Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners

Reviewed on 09/18/2012 by Ferdzy - An intermediate gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Ontario, Canada Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days Soil Texture: Sand Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
Have only grown this for one year, a very hot dry and difficult one. Do not know how it would do in cooler, damper weather. However, Yamato Sanjaku held up through heat, drought, and swarms of cucumber beetles and squash bugs to produce large quantities of good quality cucumbers. Excellent for making Bread and Butter Pickles. Just very impressive. We will be growing this again next year.

Reviewed on 09/24/2010 by Jay Tracy - A novice gardener
Overall Taste Yield Ease	Pima, Arizona, United States Frost Free Season: Fewer than 103 days Soil Texture: Clay Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20') Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
The Yamato cucumber is not as vigorous looking as the Suyo but it can really do well in the long run. Once it gets 18"+ it starts branching out and taking over. It does not set fruit especially fast but it sets much more fruit than the Suyo does and it is a much better bet in the long-term in a hot climate. I would not want to strain this variety with too much fruit when temps are over 105 degrees but this variety does tend to self-regulate by not forming the flower petals on the female flowers when the plant is under stress. This may sound like a bad characteristic but, in my opinion, it is better to keep the plant and get a couple fruit than lose the plant and fruit due to the plant setting too much fruit during times when the plant is under intense stress. The top 1/3 of the fruit tends to be bitter but this can be elevated by cutting the ends and rubbing them in a circular motion against the ends they were cut on until the cut sides foam a little. If, after waiting ½ hour after doing this the top 1/3 of the fruit is still a bit bitter you can peel the skin off. If that doesn’t work you can always slice it thin and soak it in salt water. The salt will replace the bitter taste through some form of osmosis. If you live in an area where heat is the problem I would definitely recommend the Yamato cucumber even over the Suyo Long. It can take the heat incredibly well.