When to thin cucumbers and zucchini?

[Rhii]

I have zucchini and cucumber planted at either end of a large windowbox-style planter (about 1'x1'x3') which does not yet but will have a trellis behind it. Both are container varieties (Bush Champion, and I forgot which Zucchini, it's Burpee.)

Last year when I planted cukes and summer squash in my raised bed, nothing came up at all. So I was paranoid and put in way too many seeds. Now I have EIGHT big green healthy zucchini sprouts and SIX baby cukes! In that small space, which I was already worried was too small for one of each!

Obviously, I must reduce them. Should I wait until they get real leaves so I can see which look healthiest? The zukes are just starting their second set of leaves. The Cukes are a couple days behind. I'm thinking I should narrow each down to 3 and then down to 2 and then finally down to 1 when I'm relatively sure it'll survive?

Next year I will only plant a couple!

[Asica]

Let's see what others say. But I would not wait to long to start pulling them since if they are close to each other, the roots touch. As you pull one you are effecting the rest. I would leave one zucchini and 2-3 cucumbers.

[Rhii]

I think the zucchini are probably already too big to pull without the roots touching. Argh. I have historically had issues getting squash-types to sprout - probably because I've never planted them in containers before. So I was overzealous.

If I snip the zucchini at soil level will they grow back?

[Asica]

I do not think zucchini would grow back if you cut it. That good be a good resolution.

[imafan26]

Bush champion is a bush cucumber. It does not need a trellis but will take as much space as a zucchini plant. One of each plant will need about a 30 inch circle. You can cut the extras and they don't grow back. If they are very small they can be transplanted but if they are already got a couple of rows of true leaves, the roots will be too entwined.

A vining cucumber like Diva wil grow on a trellis. The trellis should be in place when you plant. I use the folding tomato cages for cucumber trellisses. I stack two of them and use long stakes to support them. I can plant 2 cucumber vines on one cage and since it is trained up, it only takes about a square foot of real estate. Vine cucumbers can produce more than bush varieties over a longer time. Bush varieties tend to give most of their fruit around the same time.

[Rhii]

Sounds like next year I am doing vine cukes. I might need to replant the zucchini in a larger container and let the cukes have the windowbox. They have only one true leaf set and when I thinned them they still had very small root systems so I think they would transplant well.

The trellis for them is under construction, my partner is building it for me with chicken wire, he's good at that, he made magnificent tomato cages for me. He does other kinds of wire work, so he's pretty good.

In other news, it rained last night and the windowbox planters (I have two) are NOT draining properly! My cukes/zukes and lettuce were in a pond this morning! I poured off the excess but the soil is sloppy muddy. I don't know why they're not draining, they are planters with drain holes in them, and my soil should be drainable it's 1 part soil, 1 part compost, 1 part perlite, and the compost had some chunky bark bits.

I hope my plants are ok they were doing SO well before this happened! I have some seed left I can replant if they're ruined but I don't know what I would use for a container.

[applestar]

If you can, get another windowbox -- maybe a 4 footer if you can -- and move ONE or two zuke to that box. I would do this by digging as far away from the cuke you intend to keep -- straight down, then try to scrape the bottom of the box all the way to the zuke and lift out after running a knife along the side edges like you are getting a cake or bread out of a pan. Can you do that? Maybe a narrow flat shovel, or something like it (a mason's rectangular off-set trowel?) to help you accomplish this. Think delicate layer cake -- you are about to serve the multi-layered wedding cake to the father of the bride.....

MAINLY support the zuke seedling(s) you are going to keep and don't let the soil mix fall away from their roots. -- YOU NEED WATER THOROUGHLY but not soggy before doing this. Seedlings that are to be culled can be allowed to fall by the wayside (so to speak).

Fill the remaining space for the cuke with fertile but well draining soil mix. Give the zuke the same, and hopefully they will grow well.

I'm growing H-19 Littleleaf cucumber this year. They are supposed to be small and good for containers. Parthenocarpic too so doesn't require pollinators' or my help. I'm growing them on a short 4 ft garden fence but plan to put some in containers to see how they do as well. I did grow them in a 4 gal tote one year to see if I could grow them indoors during winter -- that was a bust due to unheard of pickleworm infestation and cuke not liking the cold temp and insufficient light... but any way. It looked like they would have been happy if I had tried in the summer growing season.

[Rhii]

I looked up the container, it is 36" x 8" x 8" (a little narrower than I thought.)

I could definitely move the zucchini at this stage, when I thinned the others, I had a good look at the roots and they are not too spread at the moment. I have a long-bladed trowel that would do it relatively easy, I think, but where I would put them is the issue... I do have a big cracked rubbermaid tub I might be able to replant the zucchini in, but I would need to buy a lot more dirt (and drill holes).

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sterilite-70 ... /204606576

I think it's hardly too late to start a new one from seed if I have to.

I'm concerned about the water retention in the window box planters though. Afraid I'm about to lose all my lettuce and all my "squashes".

[imafan26]

Window boxes notoriously come with small holes and a drain tray that partially blocks the holes. I would remove the drain tray and put a few more holes in the sides of the box about 1/2 inch from the bottom. It is easier for me to use a soldering iron than a drill. Just make sure you have a mask since burning plastic is toxic. Put the planter on a couple of bricks. It will keep the bottom drain holes from being blocked. Soldering irons are cheap and sold at craft and hardware stores. You will need an extention cord if you don't want to move the planter much.

Next time, you could plant 2 cucumbers in a hill and trellis them up. I use folding tomato cages and stack one on top of the first. I use a couple of long stakes to support them and tie them together with twist ties. They work pretty good for the cucumber and I can fold them for storage later. Tomato cages are useless for tomatoes. The other thing you can do is open up the folding tomato cage and make a fence. You still need upright stakes and those are better in the ground since the window box will be too shallow to anchor them. the tomato cage can be stacked but it is easier to use a tomato cage on the bottom and trellis netting on top. I have also anchored stakes in cans or tires but they are heavier that way. I use tent poles so they can come apart. If you put a tent strait connector or a pvc pipe in the can and anchor it with cement it makes a pretty good fit. Connect the top with more connectors and a straight piece of tubing. You can get trellis netting for the middle. It will support a light vine but something heavy like gourds will bend the poles so you have to put rebar inside the poles to reinforce them.

[Rhii]

Thank you for the advice on the drainage and trellising issues.... I think I will try to get some more holes in those window boxes and also raise them up to improve drainage. I am not sure the saucer part comes off but I will look into it.

ATM, I think I'm going to try the trellises my partner is building (wooden stakes and chicken wire, in a box that fits around three sides of the planter) because it won't cost me anything extra this year, we already have the materials. If it's a bust, we'll look at something different next year.

He built my tomato cages just from a full cylinder of heavy gauge chicken wire staked to the ground on the outside of the pots, We cut some hand-holes in it for watering and harvesting, but for the most part it's just a rugged circle of fence about 4 feet high. Working good so far!

[applestar]

The clear sterilites look nice and less expensive (I think?) but doesn't stand up to the sun/UV and will become brittle after a season outside in the sun and can start breaking off unexpectedly. Also green mildew proliferates on the inside walls that you can actually see. Real Rubbermaid roughneck seems to take the weather and elements better. Choose colors based on how hot it gets where you are.

Not sure about plastic leaching,etc. though. I'm a bit leery. I did get a couple of expensive Food safe Brute's.

But still on the fence about plastic containers even while I use them.

[Rhii]

The clear sterilite are ones I already have with cracks from rough handling during a recent move, so not useful for storage anymore. I think getting one season out of them would be more use than they currently are sitting empty in my closet. I don't know how I feel about non-food-grade plastic either, but financially speaking, using what I have seems awesome.

I think next year what I want is a bunch more of the Fiskars Ariana planters in the largest size (I currently have 2 of the 21" both with tomatoes and 1 of the 19" with peppers) for any of the "large" veggies (tomato, pepper, all kinds of squashes) and use my 12" pots and windowboxes just for herbs and leafy greens. If I get tubs I think it would be if I decide to grow roots like carrots or potatoes or beets.

[imafan26]

They don't make pots as thick as they used too, but those will work. I put extra holes in them. I got some resin planters from Costco. They don't have holes so I will have to drill them, but I think they will last longer. The resin makes them lighter than terra cotta.

[Rhii]

I like that they're inexpensive, so if they break, replacing them is not a big deal. And I really like them so far, they look nice on my patio, and my tomatoes are growing an out of control jungle in them. They are the biggest happiest tomato plants I've ever seen in early June in Maine before!

Edit to add: I also put extra holes in them, near the bottom but along the sides.