Natsu – meaning “summer” – brings the high quality of the deep green, thin-skinned Japanese cucumbers with the ease of summer.
This variety was developed to offer the flavour and crispness of Japanese cucumbers with an easy-to-grow, single-stem architecture. Many Japanese cucumbers are multi-stemmed, requiring steadfast attention to manage the many side shoots.
Eat as you would other cucumbers, in salads or cut for snacking (especially paired with miso or mayonnaise). Natsu is ideal for pickles and Sunomono, Japanese vinegar pickles. At Natsu-matsuri (summer festivals), it’s traditional to snack on a whole pickled kyuri (cucumber) on a stick. Try slicing very thin and notice how they maintain their crisp eating quality.
CULTURE: Requires warm, well-drained soil high in fertility, with a pH of 6.0-7.5. Consistent, adequate irrigation is needed to produce an abundant crop. Cucumbers are very sensitive to cold. Make sure both soil and air temperatures have warmed prior to planting. Using poly mulch and row covers will greatly enhance the vigor and potential yields of cucumbers by providing warmth and insect protection. For greenhouse or high tunnel production the use of gynoecious and parthenocarpic varieties is highly recommended.
TRANSPLANTING: Sow indoors in 50-cell plug trays, 1-2 seeds/cell, 3-4 weeks before transplanting. Ensure cells or pots are completely filled to avoid air pockets by pressing down gently. Keep temperature above 21C day and 16C night. Check for transplant readiness 30-35 days after germination by gently pulling on the base of the stem to see if roots are established and the soil is held together. Transplant to 30cm spacing, with 45cm between rows.
DIRECT SEEDING: Wait until soil is warm, at least 21C. Cucumber seeds will not germinate at a soil temperature below 10C. Thin to 30cm apart. Sow 1-2 seeds 13mm deep at 20cm -30cm spacing, with 45cm between rows. Keep moist until germination. Thin to one plant per 20cm once established. Thin to one plant at first true leaf.
MAINTENANCE: Use indeterminate trellising and continue to tie or clip plants to support as needed.
Remove leaves appropriately for airflow.
DISEASES: Practice crop rotation, residue sanitation, and choose disease-resistant varieties. Control insect pests to prevent bacterial wilt.
INSECT PESTS: Exclude cucumber beetles with row covers at planting, or control with pyrethrin or azadirachtin.
HARVEST: Once fruit bearing begins, pick daily. Harvest when the fruit reaches 20-22.5cm in length, about 25mm thickness. Adding fertilizer helps to lengthen the harvest window.
STORAGE: Store cucumbers at 7-10C and 90% relative humidity for up to 2 weeks.
NOTE: If seedless cucumbers cross-pollinate with seeded cucumbers, they will yield seeded fruits. Generally, seedless types are grown separately in greenhouses or hoophouses with insect screens installed to prevent cross-pollination of seeded and seedless varieties.
DAYS TO MATURITY: From direct seeding; subtract about 10 days if transplanting.
AVG. DIRECT SEEDING RATE: 30 seeds/5 metre, 100 seeds/15 metres, 250 seeds/40m, 500 seeds/83m, 1,000 seeds/166 metres, 15M/acre at 2 seeds/30cm in rows 2 metres apart.
