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20 Popular Cucumber Types [with Names & Pictures]

Did you know that Cucumbers are enriched with vitamins and other minerals making you full?

Generally, there are two types of Cucumbers: slicing and pickling, including resistant and unique varieties. Jackson Supreme, Chicago, National, etc., are pickling varieties, while Excelsior, Katrina, Lagos Slicing, etc., are Slicing varieties of Cucumbers.

These varieties may have different features like smooth to spiny, lots of seeds to no seeds at all.

Among these slicers, picklers, disease-resistant, and unique varieties, you may choose the best fit your needs. 

Top 10+ Different Cucumber Types

Basically, there are only two Cucumber types: Slicing Cucumber and Pickling Cucumber. However, they include many disease-resistants, hybrids, and cold-tolerant varieties.

Pickling Cucumbers are mainly used for making pickles due to their small size. But, if you want to make salads and dressings, you better choose long, crispy, Slicing Cucumbers.

A. Best Pickling Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumbers, commonly known as picklers, come in tiny sizes and may not taste good if you let them grow bigger.

However, you can also enjoy some pickling varieties as slicers, which will taste good even if they grow bigger.

Pickler cucumber
Pickling varieties are smaller in size and used for making delicious pickles.

1. Chicago Pickling

Chicago Pickling Cucumber is one of the popular pickling types, with a thin layer covered in black spines.

You can harvest Chicago Cucumber up to 7 inches in about 55 days, and the quality won’t even degrade.

Moreover, this disease-resistant variety has a light and crispy taste you won’t notice in other Cucumbers.

This slicing Cucumber is native to Chicago and is mainly used as pickles.

2. National Pickling Cucumber

As its name suggests, National Pickling Cucumber is a widely used variety with dark green spiny fruits.

This delicious slicer produces 5-6 inches long Cucumbers ready to harvest in 55-65 days to maturity.

Native to Michigan, this Cucumber variety thrives in the warm climate and produces lots of yields.

This hybrid variety is resistant to scabs, bacterial wilt, and the Cucumber Mosaic virus. 

3. Jackson Supreme Cucumber 

Jackson Supreme Cucumber is a gynoecious plant with many flavors and disease-resistant ability.

This delicious pickler produces 3-5 inches of green fruits with white spikes ready to harvest in 50-55 days.

Moreover, this plant needs a male pollinator, so make sure to plant the full packet of seeds; otherwise, your plant may not flower.

Though Pickling Cucumbers are widely flavored differently in many parts of the world, they are excessively popular in the United States and rare and expensive in northern and eastern Europe.

B. Cucumbers for Cold Climate

Usually, Cucumbers thrive in warm weather and cant tolerate extreme frosts. However, some varieties may tolerate cold climates if you plant smartly.

4. Socrates Cucumber

Native to Persia, Socrates thrives in cold, dry climates with temperatures ranging from 50 to 82°F.

This disease-resistant variety produces only female flowers and lots of yields in 50-52 days.

You can harvest their thin layered, sweet, dark green Socrates after they become 7-8 inches long.

5. Bushy Cucumber

Bushy Cucumber will be a perfect choice if you have a little space and still want to plant Cucumbers.

These short-vined Cucumbers have a bushy appearance taking only 2-3 sq. ft of space.

Also, they produce 6-8 inches Green, slightly spiked cukes in only about 40-50 days of maturity.

Bushy Cucumbers are rapidly growing varieties that originated in Russia and are perfect for Moscow gardeners.

6. Armour Cucumber

Armour Cucumbers are delicious varieties native to Europe with excellent cold-tolerant ability.

This Cucumber variety is parthenocarpic and needs not depend upon any insects for pollination.

You can harvest this rapidly growing Cucumber variety when they become 3 to 4 inches long only in 47 days.

Grow them in your outdoor vegetable garden or greenhouse to enjoy them fresh and delicious.

Pro Tip: Start the Cucumber seeds indoors and provide 8 hours of the full sun until maturity. Use frost blankets to protect them from extreme cold.

C. Longfellow Slicing Cucumbers

Longfellow Slicing Cucumber is a bred, open-pollinated variety bearing white spiked classic Cucumbers with excellent flavors.

These Cucumbers tolerate cool springs and are popular for their yields and vigorous growth. 

Slicing Cucumber as salad
You can use slicer varieties for salads due to their crunchy, delicious taste.

7. Excelsior Cucumber

Native to America, Excelsior Cucumber bears dark green color with American-style spines.

This variety produces 4-5 inches long, crispy, and constantly flavored fruit all over the season in 2-3 weeks after you sow them.

Moreover, Excelsior Cucumber resists several pathogenic diseases like scab, Cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew and target spots.

8. Katrina Cucumber

Katrina is a seedless Cucumber variety Native to Bait- Alpha, Isreal, and highly adapted to hot climates.

Even if the plant faces heat stress, you can enjoy its 5.5-6.5 long freshly crisp fruits in 6-8 weeks.

These thin-layered mini Cucumber varieties are disease-tolerant and will bless you with tasty fruits without pollination.

Plant Longfellow Slicing Cucumber seeds outdoors in 12 inches diameter hills after the last frost when the soil gets warm. Also, start the seeds indoors 2-4 weeks before the same last frost.

D. Disease-resistant Cucumber Varieties

Pathogenic diseases like powdery mildew, scabs, white spots, etc., are likely to invade your Cucumbers if you live in an area with summer rains.

These pathogens leave spores on Cucumber leaves but cannot invade the fruits of these disease-resistant varieties.

9. Unagi Cucumber

Unagi is the cross between Persian and Asian Cucumbers that appears green and smooth without spines.

Usually, this crispy Cucumber variety produces 9-11 inches fruits, but their taste doesn’t even deter even if it reaches 14 inches.

Unagi Cucumbers are hugely resistant to many diseases like scabs, Cucumber mosaic virus, spots and powdery mildew.

Moreover, its disease-resistant ability helps it to thrive in hot, humid or wet conditions throughout the season.

10. Lagos Slicing Cucumbers

Native to America, Lagos Slicing Cucumbers are also called American Slicers and have developed excellent disease-resistant abilities.

You can grow this crispy, dark green, seedless variety anywhere in your greenhouse or outdoors.

Also, this variety is rapidly growing and takes only 47 days to fruit, even on rainy days or cold climates. 

This refreshing earliest hybrid is resistant to many Cucumber diseases like scabs, Cucumber mosaic virus, powdery mildew, and many more. 

E. Unique Cucumber Varieties

Unique varieties of Cucumbers can add fun if you are bored or monotonous from the same old garden activities.

There is a wide diversity of unique varieties of Cucumbers like lemon, Dragon’s egg, silver slicer, etc. These varieties are also helpful for artistic culinary decorations.

11. Mexican Sour Gherkin

Mexican Sour Gherkin is a special variety of Cucumber native to Mexico that looks like a mini watermelon.

This open-pollinated variety produces 1-inch-long oval fruits and allows you to harvest them regularly after about 67 days.

Moreover, you won’t have to slice them, just eat them directly or make a pickle out of them.

However, Mexican Sour Gherkin doesn’t yield much and can develop harder seeds if you grow them longer than 1 inch.

12. Lemon Cucumber

Lemon Cucumbers are unique Cucumber varieties native to Mediterranean southern Asia.

This amazingly flavorful variety appears round and yellow, just like lemon, and is popular in culinary arts.

Moreover, Lemon Cucumber is drought tolerant, resists many pathogenic diseases, and yields higher if you provide the right conditions.

These open-pollinated plants take almost 68 days to bless you with 3 inches-long, sweet, and crispy fruit.

13. Dragon’s Egg Cucumber 

As its name suggests, Dragon’s Egg isn’t really an egg but a sweet, crispy, round, and cream-colored Cucumber that Originated in Croatia.

This highest-yielding variety thrives best in 70-90°F temperature and produces 4-6 inches round fruits in about 55-65 days.

Dragon’s Egg will be perfect if you are searching for something interesting to plant with your children.

Additional 8 Cucumber Types with Distinct Features

Cucumbers come from the cucurbit family and are close relatives of pumpkins and melons with wide leaves.

Normally, they take about 50-70 days to produce about 20-30 fruits per plant. Here are some other varieties for you to choose from!

Broad Types ExamplesFeatures
Slicing CucumbersArmenian Cucumber11-15 inches long, thin, curved with dark or yellowish green color
English CucumberLong fruits growing about 12-15 inches with thin layered dark green color, pointed to the end
American CucumberStraight 8-10 inches long cucumber with dark green smooth skin without bumps and yellow marks on tips
Japanese Cucumber6-12 inches long fruits with thin bumpy skin and sweet, crispy taste
Persian Cucumber5-6 inches long narrow cucumbers with spiny skin and mild flavor
Pickling CucumbersKirby Cucumber6 inches or less with thin yellowish-dark green skin with bumps that tastes crispy and mild
Gherkins Cucumber2-3 inches fruits with light green spiny skin with crunchy texture
Lemon Cucumber1 inch fruits with soft seeds and sweet crunchy flavor

From Editorial Team

Choose Cucumber varieties as needed!

If you have the health issues like asthma or allergies, you can choose disease-resistant varieties to relieve the problems.

Moreover, if you want seeds for next year, choose open-pollinated varieties for yearly planting.

Also, you can grow parthenocarpic fruit varieties if your garden lacks pollinators.

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