Question
My cucumbers' leaves are huge, as well as the plant, but the fruit has no taste and it turns yellow to white in a very short amount of time.  I can't figure out what I'm missing?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Also, this is just a general question, but, have you ever heard of tomato & bell peppers
re-seeding themselves to grow the following year? Both plants traveled and settled outside of my designated raised bed garden area.  I guess they wanted to be in my flower garden instead.

Answer
Lora, when cucumbers do not transition to green, it is due to one of three reasons.

First, and the most common, is the fruit is blanched as a result of no light. This is common when the leaves get very large and completely cover the cucumbers. The lack of light causes the cucumbers to stay a light yellow or off-white.

The second most common reason is too much rain. The excess water depletes nutrients from the soil causing the cucumbers to stay a lighter color. This condition will also affect the taste of the cucumbers, usually resulting in a bland flavor. To correct this, you need to fertilize with a fertilizer high in phosphorus.

Finally, there are white hybrids on the market. One of the more popular is Cucumber Pearl, distributed by Park Seed. Although the skin remains white, the flavor and texture are the same as the traditional cucumber.

In regard to the question on tomatoes and peppers self-seeding, this is actually very common. When the plant drops fruit, the seeds will lie dormant through the winter and germinate the following spring. Birds will often carry seed from one location in the garden to another. Be advised, however, that seeds from a hybrid plant rarely produce an exact replicate of the parent. Conversely, seeds from heirlooms reproduce all the same traits as the original.

I hope this answered your questions. Please write again if I can ever be of assistance.

Regards,

Mike