i seem to hear and read that starting cucumbers, squash,melons and such plants indoors and transplanting them in the garden after frosts, does not have good results. could some of you share your experience and opinion with me. thanks. mo
cucumber family
I usually start my cucumber seed indoors about 3-4 weeks before the last frost date (about May 1 here). Usually works fine, but last year I got fewer cukes than usual. This year I am going to try a couple of varieties promoted by Pinetree Gardens as doing well in Maine, so hopefully they will produce in CT as well.
I don't have enough room for melons or squash, but two years ago, a pumpkin vine appeared crawling out of my compost pile, evidently from seed deposited the previous Halloween. Although it was on the north side of the house and doesn't get much sun, I did get one pumpkin out of it!
Don S.
thanks for your reply. it is encouraging. and i'll give it a shot. i also want to try some of these "bush type" cucumber plants. have you or anyone heard of them? or tried them? and does getting cucumbers to climb on wire work? thanks. mo
Climbing works. Saves space. A friend planted smaller cukes in a hanging basket. Worked great too.
We plant the seeds directly (outside) and do use netting and they do climb. Yes, bush cucumbers!
thank you guys. i do appreciate your input. now tonight. i brace myself for a what might be a big snowstorm. well i grudgingly admit we need the snow and so do our gardens. still i truly hate winter. its the gemini in me. (lol) mo
I've gotten pumpkins, squash and gourds out of my compost piles without planting or doing anything other than dumping a few rotting pumpkins and gourds we never got around to cutting up and have always ended up with pumpkins and squash come halloween.
We do somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 plants of squash, pumpkins, gourds, cucumbers, watermelon, & muskmelon every year. Plants should not be much over 4 weeks old. Plant in big containers, so roots are not disturbed when transplanting. Plant out when soil is good & warm. We mulch with green plastic a number of days in advance of planting. A hole is made in the mulch, watered good & plant put into the "mud" hole. Melons will start running a week or so after transplanting.
Our planting date here is around May 29.
Watermelons planted May 29, 3 years in a row, were ripe August 15.
We found that we get a better stand in the field when using transplants.
Keep an eye out for striped cucumber beetles, they can eat young plants very fast.
Bernie