Cucumber Timing

[blueadzuki]

Hi All,

This year I am going through my seed box and planting out some of my older seed.

Because this seed is quite old (and hence, presumably will have very low germination) I am starting the seed inside (so as to not waste space in the garden with seed that will not grow).

My question is, for someone in my area (lower NY Hudson valley, zone 6b) about when do you think is it good to try and start them? I know I can't start them as early as I do tomatoes, both because they start later and because it will be a LOT harder to keep cucumber vines in plant able condition than tomato plants that generally don't need support until they are quite big).

I'm not sure if it matters, but quite a few of the cucumbers in question have their origins in places like Thailand and Borneo, so may be heat-centric

Types
Assam Parchment
Heptagon
Siamese Giant
Russian Netted
Possibly assorted Indian Dosaki (depends on how many of the above germinate)

[xdrix]

Cucumber could be growing very fast and request light and hot.this is a report between light and hot.
If the cucumber miss of hot he was grow more slow.
If the cucumber miss of light he could be stretch if she dont has the light request
more.groww.fr/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/4439696266_b57c7526ab_b_mini.jpg
More the room has hot and little lightening more the plant grow fast and can strecht.
I sow my first squash the 15th march in the house.
And the 15th April directely open ground.

Ideally wait at minimum 11hour of light per day.A growing light can help.I put my seed in a room without heat (15°C 59°F average) in front of a window at sud east and the plant are beautiful.The 15 mars we are 12h of sunshine per day.

[flowerbug]

i've never started them myself so i've no good idea of this from experience.

we plant our gardens towards the end of May when the soil finally gets warmed up enough for the tomatoes and peppers. a few peas i can plant before then by some weeks.

my guess was wrong as i just looked it up. 3-4 weeks before you expect to plant them out. i guessed 4-6 weeks. soil has to be above 50F for germination.

[blueadzuki]

This could get tricky then, as, given the last dozen or so years, we haven't RELIABLY had soil temps above 50F until late June (our weather tends to linger on with cold and clammy though most of spring, then transition into a jagged period of alternating broiling and freezing which eventually turns to just broiling).

[xdrix]

I put my last seed under a cold frame in open ground directely.The advantage are that we removed the cold frame when the weather has hot.
A colld frame his maybe a good idea for adjust the t° and protect of freez (-1;-2°C).

[ferdzy]

I aim to put indoor-started cucurbits out around May 24th through June 1st. I start them April 24th. So, 4 to 5 weeks.

[xdrix]

The light is very important and influence the plant of squash.

Under 12h per day of light the plant prefer fruit(Female flower) and she grown more slowly.The plant product more
auxin en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auxin

Above 12h per day of light the plant prefer male flower and she grown more fast.

Cucumber don't resist at freeze however i think that they could be survived at night under 10°C 50°F.Night at 5°C 41°F are possible.