this year it seems all my cuke plants got bacterial wilt (darned beetles!) and i'm about to lose the few i have left. so think if i planted now i would have enough time to get cukes on the new plants before winter hits??? i've never planted this late. i'm pretty sure i'm zone 6. the thought of not having fresh cukes for the rest of summer makes me ill.....

Pagarden, I had the same problem. This is the first year for my new garden and did not have much time to plant this spring as I was still adding ammendmants to the soil as it is very heavy clay with lots of rocks to boot. I planted a good bit of sweet corn and several cukes (Burpee seedless). The four cuke plants I planted on two mounds produced very quickly, but now have yellow spots all over and the leaves are dying quickly. I believe I have anthracnose and am pretty disappointed, but thats gardening. I just wonder what I can do next year to avoid this disease. I hate to use any sprays, but will if I have to.....

I learned if you want a steady supply to plant a second and third crop of cukes, at four week intervals after the initial planting.

Also I like to spray sparingly every 7-10 days untill they have cucumber blossoms. This keeps the beetles away and gives the plants a strong start.

I have grown lots of varieties, but Bush Pickle resisits cucumber diseases the longest. Don't let the name scare ya, the variety produces a nice never bitter cucumber and is very prolific.

I am trying Gurneys Hybrid 2 this year also. It also is suppose to resist disease and not be liked by the cucumber beetle. I planted two in mid June
and have yet to find a cucumber beetle on them.

Yes, thanks Woodland Garden. I think a second and third planting would make a lot of sense. I am also going to try your suggestion on the Bush Pickle variety. I will put it on my wish list for next year along with the Gurneys Hybrid 2. Look out Cucumber Beetles!!!