Seed Starting-Hardening Off and Planting Outside
We’ve been covering seed starting this week. Today, let’s talk about the final step-getting your babies into the garden! The first thing you’ll need to do is get them acclimated to the outdoors. This is called “hardening off”. If you simply take your plants from the windowsill to the garden, they’ll almost 
certainly fail. They need time to get used to the sun and wind or they’ll scorch and die. To do this, at least two weeks before your planned planting date, start by taking them outside and putting them in a shady spot, then gradually move them to a sunnier location. Do this slowly-allow a few days between location changes. If the temps in your area stay above 50 at night they can be left out, otherwise bring them in when the sun goes down. Once you’ve got them used to the direct sun and wind, you’re ready to plant.
When planting, make sure to leave plenty of room between each plant. Water before removing them from their pots and let drain throughly. Add a bit of fertilizer to each planting hole(read the directions on the box or bottle) and water throughly when done. It’s crucial to be sure the last frost date in your area has passed as the young plants won’t survive a frost. For tomatoes, you may want to put a collar made out of cardboard around the base of each seedling to discourage slugs and cutworms.
Speaking of tomatoes, tomorrow’s post will provide growing tips and tricks for a bountiful harvest!
gardens, gardening, seed starting, seedlings, garden planning, transplanting seedlings
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