Gardener surprised when cucumber seeds produce round lemon cucumbers

When a Latvian gardener bought cucumber seeds this spring, she expected the usual long green cucumbers. Instead, she found round, light green balls growing in her bed, resembling small pumpkins, apples or even lemons.

Unsure what to make of the harvest, she turned to fellow gardeners on Facebook, asking whether anyone could share their experience. She explained that she had bought cucumber seeds but the plants produced strange round fruits. Commenters quickly reassured her that the seller had probably not mixed up pumpkin or squash seeds – these really were cucumbers, just an unusual variety.

Experienced gardeners recognised the fruit as lemon cucumber, also known as 'Lemon Cucumber' or 'Crystal Lemon'. It is a genuine cucumber variety, with fruits that start out greenish and gradually turn pale yellow as they ripen. Several women said they had been growing lemon cucumbers for years.

Opinions about the taste differed. Some commenters found the fruits sweeter and crunchier than regular cucumbers. One woman described them as 'apple cucumbers' and said her family ate them like apples. Another said they were very crunchy and especially popular with her child. One commenter recommended using them for pickling, saying the round fruits look nice in jars and on the holiday table. Others, however, were disappointed: one gardener called the yellow cucumbers rather tasteless and said she had stopped growing them after one season.

Those with experience advised harvesting lemon cucumbers while they are still young and greenish. An overripe fruit becomes harder, develops larger seeds and loses its mild flavour. The ideal time is when the fruit has reached the size of a small apple and only just started to turn light yellow. Despite the name, lemon cucumbers do not have a pronounced citrus taste; the name comes from their round shape and yellowish colour. In taste they remain a cucumber – fresh, juicy and sometimes a little sweeter.

The incident prompted other gardeners to tell their own stories of unexpected harvests. One woman said standard long greenhouse cucumber seeds produced huge, bumpy fruits the size of zucchini. Another gardener reported that sorrel grew where she had sown lettuce seeds. A third customer bought six packets of sweet peas, but only two desired seedlings came up; the rest were weeds.