{"product_id":"concombre-beit-alpha-ancestral","title":"Beit Alpha Cucumber Heirloom","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCucumis sativus\u003c\/em\u003e L.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCommonly called \"Lebanese cucumber,\" it's the favourite of many people, and for good reasons. Beit Alpha was born in the 1930s when breeders were looking for a cucumber adapted to the dry, hot Middle Eastern climate, productive under glass, and freed from the bitterness that afflicted traditional European varieties. The result became, within a few decades, the standard of all eastern Mediterranean cooking — it's the cucumber of Israeli salad (cucumbers and tomatoes diced very small with lemon, olive oil and mint), of Lebanese tabbouleh, of Greek tzatziki, of mezze everywhere between Athens and Tehran.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShort, slim fruits 10 to 15 cm, glossy medium green, with a particularly thin skin that never needs peeling, and dense, crunchy, juicy flesh almost devoid of visible seeds. Above all, exceptional mildness — low in cucurbitacins (the bitter compounds also responsible for the famous \"burping\") — it's eaten like a fruit, crunched whole over the sink on heatwave days. Vigorous, very productive climbing plant that yields continuously for 2 to 3 months if you pick regularly. Genetic bonus: the variety is largely parthenocarpic — that is, it produces its fruits without needing to be pollinated — useful in a greenhouse or tunnel where bees rarely enter, and a guarantee against cross-induced bitterness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGrower's tip:\u003c\/strong\u003e Like all cucumbers, it hates being moved. Indoor start 3 to 4 weeks maximum before transplanting (in biodegradable pots ideally), or direct-sow in early June once the soil is at 18 °C. Install a sturdy trellis — the plant readily climbs to 2 metres and the suspended fruits stay perfectly straight, clean and easy to spot. Pick early and often — Beit Alpha is better harvested small (10-12 cm) than at full size, and each fruit picked stimulates several more. For gardeners with a cold greenhouse or tunnel, it's without hesitation the variety of choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen-pollinated. Largely parthenocarpic — produces fruits without need of pollination.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCMR\/MMR resistance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eClimbing vine 1.5 to 2 m, to be trellised.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaturity: 55 to 65 days after transplant.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eExposure: full sun.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich, deep, well-drained soil, kept cool with good mulching. Space plants 40 to 50 cm apart on the trellis.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndoor start 3 to 4 weeks before last frost in biodegradable pots, or direct-sow in early June once the soil is at 18 °C minimum.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Joual Vert","offers":[{"title":"40","offer_id":42097127194796,"sku":"GC-H-CUCBAL-40","price":3.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200","offer_id":42097127227564,"sku":"GC-H-CUCBAL-200","price":15.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000","offer_id":42097127260332,"sku":"GC-H-CUCBAL-1000","price":63.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0532\/1388\/8684\/products\/beitalpha.jpg?v=1664660632","url":"https:\/\/joualvert.ca\/en\/products\/beit-alpha-cucumber-heirloom-seeds","provider":"Joual Vert","version":"1.0","type":"link"}