Fothergill's Cucumber Beth Alpha F1 Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Cucumis sativus 'Beth Alpha F1', a premium and highly refined hybrid selection within the Cucumber genus.
• Plant Class: Half Hardy Annual, establishing with superior speed and stamina to deliver an early, consistent, and prolonged summer harvest.
• Sweet Seedless Baby Cues: Bears crisp, uniform, and cylindrical mid-green fruits with a perfectly smooth skin and exceptionally tender flesh. They are naturally sweet, entirely bitter-free, and refreshing.
• Excellent Growing Adaptability: Highly versatile variety that performs spectacularly over a long cropping period in both warm or cool greenhouses, polytunnels, or a warm, sheltered, sun-drenched outdoor patio.
• Vigorous Climbing Habit: Naturally develops a strong, vertical vining framework. Training it up support netting, a trellis, or sturdy garden twine saves valuable ground space and keeps the hanging cucumbers perfectly straight and clean.
• Heavy Prolific Cropper: This modern hybrid is bred for high performance, continuously pumping out fresh flowers and fruits from early summer right through to the autumn.
• Kitchen Versatility: The ultimate "snacking" cucumber; perfect for popping whole into children's lunchboxes, slicing fresh into crisp summer salads, or serving on a traditional Mediterranean mezze platter alongside hummus and olives.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: Start seeds indoors from April to May by sowing individual seeds on their edges 1.5cm deep in small pots of moist seed compost to protect tender roots. Maintain a warm, consistent temperature during germination. Position in full sun.
• Planting Out & Support: Plant out into greenhouse borders, large pots, or bags in late May once conditions are warm. Provide a sturdy vertical support system such as netting or stakes, and loosely tie the main stem to guide the plant upward.
• Moisture & Nutrition: Cucumbers are incredibly thirsty and hungry plants. Water deeply and regularly around the base of the plant to keep the soil consistently moist but never waterlogged. Feed with a high-potash tomato fertilizer every two weeks once the first tiny fruits begin to develop.
• Harvesting Tip: Use a sharp knife or garden snips to harvest the cucumbers when they are young, crisp, and roughly 10–15cm (4–6in) long for the peak flavor and texture. Frequent picking is essential to stimulate the plant into pushing out a non-stop supply of new fruits.