Beit Alpha Cucumber Seed

Pickle-perfect! Very popular in the Mediterranean; also called a Lebanese or Middle Eastern Cucumber. Fine, sweet flavor, high yields, burpless and has great shelf life. An excellent choice for both slicing and pickling. Bitter-free. Needs abundant moisture, rich soil and a bit of afternoon shade. Harvest frequently to keep the vines producing. Beit Alpha takes better to direct-sowing than starting indoors and transplanting, so save yourself the extra effort. Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seed.

• Days to germinate: 7-14 days
• Days to maturity: 55
• Start indoors 3-4 weeks before last frost. Sow ½” deep in sterile planting medium.
• Transplant spacing: 18-36” (do not disturb roots when transplanting). If you’re trellising, the transplants can be spaced as close as 18” apart.
• Sow outdoors when temperatures reach 70º.
• Seed spacing: Plant seeds in groups of 2-3, then another group 36” away (unless you’re trellising; see note just above).
• Seed depth: 1/2”
• Produce size: 6” or longer – harvest smaller cukes for pickling whole
• Yield: About 12 lbs. per vine
• Mature plant height: 4’ (or longer) vine
• Suitable for container growing: No
• Year of discovery: Circa 1935; of Israeli origin