When I was a kid, we'd cover our tomato plants with a metal gallon can with the bottom cut out and the top halfway cut out and bent upwards. The top opening would be facing east to get morning sun and shade in afternoon. These cans make very effective windbreaks and hold in a bit of warmth on cool nights. After a couple or three weeks, the plants would be hardened off and we'd remove the cans. I've been collecting cans so I can do that again. Nowadays we have floating row cover, so I think I could set them out even earlier knowing that it would be easy to cover them with the row cover on really chilly nights. It's hard to find those cans nowadays, but some schools and other cafeterias still get food in them. Maybe you can find some there? Or at your local recycling center?

when you put them in the cold frame put them in on a warm day with the cold frame OPEN...it's so easy to bake plants in a cold frame like that. I am taking my pepper seedlings out during the day but bringing them in at night (our temps are still chilly here although we can leave our tomato seedlings out most nights) You could probably replicate that with a cold frame by opening the cold frame during the day and closing it at night. You may even want to move your cold frame into a shadier location to regulate your daytime temps.

The operative word being "much", as in not needing much in the way of hardening off. The plants I set out last week are thriving. It's as if indoors was holding them back. Sure they're still in partial shade under the trees, and they do need protected from the wind, particularly since they're super hots and their big leaves are making them a bit top heavy. Still it was a quick 4 days from full indoors to full outdoors and they've more than doubled in size in 10 days. I just checked the small super sweets that I set out, and left out, for the first time yesterday morning. They look great and since it's going to be mostly cloudy today, I'll probably leave them out. They'll let me know what they need, I hope. ;) Note: YMMV PS No guts, no glory. Or as GatorDave would say "Patience, I have none!" lol This post was edited by mecdave on Wed, Jun 25, 14 at 7:18

Thank you all for the encouragement. No we can not be friendly after everything he was cruel some of the things he said were unforgivable and beyond hurtful they were evil. I do not know why he turned in to what he is now but he is not the same man. His family I tried to stay with but they just accepted her with out a problem oh I am sure they told Tom they did not approve. I took care of his granm and cleaned her behind and bathed he and healed bed sores for months, his father loved me and was a good friend he died several years ago. If they needed me I was there, they had a choice to say they would not accept her. He left May 25 and wa moved in with her by July and we weren't separated (I did not know) he kept me hanging on for months. I have met a nice man he knows what I am dealing with, he is supportive and he is very good to me. My family likes him alot my mom especially, he was with me when she died. You are right women are strong stronger than men. I was strong enough to take care of my mother alot during her sickness. I am a nurse so I know what she was going thur. I kept my promise, I bathed her and made her look good as possible before she died. She was on a respirator and before my father saw her when she was going I kept that promise. Bob was with me all thur it. I am seeing a doc and am on meds changed several times. In the four years I have had to get my son off drugs, he started using when his father tip over our family. Tom knew he was using but did nothing(my son lived with them and stayed away from me because I would of known and done something) when I finally got to him he weighed 117 and 5'10. He is in school(college) now and with me doing great I am so proud. No I am not making all this up on the stress scale I win top number. I am not sure how I deal with it. Some days I don't I have pity parties. I have started knitting and giving the afghans and things to my family and nursing homes. Believe it or not Sept.22 I have to have a total r knee replacement. Bob is going to take care of me (bless his heart). Please put me in your thoughts. Deb