Comments on: how to grow squash, cucumbers and other cucurbits, with tom stearns

By: JOSEPH Lee MCCOLLUM

JOSEPH Lee MCCOLLUM — Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:40:33 +0000

excellent resources on cucumbers and general information

By: Jay

Jay — Fri, 16 Dec 2022 06:50:20 +0000

Thank you so much for sharing this information. I am surprised that nothing was noted concerning how sensitive the roots of many cucurbits are. Cucurbit roots – especially melons and cucumbers – are often very sensitive to transplanting and can suffer from root shock. In order to avoid this, I use soil blocks or other techniques that avoid disturbing the young plant when transplanting. Another thing not mentioned was the need for full sun. It is not that experienced gardeners are not aware of this, but it is definitely worth mentioning.

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 11:09:03 +0000

A butternut seed must have been in my compost, because it sprouted on the edge of one of the raised beds in my cutting garden among the dahlias. I didn’t know what it was, at the time, but I went to California for the month of August (first grandchild!), I came home to find eight foot vines everywhere! I covered one of the raised beds with black plastic, and trained the vines to stay put with metal ‘u-shaped’ pins. I was away again in late-September, and returned a month later to find twelve gorgeous butternut squash on the vine, all from one little seed and with absolutely no attention to watering, feeding or insect control. I will confess that the soil was my own, nutrient-rich compost, and the dahlia bed had been covered in black plastic. I live in Columbia County, NY; you are my bible!