It may be the middle of January, but we’re already dreaming of summer’s bounty. Cucumbers are one of our must-grow summer crops for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Unlike the grocery store, which may carry one or two varieties, growing your own cucumbers gives you access to many different varieties and types of cucumbers. In this post, we’ll dive into the different types of cucumbers and a few of our favorite varieties so you can select the best cucumber for your garden.

Types of Cucumbers

Cucumber varieties feature a wide range of growing habits, shapes, sizes and other characteristics that we use to divide them into different categories. These categories can help you select the right cucumber for your garden and palate.

Pickling Cucumbers

As their name suggests, pickling cucumbers are bred for pickling, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy them fresh! Many gardeners love snacking on pickling cucumbers too. However, they’re ideal for pickling because they have firmer, drier flesh and thicker skin, which helps to absorb brine better and holds up better to canning. They’re also highly productive, producing tons of smaller cucumbers, ready to fill your pickling jars. 

Beginner Favorite: Arkansas Little Leaf Pickling 

Arkansas Little Leaf is a classic pickling cucumber with extensive disease resistance and good productivity. The compact vines have multiple branch points and will easily climb any trellis or fence. They feature relatively small leaves, which makes finding the cucumbers much easier. Arkansas Little Leaf has parthenocarpic flowers that don’t require pollination. You’ll get fruit even when the plants are under stress or lack a pollinator. 

The cucumbers grow to about 5 inches long and are ideal for pickling. However, they also have great flavor for fresh eating and produce quite early, in just 59 days.

Slicing Cucumbers

Slicing cucumbers tend to grow longer and have moist, sweet flesh and thin skin. As the name suggests, they’re great for slicing and perfect for snacking and salads. You can also use slicing cucumbers for pickling, but you may find that the pickles turn out a bit less firm than they would with pickling varieties. 

Beginner Favorite: Marketmore 76 Cucumber

This is one of the standard open-pollinated market varieties. Marketmore 76 produces high yields of uniform dark green 8-inch fruits. Use them as slicers for salads, sandwiches, and other meals or harvest them small for pickling. 

Marketmore 76 is ready to harvest in 57 days and thrives in the Mid-Atlantic and north. It displays excellent disease resistance and is bitter-resistant.

Burpless Cucumbers

Cucumbers contain a compound called cucurbitacin. In high quantities, it can make cucumbers bitter and can cause indigestion and burping in some folks. To avoid this, growers bred burpless cucumbers. 

These thin-skinned cucumbers contain low levels of cucurbitacin making them easier to digest for sensitive folks. Burpless cucumbers are sweet and mild, perfect for fresh eating or pickling.

Beginner Favorite: Suyo Long Asian

This sweet-flavored, “burpless” cucumber is hot weather tolerant and widely adapted. A Chinese variety, it has proven to be exceptionally hardy, productive, and fine-flavored even under adverse conditions. In Twin Oaks Seeds’ 2013 Downy Mildew trials, Suyo Long was one of the best.

In the Southeast, you can plant Suyo Long as an early, main season, and late season variety. The 15 to 18-inch long cucumbers are excellent fresh or pickled.

Specialty Cucumbers

There are many cucumber varieties that don’t fit our traditional idea of a cucumber. These varieties may look a little unusual but offer delicious, unique flavor and are suitable for pickling or slicing. 

Beginner Favorite: Mexican Sour Gherkin (Mouse Melon, Sandita)

Mexican Sour Gherkins are always a favorite at our tastings! Immature, they taste like cucumbers; when fully mature, they taste like pickled cucumbers. Their adorable mini watermelon-like appearance makes them a fun choice for snacking. 

Plant the thin, vigorous vines on a trellis along a garden path for easy reach. Mexican Sour Gherkins are ready to harvest in about 73 days and continue to bear until frost.

These little cukes are actually of a different species altogether. Mexican Sour Gherkins are Melothria scabra while all the other varieties on this list are Cucumis sativus. They’re both members of the Cucurbitaceae family, which contains cucumbers, squash, melons, and gourds. While they’re not the same species, their flavor has earned them a spot on our cucumber list.

Bush Cucumbers

Most cucumbers are vining, so gardeners need a good trellis or plenty of space to let them ramble. Bush cucumbers have a more bush-type growth habit. They’re perfect for container gardening or other small spaces. 

Beginner Favorite: Spacemaster 

This little cucumber plant is ideal for small gardens and containers. It’s a newer variety developed by Dr. Munger at Cornell. Spacemaster produces bush-type plants with 2 to 3 foot long vines and 7½ inch long cukes.

In addition to its compact size, Spacemaster is widely adapted and works well for slicing or pickles. Plant Spacemaster early to avoid late-season diseases.

There are so many wonderful cucumber varieties to enjoy! Select the perfect cucumber for your garden whether you’re growing in containers, eager to make dill pickles, or just want a quick snack.