What Happened To Pickalot?

Pickalot produces lots of pickles!

Last season I grabbed a package of cucumber seeds off a store seed rack. I was snagged by the cultivar name 'Pickalot' for a hybrid cucumber. It so happened I was looking for a good pickling cucumber. This one offered a special benefit for my limited-space garden: lots of cukes on compact plants.

True to its name, this cuke gave us many batches of pickles from three hills grown on a nylon net trellis in one of our raised beds. Althgether we canned 17 pints of pickles and had plenty of additional cucumbers for eating fresh and making gazpacho.

Now this year for some reason I can't find the seeds. Burpee, from whose rack I purchased the seeds last year, lists it as "Out of Stock" in its online catalog this year. Since they advertise it as a "Burpee Exclusive," another source may not exist. One can only assume the problem lies with whomever is the source of the seeds. Perhaps they suffered a crop failure or suspended this line of plant breeding. I hope they bring it back next year.

If you happen to notice someone offering this cucumber for 2012, grab a packet. It is a great plant.

And please let me know where you found them!

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