move seedlings under cloche?

[inchworm]

Some of my seedlings are getting big (squash and cukes). Do you think I can put them outside under a milk-jug cloche? It is still in the 30's at night. I was thinking of putting the cloche out for a few days to warm up the soil first.

Think it will work? How long should I leave the cloche in place before I stick the plants in?

Inchworm
zone 6

 

[obsessed]

How much longer before it gets warm? Zukes and Cukes are really warm weather crops. I think it could work though a least for a little while.

 

[inchworm]

The last frost date around here is abour 4/30. I can keep them indoors a few more weeks, I'm just trying to think ahead.

Thanks,
Inchowrm

 

[digitS']

Squash and cukes shouldn't really be kept indoors for 6 or 8 weeks . . . 4 weeks would be better. You probably shouldn't transplant to larger size pots or allow these veggies to get root-bound if they've been growing for quite awhile.

So . . . you may need to weigh the outdoor risks with that in mind. Actually, you may mostly be weighing the attention they would require outdoors. Probably, your plants would be fine overnight, under their cloche and under an insulating blanket of something even if it froze quite hard.

cover . . . uncover . . . cover . . . uncover . . . cover . . . uncover . . . cover . . . uncover . . .

A small cloche, itself, isn't going to warm the soil much. Maybe just a little. There are lots of cubic feet of cold soil underneath.

Steve

 

[Purple Strawberry]

Oops, my cucumbers have been inside for a looooong time. They are going outside today when I get off work.

 

[inchworm]

Thanks, Steve. I may set them out in about a week. I have to walk by the garden bed to go to the chicken coop every morning and evening, so it will be easy to uncover, cover, uncover, cover, uncover, cover

Inchy

 

[vfem]

Well, mine died

I had them out on the deck for several days, and they were doing great... so I put them in the ground a couple days ago and they both didn't looks so good yesterday... today... 'dead'.

 

[momofdrew]

Oh no vfem what caused them to die??? too hot... too cold...bugs ????

 

[vfem]

It was in 50 degrees last night.... cucumbers just want it WARM WARM WARM... they prefer it doesn't drop under 60 out. They had big huge leaves too! What a bummer.

I'm torn between buying another plant from the nursery... or trying to grow directly sown seed. I can only have 2 plants max... not enough room for more... and I had to build a huge trellis to even keep that many.

 

[digitS']

They may prefer that it is that warm out but cukes don't require a 60F, minimum. If they did, I couldn't grow them.

Normal minimums here don't officially reach 50 until June 16th. And, normal lows don't ever rise above 56 for the Summer. Good sleeping temps even in the heat of Summer . (Of course, the sun never seems to want to go down in mid-Summer.) The cukes will be set out in the garden when the overnight lows average in the low to mid 40's. There is no other choice.

Now admittedly, some years I can have serious cucumber problems because of too little warmth in the Spring. Their growth can be so retarded that the plants never get to any size and the crop amounts to very little. Nevertheless, they still produce some. Most years, they do just fine. Melons are another story .

Steve