Cucumbers

[nickdrakeslovechild]

Hi, I wonder if someone can give me some help please about Cucumbers.

I started my tomatoes off indoors in a heated propagator 3 weeks ago they are all doing well. I also started off the cucumbers thinking I could extend my growing period for them (we eat a lot of cucumbers!) They are doing very well and have about 30 plants over 4 varieties which are about 10cm tall.

I do have a greenhouse that they will be moved into, but now I am worried that I have started too early? I am in the midlands and do have a greenhouse parafin heater. Are they all going to die off?

I planted too early last year and lost them, and had to start again. I’m not going to sow till April (Yorkshire)

Yeah, we lost ours the year before last (I think) because we started them too early.

Might be worth sowing a back up batch in a few weeks, OP, just in case!

It's a well known fact that all cucumber plants have a death wish. If they can find a reason to give up, they will.

If you have that many plants I'd put some in the green house and keep as many in the house as you have room for. That way you should get a few to tide you over till the next batch comes up.

If you're short of light in the house, I recommend one of these tinyurl.com/grow-light , costs next to nothing to run and really brings plants on.

Good luck!

Who can say? You could plant them out there and see what happens, but you may lose them - or spend a fortune on paraffin.

Everyone seems to have a rush of blood to the head in February, and goes mad sowing stuff too early. Patience ladies, patience!

April sown cucumbers will do fine in an unheated greenhouse, I had a great crop in my zippy last summer, even though they give me raging indigestion.

30 plants
2 per each variety is plenty.

my cucumbers go outside and I sow them in mid april to plant out a month later.

they really don't like cold, will drop flowers if they go below 5 degrees and if fruit get cold they can become bitter (and poisonous!)

I'm a nightmare for starting seeds early, and even I haven't started my cucumbers yet.
They're like petulant teenagers, and sulk at absolutely everything.
If you have space I recommend getting them a grow light to stop them becoming leggy. They might be ok, or you may need to start again in a few weeks.

Farmers say sheep spend all day thinking of ways to commit suicide, I think cucumbers are the vegetable world’s answer to sheep. I also find they fail to thrive if planted too early. Chitting helps so you can select the strongest looking ones, but I wouldn’t start till late March or early April.