[bovboy]

Good day to all

Do you think it is now safe to plant out runner bean plants?
Have looked at forecast (I'm in Norwich) and seems ok for coming week.

How about mu Courgette's. they have been growing merrily on the window ledge, do you think its time for them to go out??

Thanks all

[mumofstig]

Harden them off...out during the day and in at night, for about a week and then plant themout I'd wait till this wind drops to start though

Mine have been in and out like yo-yos these last few days and are going in at the end of this week, fingers crossed the wind drops by then

[shaun]

put my runners in over the weekend,french beans,pumkins and Courgette's this weekend if the weather is fine.

[andreadon]

yep, definitely wait till the wind's gone.
when they're babies like that they get knocked about a lot.
unless you've got a wooden frame you can put round them.
then you could pop a piece of plastic over the top at night to avoid bringing them back inside.

[Babstreefern]

Put out all my beans, runners, french, and also some more peas over the weekend, also put out my courgettes.  I've got two coldframes, one in the sun, and one in the shade, and they all been in the shaded one, to harden them off.  I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they now grow.

[Elcie]

I am hardening my courgettes off at the moment and will probably plant out in about 10 days if the following week's forecast looks ok.  That will take me to the 'magic' end of May!

[gobs]

Norwich, hm. The plants look week. Certainly hardening off or a cloche, because these plants will break easily, even just on planting out, so be careful.

The beans could be protected with a little fleece skirt around their base for a couple of weeks.

[DD.]

You said what I was afraid to say, Gobs!

[gobs]

You said what I was afraid to say, Gobs!

You can trust me trodding in there...

[bovboy]

You are spot on Gobs and DD, they are very very weak, no sooner did I start to move them out to harden off than one of the stems split.

Is that what the term 'leggy' means (this is my 1st attempt by the way), I have had them on the windowsill, but think that maybe they got too warm, and hence the weakness??

So I have tried to sow a couple more, see if I can do any better

[dawnj]

I just seeded my beans last week in doors have I left them too late...they just started to show through....

[Eatyourgreens]

No not at all, I am sowing my main crop of beans in the morning.


Bob

[dawnj]

how long do they take to get established and planted out? still new to all this  I think I have the hang of things then something else needs doing in the garden it's all go...

[Vienna Phil]

Sorry for posting what is probably a really stupid question, but I am a beginner. Here goes: what exactly is hardening off? And how do you do it?

[Paul Plots]

Sorry for posting what is probably a really stupid question, but I am a beginner. Here goes: what exactly is hardening off? And how do you do it?

Simple:
Imagine you'd been stuck indoors all through a chilly winter.... 

Suddenly someone said that your going out camping permanently...  :blink: .... blinking cold outside without the heating on 

So.... you go out each day for a breath of fresh air and nip back in over-night .......and s l o w l y get acclimatised to cooler conditions...

After a week of venturing outside during the day time you are now ready for the big outside full-time. 

Same with your plants.... put them out during the day - somewhere sheltered but take them in at night..
Eventually they will be as happy outside as they were indoors so are ready to be planted out.

This way you (or rather the plants) avoid a sudden shock which can stop them growing in their tracks... they will be gradually "hardened off" for planting out.

Hope this helps.. 

I think it was a very good question.