friday's gardenings

So today's tip is about acclimating your plants to their new atmosphere. If you start a vegetable garden from seed indoors, before you plant them outside you *should* gradually introduce them to being outside. If you live in a climate that is pretty temperate, meaning the temperature doesn't fluctuate between 65 degrees and below freezing in one day, then you won't have to worry so much about this. But it's still a good idea. If you don't want to/don't have the time, then try just putting them outside 'cold turkey'. You'll have to keep a close eye on them and give them LOTS of water the first two or three days.

So if you do not live in a temperate climate, you should acclimate them. You should also acclimate plants that you buy from stores where they were indoors, or in greenhouses.

You want the plants to get used to temperature fluctuations, because indoors is controlled. So put them out in the morning for a few hours, in the shade. Take them back inside and increase the length that they are outside each day by an hour or two, depending on how hot it is. Introduce them to direct sun after two or three days for a few hours. You will have to watch them, and they will probably get wilty. Just give them a good soaking AFTER you remove them from the sun. Water droplets on leaves can cause holes to burn through the leaves.

Increase the amount of time per day until you are close to the amount of sun they will get in their new planting spot. {I hope that makes sense} Then you just plant them, give them a good soaking, and you should be set!

Have a plant/gardening question? email me at martnicole AT hotmail DOT com