Time To Start Hardening Off Your Transplants or Seedlings

 

Hello Friends. Welcome to today's post and Welcome Spring!!!!!!!

Ahhhhh!!!!! Spring is in the air. Can you feel it? 

Now, we enter the season of hardening off any seedlings or transplants that you started back in January and February. Hardening off means to start introducing your small transplants to the outdoor elements for small increments of time, daily. Pick a time of day, preferably a little warm and sunny, and place them outside for a few hours. Start with 2 hours. Slowly start increasing their outdoor time every day. Eventually, they will get use to the temperature and outdoor elements. After doing this for several days, check the Almanac or Google "last frost date". When you find out this time for your Zone, you can plant them in your container bed, raised bed or outdoor garden. Be mindful of the weather and any sudden changes. Unexpected frosts or cooler weather. You all know it happens. Have plan b on hand. Plan B can be, mulch, a row cover such as a light weight sheet, newspaper, paper bags, plastic bags, trash bags, hay, jars, jugs, etc. Anytbing that can be placed around or over the tender plant to keep frost off of the leaves and to keep them warm. 

I have had to come home from football practice or an early season practice game and run out to the garden and cover tender plants like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, etc. It never fails. If you don't have a back-up plan, you can lose everything in one sweep. Better to be safe than sorry. Whatever you choose as your Plan B, just make sure it doesn't crush the plant, just covers it lightly. 

Have you fertilized yet? Now would be a good time to soil test and lime and fertilize accordingly.

Do you have all your gardening equipment? Things like a hoe, shovel, pruners, any fencing, posts, gloves,  etc.? Now is a good time to get them. 

 Let's start this gardening season off right. 

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Have a Blessed Day

Tracy 

Keeper of the Home