Cucumber seed Painted Serpent Long-Fruited.
(Seed Library)

Culture: May be started indoors for early production, or direct-seeded when soil has warmed. Minimum germination soil temperature 65 degree, optimal range 65-95 degrees. Very tender, will not survive frost. Direct seed 3 inches apart thinning to 1' apart in rows 4-6 feet apart or 6 per mound in hills 4 feet apart thinning to 3 best plants. For transplants: once seedlings have 1-2 true leaves, about 3 weeks old, plant 1 foot apart in rows 4-6 feet apart. Cucumbers require good fertility and regular rain or irrigation for abundant yields. Without adequate water, fruits will be misshapen and bitter. Pick cukes frequently for best production, or else the plants shut down. Make sure to remove blimps to the compost pile.

Seeds from Fedco Seeds. 1388 Painted Serpent.

Also known as Armenian Cucumber or Snake Melon, native to Armenia and brought to Italy in the 15th century. Its flavor surpasses that of cucumbers, excelling in salads and stir-fries without bitterness or burps. Slender slightly fuzzy flexuous fruits delicately coil like a serpent with alternate light and dark green stripes. Culture like the melon it is, starting indoors in individual pots and transplanting into a low tunnel. Will grow up to 30 inches but best eaten at 8-18 inches. Straighter if trellised.