Topic: When to harden off?

[Mothy]

I have attached a piccy of my greenhouse taken this glorious morning, as I am very new to all this I am actually quite pleased that anything is actually growing at all. My question is this, my calabrese, sprouting broccoli and little gem lettuce are all coming on. When do I start to harden them off ready for planting out?
I hope that you can see enough from the photo.

Thanks!!

[philcooper]

Mothy,

From the pic, it doesn't look as if you are new to all this!!

The plants you mention should be hardened off as soon as possible, the daytime temp in greenhouses these days gets very high and they become leggy very quickly

If the calabrese, broccoli and lettuce are the ones in the pic, I would have them out now!

Phil

[Mothy]

Phil, thanks for the advice, I'm off down the garden to take them all outside (with a warning to the OH about letting the pet rabbit out).

The most I have ever grown in a GH before is a few toms. Cucumbers have always wilted and died. Now I have all these seedlings growing and not much idea what to do with them!!

Thanks again!  :)

[westsussexlottie]

My calabrese has been outside for 2 weeks now.
(Sussex)

[Svea]

i am hardening my brassicas off now - read: i put them on the balcony on saturday and havent brought them back in yet. they look fine. some of them wilted a little - i brought those back in and will keep them under observation, but otherwise....:)

[Doris_Pinks]

Mine have all being hardened off , and I have lettuces in the ground, but then I am in Sussex too!

[wattapain]

Yep mine in ground ( well some of 'em) - in sunny Essex



& a few more

[Mrs Ava]

teehee.  nice watering can Mothy.  Sorry, a childish moment overcame me.  teehee.  pink.  teehee

[ellkebe]

I think my OH is losing patience over the invasion of the window sills.  He's pointed out several times that there's a practically empty cold frame outside!
I did try putting tomato plants out a week or so ago, but they curled up their leaves so I brought them back in. I'm feeling quite protective about them really - though will still chow down when I get the chance of course!
Have others got them out in unheated houses yet?

Thanks

Ellkebe

[tim]

Ours are only in an uheated lean-to. But it mainly stays at a minimum of 45-50F because of the heated mats in it. They won't go out, into the cold 'house proper, for another 2 weeks.

The 'wilty' thing is, I surmise, to do with the legginess of the plant. Dark green stubby plants seem to cope better? Or did you leave them out unprotected? There have been several mini-frosts lately.

[Mothy]

EJ......oh the shame of it, a pink watering can!! Imagine this in a deep masculine voice..."It was red before the sun faded it!"  ;D Looks like it's a trip to Wilko's tomorrow then!!

Tim, in the past when the Cu's have wilted they've always been the indoor variety. I am growing Burpless Tasty Green as per an earlier recommendation of yours this year to put outside as well as some in the greenhouse. They have been in the unheated GH for 2 weeks now and are doing fine.

[philcooper]

Cucumbers have always wilted and died.

When I said I had always suufered from the wilting of full grown plants, I was told last weekend that it is usually due to stem rot at the base of the plant - to avoid this do not water within 6" of the stem. The upturned top half of a plastic bottle sunk into the soil/compost will allow watering without the danger of rotting the stem

Phil

[ellkebe]

Ours are only in an uheated lean-to. But it mainly stays at a minimum of 45-50F because of the heated mats in it. They won't go out, into the cold 'house proper, for another 2 weeks. The 'wilty' thing is, I surmise, to do with the legginess of the plant. Dark green stubby plants seem to cope better? Or did you leave them out unprotected? There have been several mini-frosts lately.

Hmm, well I guess they were a little leggy :(    I'm busy repotting up to first true leaves as suggested on site.  There's no heating of any kind in there so I'll follow you and put them out in a couple of weeks.  I kind of need them to stop growing a bit in the meantime!

Thanks Tim

Ellkebe