National Pickling Cucumber is a reliable and productive variety, perfect for gardeners who love making homemade pickles. The short, blocky fruit grows to about 4-6 inches long, with tender green skin and firm, crisp flesh. This cucumber’s mild, refreshing flavor makes it equally well-suited for fresh eating or slicing into salads. Thriving in full sun and nutrient-rich, well-draining soil, National Pickling Cucumbers mature in just 50-55 days, offering an early and continuous harvest. The plants are vigorous and disease-resistant, ensuring healthy growth and high yields throughout the season. This variety performs well in both garden beds and containers and benefits from trellising to save space and improve airflow. Regular harvesting encourages further production, providing a steady supply of fruit for your kitchen. Whether you’re making crunchy dill pickles or enjoying them fresh from the vine, National Pickling Cucumber is a versatile and rewarding addition to any garden.

Cucumber - National Pickling - Cucumis sativus

Tender Annual Developed by the National Pickle Packers Association in collaboration with the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, this is the pickling cuke that pickle growers asked for! High yielding, early fruiting on vigorous, medium vines. Retains quality over a long season. Dark green fruit can be picked small at 2-"3 long for gherkins or larger at 5"-6 long for full sized pickles.

Did You Know? National Pickling Cucumber is resistant to scab and cucumber mosaic virus.

Soil & Water: Plant cucumbers in hills or mounds with plenty of added organic matter. Sow 6-7 seeds in a hill. Once the seedlings sprout, thin to the 3 best vines.

Planting & Growing: In cool regions, start seeds indoors 10-14 days before the last frost, or sow seeds directly when the soil is at least 70°F. Plant seeds 18" apart if trellised or 36" apart if left to sprawl.

Harvesting & Storage: Harvest when the fruit is small to medium-sized for best flavor. Keep harvesting fruit, even if misshapen, to keep vines productive.

Soil Temperature: 70-95°F
Planting Depth: 1/2"
Germination: 3-10 Days
Height At Maturity: 1'-4'
Days To Maturity: 55 Days
Sun/Shade: Full Sun
Spacing After Thinning: 18"-48"
Approx Seeds per Pack: 50 | Per 1 oz bulk: 1,010

Check out our Cucumber Growing Guide for more information.