Compact gherkin seeds for productive kitchen gardens
Grow your own crisp picklers with these gherkin seeds ‘National Little Green’, a classic small green gherkin variety of Cucumis sativus. Unlike standard cucumbers, this short-fruited gherkin has been selected especially for uniform, compact fruits that are ideal for jars. The plants form vigorous vines with plenty of tendrils, well suited to outdoor gherkin growing on wires or simple supports, as well as greenhouse gherkin cultivation where space can be used vertically. This variety produces fruits with an attractive green colour, neat shape and a length-to-thickness ratio of about 3:1, giving them a tidy, consistent appearance on the plate or in the jar.
Small green gherkin seeds ideal for pickling
These small green gherkin seeds are particularly valued as gherkin seeds for pickling, delivering firm, evenly sized fruits that take on added flavours beautifully. The skin should be smooth rather than bloated, tapered, warty or rough, making this small green gherkin variety easy to sort into familiar size classes such as “very fine”, “fine” and “medium fine”. Larger fruits can be reserved for traditional sour pickles, while the smaller ones are perfect for whole-jar recipes. As part of the cucumber gherkin Cucumis sativus group, selected lines also include parthenocarpic gherkin seeds that can set fruit without pollination, offering reliable harvests from mid-summer into early autumn. Ideal for anyone who enjoys homegrown pickling cucumbers and wants a steady supply of fresh gherkins straight from the garden or allotment.