HelpfulGardener.com

Hi! New member and first time vegetable grower here! I started some veggies indoors in cups to later be transplanted to larger containers outside. One of my cucumbers was doing great on my windowsill until yesterday when I Accidentally knocked it over the plant came out of the soil roots and all - I gently replanted in the cup, added more soil and watered. I woke up this morning to the plant completely wilted! The soil was dry so I’m hoping that’s the culprit but I hope I didn’t harm it? Thoughts?[/img]

oh no! so sorry that happened.

Cucumbers as well as related melons, watermelons, squash and gourds, as a group are sensitive to root disturbance including constricted roots and drying out.

So it had pretty much worst experience. It’s also possible there was a hidden break in the main stem or root.

Luckily, cucumbers are fastest growing and maturing of this group, and it’s almost better to just sow the seeds outside where they are to grow. Where are you located? What’s the last average frost date? Mine is next week and I would be sowing cucumber seeds in 2weeks or later, after the ground has chance to warm up a bit. I do pre-germinate in the house to let the seeds grow a bit of root before sowing them — this speeds up germination and saves time.

As far as cucumbers not liking to be transplanted, my experience agrees with Applestar's. In the one year I tried starting them in pots, transplanting was a dismal failure. Re-sowing in ground from the same seed batch was 100% successful.