NIKA SEEDS - Vegetable Cucumber Parisian Gherkin Heirloom Without Bitterness for Pickling - 20 Seeds

CUCUMBER PARISIAN GHERKIN  A mid-early (45 to 50 days) and heirloom variety. Elongated, dark green, crunchy, little cucumbers, 2 to 4" long, weight 2 to 3 oz., without bitterness, and an excellent taste. Good resistance against all major cucumber diseases.  Planting instructions:   Cucumber plants are seeded or transplanted outside in the ground no earlier than 2 weeks after last frost date. Cucumbers are extremely susceptible to frost damage; the soil must be at least 70ºF for germination. Do not plant outside too soon! Before you plant outside, select a site with full sun. Soil should be neutral or slightly alkaline with a pH of 7.0. Cucumbers require fertile soil. Mix in compost and/or aged manure before planting to a depth of 2 inches and work into the soil 6 to 8 inches deep. Make sure that soil is moist and well-drained, not soggy. Improve dense, heavy soil by adding peat, compost or rotted manure. Light, sandy soils are preferred for northern gardens, as they warm quickly in the spring. Plant seedlings one inch deep and about 36 to 60 inches apart, depending on variety. For vines trained on a trellis, space plants 1 foot apart. For an early crop, start cucumber seeds indoors about 3 weeks before you transplant them in the ground. They like bottom heat of about 70ºF (21ºC). Once the ground is warm, mulch with pine straw, chopped leaves, or another organic mulch to keep pests at bay, and also keep bush types off the ground to avoid disease.