Days to Maturity: 58 from sowing; 32 transplants

2002 AAS Winner

Diva is simply delectable, with thin, tender skin, crisp flesh, and a flavor that combines sweetness with a genuine cucumber bite impossible to find in the bland supermarket varieties today. It arises very abundantly on vigorous, disease-resistant plants, giving you a huge crop of the finest burpless cucumber we have tasted in a long time! No wonder it was a 2002 All America Selection!

These 6- to 8-inch-long cukes look as good as they taste. Spineless and forest-green, they are plump, well-shaped, and packed with crunchy texture and sweet flavor. Don't even think about peeling the semi-glossy skin—it's thin, tasty, and full of nutrition.

Diva is parthenocarpic—it needs no pollinator to flower and fruit—and is renowned for its big yields. We recommend harvesting the fruit before it reaches maximum size—the smaller cukes are especially succulent.

Despite her name, Diva is no temperamental star but a rough-and-ready garden performer, tolerant of Scab, powdery mildew, downy mildew, and angular leaf spot. The vining plant reaches 5 to 6 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide, with very prolific fruit over a good season.

Burpless cucumbers are known for their tasty, non-astringent flesh, small seed cavity, and crisp, thin skin that never needs peeling. They are premium cukes for eating fresh.

Direct-sow seeds in a sunny spot after all danger of frost is past or start indoors and transplant when the first true leaf appears. Cucumbers can be allowed to grow on the ground, but for longer, straighter fruit and to save garden space, grow them in a cage or on a trellis, allowing 1 foot between plants. Keep them well watered and keep the fruits picked promptly.

Pkt of 30 seeds