Most will direct seed squash and cucumbers instead of using transplants. And it seems a bit early to be concerned with getting them started, particularly if your nights are cold and "sometimes below freezing".

You'll want to wait until your soil temperatures outside warm up and are at least above 65 degrees. Zone 7's first freeze free date is around April 15th, so its a bit early now to think about starting squash and cukes whether you do direct seed or use transplants.

So, I'd say forget the transplants and direct seed when its much warmer, which is probably several weeks away.

Agree they do far better when just direct seeded when done at the proper time and soil temp. From your description of your weather I'd say it is far too soon even to start transplants of them. I think Nitsua meant to say your last frost date is April 15 if you are zone 7, April 1st if zone 8. Plant out time is usually 10 days to 2 weeks AFTER your last frost date and even then only if weather permitting.

Corn goes in May 1st-10th here, cukes and squash are planted May 15th.

Dave

Wow, okay. Thanks y'all. That's some good info.

Awesome info! Will be contacting them Monday

Check your cooperative extension website for your area. Ours has a listing of when to plant vegetables outside from seed or transplants. Then you can estimate time from seedling to transplant if you want to be early (like about 6 weeks for tomatoes you would want to have them started so they can be set out after last danger of frost).

I can't resist pointing out that the day of last frost only VERY roughly correlates with your USDA plant hardiness zone. Places with the same USDA zone can have a difference of a month or a month and a half of first and last freezes. If you want the mean day of your first and last frost, go look it up. There are loads of places that let you do that online, by city, zip code, etc.

I have a shorter growing season so I start cucumbers and squash 3-4 weeks before I can plant out. The squash is easy, but the cukes are more fragile and can break when transplanting, so I start a lot of them.
.....But if in your area you can direct sow, that's what I'd do because that would be easier.

Transplants will gain you only a week or 2 in producing crop I want soil temp 60+ before it is cuke and zuke time.

IMO, cucumbers and summer squash should nearly always be direct seeded. They grow very quickly, and will produce well - even planted late - in all but the coldest climates. Those vegetables are harvested immature... but growing those same vegetables to seed maturity is another matter. In areas with short summers (like mine) transplants are sometimes necessary, to give winter squashes time to ripen fully, and if growing any cucurbit for seed.

I start cucurbits in peat pots, usually right after I've put tomatoes & peppers out to harden off. They quickly become leggy under artificial light (or even in partial sunlight, as in most windows) so immediately after germinating them indoors, they go into full sunlight. The primary advantage is faster germination, compared to direct seeding in cool soil. As a rule, I try to transplant the seedlings when they have their first true leaf; this is generally about 10-14 days after planting. Much beyond that, and the plants will quickly become stunted. Between the faster germination & time gained by planting early, I gain about 2-3 weeks over direct seeding, which can be a world of difference if saving seed.

I also try to start, transplanting quickly after germination. I've had more difficulty in direct seeding--the top layer of soil dries so quickly here due to low humidity and direct sun. If the transplants don't make it, then I direct seed with burlap cover. Part of it (okay, maybe most of it) may stem completely from my impatience as well!

transplanting is easy and simple the problem is you need to be gentle

I have stopped starting cucumbers and squash in pots. In my garden anyway, direct-sown plants catch up and pass them easily. Just not worth the effort. I like the ideas above of starting in pots only a couple of weeks before putting them in the ground. Looking forward to giving that a shot.

I planted out my watermelon and a cucumber plant and 5 zucchini's around. The weather has been consistently 70+ during the day and 60+ during the nights. They seemed to have appreciated it as I was rewarded with some new bright green leaves being thrown out into the wonderful warm air.

One year I direct seeded zucchini the first week of May, taking quite a chance on freezing (our normal last frost date is May 31st, but the years vary a lot). Got lucky, and they didn't freeze. Then I planted more at the right time -- end of May. The earlier started plants grew bigger, succumbed to PM sooner, and produced at the exact same time as the ones planted end of May.

It occurs to me that one good reason to transplant is cutworms, which are a problem for me. Now, if I transplant, the plant is *right there*, so I know exactly where to spread my DE or Sevin dust. If I put in seeds, and if I don't mark exactly where those seeds were put in, and where I expect them to come up, I can't do responsible cutworm management. They'll get the seedlings as they come up, probably before I even see them come up. I suppose I could dust the whole seedbed, but that's a bigger proposition.

I suspect that transplantation does do some root damage, but I guess one just has to be careful. I never direct seed my squash and melons, and they always do fine. The best strategy for me is to transplant, but while the containered plants are still quite small.

You are about 3 weeks too early...I live in the NW corner of Alabama, and wouldn't even think of planting seeds for squash earlier than mid-April. For you, I would sow seeds on the first of April, and things should turn out quite well....