Cucumber Advice Requested!

My cucumber plants have been fairly wussy so far. I've tried bringing them outside for a few hours at a time and they freak out, brown their leaves and hold the grudge. Even now - 3 weeks since their last outdoor adventure! - they're still holding back growing new leaves. Their fuzzy-flower-messes, however... now those are growing like crazy.




I'm curious to hear from other cucumber growers... is this normal? Doesn't a plant need LEAVES to grow? Evidence below shows a little bit of leaf action, but nothing like the squash. Help!