Beit Alpha Cucumber
Cucumis sativus 'Beit Alpha'
Height: 6 feet
Spacing: 12 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A beautiful high yielding, disease resistant variety great for gardens and containers; produces 12" long, spineless and burpless cucumbers with thin, non bitter skin; sweet and crunchy flavor, perfect for slicing, salads, and pickling when harvested young
Edible Qualities
Beit Alpha Cucumber is an annual vegetable plant that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces large dark green long cucumbers (which are technically 'berries') with light green flesh which can be harvested at any point. The cucumbers have a sweet taste and a crunchy texture.
The cucumbers are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Eating When Cooked/Prepared
- Pickling
Planting & Growing
Beit Alpha Cucumber will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 18 inches. When planted in rows, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Because of its vigorous growth habit, it may require staking or supplemental support. This fast-growing vegetable plant is an annual, which means that it will grow for one season in your garden and then die after producing a crop.
This plant is typically grown in a designated vegetable garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America, and it is considered by many to be an heirloom variety.
Beit Alpha Cucumber is a good choice for the vegetable garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
