Fothergill's Cucumber Patio Snacker Seeds

Details:

• Botanical Name: Cucumis sativus 'Patio Snacker', an elite F1 hybrid dwarf selection within the Cucurbit family.
• Plant Class: Half Hardy Annual, establishing with incredible speed and structural vigour to deliver a fast, heavy, and continuous summer crop.
• Premium All-Female Variety: Engineered with advanced modern genetics to produce predominantly female flowers. Because female flowers turn directly into cucumbers without needing complex pollination, this plant delivers a vastly superior, highly reliable yield compared to older, traditional varieties.
• Gourmet Snack-Sized Fruits: Bears an abundance of beautifully formed, short, and plump green cucumbers. The fruits are thin-skinned, completely bitter-free, crisp, and contain very small, tender seeds, making them perfect for eating whole straight from the vine.
• Compact Patio Framework: Naturally forms a tidy, short-vining framework that spreads or climbs just 60–90cm. This controlled habit makes it the absolute definitive choice for large patio tubs, balcony containers, or small raised beds.
• Nutritional Rewards: A wonderfully hydrating and health-boosting addition to your summer diet, serving as an excellent natural source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and dietary fiber.
• Optimal Position: Thrives at its absolute best when positioned in Full Sun in a warm, sheltered location out of harsh winds, using a rich, fertile, and moisture-retentive compost.

Care Instructions:

• Sowing Position: Start seeds indoors from March to May for the surest, most foolproof results. Sow individual seeds 1.5cm deep, placed on their sides (to prevent rotting), in small 7.5cm pots of moist seed compost. Maintain a warm, consistent indoor temperature of 20–24°C for rapid germination. Keep on a bright windowsill.
• Planting Out & Spacing: Once the young plants have developed 3–4 true leaves and the spring weather has fully warmed, harden them off gradually over 7–10 days. Plant out into their final large patio pots (minimum 30cm diameter) or sunny garden beds in late May or June, once all risk of frost has safely passed.
• Moisture, Nutrition & Support: Cucumbers are incredibly thirsty and hungry plants. Water deeply and regularly to keep the compost consistently moist—allowing the soil to dry out completely can cause the fruits to turn bitter. Feed weekly with a high-potash liquid tomato fertiliser once the first tiny fruits begin to form.
• Training & Harvesting: Although compact, these sturdy vines produce small tendrils. Provide a short bamboo cane, a small trellis, or a decorative obelisk in the pot for the plant to climb up, which keeps the foliage tidy and the cucumbers lifted clean off the ground. Harvest the fruits frequently when they are roughly 10–12cm long to stimulate a non-stop succession of fresh cucumbers until September.