Hello fintuckyfarms,
Thanks for clarifying the info about the starter cubes. I hadn't seen the edit. I also had no reason to question it ether. I haven't used the rapid rooters, or the root riot, but I would guess they are both pretty close to the same thing. I know the rapid rooters are supposed to be made from organic material as well, and the price for both is just about identical. It looks like the root riot cubes are working well for you so far. Though at about a quarter for each cube, a bit too expensive for me to really consider using on a large scale.
The seedlings get leggy if they don't get enough light. The 4 T8's should do the job, just keep them as close to the plants as you can. But if your not able to get the
lights wired today, you may try putting the seedlings outside in the sunlight until you can get the lights running (unless it's too cold or hot outside). They tend to dry out faster outside, but the clear dome lid should keep the humidity in, and the cubes moist.
Hopefully your plants wont blow away in the wind. We get heavy winds from time to time also, and it can sometimes cause a real problem. I tend to use rocks, sometimes in a pillowcase to weigh things down, or anchor wind breaks to block as much of the wind as I can. Yes, the more air to the roots the better, so making use of the 3 extra air outlet ports is a very good idea. My only concerns with that system are that I cant tell if it's light proof, and if not you will likely get algae growth. Also cantaloupe, pumpkin, and squash are all large vines. Even if you trellis them (and the heavy fruit), the size of the plants will likely make maintenance difficult.