Striped Cucumber Seeds (Organic)

Striped Cucumber, also called Painted Serpent, is an heirloom Armenian cucumber (Cucumis melo, flexuosus group) that grows long, ridged, light-and-dark-green fruit with sweet, crisp flesh. A tender annual introduced from Armenia to Italy in the 1400s, it stays mild and crunchy even when fruit reaches 12 to 18 inches.

At a glance

• Variety: Striped (Painted Serpent), heirloom, organic, non-GMO
• Botanical name: Cucumis melo (flexuosus group)
• Days to maturity: 60 to 70 days
• Sun: Full sun to partial sun
• Spacing after thinning: 6 to 12 inches
• Planting depth: 1/2 to 1 inch
• Seeds per pack: About 50 (2,891 per 1/4 lb bulk)
• Height at maturity: 4 to 6 foot vines

Best for

• Fresh eating, salads, and sandwiches
• Relish and pickling
• Trellised growing to save space and improve airflow
• Hot-weather gardens
• Gardeners wanting an unusual, ornamental cucumber

How to grow

Sow seeds 1/2 to 1 inch deep once soil warms to 65 to 70 degrees, with germination in 4 to 12 days. Grow in full sun in well-draining soil and thin plants to 6 to 12 inches apart. Trellising keeps the long fruit straight and improves airflow. Handle the thin-skinned fruit carefully to avoid bruising, and pick regularly to encourage continued production.

Flavor profile

Sweet, mild, and refreshing with dense flesh, few seeds, and a crisp bite that holds even on larger fruit.

About Grow Organic

Grow Organic, also known as Peaceful Valley, has supplied seeds, tools, and growing supplies to organic gardeners and farmers since 1976.

Sold by Grow Organic, based in Grass Valley, California.