Baked Bachelor Buttons

Hey all-
I'm a newbie this year to winter sowing, so I just thought I'd share- if you've got your containers slash baggies in partial shade, you mightn't want to pull 'em all the way out just because its a pretty day LOL. Please allow me to share my tale....
Its been pretty warm here in Philly, so I've had the tops of the bags completely open for quite a while now, the soil is nice and moist and they've been doing great. The only plant I don't have any germination yet is the Orlaya Grandiflora and the Bells of Ireland. And I only have one lonely little Columbine. The rest (about twenty/twenty five types of flowers) are coming in like gangbusters, especially the Marigolds and the Zinnias (I figured they would since they are so hardy).
However this morning when I got home from work (I'm an overnight manager at a pharmacy), I thought 'wow what a pretty day- its supposed to go up to 80!' And there they went onto the top of my patio table.......
About an hour and a half later, I went out to enjoy the sun, and found some slightly sadly wilted leaves- the Bachelor Buttons seem to be the worse off, but they're still kicking I think- I caught them just in time perhaps.
Now that my panic is over..... and they are back under the table all snug in the partial shade, please send my seedlings some feel good vibes just in case :-)
I think perhaps for pretty days from here on out, I should just pull them out for a little bit- what are some of the ways you other ladies and gents introduce your seedlings to full sun? Most of all- how long should I be leaving them all the way out?
I do have to get them used to full sun though, as during the summer my roof deck is nothing but full sun, except for the first two hours and last two hours of light (I have small ledges that bring shade then).
Hope everyones' plants are coming in nicely- mine sure are!
Samantha

I'm in the same boat here in the 'burbs.. .. I'm misting them with the hose every 15 minutes... wish I had a scrap of the shade cloth propagators use.

Mike-
Yep you aren't too far from me- I'm in South Philly. I hadn't thought of the hose- perhaps I will get mine out and mist if they don't bounce back quickly. I just went out and checked 'em, and it might be my imagination, but they seem a little perkier-
You know what though? It is SO nice to have this nice weather finally here in Southeast PA!! I'm thinking cookout tonight perhaps? :-)
Samantha

My jugs are now topless! I cut all the tops off of the containers that have germinated, even if they only have one sprout! Germination can be erratic and now that the weather is warming up, I think you'll find more seeds germinating daily.

I have a shady area on my deck that I moved my woodland sprouts too. The sun lovers are still basking in the sunshine. Sorry, I know that doesn't really help you much. If possible, try to separate out the ones that really need more shade so that they don't get baked. It's definitely time to bring out the hose. That's the easiest and fastest way to keep your sprouts moist.

Chicken on the barbie tonight.....YUM!!!!

It was 80 degrees here today. When this hot I bottom water my jugs until saturated. This seems to help a lot with not only moisture but also tolerance to sun.

Best thing to do for planting out is to do it before rain, or shade them after by placing a lawn chair or laundry basket or something similar over top.

Karen

Oh, and my tops have been off since the deep freeze of a couple of weeks ago ended.

We had filet mignon cooked on our grill for dinner. I was ravenous and ate every morsel.

Karen

Shirley and Karen-
I brought out the garden hose and spray nozzle- I'll be using it soon anyway, and its always one of those happy moments of spring when it comes out of the laundry room :-)
Sounds like everyone with warm weather is of like minds in grilling out- we did last as well. Can't wait for those warm summer nights (!) Here in the big city, outdoor space is at a premium, and I spend a LOT of time on my roofdeck- wouldn't be without one.
I'll be careful to water from the bottom- although I've only had to water once since I wintersowed- the soil for me has stayed nice and moist all this time. Even after their moment in the sun yesterday, the soil still feels quite moist, but today I'm going to bottom water just to be sure.
This morning the Bachelor Buttons look almost back to normal-
Thanks guys!! Samantha

Supposed to be even warmer today! There's a red flag fire warning for our area today, the humidity has been so low, and there'll be a dry wind.
http://www.erh.noaa.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=PAZ068&warncounty=PAC091&local_place1=Pottstown&product1=Hazardous+Weather+Outlook

Mike- Thanks for the info. I was outside this morning, and it already feels a bit on the hot side in the full sun. A great day to spend gardening!
Those shade cloths are nice- but pricey. I've seen some on Ebay for a little cheaper than ordering custom, since a home gardener wouldn't need a whole lot- when you're dealing with seedlings, a little bit would go a long way.
Samantha

Sheer curtain panels (often available at thrift shops or yard sales) work fine to protect plants from sun. Gradual introduction to the sun is the key, just like when you're hardening off plants started indoors, and a cloudy day is a good opportunity to put them in a "full sun" spot all day for the first time.

Sheer curtain panels- thats a great idea! I'm waiting for the next cloudy day to pull them all out- today I put them on top of the table for about a half hour, and no negative effect was seen. We'll have 'em all out in no time!
Samantha