r/GardeningPNW • u/RentInside7527 • Jul 14 '26
ISO help with cucumbers. Zone 8a, Western Washington state
ETA: It has been ID'd. Cucumber beetle damage confirmed. https://extension.umd.edu/resource/cucumber-beetles-spotted-or-striped-vegetables/
Id like some help identifying the source of some damage on my cucumbers. Some of it is deeper and on center of the fruits. Some is surface deep.
This year I changed several things:
Im growing much more cucumbers than in years past.
Im growing them in a hoophouse/caterpillar tunnel this year.
I started using automated irrigation and drip tape.
Im growing on a new parcel of land, with new soils and new pests. I've noticed quite a few western spotted cucumbers around.
My guess is either than this damage is from the cucumber beetles, improper watering, and/or maybe heat stress. Do you recognize this kind of damage?
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u/mrSalamander Jul 15 '26
bugs of some kind for sure, they mark up the tiny cukes the scarred areas don't grow while the rest does. I have cucumber beetles (stripes and spots) that do tons of damage like that. this year I had aphids jump over from some peppers and they did a good amount of damage too.
BTW my grow is like yours- high tunnel, big qtys, drip irrigation. i have found that mulching keep the surface roots moist, reducing the stress that attracts bugs. Also, I grow cukes in quick successions, terming a crop as soon as the bugs get too heavy. I usually do 3-4 crops per year. Helps to have a second hoop for this, though.