Best Cucumbers for Heirloom
18 cucumber varieties well-suited for heirloom varieties. Open-pollinated heritage cultivars with unique flavor.
Ashley Cucumber
A heat-tolerant southern favorite developed specifically for hot, humid climates where other cucumbers fail. This reliable heirloom produces abundant 7-8 inch dark green fruits with crisp, mild flesh and excellent disease resistance. Ashley's ability to keep producing through summer heat makes it invaluable for gardeners in challenging growing conditions.
Beit Alpha
A Mediterranean heirloom cucumber that produces sweet, crisp fruits with tender, thin skin that never needs peeling. Originally from Israel, this parthenocarpic variety sets fruit without pollination and delivers consistently uniform, blocky cucumbers perfect for fresh eating. The compact vines are incredibly productive and produce smooth, dark green fruits that maintain their quality even in hot weather.
Boston Pickling
A treasured heirloom from the 1880s that's become the go-to choice for homemade pickles and relishes. These compact, warted fruits have the perfect size and firm texture that pickle enthusiasts demand. Incredibly productive plants will keep you supplied with pickles all season long.
Chicago Pickling
A time-tested heirloom variety that's been the backbone of American pickle production since the 1880s, originally developed for the commercial pickle industry in Chicago. These medium-sized cucumbers have the perfect balance of firm flesh and tender skin that makes exceptional pickles, whether harvested small for gherkins or larger for dill pickles. Their reliable production and disease tolerance have made them a favorite among home gardeners for over a century.
Crystal Apple Cucumber
A unique heirloom variety that produces round, apple-shaped white fruits with crisp, refreshing flesh and a distinctive appearance. This Australian heritage variety offers exceptional heat tolerance and continues producing when other cucumbers fail. Crystal Apple's unusual appearance and excellent flavor make it a conversation starter that's surprisingly versatile in the kitchen.
Diva
Diva's seedless, thin-skinned cucumbers are distinctly crisp, sweet, and bitter-free. Adapted to open-field production and protected cropping. A fantastic variety for the home garden. Harvest at 5-7". Parthenocarpic. AAS Winner. Also available treated.
English Telegraph
A classic European greenhouse variety that produces exceptionally long, smooth-skinned cucumbers with virtually no seeds and thin, edible skin. These elegant cucumbers can reach impressive lengths of 12-20 inches while maintaining crisp texture and mild, sweet flavor throughout. Perfect for gardeners who want restaurant-quality cucumbers with that distinctive English cucumber taste and appearance.
Japanese Climbing
A vigorous heirloom climber that can reach 10 feet tall, producing unique long, slender fruits with exceptional sweet flavor and tender skin that never needs peeling. The dramatic vertical growth makes this variety a beautiful and productive addition to trellises, fences, and garden structures. Heat-tolerant and incredibly productive throughout the season.
Lemon Cucumber
Lemon Cucumber is a unique heirloom variety that produces small, round, lemon-yellow fruits, each weighing 2-3 ounces. These diminutive cucumbers reach maturity in 65 days and are immediately recognizable by their distinctive pale yellow color and slightly bumpy skin. Unlike standard slicing cucumbers, Lemon Cucumbers are prized for their exceptionally sweet, mild, and crisp flavor with complete absence of bitterness. The refreshing taste makes them ideal for fresh eating straight from the garden, salads, and light snacking. Their compact size and prolific production on vigorous vines make them a favorite among home gardeners.
Marketmore 76
Long dark green cucumbers. The slender, refined "Marketmore look" has long been the standard for slicing cucumbers in the North. 8-9" fruits stay uniformly dark green even under weather stress. Begins bearing late, but picks for a relatively long time.
Mexican Sour Gherkin
Cute 1" long fruits look like miniature watermelons and taste like cucumbers with tangy citrus overtones. Vines start growing slowly but can get up to 10' long. Can be eaten fresh or pickled. Fruits can be sold in half-pint or clamshell containers at markets that appreciate novelty. Also known as the Cucamelon and mouse melon. Not particularly high yielding. Trellising recommended. NOTE: We recommend harvesting these cucumbers promptly as they tend to get seedy if allowed to grow longer than 1".
National Pickling
The gold standard for homemade pickles, this prolific heirloom has been the choice of serious picklers since 1924. It produces an enormous harvest of blocky, thick-walled cucumbers that maintain perfect crispness when pickled and have the ideal flesh-to-seed ratio for processing. The vigorous vines continue producing all season long, giving you plenty of cucumbers for fresh eating and preserving.
Painted Serpent Cucumber
A stunning Armenian-type cucumber that's as beautiful as it is delicious, featuring distinctive light and dark green striped skin that looks hand-painted. These long, curved fruits can reach up to 20 inches and have incredibly sweet, crisp flesh with no hint of bitterness. This eye-catching variety is perfect for gardeners who want something truly unique that tastes as good as it looks.
Parisian Pickling Gherkin
A classic French heirloom prized for producing abundant tiny cucumbers perfect for traditional cornichon pickles. These compact plants yield hundreds of small, bumpy fruits that should be harvested daily when just 1-2 inches long. The ultimate variety for gourmet pickle enthusiasts who want to create authentic European-style preserved cucumbers.
Poona Kheera
A stunning Indian heirloom cucumber that starts creamy white and transforms to golden-brown with dark netting as it matures, offering gardeners both beauty and exceptional flavor. The round to oval fruits have crisp, white flesh with a refreshing taste that remains sweet even when fully mature. This unique variety is as ornamental as it is delicious, making it a conversation starter in any garden.
Straight Eight
A classic American heirloom cucumber that has been a garden staple since 1935 and won the All-America Selections award. Famous for its perfectly straight, uniform 8-inch fruits with crisp texture and excellent flavor. This reliable variety produces consistently even in variable weather conditions, making it a favorite for both beginners and experienced gardeners.
Suyo Long
A sweet-flavored, ribbed fruit growing up to 15" long. Widely adapted, grows well in hot weather, and sets early. Try using this unusual-looking cucumber in salads, for bread-and-butter or mixed vegetable pickles. Excellent eating quality. Bitter-free. Trellis for straight fruits.
Telegraph Improved
A classic English greenhouse cucumber variety that produces exceptionally long, smooth fruits with crisp, mild flesh and virtually no seeds. Originally developed for Victorian greenhouses, this productive climber can reach impressive lengths of 20+ inches and offers the authentic taste of premium European cucumbers. Perfect for gardeners wanting to grow restaurant-quality cucumbers at home.
Why These Cucumbers Work for Heirloom
Heirloom varieties are open-pollinated cultivars passed down for generations — prized for complex flavor, storied history, and seed-saving potential. These varieties let you save seeds and grow the same crop next year.