The continuation of Tatiana’s series that follows the highs and lows of her very first vegetable gardening season. Will her dream of fresh, great tasting produce be realized? Be sure to read the Coldprairie Chronicles every two weeks to find out!
If your seedlings were started indoors, they will need a long period of adjustment, or hardening off before they can face the elements outdoors. Plants that are sheltered from wind, sun and chilly nights should not be transplanted unprepared or they will go into shock. Their growth will be set back by a week or two and the fragile ones may die.
The stems of plants need a bit of exercise daily, which is why it’s recommended that the stems of tomato plants in particular get brushed by hand each day. This simulates wind and promotes tougher stem cells and sturdier plants. The delicate leaves grow broad and wide to absorb all the light they can, and they actually need time to restructure their chlorophyll cells, and become more narrow to absorb the right amount outdoors. Unfiltered sunlight which they haven’t seen is enough to burn tender leaves.
To harden plants you simply take them outside for a longer period each day. Start with placing them in the shade for a couple of hours, then bring them in. Increase the length of time spent in the shade until about three days later they are out all day. Then place them in the morning sun for an hour, and put them in shade for the rest of the day. Increase the time in the sun until they are outside all day. The process should take about ten days, and your plants will be much much better off because of it.
Maxi-kap Tomatoes
Because of our ridiculously long and cold spring (we had snow two weeks ago), the first things that were able to go outside were my tomatoes. I planted them in self-watering containers, very much like the Earthbox, both due to lack of space, and to ensure they are always well watered and fed.
Greenhouse
All of the smaller stuff went to live in a small portable greenhouse – just plastic over a wire frame. The peppers, zucchini, cukes and strawberries still had a little ways to go before the nights get warm enough and it serves well as a cold frame to help them get hardened and ready to plant.
Hopefully very soon the night temperatures will climb to around 10C or 50F(at least), and I can get the all the remaining veggie plants in the ground.
Tatiana also writes about gardening and many other interesting topics over at Coldprairie. Be sure to visit and check it out! Want to offer Tatiana some advice or words of encouragement? Leave her a comment below — she will be thrilled you did!
