I've started many things from seed fairly recently. I need to start more tomatoes too. I like a late June Tomato planting. I started cukes and winter squash last week and began planting them this week, they are doing really just fine (and you can plant the squash when they are really quite young plants). As soon as the fence dudes finish up with my fence I'll be able to get them planted.

Cukes are fast these are 5 wks and should have already been planted!

{{gwi:56316}}

Holy Jesus!! Those cucumbers are awesome! I thought my peppers were doing good...

What temperature do you keep those at? Did you use any fertilizer? I'm in NY, maybe our difference in climate accounts for that?

I planted a few blue hubbard squash. I have never had them before but I'll find out this year. Is there any reason you wait until June to plant your Tomatoes?

I'm glad that it's not too late to plant cukes because between the unending rain and the fact that my cuke seedlings keep dieing, I'm probably going to be buying some from the garden center.

Farmermiller - I grew the cukes inside under regular shop lights. The room is fairly cool 65/55. They have been outside on a screened-in porch (where the pic was taken) for about a week. I'm in zone 4 Wisconsin, so I sure don't think I have any kind of weather advantage over you. I used a very diluted fertilizer (1/4 strength) starting about the second week every time I water.

I got the trellis built for them yesterday and will plant them out today. Its been staying above 45 at night here for a while so I think they will be fine.

Wow, cool deal, mandolls. I am finding that my cucumbers are really beginning to explode. I hope that they don't die off like 4HLeaders are. I wonder what's responsible for that..

I read somewhere that you shouldn't use any fertilizer until they get their secondary leaves, I'm guessing you have found some kind of exception? Something along the lines that it interferes with its development and that the cotyledons have enough food to support the plant until then.

{{gwi:56317}}

I started mine, one per cup (so I didn't have to divide them), in little 3oz (bathroom size) plastic cups and in less than two weeks they were ready to go into 9oz cups. They had at least 2 sets of true leaves on them. I didn't fertilize anything until they were potted up, and then only used a very weak dilution. I have to many things going, and am not organized enough, to fertilize on a timed schedule, so I used the weak solution for everything, whenever I water. It seems to be working well for me.

This is only my first year of successfully growing from seeds indoors. There are many many people on this forum who have more experience and knowledge than me. So far, it seems my only real mistake this year was starting most of my seeds to early.

mandolls -
How many cuke plants do you have? Also, what fertilizer are you using? And - what is your potting medium?

I like to use a diluted liquid fert. every time I water too. I haven't had any problems with doing it that way. I think the potting medium is very important - one that doesn't dry out too fast - nor stay too moist too long.

MG moisture control is too wet - soilless seed starter (by itself) is too dry. Mix the two together and that's the medium I use.

-gloria

gardengal - I sowed about 50 seeds (Armenian, Diva, Marketmore-76, Streamliner and Lemon) and ended up with 42 plants. I wasnt expecting that high a germination rate. I just planted 20 of them in the ground yesterday. I am growing them on cattle panel arches this year. I will give the rest of them away to friends.

I am putting together my own potting mix. I tried a few different things this spring. With the larger seeds like cukes I didn't use a fine seed starting mix, just a 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 of peat moss, petalite and vermiculite. then when I potted them up to larger containers I added some cheepo brand potting mix. For small seeds I was happiest with Pro-mix. I prefer to stay away from miracle-gro products. I dont like the way they try to corner the market. Some of the stores around here only carry their products. That automatically makes me not want to buy it.

For fertilizer, I started with a fish/seaweed type, but it smelled so strong that I couldnt stand it. I will be using it in the garden, but not inside. I have also read that most organic ferts need real soil bacteria in order for them to break down and be used by the plants. I just used some old orchid fertilizer that I had around. I think its a 12-6-10

When I decided to try to grow this many plants from seed, I didnt realize quite how much time I would spend checking and watering & potting up everything! I've enjoyed it, but its been an average of at least an hour and a half a day.

mandolls - thanks for the info. I have mixed my own potting medium using peat moss, perlite and vermiculite years ago and now I think I will go back to using that since I'm not too happy with the MG.

I try to use organic fert. as much as possible, that used to include fish fert. until the coons started tearing into all the plants. Just beware when you use it in your garden.

My cukes are the pickling varieties because everyone loves homemade 'bread 'n butter' pickles - even the young 1 to 2 yr. old grandkids.

I am doing more tomatoes and peppers (all heirlooms) this year because I started canning last year. This year I got 12 chicks so we could have our own free-range eggs. - not to mention a lot of chicky-do-do. Last year I had to buy it.

So far I have most of the tomatoes and peppers planted out but not the cukes yet. They are still in the greenhouse and I am so glad because it has been thundering and pouring on and off all day. The tomatoes looked like they were in the middle of a lake. It should drain OK if it would only stop with the rain.