This is my first full season and I'm edgy about planting out certain stuff.
I've sown, grown and nurtured the following: baby sweetcorn, squash, pumpkin, courgette & basil. All the seedlings look strong and have been hardened off and been completely outside for past 48 hours.
I'm planning on planting them out this weekend but is this too early?
I'm a bit new to this too and can't see where you are, but I'm told nightime temps are the issue. My Tomatoes, courgettes, peppers etc., are happy enough all day on my southfacing balcony but this past Wednesday night I forgot some peppers, it was cold and they almost bought it, so my very inexpereinced feeling is yes if you use fleece , cloches, etc
I put my beans in last year at this time after hardening them off and they didn't make it but that might have been root disturbance.
I think I'd leave it a bit longer. I not far from you & haven't even sown my seeds yet.
me too. Done basil as a house plant, but haven't even thought of sowing the rest yet
btw apart from the swetcorn, those plants are slug food, esp. when they're small
mine are ll out of the cold frame and getting a bit of sun i wont plant out for another 2-3 weeks yet no rush
I think it should be ok to get going after the weekend.
Weather is getting warmer and the frosts less likely.
Just watch out for those nasty late April showers which will come along in May though.
Mixed response there & thanks!
I'm going to plant out and cloche what I can and protect the remaining plants with 6 pint milk containers (with bottom cut out) which should get round frost issues?
All the ones you mentioned are tender plants,I would wait a bit longer, if it is too cool they will not grow and if they get chilled they will likely die.. protect them a wee bit longer, and acclimatise them to outdoors before you plant them out by putting the pots out during the day and bringing them in at night, XX Jeannine
My tomatoes are in 3" pots in the greenhouse; courgettes sown the other day; sweetcorn, squash & beans still in their packets. Wait till May before you plant stuff out (although you could chance the odd one and prove us wrong!).
We're spending an hour or so a day at the moment taking plants out in the morning and putting them back at night!
with the courgettes, you should do repeat sowings anyway, to spread them out over the season. I do 3 or 4
With the basil, if they're reasonably large and healthy, you can take cuttings now as a precaution
I think its a bit early too, cloche if you have to plant out, and leave some slug traps out. ;D ;D ;D
I am in the Midlands and don't put any tender stuff out until after predicted last frost - so around the end of May.
mine will spend as long as i can physically keep them there on my window sills, even down south its easy to get caught out
Depending on where you are, late May or early June are OK to plant out those plants.
I live in the south east and we rarely get a frost after early April, but night time temperatures still go down pretty low, so I don't put tenders out until late May. Low nightime temperatures may not necessarily kill the plants but they will certainly stunt their growth leaving them more prone to pest and disease attacks and you won't get as good growth and crops.
Be patient and wait another month!
I've planted out the following...
cabbage
lettuce
cauli
broad beans
beetroot
peas
Kale.....
others are waiting in the greenhouse
I've taken a risk and planted out french beans in a large container as a wigwam. The plants are protected with a double layer of fleece so I hope that will be enough. The plants had been vining for more than a week and were getting unmanageable in my tiny GH.
Everything else will stay inside for another couple of weeks.
Tricia
We've got a friend down the lottie who always says "there's plenty of time"and on the whole he's usually right.We all try to get things going early but he's says while the plants may not die in the cold they're not growing either ,so better to wait a bit and plants sown later usually catch up when it warms up :) 8)
I have only sown most of my crops over the last week so it will be a while before I am planting out. I have sown some seeds direct though - carrots, spring onions, leeks, broad beans, parsnips, peas and beetroot.
Last year I put bolotti beans and spagna bianco out at this time surrounded by a glass cloche and they did very well (we are in Manchester). Decided it was worth the risk and it did pay off.
Sweetcorn is out
Pumpkin & squash are out
Courgette are out
Basil still on the back steps!
I think I will lose some of these but its a learning curve right? Besides, I couldn't keep them any longer!
I'll grow a few more start of may for ready made replacements, just in case ;)
(http://i497.photobucket.com/albums/rr336/javahart/IMG00085-20100425-1546.jpg)