Why Are My Cucumbers Yellow?

With heat wave hangover leaving northeast gardeners gasping, let’s touch on a timely question: why are my cucumbers yellow?

If you’re lucky enough to have mature cucumber plants already fruiting, then this precocious (and looong lingering) heat dome may well have you worried about your cukes.

Regulars will remember an older post that asked a similar question.

Why are my cucumbers orange? They’re turning yellow-orange, to be precise…

This summer we have enjoyed more productive cucumber plants than ever before, but recently the enormous fruit are discoloring from green to yellow to orange before we can eat them. (Source: Why Are My Cucumbers Orange?)

Whether orange or yellow, you’re likely in the same proverbial boat.

Cucumber plants push out an impressive canopy of protective leaves that work a bit like sun umbrellas, shade the tender cucumber fruit. But sometimes the leaves grow thin, get crushed, or blown aside. When this happens, especially when followed by several days of relentless sunshine, it’s not uncommon to see some yellowing of the cucumbers as they over ripen.

The sun exposure – overexposure, really – damages the chlorophyll, and the cucumbers effectively get sunburned, losing their ability to photosynthesize, and becoming bitter.

The oranging skin 
is a warning:
I’m overripe, 
too mature, 
untasty, even bitter,
and I’m 100% unfit 
for human consumption.

(Source: Orange Cucumbers)

In closing, it’s worth noting that overwatering (or an extended period of rain) can also cause cucumbers to become yellow. And there are some viral afflictions that can result in cucumbers becoming yellow as well such as cucumber mosaic virus. So, why are your cucumbers yellow? I guess, 9 to 1, that they over-ripened in the hot, hot, hot sun.