planting out fruiting cucumber or not

[gardendancer]

So I was a bit eager this year and planted some Burpless cucumbers on the windowsill. The plan was to eventually plant them out. However they have started growing cucumbers, at this stage are they too spoiled to move them outside? I do have a couple more of a different variety that definitely can go out. Thankful for any advice.

[tamsin]

You could harden them off (inside at night, out in day) for a week then plant them out with your fingers crossed for no frosts.

[sarraceniac]

I reckon that if they are fruiting already then transplanting could actually knock them back to such an extent that you could lose the lot. Ridge (outdoor) cucumbers really want planting in their final fruiting position when very young, they have a very sensitive tap root which doesn't like being disturbed. You may get away with what Tamsin suggests but I do have my doubts.

[sagegreen]

I agree with sarraceniac, but if the plants are on your windowsill in small, say 4-inch pots, then I don't think leaving them will give you much of a crop - even if the plants are starting to produce fruit. The pots are bound to completely dry out sooner or later. Just a suggestion, why not prepare large pots ready to transplant them into - very carefully - knock the plants out of their current pots, then water them in thoroughly and keep them undercover. Not ideal, but this would avoid any worries about overnight frosts.

[gardendancer]

Thanks for the advice. They are in quite big pots so I think they are ok for now. I,ll just leave them indoors and plant out the remaining ones. I had a look and I haven't got space outside for all of them anyways.

[Storming Norman]

I think I might disagree here - you are in a warm part of the country they may be able to go out in a sheltered area now but they need to be wrapped up properly cosy at night for a while.

Are they too big to go out under a 2 litre plastic drinks bottle or tons of fleece?

I think a delay to planting might do more harm than good and as insurance against losing them you can put a fresh seed in nearby.

I put my cape gooseberry out in my well sheltered compost heap bed last week under one of these bottles. It's not doing quite as well as the one that went in the greenhouse but it was a spare and is looking good [and we were supposed to have had a frost]. The hot days are obviously the tonic it needs.

I'm going to try one of my beit alpha cucumbers out soon - it was fine this time last year and I had cucumbers really early as a result.

This seed is not that expensive so possibly worth experimenting.