Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Mark's Sussex Allotment on May 20, 2013, 12:31
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Is it really really important to harden off everything?
Or is it mainly tender plants?
I have left so much too late on windowsills, and really need to get it in the ground, and dont really have time to harden things off for 2 weeks.....
What tends to happen if they're not hardened off adequately?.....
Will they die, or get set back badly...?
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anything that has been raised on a windowsill will be tender - not used to outside conditions.
If they get exposed suddenly to wind and cold many will die. If they really must go straight outside at least cover them with fleece for a few days.
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OK, I was planning on doing something similar, and choosing a couple of benign days.....
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If they don't die they will sulk for a long time
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obviously if it gets cold the will suffer but,ive always grown my runner beans,courgettes in the greenhouse and planted outside without hardening,never had a problem.brother in law has been doing the same for 30 years,never a problem.
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Windowsills are likely to have a much higher overnight temperature than an unheated greenhouse does, so indoor plants will need to be hardened off more slowly and gradually than those raised in the greenhouse.
It really isn't worth the risk.
Hardening off usually involves leaving plants outdoors during the day, and bringing back indoors overnight for a few days, followed by leaving outside in a sheltered position overnight for at least a few days, before then planting out.
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Totally agree with Yorkie - greenhouses or cold frames can be a useful "half-way house" between indoor house conditions and outdoors, but if considering planting outdoors straight from a greenhouse you need to choose your timing carefully and harden off further if conditions aren't suitable (the forecast is for a colder snap from tomorrow onwards, at least in these parts.)
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Most of us will be leaving the greenhouse door or window open during the day when it is suitable. That will partially harden things off.
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There's a lot of sulking plants at my site mainly sulking runner beans that have come straight out of the greenhouse/poly tunnel sold at markets and then into the ground.
some one told me a good way to harden things off from the greehouse was to put them in a bucket so they have a bit of a micro climate to live in before going out into the windy cold world.
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As my plot is so windy I keep plants outside for a few days in a sheltered spot to toughen up their leaves and then plant them out under debris netting tunnels - sweetcorn, squashes & French beans for a week or two as well, as this saves them scorching in any hot sunshine.
Runners have to take their chance but do seem a bit tougher tbh,
Tomatoes & peppers get hardened off over a week, and as much shelter as they can have when planted outside at the plot, and the cucumber plants going in the mini tunnel are too.
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I know from bitter experience what happens if you don't harden off some plants, such as sweetcorn. They sit there and sulk and eventually get overtaken by plants sown much later. Basically, some plants need it, some will benefit from it and some don't care.
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I've planted out some of my beans, sweetcorn and squashes under fleece tunnels - they've only been outside prior to that for a few days - was this a fatal error??!
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Oh dear, wish I'd read all that before I put out all my beans, toms and cabbages a week ago, straight from the kitchen window sill. I looked at them yesterday - I think the best I can say is that they are not dead...yet.
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You'll be lucky if they survive the weekend, if you've seen the forecast :(
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Well I'd better not drag them all out again, but I'll cover them all up with whatever I can find and cross my fingers. :(
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This is a really hard year for hardening off. I've been dragging mine in and out every day for weeks now. Some I've left in the tunnel overnight with some fleece on top if it's chilly, but the rest is still going in and out of the house. I've got tomato, squash and courgette plants with flowers and fruit on them, and they're still going in and out :)
I can't recall ever being still at this stage at this time of the year in my area. Last year was horrible but so far I think this year is worse.
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Pretty much doing the same here.
The ones planted in the greenhouse borders obviously stay put with some polysheeting around them - the peppers, chillis and toms still in pots have come inside tonight cos it's meant to be cold :dry:
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I did plant some Speedy French beans in my tunnel weeks ago, and they do actually have little beans and flowers on them now. They still don't look happy though. I have been putting fleece over them overnight if it's chilly, but the ones closest to the side look very chilled. I do wonder if they're better off if you start them off out there rather than starting them inside and then taking them out to a colder environment. I did sow loads of pots of French and runner beans, intended for outside, in my tunnel weeks back. They germinated fine out there and have grown on well in their pots. I tried this last year and I'm convinced it's a better start than being inside the house and then moving outside.
My local forecast seems to be saying it'll be chilly this weekend but then the temps should start getting back to normal, fingers crossed. I've got to start planting them out soon, warm or not.
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This is a really hard year for hardening off. I've been dragging mine in and out every day for weeks now. Some I've left in the tunnel overnight with some fleece on top if it's chilly, but the rest is still going in and out of the house. I've got tomato, squash and courgette plants with flowers and fruit on them, and they're still going in and out :)
I can't recall ever being still at this stage at this time of the year in my area. Last year was horrible but so far I think this year is worse.
This just about sums it up.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/22631057