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'Poona Kheera' Cucumber

Sub-Category:	Slicing Vine

Sub-Category 2:
Description:	Heirloom from India. Early-producing vines bear cream/light green, potato-shaped fruit turning brown as it ripens. Disease-resistant.
Days To Maturity:	NA
Seed Sources:	Seed Savers Exchange - updated in 2014

Rating Summary

Overall: (4.6 Stars) Taste: (4.7 Stars) Yield: (4.2 Stars) Ease/Reliability: (4.4 Stars)

Reviews

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Number of Reviews: 9

KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease

Reviewed on 01/03/2014 by vbuff - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Santa Barbara, California, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Since the summers can be cool I grew two plants in 15 gallon black pots along with two Straight 8 cucumbers. The Poona Kheera out produced the other cukes by about 8 to 1. The taste was great, crisp and sweet, almost melon like. The vines produced very early and for quite a long time. I had no problems with mildews which are prevalent here. I will be growing these exclusively this summer.

Reviewed on 08/20/2011 by April\'s Acres - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Washtenaw, Michigan, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Sweet tasting cucumber. Very prolific. Several plants succumbed to bacterial wilt and downy mildew though.

Reviewed on 01/04/2009 by kreela - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Albemarle, Virginia, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: Less than 6 hours per day
I planted seeds from a cucumber I bought at an indian grocery, and I think it is the same variety. The flesh is more like a cantaloupe in smell and looks, although it tastes more like a cucumber. I tried it in salads and as a pickle. My friends and family raved at the taste. The cucumbers were prolific the first year, but last summer seemed to be too dry for them. The rind is hard, but insects did not seem to bother them.

Reviewed on 10/15/2008 by DeanRIowa - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Iowa, United States Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: Less than 6 hours per day
We loved this cucumber in my house. The color takes some time to get used to but they have a great flavor for salads. I actually bought them to discourage kids from taking my cucumbers from a back fence, and it works they look rotten when they are ready. I will be growing these cucumbers for years to come.

Reviewed on 06/26/2007 by Eddie51 - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Clay, Kentucky, United States Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
One of the best things about this cucumber is that it is never bitter. It is extremely crisp and because of its fairly large seed section it is also very juicy. The seeds themselves are very small unless you let it grow large. I never knew that it was good to eat when "ripe", or brown in color until I tried an "overgrown" one last year. I grew up in Poona, India and this was the only cucumber we ever had to eat. The yellow stage was the only way they were sold in the bazaar. We often used them in sandwiches in the summer months when the heat was high and you didn't want a dry sandwich. Sourdough bread with mayo and sliced cucs topped with leaf lettuce....! I have never had any trouble growing this variety. I have always had a fairly large yield so long as I didn't crowd them.

Reviewed on 05/29/2007 by FlipTX - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Harris, Texas, United States Frost Free Season: More than 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
I give this one a 5 for flavor. It is as crisp as an apple, with a sweet, mild, cucumber flavor. The golden brown exterior is a real conversation starter with visitors to my garden. The only reason I give it a 4 is because yield hasn't been great for me. I planted four and only two survived, and those that survived are not as prolific as the Cool Breeze cuke I am growing. However, I will grow the Poona Kheera again and will update my rating if the yield/vigor improve.

Reviewed on 03/19/2007 by TJD57 - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, United States Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Loam Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I grew this cuke last year and I have to say I was amazed at how determined it is. We had a terrible infestation of striped cucumber beetles. The poor plants were covered every day! However, even through that devastating assault, the plants kept producing until giving up the ghost in later summer. Seemed for every blossom the beetle chewed another two flowers would appear. And chewed leaves made the vines grow longer and faster. The cucumbers are mild and sweet and shaped somewhat like a potato with cream colored skin ("ripe" cukes had brownish skin). This cuke, in my opinion, is well worth growing.

Reviewed on 01/12/2007 by starflakes - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Roberts, South Dakota, United States Frost Free Season: 103 - 123 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
I was impressed overall with Phoon Kheera as it produced early and in 100 degree heat, but not allot of cukes. The taste is never bitter and clean. It was very easy to grow so for allot of 4 stars add up to a 5.

Reviewed on 08/24/2006 by Horseshoe - An experienced gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Orange, North Carolina, United States Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
What a wonderful cucumber, both the fruit and the plant. I harvested my first ripe cuke only 29 days after setting out the transplants. This one is a keeper; very prolific and fast growing. Touted to be disease resistant however I have witnessed some of the lower/older leaves wilting/dying but have not seen any evidence of cuke beetles/squash bugs on the plants. (It's as if they are not attracted to the plant.) Many leaves will show a yellow-speckled look...not yet sure what causes that yet. As stated in the description, the fruit is creamy yellow and definitely changes to brownish when "ripe" (although the young yellow cukes are fairly flavorful as well!).

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Cornell Garden Based Learning, Cornell University College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, Horticulture Section