You’d be surprised at how many cucumber varieties you can grow in your backyard, and how easy they are to grow successfully!
We’ve done some research and compiled a list of the best parthenocarpic cucumber varieties you can grow at home!
There are several different disease-resistant varieties you can grow, depending on the type of cucumbers you enjoy eating.
So, if you’re looking for a variety that you can grow, you’ve come to the right place! Let’s dive in.
What Is A Parthenocarpic Cucumber Variety?
Parthenocarpic cucumbers are varieties of cucumbers that produce fruit without being pollinated. These cucumbers are seedless, making them perfect for growing in greenhouses or tunnels.
This is because, in these environments, natural pollination is not possible.
Parthenocarpic cucumbers are common among commercial growers who often grow their cucumber crops in greenhouses and tunnels. They are also great for growing in your backyard.
Best Parthenocarpic Cucumber Varieties
1. Tyria
The Tyria variety is one of the most popular cucumber varieties grown. The cucumbers produced are dark green and slightly ribbed, and they will grow up to 14 inches long.
These cucumbers are quite sweet, and they are not bitter.
This variety is a disease-resistant variety that produces female fruits. From seed to fruit, this cucumber will take around 58 days to ripen and be ready for harvest.
2. Chelsea Prize
The Chelsea Prize variety produces a delicious cucumber that is great for slicing. It has very thin skin and it doesn’t require any peeling. These cucumbers can produce fruit of around 12 to 15 inches in length.
This variety of cucumber is perfect for eating in salads and sandwiches as they are not bitter and they are very easy to digest.
3. County Fair
County Fair is a perfect cucumber for both pickling and slicing. If you are growing this cucumber for pickling, it is best picked at a size of between 2 and 4 inches.
If you want to use this cucumber in salads or sandwiches, allow them to grow a little larger than this before picking!
This cucumber is a vining variety. The plant will grow to around 18 to 24 inches tall and produce bright yellow blooms. As it is a parthenocarpic variety, the flowers are almost all female.
4. Sweet Success
Sweet Success cucumbers are a great variety that produce very large, dark green fruits! They can grow up to 12 inches in size, and the fruit is very sweet and free from any bitterness!
The skin on this cucumber is thin and tender, making them perfect for use in salads.
This cucumber is disease resistant and can grow in a variety of different climates. This is an absolute personal favorite!
5. Socrates
The Socrates variety of cucumber is deliciously sweet. It has thin and spineless skin. These cucumbers grow very well in colder weather, and you will find that your plant can continue to fruit well into the fall.
You will get a large crop from this plant if it is kept in the right conditions, and the cucumbers are disease resistant.
This variety is highly recommended due to the large crop you will get from the plant. Expect to see fruit around 52 days after planting!
6. Katrina
Katrina is a great cucumber if you prefer smaller fruits. It grows to around 6 inches in size. This cucumber is much more heat tolerant than some of the other varieties on this list, including the Socrates cucumber listed above.
This plant will produce a large crop of sweet and thin-skinned cucumbers(see also: Do Cucumber Plants Climb? Tips On Making Your Cucumbers Climb). It is a great choice for those who live in hot climates and struggle to grow fruit in the height of summer due to the heat.
7. H-19 Little Leaf
The Little Leaf cucumber plant is named after its small leaves. It is a high-yielding plant that produces cucumbers between 3 and 4 inches in size. These cucumbers are perfect for pickling.
This cucumber is a semi-bush cucumber which is rare for a parthenocarpic variety.
This cucumber is slightly different because of its multiple branching vines. While it is not a bush cucumber, it is small and compact enough to be grown in containers and greenhouses.
This fruit is very hardy and will often grow despite adverse weather conditions.
8. Iznik
The Iznik variety produces a small fruit that grows (see also: Best Types Of Sage To Grow In Your Garden – 15 Varieties!)to around 3 to 4 inches. It is a versatile cucumber that can be eaten and enjoyed fresh and is also suitable for pickling.
This variety has a very compact growth habit which makes it perfect for growing in containers or greenhouses. The skin on this fruit is very smooth and thin and it doesn’t require peeling.
Why Grow Parthenocarpic Cucumbers?
Parthenocarpic cucumbers are great to grow in your backyard. They are great for producing large yields in greenhouses because they do not need to be pollinated.
This means that you can grow these cucumbers in climates where there are no natural pollinators, and you can grow them under protection so that the crop is not eaten by wildlife.
Guarantee Food Harvest
Parthenocarpic cucumbers guarantee a good harvest. This means that you will get a good crop from your plants.
The reason for this is that most of the flowers on these plants are female, meaning they will produce fruit without needing to be pollinated.
If you grow non-parthenocarpic cucumbers, you would likely get half the crop that you would get from parthenocarpic cucumbers.
This is because you will not get as many female flowers, and some of the flowers will not have a chance to be pollinated.
No Seeds
If you don’t like seeds in your cucumbers, the parthenocarpic varieties are perfect for you. They are often seedless unless they have been pollinated.
Some people prefer to eat cucumbers that do not have any seeds, so growing them this way is very useful. It saves you deseeding your cucumbers before you eat them!
Properties Of Parthenocarpic Cucumber Varieties
Parthenocarpic cucumbers don’t require pollination. They also have many other properties. These include:
These cucumbers are high fruiting and they have very powerful growth
These cucumbers are not bitter as the bitterness has been artificially removed
They have very long periods where they produce fruits
They are very resistant to extreme weather conditions and high and low temperatures
They are disease resistant
The increase in growing parthenocarpic cucumbers is also occurring because of the decrease in the bee population. Bees are common pollinators of non-parthenocarpic cucumbers.
Types Of Parthenocarpic Cucumber
Any cucumber type can be bred to be parthenocarpic. Most varieties are either pickling cucumbers or Beit Alpha. Beit Alpha refers to a thin-skinned cucumber that is fairly small.
These cucumbers are very similar to English cucumbers. You can also get other types of cucumbers as a parthenocarpic variety such as cocktail cucumbers and Persian cucumbers. All of the parthenocarpic cucumbers listed above are vining cucumbers.
Other Types Of Cucumbers
If you are aware of parthenocarpic cucumbers, you have probably also encountered Gynoecious and Monoecious cucumbers. Each of these types are very distinct, referring to different cucumber varieties. Let’s take a look at the differences.
Monoecious Cucumbers
Monoecious cucumbers are standard, open-pollinated cucumbers. The plants will have both male and female flowers on them.
On these plants, the male flowers usually outnumber the female flowers.
Gynoecious Cucumbers
In contrast, Gynoecious cucumbers have a large proportion of female flowers. Over 90 percent of their flowers are female, but they are not necessarily parthenocarpic. Often, they need to be pollinated.
Parthenocarpic Cucumbers
Parthenocarpic cucumbers do not need to be pollinated. They are often grown alongside a few monoecious varieties so that they can pollinate them. They will still create their own fruits, too.
How To Grow Parthenocarpic Cucumbers
You can grow these cucumbers in rooms that are isolated from pollinators. This is why they are commonly grown in greenhouses.
They are much better when grown in this environment, as planting them on the open ground has the potential to ruin the crop. They will often grow poorly in this environment.
Different varieties will grow better at different times of the year. If you plant your variety in the winter, they will usually produce fruit in the spring.
If you plant them in the spring, they will usually flower in the summer. If you plant them in the summer, they will usually produce fruit in the fall.
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