Second sunny and warm day in a row! I smell summer is finally here!! I quickly checked the weather forecast and decided that today will be warm all day (70-80s). I took all my plants that are in big pots (eggplant, jalapeno, tomato, and zucchinis) out on the balcony. Then I sat there contemplating whether I should leave the seedlings out to. I know you are supposed to slowly expose them to the elements. From what I've read in gardener's blogs and from listening to podcasts (yes, I listen to gardening podcasts because I am totally addicted, a dork, and know little to nothing about what I am doing), you are suppose to take the seedlings out for about an hour one day, 2 hours the next, 3 hours the next and slowly increase the exposure time monitoring how they are responding. On the weekend, yes, this is reasonable. But during the week, I cannot figure out how this is possible. I live really close to work, so it is feasible to come back home quickly and bring the seedlings inside... but
really? I can't do that. So I decided against leaving them outside for the day (though I have a feeling they would've been OK). As I was driving home afterwork, I was little concerned that my plants wouldn't fare well in the heat.But they were looking quite happy on my balcony!
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| If you look real close, you can see the peas "grabbing" the string |
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| Jalapeno and eggplants are doing well |
I'm not sure if this is what the mesclun green are suppose to look like. The side I thinned out doesn't look any better than the other side. Hm...
The balcony can be accessed from the second bedroom. There is no water source on the balcony so I have to go into the bathroom. I made a little funnel to make it easier to get the water in my watering container. Works pretty well!
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| Water bottle-turned funnel |
The balcony can be accessed from the second bedroom. There is no water source on the balcony so I have to go into the bathroom. I made a little funnel to make it easier to get the water in my watering container. Works pretty well!
I was wondering the same thing about hardening off, but I've also read that you can leave them out during the day and then bring them in at night and just gradually increase the amount of direct sunlight they're exposed to. Our last frost date here isn't until May 9th, so it'll be a little while yet before I put mine out!
ReplyDeleteKristen, I'll be waiting for May 9th with you! I was definitely anxious to get my seedlings in the sun. My morning routine now includes checking the weather to see if it is a "safe" day to leave the plants out. crazy!
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