My seedlings are trucking along and still growing. My tomatoes are so tall they are touching my grow light and I have my chains as high as they will go. The peppers and eggplants are doing OK, but they are growing much slower. I have been taking them outside when I get home from work the last few days and they don't seem to mind too much.
I have a question. At what point can I just leave my seedlings outside all the time? I know they have to be hardened off for a week or so. It is just getting to the point where I am not going to have room for the tomatoes in the garden for at least another month and they will be huge by then. I would like to keep them outside on my patio if possible. The temps at night are in the 50's and highs during the day are 70 to 80's.
On a separate note, the "seedling" in my wife's belly will be here on Monday, April 2nd if everything goes as planned. I may be out of pocket for a little while after that.
Jalapenos, Habaneros, Bell Peppers, and Eggplants getting some fresh air.
Here are my tomatoes
You can see they have reached the grow light
6 comments:
Kris, if your night temperatures are consistantly in the 50's, you can leave your tomatoes out full time. The peppers and eggplants like temps that are a bit warmer. I've potted my tomatoes in large pots and then set into the garden a few weeks later with no ill effects.
Once it gets above 70 here I'll keep my tomatoes on porch all day and if it's above 50 i'll keep them at night. anything below and I bring it back inside.
Ed - That is good news. I think I will put them out tomorrow for good. I might even plant a few of them after a few days.
Jenny - That is good to know, thanks for the advice.
Oh so sweet to have a new baby. My DIL and son have just had their 4th boy. :)
You said your daughter was excited about the sunflowers? I am glad sunflowers are nice that way. When yours start growing yours will be just as pretty. Really, I started growing them because I have brown thumbs, sunflowers got me over my fears.
Okay, here is a little old timey thing that I learned from my Grandpa and he had great tomatoes.
Don't put them out until after Easter. Wait until after Easter Sunday and then start. You might have your hands full, but sometimes he said, there can be a freak freeze before Easter.
I have always waited. My brother didn't and one year he lost 120 plants because it froze on Easter Morning.
Your weather might be different than here in California, but I wait until the nights are at 60 to leave them out all night.
Your plants look wonderful. We are running out of room with our lights too.
Thanks for stopping by and blessings on your family.
Farm Girl - Thanks for stopping by and for the advice on the tomatoes. I think I will wait till around April 15th to put them in the ground. I don't really have any room for them in the garden and my snow peas should be done by then. You are right, my hands are gonna be quite full for a little while and it is going to be tough to juggle a newborn and keep my garden up, but I am gonna try.
your plants look so healthy!
Post a Comment