small round cucumber off the vine and eating it whole in the garden.

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