Cucumber 'Masterpiece'

Feed well with tomato fertilser once fruiting starts and pick the fruit when still young at about 20 cm or they will become tough and bitter. Do not remove male flowers as out door varieties need pollination. The use of cloches or cold frames will extend the season.

Try to plant in a location that enjoys full sun and remember to water moderately. Keep in mind when planting that Masterpiece is thought of as tender, so remember to wait until your soil is warm and the night time temperature is well above freezing before moving outside. Masterpiece requires a soil ph of 5.5 - 6.8 meaning it does best in weakly acidic soil.

Sow in the spring in good seed compost at 20C under glass or in a propagator. Protect seedlings from direct sunlight to avoid scorching. Can be sown direct outside 2.5cm deep late spring

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 11.7 inches (30.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.98 inches (2.5 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 16°C / 61°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations, you should look at sowing Masterpiece about 14 days after your last frost date.

Pot on seedlings individually into 7cm pots and grow on keeping compost only just moist to avoid damping off. Plant out after all risk of frost has past in early summer. If space is short train the plants up on supports or netting but giving each plant a space of about 75 cm square

Ensure that temperatures are mild and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Masterpiece is a tender plant.

Expect harvests to start to occur in late summer.