How to grow your very own Red Cucumber Plant
Step 1: Place the tablet of compressed compost into a cup and fill one-third with warm water. When the tablet is fully saturated it will swell up and then it’s ready to crumble up and put into the pot.
Step 2: Place the seed on its side at a depth of 1cm (½”) in the pot with sowing compost.
Step 3: Position the pot on a saucer and cover with a clear plastic bag and keep in a warm place around 20°C (68°F).The seed takes 7-10 days to germinate. A sunny windowsill is perfect, but under cold conditions they can be placed in the airing cupboard.
Step 4: Once it has germinated remove the plastic bag from the pot and keep them on a bright windowsill and grow on until they are large enough to be transplanted. Try to maintain a minimum temperature of 15°C (60°F) and keep the compost moist but not wet. The seedling can be prone to scorching so take care to shade them from direct sunlight.
Step 5: With the help of an adult, when your seedling has 2 to 4 leaves, you can carefully transplant it, but try to avoid disturbing the roots as Cucumbers don’t like this. The seedling can be planted outside into its final position once the threats of late frost are over, cucumbers do best in slightly acidic soil. Before planting in the final sunny position, harden off in the pot for a couple of weeks to acclimatise. If a cool period is due bring the seedling back undercover overnight.
Step 6: This is a climbing variety; therefore, a net or other support to a height of 1 m is ideal. Cucumbers must be kept moist, but not soaking. Once the fruit appears, give them a boost by feeding every fortnight with a fertiliser high in potash. Hmong red normally reaches to a mature length of 30cm. This variety tends to bloom in late spring to end of summer.
Cucumber Mint Cooler Recipe
Ingredients: One or a half Hmong cucumber, Sugar, large mint leaves, Ice and Water
Instructions: Halve the cucumber lengthwise and spoon out the seeds. Scrape out the flesh with a fork and deposit the flesh into a bowl, scrape until you reach the skin and discard the rest. For every cup of flesh, stir in 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons sugar, 3 or 4 mint leaves and ½ cup of water. Stir to combine and dissolve the sugar. The cucumber flesh will give off some bubbles. Taste to make sure there is a pronounced sweet flavour. Add the ice. Present this cooler with a spoon for guests to eat the flesh. If you want a smoothie-like texture, puree the flesh in a blender before adding the mint leaves and the ice. Enjoy this unusual summer’s drink!