Beit Alpha Cucumbers

[organichris]

Anyone here have any experience growing Beit Alpha cucumbers? I'm going to give them a try this year. Everything I've read is positive, but it would be good to get a first hand account from one of my homies.

[DeanRIowa]

I have grown Super Zagross Middle Eastern Slicing Cucumbers for the last two seasons and they are a very good beit alpha, with thin skins, no bitterness, high production. They are somewhat suspective to disease though, but I highly recommend them. I personally do not peel them when preparing salads.

Dean

[organichris]

Thanks, Dean. I already got seeds from Baker Creek. They're just marked "Beit Alpha", but I know there are several different Beit Alpha types, some of them hybrids. I hope disease won't be an issue. I think they're probably acclimated to a climate with much less humidity. I'm definitely going to give them a try. Thanks again.

Chris

[Ispahan]

Beit Alpha cucumbers are delicious. I have always thought "beit alpha" was a general term that described a type of cucumber with a juicy, mild flavor and thin skin typical of what is popular around the Mediterranean Basin. But recently I see several companies selling 'Beit Alpha' as a varietal name. Hmmm...

Many years ago I grew a wonderful beit alpha-type from the now defunct Shepherd's Garden Seeds and I thought it was far and away the best cucumber I had ever grown. My mother, who is very picky about what a proper cucumber should be, thought they were the tastiest and most wonderful she had ever had. I think what I had then was a hybrid, but I certainly didn't have any problems with pests or diseases back then (early 1990s).

There is an open-pollinated beit alpha-type called alternately 'Mideast Peace' or 'Mideast Prolific' that is available for several companies online that is supposed to be good. I have seeds and will be growing it out this season.

[organichris]

Ispahan, the one I'm growing is open-pollinated. Keep us updated on your progress this year. Thanks for the info.

[organichris]

Here's a plate of Beit Alpha cucumbers with Early Prolific Straightneck and Serranos.

[duajones]

The skin reminds me of Diva

[organichris]

Not familiar with Diva, but I can tell you that these require no peeling unless they get big. The skin is very tender and not overly bitter.

[tjg911]

Originally Posted by Ispahan

Beit
Many years ago I grew a wonderful beit alpha-type from the now defunct Shepherd's Garden Seeds and I thought it was far and away the best cucumber I had ever grown.

shepard's seeds was run by renee something or other, sorry can't remember her name. they were associated with the white flower farm in litchfield ct. iirc, rene decided to close shepard's but then opened renee's garden.

i found 1 beit alpha cuke http://www.reneesgarden.com/seeds/se...vegCh.htm#cuke


"Garden Oasis"

Exclusive - Extra-sweet, burpless, uniquely smooth-skinned Beit alpha cucumber renowned for quality throughout the Mediterranean basin. High yields of glossy fruits with refreshing juicy-sweet flesh. $2.79

tom

[sprtsguy76]

Not sure if Beit Alpha and all female varieties are the same thing, but I love Diva which is considered the latter. Another of my favorite all female varieties is Rocky Hybrid, its got the best taste and sweetness I have ever tasted in a cucumber. Here's the catch with Rocky though, they are tiny little buggers. They taste best when about 3-4 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide, but again, THE best tasting cuke I've ever had.

Damon

[organichris]

Originally Posted by sprtsguy76

Not sure if Beit Alpha and all female varieties are the same thing, but I love Diva which is considered the latter. Another of my favorite all female varieties is Rocky Hybrid, its got the best taste and sweetness I have ever tasted in a cucumber. Here's the catch with Rocky though, they are tiny little buggers. They taste best when about 3-4 inches long and about 3/4 inch wide, but again, THE best tasting cuke I've ever had.

Damon

Yeah, same goes for the Beit Alpha in that they are best when smaller. I'd say 5 or 6 inches. They still taste good when they are bigger, but they loose their crunchy texture and their skins get tougher.

This has been a tough year for my Cucumbers. While I have had a highly productive tomato season, my cucumbers have struggled to produce fruit.

My mainstay cucumber has for many years been Sweet Success with all female blooms and huge sweet cukes. I normally plant a spring crop which wears out in mid summer. I then plant a fall crop that produces until frost.

This year, I also planted Diva. It produced a few fruit early which were delicious. It then did the same thing my Sweet Success did. It simply stopped growing. It stopped blooming and setting fruit and started dyeing except for the growth tips of each vine. The Diva vines have also been constantly attacked by aphids while my other varieties haven't been attacked.

I also planted a variety named Muncher which hasn't produced a single cucumber.

We are leaving later this week for a ten day trip and I think I will pull all the cucumber plants and replant before we leave. They should be germinated and ready to grow again when we return.

Ted