Developed decades ago by the National Pickle Packers Association in conjunction with the Michigan Agriculture Experiment Station, this is the pickle that perfectly fills every jar with its thick tips and crisp, delectable flavor! Pickle packers requested a cucumber that would not have tapered ends, so that every pickle jar could be more completely filled, giving consumers an extra bite of two of goodness from every cuke! The result was National Pickling Cucumber, and it exceeded their expectations! Blunt, thick cukes up to 6 inches long are only slightly tapered at the ends. Dark green with black spines, these cukes are delicious at any age. Pick them at 2 to 3 inches for gherkins, or at 4 inches for fresh eating as slicers. Or let them mature to full size (1¼ pounds on average). They deliver heavy yields all season long, not to mention good resistance to scab and cucumber mosaic virus. Direct-seed 1 to 1 ½ inches deep, either in rows (2 inches apart in rows 5 to 6 feet apart) or in hills (3 to 6 seeds per hill, hills spaced 3 to 5 feet apart). Thin to 8 to 15 inches apart in rows or 2 to 3 plants per hill. Snip off plants when thinning to avoid disturbing the roots of nearby plants.