Shintokiwa Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Shintokiwa'
- Vegetable
- Cucumber
- Japanese
- Bitter-free
A vigorous Japanese cucumber with long, slender, thin-skinned fruit that stays sweet, crisp, and bitter-free even when large.
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‘Shintokiwa’ is a vigorous Japanese cucumber that produces long, slender, thin-skinned fruit. It is prized for staying sweet, crisp, and entirely bitter-free even when the cucumbers grow large.
Sweet and crisp
The thin skin means there’s no need to peel, and the flavor stays mild and sweet across a wide range of sizes — a forgiving cucumber for the home garden.
Care tips
Grow it on a trellis to keep the long fruit straight and clean. For the most tender texture, pick around 8 inches, but don’t worry if a few get away from you — they hold their sweetness.
Fun Fact
Cucumber bitterness comes from compounds called cucurbitacins. 'Shintokiwa' was bred to produce virtually none of them, making the skin sweet enough to eat without peeling — one reason it became one of Japan's most popular fresh-market cucumbers.
Habitat & form
Where it's from and what to expect.
- Native range
- South Asia (the species); this variety was bred in Japan
- Plant type
- Vegetable
- Mature size
- Best picked at 8 in. or smaller, though it stays sweet when larger.
- Bloom
- Long, slender, thin-skinned fruit.
Care
How to keep it happy.
- Soil
- Trellising is recommended to produce long, straight fruit.
- Pruning
- Maintenance: train the vine up a trellis and pinch off the lowest side shoots and leaves for airflow, keeping the long fruit straight and clean.