Slicing Cucumber
Marketmore 76 is a legendary open-pollinated slicing cucumber that has earned its reputation through decades of dependable harvests and robust disease resistance. Producing dark green, 8-9 inch fruits with a thick, protective skin, this variety thrives in zones 2-12 and matures in 66-75 days from transplants. It's equally at home in market gardens, backyard plots, and containers, delivering heavy yields of crisp, refreshing cucumbers throughout the season.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-12
48in H x 72in W
Annual
High
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Dark green with smooth, thick skin that stands up beautifully to shipping without sacrificing the tender, refreshing eating quality inside, this variety has remained a garden standard for good reason. Marketmore 76 resists Cucumber Mosaic Virus, Downy Mildew, and Powdery Mildew, giving you the confidence to grow heavy crops even in challenging seasons. It produces consistently through variable weather and responds well to regular harvesting, which encourages the plants to keep flowering and fruiting prolifically.
Marketmore 76 is the quintessential slicing cucumber. Its 8-9 inch size and smooth, dark green skin make it perfect for fresh salads and sandwiches, where its crisp texture and bright, refreshing flavor shine. The thick skin protects the fruit during harvest and storage, making it particularly valued by market gardeners and anyone who needs their cucumbers to travel well from garden to table.
Sow seeds indoors in 50-cell plug trays, placing 1-2 seeds per cell, about 3-4 weeks before your intended transplant date. Maintain temperatures above 70°F during the day and 60°F at night to ensure strong germination and growth. Do not disturb the roots when transplanting; handle seedlings gently to avoid checking growth.
Transplant seedlings outdoors only after both soil and air temperatures have warmed, spacing plants 12 inches apart in rows 60 inches apart. Cucumber seeds germinate best between 65-80°F, so wait until conditions are consistently warm before moving plants outside.
Direct sow after the last frost date, or start seeds indoors under protection up to three weeks before transplanting (but no earlier, as cucumber seedlings grow quickly and can become root-bound). For continuous harvests, sow in succession at three-week intervals throughout the growing season.
Once fruit bearing begins, harvest daily. Pick cucumbers when they reach 8-9 inches long; regular harvesting is critical because once fruits become overripe on the vine, the plant tends to stop producing new flowers and cucumbers. The fruits are ready to eat at this size, with dark green color and firm texture being good indicators of prime ripeness.
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“Marketmore 76 is possibly one of the most recognizable heirloom varieties in cultivation, decades after its initial introduction. The name itself speaks to its origins: a cucumber bred with the market gardener in mind, designed to withstand the rigors of commercial handling while maintaining the flavor and tenderness that home gardeners demand. Its persistence in seed catalogs and gardens across North America reflects a simple truth: it was built to perform, and it has delivered consistently across generations.”