CERTIFIED ORGANIC! Sweet and crunchy Socrates Organic is a thin-skinned Beit Alpha variety specially bred for cool conditions. It stays productive under lower light conditions in the autumn and early spring, but it thrives in poly-tunnels, greenhouses, and in the field. Socrates Organic cucumber seeds are parthenocarpic, so the plants can produce fruits without pollination, and that means seedless fruits. Later in the season, if pollination occurs, seeds will form. This new hybrid is very productive, with a good resistance to scab and powdery mildew. Trellis the vines so the fruits can develop straight as they hang. Winner of the RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Matures in 52 days. (Hybrid seeds)
West Coast Seeds Socrates F1 Organic Cucumbers Seeds, Per Package
Starting
Sow 3-4 seeds 2cm (1″) deep in each spot you want a plant to grow. Thin to the strongest seedling. Space plants 23cm (9″) apart in rows 90cm (36″) apart.
Timing
Cucumbers need very warm soil to germinate. If direct sowing, wait until mid-June. If weather turns cool and wet after that, just re-sow. Or start transplants indoors in individual peat or coir pots 3-4 weeks before transplanting out into warm soil. If starting indoors, use bottom heat. Transplant when the plants develop their third true leaf. If the plants are too big, they may experience transplant shock. Optimal soil temperature for germination (and transplanting): 15-30°C (60-85°F).
Harvest
For a continuous harvest, make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until about 3 months before first fall frost date. Keep picking the cucumbers regularly, because if they get too big, the plant will stop producing. About one month before first frost, start pinching off new flowers so plants channel energy into ripening existing fruit.
