I do all my planting indoors around the end of March when the ground is frozen and there are still snow storms here in Massachusetts. Cuke seedlings grow fast, so I wait till mid-late April for them. Perhaps I should be direct seeding them in the garden some time in May.

[QUOTE=enchant;479871]I do all my planting indoors around the end of March when the ground is frozen and there are still snow storms here in Massachusetts. Cuke seedlings grow fast, so I wait till mid-late April for them. Perhaps I should be direct seeding them in the garden some time in May.[/QUOTE]

You will get your best results by starting them indoors. If you set them out when all and I do mean all danger of frost is past they will do great. Cold nights will ruin cucumbers and squash by stunting them. They take forever to recover if that happens and sometimes they never recover. Even this far south where frost is very unlikely after mid march I have had much better results starting them indoors; but timing is everything.

Bill

[QUOTE=b54red;480167]You will get your best results by starting them indoors. If you set them out when all and I do mean all danger of frost is past they will do great. Cold nights will ruin cucumbers and squash by stunting them. They take forever to recover if that happens and sometimes they never recover. Even this far south where frost is very unlikely after mid march I have had much better results starting them indoors; but timing is everything.

Bill[/QUOTE]

I agree Bill.

I always start my cukes inside in my zone 5 area and only a couple of weeks before I set them out as I described above in terms of the 4 inch pots, etc.

They do germinate quickly and they do start vining quickly and I want to get them out ASAP before the vines really get going.

Carolyn