We’re not sure we understand your question. From planting to harvest, cucumbers take anywhere from 40 to 60 days to develop. Once they are ready to be harvested, you will want to harvest them every couple of days to make sure that none of them become overripe. The number of cucumbers you get from each cucumber plant depends on the variety and the health of the plant, but most produce quite a lot of cucumbers per season.

Many cucumbers have spines, but some varieties may be spinier than others. You can also get spineless types. As I understand it, the spines (also called trichomes in botanical terms), act as defense by the plant, protecting the developing cucumber from insects. The base of the spiny hairs contain compounds that taste bitter, to also deter hungry pests. As the cucumber matures, the spines become less or disappear. (Cucumbers at the supermarket often have had the spines removed.) Pickling cucumber varieties tend to be more prickly than slicing types. With some varieties, the spines are sparse and easily rubbed off before eating. However, with other types, it is best to peel the cucumber to remove the spiny skin before eating the interior. To check ripeness, carefully check the firmness of the cuke, the color, and size–follow recommendations on the seed packet or plant label, if you have it, for the variety that you are growing. Hope this helps!

We do advise that you use a trellis to grow your cucumbers and any type will do, even a tomato cage. Trellising will protect the fruit from damage from lying on the moist ground.

We just recently sliced into an grocery-store English cucumber and it too had seeds, albeit very small ones. A couple of thoughts here: We are inclined to go to the source, first: Have you inquired of your seed supplier what you should expect? And consulted the grower—not to be confused with the vendor—of the starts/seedlings? The “brand” of seedlings, if commercial (as opposed to local), would normally appear on the plant tag/stick.

Then there’s this: The proximity to other plants may be part of the problem. English cukes DO have seeds; however, they are considered “undeveloped” because they are, in the truest form, not as large as those in a conventional cucumber. The English cuke is parthenocarpic: It develops fruit without pollination. So, insects that pollinate nearby plants could also visit your cukes and alter the results. There is, according to some, a belief that English cukes do best in a greenhouse for this reason, although at least one other source suggests that you are more likely to achieve the desired produce/harvest, if you plant the cukes 115 feet or more from other cukes—or, presumably, other flowering plants. So, maybe there is something to the greenhouse idea… If that’s not feasible (understandably) perhaps row covers tightly secured over plants at a distance (not nec 155 feet) would yield a more satisfactory cuke.

We’re not sure what you’re asking, but a cucumber plant will keep producing fruit if you keep harvesting. If you stop picking the fruit when mature, the plant will slow down or shut down production.

Lack of water can cause cucumbers to become bitter and you certainly don’t want the cucumbers to get too big because that can also cause bitterness. They’re too big if the end is getting yellow.

There are several reasons why a cucumber will curl (called crooking), including pollination troubles (such as not enough pollinators, or hot weather damaging the pollen) or not enough nutrients, water, light, or adequate warmth. Pests and diseases can also cause curling or deformed cucumbers. If the fruit is blocked by an obstacle while it is developing, even a leaf, then it can curl; growing cucumbers on a trellis, so that the fruit can hang, helps to prevent this problem. Check to see if your plants are receiving ideal conditions, and look for any signs of pests and diseases. In hot weather, you might provide some shade during the hottest part of the day.  Also, if you are growing cucumbers outdoors, be sure that the variety you select is not parthenocarpic (for example, ‘Sweet Success’); these cucumber varieties do not need pollination and are best grown in the greenhouse, where there are no pollinators; if they do become pollinated, then the fruit can curl or become otherwise misshapen.

If round cucumbers are occurring on just one plant but others are normal, then your seeds are to blame. Occasionally, a hybrid seed will make it into a packet and produce unexpected results, which is probably what happened in your case. Don’t worry, though, as spherical cucumbers are essentially the same as normal ones—just a little more well-rounded!

Yes, cucumbers appreciate the warm summer temperatures and should mature in approximately six weeks under good conditions.