cucumbers from seed

IrishGuy · April 29, 2009

I posted this earlier in another thread without reply. Maybe this thread will do better...

This year is my first year for growing cucumbers. And I decided to grow some from seed mostly for something for my 3 year old daughter to enjoy, planting, watering, watching grow, etc. Right now the plants are in 16 oz. plastic Solo cups and they are all around 7" tall. I plan on transplanting three plants into larger pots and growing them in the pots. I don't have any room in my small garden to have cucumbers in the ground. At what point does anyone reccomend I transplant the plants into the larger pot? I usually don't plant my garden outside until the middle of May. I am in northern Indiana and we could still very possibly get frost overnight. If need be, I could put the plants into the pots and keep them inside the house for a little while. Thanks for any advice on this.

jungseed · April 29, 2009

Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. But didn't want you to think we were ignoring you.
For cukes, I just plant in the garden when the soil is warm and let them do their own thing. So I have no experience with them in containers.

Sorry - I was useless.

**carolyn137** · April 29, 2009

Perhaps you won't like what I'm going to say but I think the best option is to just reseed them.

Cukes and melons if started inside need only a couple of weeks before they can be set outside b/c they grow so quickly.

Just think about sowing the seed maybe 2-3 weeks before your last average frost date b'c I'm not one who ever rushed out on the last average frost date and put everything that's tender out then.

I always wait a couple of weeks after that date to put stuff out, weather permitting.

So you should still have plenty of time to reseed and I'm assuming in N Indiana you're probably about a zone 5.

But it's your choice entirely. I just wouldn't want to deal with older larger plants that you now have.

OmahaJB · April 29, 2009

Irishguy,

I'm pretty much repeating what Carolyn said, just in different words.

This is my first year for starting cucumbers from seed, and in part these are the instructions I received from Baker Creek:

"Best direct-seeded at about the time of last frost, but can be started earlier as transplants, provided the seedlings are set out before becoming rootbound."

I read somewhere to start the seeds 1-2 weeks before transplanting, if you want to start indoors first. Carolyn's advice of 2-3 weeks is obviously about the same.

Monday I started cucumber seeds indoors and already have a couple poking through the soil. I plan on planting seed directly into the soil in the ground, and the seeds I'm starting early will either be going into 5-gallon growbags or transplanted into the ground in about 2 weeks.

Also, I noticed in the instructions that they are heavy feeders, so I'll be fertilizing them probably more than I will my tomatoes.

Good luck with them. BTW, if it were me and I had the room I'd probably try growing the 7" seedlings anyways. But then again, I like to experiment a little to see what the results will be.

Jeff

ddsack · April 29, 2009

I would transplant them into the final pots as soon as possible. Unlike tomatoes, cucumbers are fussier about having their roots disturbed too much, and the bigger they are, the more likely you'll do a little damage.

Since they will be in pots anyway, I would think you could put them out now during the days, to a sunny sheltered spot and just plan on carrying them in at night for a couple of weeks til the nights warm up. Don't forget to harden them off before leaving them in the sun all day. And yes, cucumbers do need extra feeding and watering in pots, but no reason it can't be done, in fact the black plastic pots will be warmer than being in the cold ground.

Tania · April 30, 2009

I pot up cucumbers almost every year - as the PNW weather is often not predictable in late April/May, and it is always hard to say when our nights warm up to 45+F, so I can put them into the final location in the greenhouse. Another words, if the weather is still too cold, I am forced to pot up. I want to harvest cucumbers in late May, and my method works.

I do have reasonably good success with potting up cukes from 2" pots (where I start the seeds) into 4" pots or 2 litre milk containers. The only time my method fails if when I let them sit in the small pots for too long and they become root bound. The key to success is a very good soiless mix that allows you to easily remove transplants from the containers without disturbing roots. I do lose few plants (<10%) , but a loss of 5-8 plants out of 80+ does not hurt me that much.

On the other hand, my thumb turns very brown when I try to direct seed cucumbers here in PNW. It takes them forever to sprout, and germination is very low, due to the cold wet soil, and once they sprout, slugs kill most of them pretty quickly

. Plus, there is no way I could get a first cucumber in late May by direct seeding.

Tania

IrishGuy · April 30, 2009

Wow, this is great info everyone. Thanks for posting. I think I will transplant to the larger pots and keep them inside for a while longer before placing them out on my deck. If I do end up losing some of the plants I will simply re-seed into the large pots later.

IrishGuy · April 30, 2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by ddsack

Don't forget to harden them off before leaving them in the sun all day.

Please excuse me, could you or someone else elaborate on "harden them off"? I don't know what that means. Thanks.

DeanRIowa · April 30, 2009

Here is a website describing various hardening off methods.

I personally do the first method of slowly orientating them to the full sun.

Dean

creister · April 30, 2009

To keep slugs and other bugs away from young cucs and squash, sprinkle ground red pepper around each plant, about 3-4 inches out from stem. I have done this the past few years and works great. Doesn't affect the taste either.

outsiders71 · May 5, 2009

I think the answer to starting cukes and melons is growing them in a pot that is biodegradable or one that can be transfered into a bigger container without upsetting the roots. Ami has a thread about Cow Pots, which if you google you will find a place to order them, which should work good for starting cukes/melons.

http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=10866

April 29, 2009	#1
IrishGuy Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana Posts: 6	cucumbers from seed I posted this earlier in another thread without reply. Maybe this thread will do better... This year is my first year for growing cucumbers. And I decided to grow some from seed mostly for something for my 3 year old daughter to enjoy, planting, watering, watching grow, etc. Right now the plants are in 16 oz. plastic Solo cups and they are all around 7" tall. I plan on transplanting three plants into larger pots and growing them in the pots. I don't have any room in my small garden to have cucumbers in the ground. At what point does anyone reccomend I transplant the plants into the larger pot? I usually don't plant my garden outside until the middle of May. I am in northern Indiana and we could still very possibly get frost overnight. If need be, I could put the plants into the pots and keep them inside the house for a little while. Thanks for any advice on this.

April 29, 2009	#3
carolyn137 Moderator Emeritus Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Upstate NY, zone 4b/5a Posts: 21,169	Perhaps you won't like what I'm going to say but I think the best option is to just reseed them. Cukes and melons if started inside need only a couple of weeks before they can be set outside b/c they grow so quickly. Just think about sowing the seed maybe 2-3 weeks before your last average frost date b'c I'm not one who ever rushed out on the last average frost date and put everything that's tender out then. I always wait a couple of weeks after that date to put stuff out, weather permitting. So you should still have plenty of time to reseed and I'm assuming in N Indiana you're probably about a zone 5. But it's your choice entirely. I just wouldn't want to deal with older larger plants that you now have. __________________ Carolyn

April 30, 2009	#6
Tania Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anmore, BC, Canada Posts: 3,970	I pot up cucumbers almost every year - as the PNW weather is often not predictable in late April/May, and it is always hard to say when our nights warm up to 45+F, so I can put them into the final location in the greenhouse. Another words, if the weather is still too cold, I am forced to pot up. I want to harvest cucumbers in late May, and my method works. I do have reasonably good success with potting up cukes from 2" pots (where I start the seeds) into 4" pots or 2 litre milk containers. The only time my method fails if when I let them sit in the small pots for too long and they become root bound. The key to success is a very good soiless mix that allows you to easily remove transplants from the containers without disturbing roots. I do lose few plants (<10%) , but a loss of 5-8 plants out of 80+ does not hurt me that much. On the other hand, my thumb turns very brown when I try to direct seed cucumbers here in PNW. It takes them forever to sprout, and germination is very low, due to the cold wet soil, and once they sprout, slugs kill most of them pretty quickly . Plus, there is no way I could get a first cucumber in late May by direct seeding. Tania __________________ Tatiana's TOMATObase

April 29, 2009	#2
jungseed Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Pardeeville, WI Posts: 318	Sorry, I don't know the answer to your question. But didn't want you to think we were ignoring you. For cukes, I just plant in the garden when the soil is warm and let them do their own thing. So I have no experience with them in containers. Sorry - I was useless.

April 29, 2009	#4
OmahaJB Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Toledo, OH Posts: 1,821	Irishguy, I'm pretty much repeating what Carolyn said, just in different words. This is my first year for starting cucumbers from seed, and in part these are the instructions I received from Baker Creek: "Best direct-seeded at about the time of last frost, but can be started earlier as transplants, provided the seedlings are set out before becoming rootbound." I read somewhere to start the seeds 1-2 weeks before transplanting, if you want to start indoors first. Carolyn's advice of 2-3 weeks is obviously about the same. Monday I started cucumber seeds indoors and already have a couple poking through the soil. I plan on planting seed directly into the soil in the ground, and the seeds I'm starting early will either be going into 5-gallon growbags or transplanted into the ground in about 2 weeks. Also, I noticed in the instructions that they are heavy feeders, so I'll be fertilizing them probably more than I will my tomatoes. Good luck with them. BTW, if it were me and I had the room I'd probably try growing the 7" seedlings anyways. But then again, I like to experiment a little to see what the results will be. Jeff

April 29, 2009	#5
ddsack Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3 Posts: 3,231	I would transplant them into the final pots as soon as possible. Unlike tomatoes, cucumbers are fussier about having their roots disturbed too much, and the bigger they are, the more likely you'll do a little damage. Since they will be in pots anyway, I would think you could put them out now during the days, to a sunny sheltered spot and just plan on carrying them in at night for a couple of weeks til the nights warm up. Don't forget to harden them off before leaving them in the sun all day. And yes, cucumbers do need extra feeding and watering in pots, but no reason it can't be done, in fact the black plastic pots will be warmer than being in the cold ground.

April 30, 2009	#9
DeanRIowa Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 5a - NE Iowa Posts: 416	Here is a website describing various hardening off methods. I personally do the first method of slowly orientating them to the full sun. Dean

April 30, 2009	#10
creister Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Abilene, TX zone 7 Posts: 1,478	To keep slugs and other bugs away from young cucs and squash, sprinkle ground red pepper around each plant, about 3-4 inches out from stem. I have done this the past few years and works great. Doesn't affect the taste either.

May 5, 2009	#11
outsiders71 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Ohio Posts: 150	I think the answer to starting cukes and melons is growing them in a pot that is biodegradable or one that can be transfered into a bigger container without upsetting the roots. Ami has a thread about Cow Pots, which if you google you will find a place to order them, which should work good for starting cukes/melons. http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=10866