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Vegetable Gardening

Pumpins, Cucumbers, Beans flowering too early?

14 years ago

So, my wife and I got a VERY early start on our garden this year, starting everything in mid-March when we can't plant it outside until at least the end of May. So here we are at the beginning of May and our pumpkins, cucumbers, and bush beans are all flowering already. At first we were really excited, but then today someone told my wife that we should get rid of the flowering plants and start them over. Something about them being tricked into flowering because the roots are out of room in their 4" pots so the plants can't grow more so they figure they might as well just flower. But he said that the flowers wouldn't develop into fruit and they'd end up being small unproductive plants. I had never heard this before, I was wondering if anyone on here had heard anything similar or had any input on the situation. Thanks.

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Comments (5)

diggity_ma
14 years ago
There is some truth to what you were told. If they have been in the pots too long and are rootbound and flowering already, then they certainly won't produce as well as they would if they had been grown under optimal conditions. The big caveat here though is that you will get SOMETHING, and whatever you get will be real early. So I'd say do both... transplant the ones you've got flowering now and also direct seed some more in a couple weeks.

Watch the weather though... Not sure where in VT you are, but even here in central MA, we're not out of the woodwork for frost yet.

-Diggity

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Imperative blog
laceyvail 6A, WV
14 years ago
Much too early here in zone 6 WV to even sow warm weather crops. You're much, much too early.
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lola_vt
Original Author
14 years ago
I'm pretty far North, near Barre/Montpelier. So I can't put them outside yet, unless they can go under cloches, but I'm not sure about beans, cukes, or pumpkins under cloches. Could transplanting into bigger pots help them? They're just such beautiful plants I'd hate to throw them in the compost heap.
denninmi
14 years ago
Well, actually, the pumpkins and cucumbers can be salvaged, they need to be potted into much larger containers, like 2 gallon pots, have the blossoms/buds nipped off, and pinch the ends. They should be fine.

Not sure about bush beans -- they are sort of "determinate" like some tomatoes -- grow to a point, set a crop, and are done for. You can try potting them up, just don't know if, once they are blooming in the pack, they'll ever get a whole lot bigger.

The good news is, you've got PLENTY of time to replant. I've sown bush beans as late as early August here and gotten nice fall crops. Your climate would bump that a few weeks earlier, but you have time to plant lots of beans.

Good luck.
kayhh
14 years ago
I agree with Denninmi. Your pumpkins and cukes should be fine. But bush beans are short-lived plants. So much easier to just plant the seed directly into the garden around your average last frost date. Those should probably be discarded. But that is not a big deal. A couple bucks worth of bean seed and you will be neck deep in them in no time.

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