Should I toss my squash and cukes started Feb 15?

[wolfie]

I planted my squash and cuke seeds in february and they are already getting big... I don't have any row covers or anything, and am wondering if I should put em outside or just toss em and resuse the soil...

what are your thoughts??

[applestar]

In my garden, cukes won't go out until at least 1st weekend in May or maybe even Mother's Day, and squash a week later than that, so I would imagine at least end of April for you. So, yeah, if it were me, I might just keep one or two cukes to see if I could grow them inside and toss the rest. The cukes would have to go into containers they could grow in though, probably minimum 5-gal size each.

[gixxerific]

I started some zucchini roughly the same growing conditions as cukes and squash, fast. They may make it till planting but maybe not. If they do I may plant 1-2 of them just for hech of it but I will mainly beplanting by seed in the ground. I went over board one day planting and a lot of it has been culled, I even threw most of it staright into the garden, just threw it. I beleive some of it has take root. If it grows it grows if not I'll start more anyway's.

We have to remeber that it is still early. I am trying to come to grips with this myself, having been growing since Dec in the basement. It seems super late to me yet it's really early.

[jal_ut]

It would be a shame to waste them. Can you plant them out and cover them on cool nights? I sometimes use empty buckets to cover plants when I suspect a frost. I don't know when your average last frost is, but you can plant them out then. Maybe set them on the patio to harden and bring them in on cool nights? Tough decision.

[rainbowgardener]

It is hard (next year plant a little later! ), but I'm with jal_ut, shame to waste them. There in VA it seems like your average last frost date is likely 1-3 weeks away (not that squash really want to go out then, they like the soil warmed up more than that).

You said you don't have row covers, but they are really easy to make. Just any kind of frame (people use PVC pipe, I use the wire frames political signs go over, could be just bamboo tied together at the top) and put clear plastic drop cloth over it, sold cheap in any paint store or HD type place. Put it up now over the spot you want the plants to go and it will start warming the soil. Then once danger of frost is over, plant the seedlings under the cover.

In the meantime putting your seedlings in a cooler area with less hours of light will slow them down so they aren't growing so fast.

[applestar]

Wow, can they really go out that early? I know cukes are a bit more cold hardy than squash, but... ? Well, whatever you decide, good luck!

p.s. If I were growing cuke and squash transplants, I would start them about 3~4 weeks before planting out: General assumption, though not always the case: 1wk to germinate (though usually takes less), 1wk for 1st true leaf, 1wk for 2nd, and 1wk to harden off.

[rainbowgardener]

No not usually... you are right about the soil warming, and no I have not planted my squash seeds yet (average last frost here 4/15). Just trying to see if these could be saved. With poly tunnel to warm the soil first and keeping them under cover, that would extend their season a bit...

But the other point of view is right too... start some more seeds at the appropriate time to have for back up, or just wait and plant some more in the ground once the soil has warmed up. But if the choice is to throw these out, you haven't lost anything by trying to give them a chance... if they don't make it then they get thrown out and you are only where you would have been.

[applestar]

Oh. OK. I see your point. Then my recommendation for warming the soil is to use the solarization tech (which probably won't solarize because the sun's rays are still a bit weak): Black plastic or weed barrier directly on the ground, then a clear plastic on top. Not my favorite method but you may need to just cut planting holes and plant if the ground remains cold, but the polytunnel type cover may be sufficient to remove the ground mulch. Definitely polytunnel type cover after planting to protect the leaves.

I found (or maybe someone else posted this before ) [url=https://www.ghorganics.com/Phenology.html]a page on Phenology[/url]. I'm pretty sure by "plant" they mean sow seeds. I don't have lilac here but my Mom's lilac bushes are leafing out. My daffodils leaves are growing but no flowers yet. From my experience last year, you can sow peas early as you want, but they won't start to grow until they're good and ready.

Plant peas when daffodils start to bloom.

When the common lilac plant has leafed out plant lettuce, peas and other cool weather varieties. When it's flowers are in full bloom plant beans and squash. When its' flowers have faded plant cucumbers and squash.

[gixxerific]

Whatever you do wolfie I think you should leave space if you plant them to plant newer transplants or seed among them. If nothing else than a succession planting. Cukes are very prolific, have you seen the harvest jal had heck even my meager painting was almost too much.

I did what Rainbow suggested to you and put mine out of the direct light a week or so ago, which has slowed them down a bit. I can't seem to waste a plant either.

[wolfie]

well I hate to waste a plant, but if I get the full time job I have been wanting, which I think I find out tomorrow, I won't have time to make the tunnel and warm the ground and all that, however I do have an extra bedroom that is somewhat cold and no light so I can put them there, and see if it stunts them. Then I can both start new seeds next month right? and then plant them all at the same time in may maybe? when is the right time for my area for them to go in the ground as seedlings?

[applestar]

According to jal_ut in another thread, you should be able to sow the seeds in the ground by avg last frost which should be around 1st~2nd week in April for you (but they probably won't sprout for about 2 weeks -- I'm seeing that as the general pattern when sowing seeds earliest as you can). According to Territorial Seeds instructions, cuke seeds won't sprout unless ground has warmed to 60ºF.

If you're prepared to protect them in case of sudden cold snap, you should be able to plant them out then, but, personally, I would start hardening off on the last avg. last frost date and plant out a week later.

[wolfie]

ok, so that being said, if I go ahead with avg last frost for me being mid april, if I plant now it gives them a week to sprout, a week for first true leaf, a week for 2nd set leaves a week to harden then into the ground I should be good right? or is my math completely off?

[garden5]

Well, I did not know that cukes were less cold tolerant than squash, but I do know that both of them do not like to get root bound. Nothing does, really. About what size containers are they already in? If the containers are large enough, you may be able to get away with keeping them for another week or two indoors.

If they are crowded as it is, I would just plant all but a few in the garden. If they die, oh well; at leas you tried. As others have said, you could continue to grow a few indoors, just for the heck of it.

Unless, of course, you have the room and materials to up-pot all of them so that they can grow larger.