Cucumbers

recruiterg · April 5, 2009

When do people typically start cucumbers? Do people start seed indoors or plant outside after frost danger is past? If early, how many weeks prior to planting to you start seed???

Thanks...

duajones · April 5, 2009

I dont start them indoors anymore at all. I just direct sow as they are usually pretty fast growing once you start them. Of course I am in South Texas, long ways from where you are.

mater-head · April 5, 2009

I always direct sow my cukes and squash. I've always been told that cukes dont transplant all that well.

BattleOfBennington · April 5, 2009

I always start cukes and squash early, inside. Plant outside when I plant the Maters

Quote:

Originally Posted by recruiterg

When do people typically start cucumbers? Do people start seed indoors or plant outside after frost danger is past? If early, how many weeks prior to planting to you start seed???

Thanks...

DeanRIowa · April 5, 2009

At my home garden I have to start them inside as the squirrels dig up all seeds. I also plant some for my far garden inside to get a head start.

Dean

mater-head · April 5, 2009

How well do they transplant for you? How large do you let them get before transplanting?

Wanna trade some of your squirrels for some of my moles? :-)

DeanRIowa · April 5, 2009

I have not had any problems with transplanting my cucumbers they seem to do fine. I like to get the 2-3 weeks head start as well. I usually let them get about 4 inches or so before transplanting.

Quote:

Wanna trade some of your squirrels for some of my moles? :-)

Not even on a dare. I had one mole once, what a pain.

Dean

Polar_Lace · April 5, 2009

When I lived in NYS, Broome County, I started all melon, cukes, peas (even sweet peas,) beans, squash, pumpkins etc., in toilet paper tubes, with any soil I chose.

The reason behind it was to let the roots grow down to the bottoms. Sometimes I even used paper towel rolls cut in half for the plants I knew wanted to grow longer roots; usually squash and many of the above. I wrote the names on the TP and PT rolls in thick permanent markers before loading them with the soil.

Place them standing up into One of those plastic coffee cans (5 holes in the bottom) and watered with a measuring (1)cup as to not over water them. The lids served as water drainers. If you like to start 6-8 TP rolls of one kind, you can write the name on the outside of the plastic can. I've used crafting/ice cream sticks from the dollar store to tag them too.

Remember, the roots will grow down before spreading out. Usually timed by 6-8 weeks.

~* Robin

Adenn1 · April 6, 2009

Over the last few years I have started my cuke seeds about the time I do my tomatoes...which has resulted in some large cuke plants when I finally get them in the ground. I have had no problems with my transplants. Only problem is they all seem to die off about the same time...leaving me at the end of the summer with no cukes.

Last year I got smart and decided to direct sow some cuke seeds in early June. They grew very nicely and started to set fruit about the time when the other plants were winding down. We had a pretty warm fall and I had cukes well into September.

April 5, 2009	#1
recruiterg Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Edina, MN (Zone 4) Posts: 945	Cucumbers When do people typically start cucumbers? Do people start seed indoors or plant outside after frost danger is past? If early, how many weeks prior to planting to you start seed??? Thanks...

April 5, 2009	#2
duajones Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Corpus Christi,Texas Z9 Posts: 1,996	I dont start them indoors anymore at all. I just direct sow as they are usually pretty fast growing once you start them. Of course I am in South Texas, long ways from where you are. __________________ Duane Jones

April 5, 2009	#3
mater-head Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: iowa Posts: 31	I always direct sow my cukes and squash. I've always been told that cukes dont transplant all that well. __________________ rod

April 5, 2009	#6
mater-head Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: iowa Posts: 31	How well do they transplant for you? How large do you let them get before transplanting? Wanna trade some of your squirrels for some of my moles? :-) __________________ rod

April 5, 2009	#8
Polar_Lace Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Z8b, Texas Posts: 657	When I lived in NYS, Broome County, I started all melon, cukes, peas (even sweet peas,) beans, squash, pumpkins etc., in toilet paper tubes, with any soil I chose. The reason behind it was to let the roots grow down to the bottoms. Sometimes I even used paper towel rolls cut in half for the plants I knew wanted to grow longer roots; usually squash and many of the above. I wrote the names on the TP and PT rolls in thick permanent markers before loading them with the soil. Place them standing up into One of those plastic coffee cans (5 holes in the bottom) and watered with a measuring (1)cup as to not over water them. The lids served as water drainers. If you like to start 6-8 TP rolls of one kind, you can write the name on the outside of the plastic can. I've used crafting/ice cream sticks from the dollar store to tag them too. Remember, the roots will grow down before spreading out. Usually timed by 6-8 weeks. ~* Robin __________________ It's not how many seeds you sow. Nor how many plants you transplant. It's about how many of them can survive your treatment of them.

April 5, 2009	#5
DeanRIowa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 5a - NE Iowa Posts: 416	At my home garden I have to start them inside as the squirrels dig up all seeds. I also plant some for my far garden inside to get a head start. Dean

April 6, 2009	#9
Adenn1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Philly Posts: 559	Over the last few years I have started my cuke seeds about the time I do my tomatoes...which has resulted in some large cuke plants when I finally get them in the ground. I have had no problems with my transplants. Only problem is they all seem to die off about the same time...leaving me at the end of the summer with no cukes. Last year I got smart and decided to direct sow some cuke seeds in early June. They grew very nicely and started to set fruit about the time when the other plants were winding down. We had a pretty warm fall and I had cukes well into September. __________________ Mark