Why Do My Cucumbers Taste Bitter?

Have your cucumbers gone through a long dry period?

Do your cucumbers grow on a lean soil?

Do your cucumbers grow in shady conditions?

Have your cucumbers struggled with the pests or with mechanical injuries?

Cucumbers turn bitter because compounds cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C move into the fruits due to some kind of stress. suffering dry conditions may be one of the causes of this stress. There isn't much you can do to control the heat, but keeping your cucumbers well watered will help offset the tendency for them to turn bitter. Give them a deep soaking of at least an inch of water per week, more during extreme dry spells, and mulch the area around the roots, at planting time.

Cucumbers turn bitter because compounds cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C move into the fruits due to some kind of stress. Lean soil and a general lack of nutrients may be one of the reasons for this stress. Cucumbers are heavy feeders and soil rich in organic matter will go a long way toward producing less stressed, better-tasting cucumbers. If your soil is less than ideal, give your cucumbers some balanced fertilizer every 4 to 6 weeks.

Cucumbers turn bitter because compounds cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C move into the fruits due to some kind of stress. Lack of sunlight may be the cause of this stress. Plant cucumbers in a spot that gets as much sun as nature will allow. If it's cool and damp, as well as overcast, growing your cucumbers undercover, like a polytunnel, will amplify the available heat and light.

Cucumbers turn bitter because compounds cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C move into the fruits due to some kind of stress. Mechanical injuries and pests may be the cause of this stress. Maintain good growing practices by being careful with the tools around cucumbers to avoid mechanical injuries and by protecting your plants from pests like insects, slugs, and caterpillars.

Cucumbers turn bitter because compounds cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C move into the fruits due to some kind of stress. This stress can come from several different sources, sometimes unknown even to the manufacturer. The best defense against it is planting varieties that are labeled "non-bitter".