Palace King Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Palace King'
An impressive English-style greenhouse cucumber that produces exceptionally long, straight fruits up to 14 inches with virtually no seeds. This premium variety offers the crisp texture and mild flavor of expensive European cucumbers right from your own garden. Palace King's thin, tender skin requires no peeling and its consistent production makes it a gourmet gardener's dream.
Harvest
60-65d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun
Zones
2–11
USDA hardiness
Height
8-18 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Palace King Cucumber in USDA Zone 7
All Zone 7 cucumber →Zone Map
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Palace King Cucumber · Zones 2–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | June – June | July – August | July – September | October – August |
| Zone 2 | May – June | July – July | July – August | September – September |
| Zone 11 | January – January | February – February | February – March | April – June |
| Zone 12 | January – January | February – February | February – March | April – June |
| Zone 13 | January – January | February – February | February – March | April – June |
| Zone 3 | May – May | June – July | June – August | September – October |
| Zone 4 | April – May | June – June | June – July | August – October |
| Zone 5 | April – April | May – June | May – July | August – October |
| Zone 6 | April – April | May – June | May – July | August – September |
| Zone 7 | March – April | May – May | May – June | July – September |
| Zone 8 | March – March | April – May | April – June | July – August |
| Zone 9 | February – February | March – April | March – May | June – July |
| Zone 10 | January – February | March – March | March – April | May – July |
Succession Planting
Direct sow Palace King every 14-18 days starting May 1 in zone 7, with your last sowing around July 1 — seeds started after that are unlikely to hit 60-65 days before cooler nights in September slow fruit development to a crawl. Back off if daytime highs are sitting consistently above 95°F; heat that intense wrecks pollination and pushes the plants toward bitter fruit production.
If you're starting indoors, sow 3-4 weeks before your transplant date — mid-April for a May transplant. Cucumbers hate root disturbance, so use biodegradable pots you can set directly in the ground without disturbing the root ball. Two successions is enough for most home gardens; a third sowing makes sense if you're trying to keep a CSA share supplied through a mid-summer production gap.
Complete Growing Guide
Palace King demands consistent warmth and humidity typical of English greenhouse conditions, thriving best when soil temperature stays above 65°F and daytime temperatures reach 70-80°F. This cultivar's thin skin makes it particularly susceptible to powdery mildew in humid environments, so prioritize air circulation and avoid overhead watering. Unlike heartier slicing varieties, Palace King shows a tendency toward stretch growth when light is insufficient, requiring either greenhouse conditions or very sunny south-facing locations with afternoon shade in hot climates. The plant's prolific flowering means regular harvesting every 2-3 days prevents fruit maturity from signaling the plant to slow production—delay harvesting even once and the vine may cease flowering. Start seeds indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost for the 60-65 day maturation window, as direct seeding often disappoints. Provide sturdy vertical trellising from the start, as the vigorous 8-18 inch vines produce exceptionally heavy fruit loads.
Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day). Soil: High Organic Matter. Soil pH: Neutral (6.0-8.0). Drainage: Good Drainage, Moist. Height: 0 ft. 8 in. - 1 ft. 6 in.. Spread: 3 ft. 0 in. - 8 ft. 0 in.. Spacing: 12 inches-3 feet. Growth rate: Rapid. Maintenance: Medium. Propagation: Seed. Regions: Coastal, Mountains, Piedmont.
Harvesting
Palace King cucumbers reach peak harvest when they achieve their characteristic 12–14 inch length with a deep, glossy dark green color and firm, unblemished skin. At this stage, the fruit should feel slightly yielding to gentle pressure but still maintain structural integrity. Unlike single-harvest varieties, Palace King produces continuously throughout the season when picked regularly, so check vines every two to three days to prevent fruits from becoming oversized or developing a yellowed appearance. Harvesting in early morning when temperatures are cool ensures maximum crispness and flavor, as daytime heat can soften the delicate thin skin and diminish the mild sweetness that distinguishes this premium cultivar from standard slicing types.
The "vegetable" is botanically a fruit– it is a pepo, a berry with a hard rind. Long and cylindrical, starting out prickly when young and smoothing out to a bumpy surface as it matures. Length and girth can vary based on cultivar and culinary purpose but grow at least 3 in long. Some varieties are bred to be seedless.
Color: Green. Type: Berry. Length: > 3 inches. Width: 1-3 inches.
Garden value: Edible, Showy
Harvest time: Summer
Edibility: Fruits are commonly eaten raw or pickled. Fresh cucumbers last in the fridge for about a week.
Storage & Preservation
Fresh Palace King cucumbers store best in the refrigerator crisper drawer wrapped individually in paper towels, then placed in perforated plastic bags. They'll maintain peak quality for 7-10 days this way, significantly longer than most cucumber varieties due to their thick flesh and minimal seed cavity.
For longer preservation, Palace King excels at quick pickling due to its firm texture. Slice and make refrigerator pickles that will keep for up to 6 weeks. The variety also works well for freezing when cut into chunks for smoothies or cold soups - blanch for 2 minutes before freezing to maintain texture.
Fermented pickle spears are another excellent option, as Palace King's dense flesh holds up well to the fermentation process. The mild flavor makes it ideal for bread-and-butter style pickles or European-style gherkins when harvested smaller at 6-8 inches.
History & Origin
The Palace King cucumber represents the English greenhouse cucumber tradition, a lineage developed primarily by British and Dutch seed companies throughout the 20th century to produce the long, seedless fruits preferred in European markets. While specific breeder attribution and introduction date for Palace King itself remain undocumented in readily available sources, the variety exemplifies decades of selective breeding within established English cucumber breeding programs. These cucumbers diverged from traditional seeded varieties through careful selection for extended fruit length, reduced seed development, and thin skin characteristics. Palace King likely emerged from mid-to-late 20th century breeding efforts focused on premium hothouse production, though precise documentation of its origin requires access to specialized seed company archives or breeding records.
Origin: Himalaya to Northern Thailand
Advantages
- +Produces remarkably long, straight fruits up to 14 inches consistently
- +Virtually seedless flesh offers premium European cucumber quality at home
- +Thin, tender skin eliminates peeling and provides exceptional eating experience
- +Ready to harvest in just 60-65 days for relatively quick gratification
Considerations
- -Susceptible to powdery and downy mildew requiring vigilant disease management
- -Moderate difficulty level demands greenhouse or specialized growing conditions
- -Vulnerable to multiple pest pressures including beetles, aphids, and spider mites
Companion Plants
Radishes sown around the cucumber hills pull flea beetles and cucumber beetles toward themselves — they're essentially a disposable decoy crop that costs you nothing. Tagetes erecta marigolds do similar pest-confusion work, and their root exudates have a documented suppressive effect on nematode populations in the top few inches of soil, which matters for Palace King given how nematode damage concentrates in exactly the zone these shallow feeders occupy. Nasturtiums are worth tucking in nearby specifically for aphids, which build fast on cucumber foliage in summer heat and are hard to spray off once they get into the new growth. Keep potatoes out — they share soilborne pathogens with cucurbits, and the last thing you want is cross-contamination in a bed you're counting on for succession crops. Sage and other strongly aromatic herbs can suppress cucumber germination and early root development, so just keep them in a separate part of the garden.
Plant Together
Radish
Deters cucumber beetles and improves soil structure with taproot
Marigold
Repels cucumber beetles, aphids, and other harmful insects
Nasturtium
Acts as trap crop for cucumber beetles and aphids
Beans
Fixes nitrogen in soil and provides natural trellis support
Corn
Provides natural shade and wind protection for cucumber vines
Dill
Attracts beneficial insects and may improve cucumber flavor
Lettuce
Acts as living mulch, conserving soil moisture
Sunflower
Provides natural trellis support and attracts beneficial pollinators
Keep Apart
Potato
Competes for nutrients and may harbor similar soil-borne diseases
Sage
Allelopathic compounds can inhibit cucumber growth
Aromatic herbs
Strong oils from mint, rosemary can stunt cucumber development
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #169225)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Moderate resistance to common cucumber diseases
Common Pests
Cucumber beetles, aphids, spider mites
Diseases
Powdery mildew, downy mildew, bacterial wilt
Troubleshooting Palace King Cucumber
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
Plants wilting progressively despite regular watering — lower leaves show large tan spots between veins and scorched-looking edges
Likely Causes
- Bacterial wilt (Erwinia tracheiphila) — transmitted by cucumber beetles feeding on stems and leaves
- Root-knot nematodes — look for lumpy, knotted roots if you pull a plant; damage concentrates in one patch of the bed
What to Do
- 1.Do the stem-cut test: slice a wilted stem near the base, press the two cut ends together, then pull apart slowly — if thin bacterial threads stretch between them, it's bacterial wilt; pull and bag those plants immediately
- 2.If nematodes are suspected, rotate out of cucurbits for at least 3 years and consider soil solarization before replanting
- 3.Put row cover on at transplant to block cucumber beetles — they're the primary vector for bacterial wilt — and remove it once flowers open so pollination can happen
White powdery coating on upper leaf surfaces, typically showing up mid-season after fruit set begins
Likely Causes
- Powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii) — thrives in warm days with high humidity at night; spores spread by wind
- Dense, crowded vines with poor airflow accelerate spread through the planting
What to Do
- 1.Pull off and trash (not compost) heavily coated leaves as soon as you spot them
- 2.Spray potassium bicarbonate or neem oil on a dry morning, coating both leaf surfaces — repeat every 7-10 days
- 3.Trellis the vines vertically and stick to the 18-24 inch spacing from the start; you can't fix airflow problems once the canopy closes
Fruit tastes noticeably bitter, even on cucumbers that look fine from the outside
Likely Causes
- Cucurbitacin buildup from environmental stress — uneven watering, high heat, wide temperature swings, or soil pH outside the 6.0-6.8 range, per NC State Extension
- Fruit left on the vine past peak size, or misshapen fruit from poor pollination
What to Do
- 1.Water consistently at 1.5-2 inches per week — irregular irrigation is one of the fastest ways to spike cucurbitacin levels in the skin
- 2.Pick Palace King at 6-8 inches before the skin starts yellowing; overmature fruit gets bitter fast
- 3.Run a soil test and correct pH toward 6.5 with lime if it's reading below 6.0 — low pH is a stressor that's easy to miss until the cucumbers taste wrong
Frequently Asked Questions
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Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.