Hello all! I have dwarf, heirloom, bush cucumbers (name is Spacemaster Cucumber) which have been growing very well. They have been producing flowers for a while but then they die

They are in a covered planter box which I uncover during the day. I wasn't uncovering them at all for quite a while and they were thriving, until things started dying. Could it been they weren't receiving proper pollination? Also, they seem more like vine cucumbers as they travel all over the box.

There are also peppers in this box which I'm going to cut off to give the cucumbers more space as they have suddenly taken over.

Welcome to NGA @gardenrayne / Rebecca!

Yes, I think the baby cukes are dying because they weren't pollinated.

How many cucumber plants did you have in your planter? Unfortunately, the "space saving" veggies often don't quite live up to their name.

@Weedwhacker Thanks, Sandy! There's one in each corner, and as of today the box is even more overwhelmed. They are exploding out over the sides now when I take the cover off. Something seems to be chewing on the leaves too - maybe earwigs or slugs This is why I went with the cover, hoping to have fewer issues with bugs/animals. Do you think it's worth it to keep taking the cover on and off each day?

I would be inclined to leave the cover off, since the cucumbers need to be pollinated in order to develop. If you think deer or other animals might be an issue, you could use some chicken wire or something similar to keep the animals out but let the bees and other pollinators in. If you think slugs might be the issue, I'd use something like "Sluggo," or you could try some beer traps for them. If the leaves aren't being badly chewed up, just showing some holes here and there, I wouldn't worry too much. Interestingly, this year is the first time I've ever seen earwigs in my garden and there seem to be a lot of them... but I also have a "bee house" for leafcutter bees so I'm used to seeing quite a few holes in all the leaves!

Best of luck to you - it seems like everything is a juggling act when it comes to encouraging the beneficial bugs and protecting plants from the bad ones.

Also, for future reference, there are cucumbers that don't require pollination, which could be grown under protective covers without a problem. I'm growing one this year called 'Green Light' and this article lists some other varieties (although I'm not sure if any of them are "space saving" types - mine grow on a trellis): https://www.bountifulgardener....

A little update on the cukes! I've been uncovering them every day and have had our first harvest and made pickles There are still plenty more growing and many more flowers

Lovely! I'm making a batch of pickles today as well .

Weedwhacker said: Lovely! I'm making a batch of pickles today as well .

What size , type, brand of jar do you use, or do you reuse jars from store bought products ?-- (We have, some where, several cases of jars we bought with canned peaches when we used to eat a LOT of that, that said, right on the jar, "reusable".

Well, I have an abundance of "regular" canning jars of various brands that I've accumulated over the years (in fact, where the heck did so many jars come from? ) Do those jars from the peaches fit a standard lid made for canning? (Like Kerr, or Ball) If so, I'd say they would be fine for at least water-bath canning. I really miss the "good old days" when Miracle Whip and Mayo (and probably other things) came in glass jars that fit standard canning lids; they were fine for water-bath canning, probably not so much for pressure canning but I don't do much of that anyway.

I mostly use pint jars, but do a few things (tomato juice comes to mind) in quarts.