The cucumbers that most of us have in our gardens is called a slicing cucumber. They are generally shorter and more stout than the English cucumber, with larger seeds and a thicker skin. The English version, on the other hand, is long and svelte, usually wrapped in plastic to protect its tender skin. The English cuke has fewer seeds, so there's no need to be worried about removing those, while the garden cucumber can be chock full of seeds that can sometimes be bitter.