It depends. Are the mini greenhouses inside or outside? I have used the winter sowing technique (which implies outside) on cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and okra. In all instances the milk jug made them sprout very quickly. Everything was on the verge of rootbound in about 4 days. But it was a bit warmer then than it is now. It's just too cool still yet for okra. Personally, I would wait at least another week on the others.

Seedmama

I was going to keep them inside or in the shade outside.

I think that you would be safe starting seed in a protected location now for the cucurbits assuming you can bring them in if it gets too cool overnight. I've always planted okra directly in the garden and it's a bit early for that.

I plan to direct seed the corn and okra. I have the peppers and eggplants ready to transplant and I'm getting the tomatoes, (and whatever catches my eye) at the swap.

I always direct sow my cucumber, squashes and pumpkins. Last year was the first time I had any trouble and it was with the cukes. Maybe I should start those inside also, but I'm already tired of the hardening off shifting back and forth. I've got all the tomatoes in good shape, but just now potting up the peppers to start their hardening off period.

If I remember right, Tigerdawn - don't you have a little greenhouse in your backyard? I think even if we got a frost or (ugh..) a freeze, they'd be fine in that. Go for it! btw - any particular type of tomatoes you're looking for? Since I get to play "host" at the swap, I can set a few back for you if I have any you're interested in.

Paula

I plan on planting some cukes either tomorrow or early in the week in the garden. Will put a milk just over them. Then by the time they sprout and are big enough to remove the milk jug hopefully it will be warm enough. If not I'll put a plastic bucket around them that I can cover the top of. My intention is too have some early plants so I'll have early cukes for myself and also the farmers market. Jay

My greenhouse starts to get really hot about now but I can use it for overnight protection if I need to. I'm not as worried about the frost as I am about the squirrel who has a taste for young cucurbit plants. He literally will eat all the seedlings and dig the seeds out of the ground! Once they get a couple of good leaves and the cotyledon shrivels he isn't interested anymore.

Paula- I have room for probably 7-10 tomatoes. I would like varieties for fresh eating. I don't do any canning or freezing yet. I'd like a couple of cherry types and a big beefy slicing type and a brandywine variety to try for the flavor. I'm most interested in heirlooms. I know growing that many varieties at a time would result in cross pollination but at least I can figure out my favorites and get seed for them next year. I'm sure Jay and Dawn and others will bring plenty so don't put yourself out!

About your squirrel.....have you tried dusting your seedlings with ground red pepper? or mabye misting them with a watered-down tabasco sauce?

But if your squirrels are anything like the ones out at my place....it may not matter. Last year we mixed red pepper (heavily) in our bird seed because the critters were getting more than the birds. We laughed. Decided they were wondering why we weren't serving queso & cervesa also because it didn't slow them down like it should.

I'm sure there will be a good selection of tomatoes at the Swap, but I'll keep an eye on a few for you just in case. Thanks!

Tiger Dawn,

I second spraying with a hot pepper tea (you can make your own) or pepper wax (available commercially) or a garlic tea (make your own or buy a commercially available garlic spray). Hot pepper and garlic repel many critters, and hot pepper in particular repels squirrels. Kaolin clay, sold as Surround, also repels many critters because it puts a filmy, dusty-looking clay powder on the surface of the plants, but I don't have problems with squirrels, so don't know if it works on them.

I hope you have a good plan for the control of cucumber beetles, squash bugs, and squash vine borers, because with that many cucurbits, you're likely to see a lot of all of them and maybe pickleworms as well if they're a problem in your area. (I don't have pickleworms here, or at least haven't so far, knock on wood.) Some years I have grown several dozen varieties of cucurbits all in the same year, and it brought droves of the aforementioned pests in great numbers. I grow a lot less of each type of cucurbit now in an effort to keep the pest numbers manageable.

Paula, I've found hot pepper works only if sprayed onto the seed as a liquid since sprinkling it in doesn't coat the seeds. You can buy bird seed that's been commercially sprayed and it is even better than the seed you spray yourself in terms of repelling squirrels. Squirrels don't bother us much in the summer (must be all the acres of trees are providing them with what they want) but will occasionally come into the chicken coop area in the winter looking for stray seed. I seldom see them at the bird feeders, and suspect the feeders are too close to the dogs for the squirrels to raid them (unless they're doing it at night).

Dawn

I used Garlic Barrier last year. It worked well. The only draw back is it repels the good insects also. The only thing that it didn't have an effect on was the tomato hornworm. Otherwise it worked well. No squash bugs, ect all summer. Maybe it was a coincidence. But I doubt that. I never go a season without squash bugs. I had squirrel problems early in the season with them nipping tomato plants off and just leaving them. But didn't later. They did raid my sunflower heads. May spray them this year and see if that helps. They have been a pain this winter and spring. Having to put up the plastic coffee cans I keep cat food in. The eat holes in the top then help themselves and spill more than they eat. Jay

I'm planning to use the pantyhose trick to help with the SVB's. I haven't had trouble with the others yet. Where can I go to find pictures of the bugs so I can be on the lookout?

Tigerdawn,
There are several out there that I use. The one I will link below is one I like. It shows some of the pests and then some insects and means to control them. May not have all but covers a wide range. Jay

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden Insects