Pushing the planting out envelope

ok,so I've got cole crops started inside: brussel sprouts,cabbages,pok choy,choy sum,cauliflower,onion,chinese chives and swiss chard. I've taken them off the heat and started hardening them off inside w/ cooler temps. Today's going to be 60 so I'll set them outside at the back door in the shade for more hardening off for a short period. I hope to set them out in the garden med-Feb. but I've never started this early before and schedule I have from local gardening supply company says they should be planted out in March. So do you think if I set them out under lo-tunnels they'll be ok in Feb?

Peggy

I'd go for it. If you can really harden them off they should be fine barring something really extreme. I didn't get my cauliflower out in the fall, thought it was too late and left them to die. Right before Christmas they were just sitting there but still alive so I planted them. They've grown very little but look poised to take off. I have neglected them and so has Mother Nature with very little rain. They've been through quite a few hard frosts and it hasn't fazed them.

What's your average low temp?

I'm a regular envelope-pusher. Sometimes it works, sometimes I lose everything.

My advice is to plant out half of the seedlings early, save the others, In Case.

Average...ain't no such thing here in Ark.zone 8 but to ave. it off 29...maybe.

I have stuff under lo-tunnels from fall planting...the brussel sprouts are knocking their heads on their tunnel so I flipped back the ends to start exposing them to colder temps so maybe I can sneak them out(take the tunnels off) in a week or so. On the other hand the fall planted cauliflowers under tunnel didn't grow or head up instead they bolted.

I left other stuff un-covered and except for looking wilted on mornings of below freezing they perk right back up later. Even the lettuce I left un-covered has survived unfazed.

A plastic tunnel should up your temps by 7 to 20F -- that might be the equivalent of picking up a couple of weeks or more in the garden. A plastic milk jug cloche can take the temp up 3F or so.

I read somewhere that cauliflower wasn't as hardy as cabbage and broccoli. That may be true when experiencing "extremes" which I haven't had. My low so far is 24 and none of the cole crops have suffered. Your cauliflower in the tunnel obviously thought it was too hot.

Bigred-I have the same plants you mentioned in my own garden and it has gotten down to 17 F. I think they will be fine they may just grow a little slower. I planted mine to late in the fall, they haven't died but haven't grown a whole lot though. Oh ya, I have never covered mine with anything.
lisa

It must have been up 20 degrees in the tunnel I opened to harvest mustards for supper. The heat wafted out into my face.It was cold out too...maybe 40..my fingers were freezing.

Out in the open or under tunnels...we've been eating fresh turnip,mustard,kales,german winter radishes,carrots,lettuce and onions all winter. My first real success at 4 season gardening.

lisa,
I do beliee I could have left everything out in the open without worrying. We just haven't had that much winter this year. Yesterday it was up to 70.

There is so much back breaking work that goes into gardening that it is such a great feeling when one is successful.

Good for Peggy. Can you provide any info on the German radishes?

Thanks,

Jerry

here ya go

http://www.gourmetseed.com/c=0Rbz1tXjfU2vgXLeICZAwkXTu/category/gourmet_seed.vegetable_seed.radish___winter/


sorry it didn't come up as a click on link

Which did you grow, the red, white or purple (blue)?

All of them. They are very tasty.Very large,more solid than the little ones we're use to growing and a unique flavor....almost turnipy.

No black though. I understand they're hot and I don't care for hot radishes.

Hey,it did come up as a click on.

to be specific,I grew :
Hilds Blauer
Neckarruhn Red
Muncher Bier(does this translate...munchin' wid un beer?...LOL)

Peggy, how do you get your seeds to germinate inside without being leggy, Even when I germinated seeds in the greenhouse in the past, they always get leggy, I've alwys had to germinate outside after frost cause I waste so much seed , they get so long and leggy. not enough sun light.

They do get leggy. This year I'm trying to time them right so they don't have to be inside so long and will be setting out earlier under tunnels.

I invested in a heat mat last year and a collapsible grow light this year. Not near big enough set up but I do what I can with the space I have.

I'll start tomatoes,peppers,eggplants and herbs in another week. They will more than likely,get leggy before it's time to set them out but at least most of them can be potted up or planted out deep. I'll push the envelope on those two by a couple of weeks this year under a lo-tunnel to experiment. I the passed I've set them out in my un-heated greenhouse the first week of March and I've never lost many. The leaves will get a purplish cast during colder days but that doesn't hurt them.