When do you New Englanders do it? I was told to put annuals out on or after Memorial Day, which of course is almost here. The temps still seem to be in the mid forties at night....is it too cool or can I finally get my stockpiled ones out of the garage?
Putting annuals out in New England
What Anna and I have done for the past week has been to 'harden off' the plants. we have put them out during the day and brought them into shelter during the nighttime hours.
We plan on planting them all out this weekend, of course.
If you have recently purchased plants from a nursery and left them outside this week, they should be good to go.
I'm doing the same thing, I've hardened them off on the side porch for the last few days. But I usually plant this weekend, and the night temps seem way too cold, especially for heat lovers like 'maters and peppers.
I'm not taking a chance. I've got them out during the day to harden off but I'm not planting yet.
Last year we had our last frost on June 5th and I was running around like a mad woman covering everything with pots, and pop bottles and sheets...not falling for it again!!
It's strange, it seems like our last frost was eons ago, but to me it seems like it has been unseasonably cool for this time of year. Maybe I'm just imagining it. I haven't had the annuals outside every day, because sometimes I just don't get to it. So maybe I'll give it another week or so and do that.
It's good to err on the side of caution in this case, I believe.
I've had some planted for a week now, only thing bothering them is the lack of rain.
That's bothering me too, pixie. I hope it's not a long, dry summer, because I hate watering and it's hard to find the time to do it. Today I was sort of freaking out about how overboard I've gone with my garden...started to feel like I bit off more that I can chew because I don't want to spend my entire summer watering.
I feel your pain, Noreaster. I was just thinking the same thing last week as I was dragging the hoses all around the house. Man! I HATE that part!! And then the rolling up. I swear, I an going to get some of those 'slinky' type hoses that are more lightweight and easier to store in the off season.
I just saw the weather forecasting 38 degrees one night this week. Ugh.....most of the veggies are in the garden as of this weekend.
Does anyone use a heat strip under a tray of newly planted seeds in peat pots? I haven't done it in such a long time that I can't recall if I'm supposed to have the bottom heat on around the clock or just for several hours a day. During the night? Should I crack the clear plastic cover so they won't bake??? Any help anyone can give? Of course, I no longer have the directions that went with the heat strip! LOL
If I remember correctly Donnie you keep it on 24/7 with the plastic cover on until the seeds germinate, the Idea being the bottom heat and the increased Co2 facilitates germination. I believe the cover is supposed to be removed once the seeds germinate but the heat stays on.
I used an aluminum baking tray w/o cover filled with damp sphagnum moss cover start my dahlias this year, a heat strip under the tray with a sheet of aluminum foil under the heat strip (between the table and the strip - reflective side-up) to focus heat upwards triggered the dahlia's growth. With seeds the cover should be on until seedlings appear. - If memory serves me correctly! ☺
Thanks, WC! Probably not smart of me to put seeds with different germination rates in the same tray! There were 72 little peat discs, so I got carried away putting all kinds of seeds in to fill up the tray after I expanded every last one with the water. I have sunflowers, daisies, snapdragons, lettuce, carrots, camellias, etc. Most of them are seeds I collected from my Florida plants.