What Are Lemon Cucumbers? A Guide to Growing These Unique Veggies
Lemon cucumbers are not your average cucumber. However, they make an interesting addition to the garden and dinner table. Since they look like lemons, you may wonder if they taste similar.
Lemon cucumbers do not taste like citrus fruit despite their appearance and name. Instead, they are similar in flavor to a regular cucumber, if not milder and slightly sweeter. Unlike regular cucumbers, their yellow color indicates they are ripe and ready to pick.
In this post, I'll explain the differences between lemon cucumbers and regular cucumbers.
I'll also tell you everything you need to know in order to grow them.
Read on for everything you need to know about this unique citrus-like (but also not citrus-like!) plant.
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Do Lemon Cucumbers Taste Different?
In general, lemon cucumbers are similar in flavor to regular cucumbers but have some differences. Here’s what you need to know:
No citrus-like flavor despite the coloring and name
Taste like a regular cucumber
May have a milder flavor that is not as bitter as a regular cucumber
Have a sweeter flavor
For more information on comparing lemon cucumbers to regular cucumbers, you can watch this video:
What Are Lemon Cucumbers?
Lemon cucumbers come from the Cucurbitaceae family and are, as their name implies, a type of cucumber. Despite their name, they are not citrus-like in flavor. Instead, the word lemon refers to their size, shape, and color.
What is the Difference Between Lemon Cucumbers and Regular Cucumbers?
The primary difference between lemon cucumbers and regular cucumbers is their appearance. Whereas a regular cucumber is oblong and greenish in color, a lemon cucumber has that unique lemon appearance.
Many find that lemon cucumbers are milder in flavor, often having a sweet taste. Regular cucumbers indicate their ripeness with deep, green skin. On the other hand, a lemon cucumber will indicate its ripeness when it turns from green to yellow.
Lemon cucumbers are also more tolerant of cooler temperatures than the regular cucumber varieties (though still frost-sensitive).
Where is the Best Place to Plant Lemon Cucumbers?
The best place to plant your lemon cucumbers is in an area that will receive full sun. They need rich, well-draining soil that ranges from mildly acidic to neutral. While they are native to India, they will grow well in USDA hardiness zones 2 - 10.
Planting Lemon Cucumbers
When starting lemon cucumbers from seeds, you can start them indoors or wait to start them outdoors. To start them indoors, begin two to four weeks before the last frost date. However, it is recommended to start the seeds outside whenever possible.
For an outdoor start, you must wait until all frost dangers have passed. The soil temperature must reach a minimum of 65℉ before planting. The best practice is to plant seeds in groups of four to six, approximately one inch deep and 36 to 90 inches apart, if possible.
If you keep the soil evenly moist, you should see sprouts within two weeks.
Purchasing a lemon cucumber plant from the nursery is also an option. You will need to acclimate your to its new surroundings by letting it sit in the area before transplanting. If it’s become dry, you must water it before planting to ensure the best results.
Once you have prepared the lemon cucumber seedling, dig a hole large enough to comfortably accommodate the root ball and gently place the plant inside, filling the hole with soil.
Caring for Lemon Cucumbers
Lemon cucumbers are relatively straightforward regarding their care requirements. Watering will need a regular schedule to ensure the soil doesn’t dry out. Once the plants are established, fertilizing should also be a regularly scheduled event.
There are several pests that you’ll need to protect your lemon cucumbers from, which can also bring about diseases. Companion planting can be an excellent option for preventing certain pests. If you need more space in the garden, you can trellis your lemon cucumbers.
Watering Needs
During germination, your lemon cucumbers will need to remain evenly moist. After seeing the seedlings appear, you will still need to supply steady water to ensure the flowers develop. However, well-draining soil is necessary to prevent rot at this stage.
It’s essential to provide regular watering, as inconsistency can lead to bitter fruit. Plants do well with one inch of water weekly, ensuring the soil stays evenly moist.
However, when the temperatures increase, you may need to increase the frequency with which you water. Doing this will prevent the soil from becoming too dry, leading to growth and development complications.
At the same time, you must also ensure you do not overwater your plants, creating soupy or soggy soil. Avoid splashing the foliage with water, as this can lead to health conditions such as powdery mildew.
Fertilizing
Fertilize your soil before planting lemon cucumbers. The ideal option is to use compost with phosphorus blended in or a low-nitrogen 5-10-10 fertilizer.
Limiting nitrogen is critical because it can lead to burnt plants or increased foliage production but decreased fruit product. Following this, continue fertilizing plants every two weeks with an all-purpose fertilizer.
Pests and Diseases
Any instance of cool temperatures combined with humidity can lead to fungal problems in your lemon cucumbers. Common issues include mildew and Sclerotinia wilt. Mildew can be caused by splashing water on the foliage instead of directing at the roots.
Aphids are a severe problem for lemon cucumbers because they present the potential problem of the cucumber mosaic virus. With this virus, you’ll notice yellow or light green areas of discoloration, bumps, and deformations on the foliage that resemble a mosaic pattern.
Plants with this virus must be removed from the garden to prevent it from spreading. The primary solution is to keep aphids away through remedial measures.
Cucumber beetles are a severe problem for all cucurbits. They begin feeding on the plants as soon as they sprout, either killing them or grossly limiting growth. These insects are also transmitters of bacterial wilt.
Squash beetles are known for overwintering in crop debris. Unlike other lady beetles, the squash beetle doesn’t feed on other insects and is a hazard to your lemon cucumbers. Removing all crop remainders at the end of the season will prevent this problem.
Companion Planting
Plants like radishes, onions, and similar root vegetables that do spread are ideal companion plants for lemon cucumbers. Your lemon cucumbers and these root vegetables have similar needs for well-tilled soil.
For a natural repellent for destructive beetles, you can also use marigolds or nasturtiums for companion planting. Sunflowers are another excellent choice because they provide a natural trellis for your lemon cucumber vines to grow on. This can help with weed management, too.
Other excellent pest-repelling options include oregano and dill. Dill has attractive properties for insects that will help keep damaging insects away.
While there are many great options for companion plants, there are several that you should absolutely avoid planting near your lemon cucumbers:
Potatoes
Sage
Melons
Trellising Your Plants
It’s not absolutely essential to use a trellis for your lemon cucumbers unless you have limited space in your garden. That said, it never hurts.
When choosing an appropriate structure, it must be strong enough to bear the weight of the fully grown plant and all its ripe fruit.
The ideal time to place the trellis is either right before or right after planting. Doing this will allow you to position the trellis in line with the plant. You should never move a growing plant to meet a trellis.
As the plant grows and develops, it will naturally send out feelers for a place to grow upward. You can help the plant support itself on the trellis by using fasteners, such as plant ties or garden tape, to secure the vines to the trellis.
Harvesting Lemon Cucumbers
Lemon cucumbers are ready to be harvested just 60 days after planting. 1.5-inch cucumbers are ideal for pickling projects, and 2-inch cucumbers are the best for slicing.
How Do You Know When a Lemon Cucumber is Ripe?
Once your lemon cucumbers turn from green to yellow, they’re ripe and ready to harvest. However, you never want them to turn a deep yellow, leading to them being overripe and having a bitter flavor.
The best practice is to pick them from the vine when they’re roughly the size of a lemon and have just started to turn color.
Can You Eat Lemon Cucumbers?
Lemon cucumbers have many versatile options when it comes to snacking. They can easily be used to replace a regular cucumber in your favorite salad. They’re also good by themselves with a dip.
Many enjoy cucumber slices in their water. Lemon cucumbers can also be used for this. They’re also an excellent choice for pickling.
Several recipes involve using lemon cucumbers in a type of cucumber salad.
Lemon Cucumber and Heirloom Tomato Salad
This recipe rounds out the lemon cucumber with heirloom tomatoes, a touch of sweet corn, and chives. It makes the perfect summer evening side dish that cucumber and tomato lovers will enjoy night after night.
Lebanese Lemon Cucumber Salad
This lemon cucumber salad features the addition of mint, red onion, and yogurt. It’s topped with a homemade dressing that you create right on the salad. It’s ideally paired with grilled chicken as the main course.
Lemon Cucumber With Pesto
Enjoy a refreshing take on the lemon cucumber with a dash of pesto. This recipe shows you how to create your own homemade pesto with which you can lightly top slices of your freshly picked lemon cucumbers.
Lemon Cucumber Salad
Almost like a traditional cucumber salad, this option combines sliced lemon cucumbers, sliced almonds, mint, red onion, oil, and vinegar. It will make a great side for any summer meal you plan.
Saving Seeds from Lemon Cucumbers
If you want to save seeds from your lemon cucumbers, you’ll need to leave them on the vine for much longer than you would for a regular harvest. They must be very overripe to be ready for seed collection.
Once you have collected the overripe lemon cucumbers, bring them inside. Slice them in half and scoop out the seed matter, placing it into a jar. Add enough warm water to the jar so that the pulp and seeds are submerged.
Set the jar in a warm space that maintains a temperature between 70 and 80℉ and stir it daily. After around three days, you should notice that some of the seeds have sunk to the bottom of the jar.
This sinking indicates fermentation, which will help separate the seeds from their gel coating. Also, it will help you determine which seeds are viable, as they will be the ones that sink.
Once all the good seeds have sunk, you’ll need to finish cleaning them. Adding more water to the container will cause the debris and non-viable seeds to float, making this process much easier. Rinse the good seeds a few times.
Place all good seeds on a paper towel to dry. Once they are completely dry, place them in an airtight container. If you maintain the seeds properly, they’ll last for up to 10 years.
Do Lemon Cucumbers Come Back Every Year?
Lemon cucumbers do not come back every year. In USDA hardiness zones 2 - 10, they are annual plants and must be replanted every spring.
Final Thoughts
Lemon cucumbers are an interesting plant to add to your garden and your favorite recipes. With flavors similar to but slightly sweeter than regular cucumbers, they can add a certain flair to the dinner table.
Caring for lemon cucumbers is relatively straightforward, with regular watering and fertilizing requirements. While several different types of pests can be a problem, using specific companion plants can alleviate these issues, keeping your plants safe from harm.
With all the options available for recipes using lemon cucumbers, growing them in your garden this year may be a great idea. In addition, saving some to harvest until the end of the season will save you money on planting costs next year.
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