I'd leave them outside over-night for a couple of days, in a spot out of the wind, where they'll get partial sun. Then go ahead and plant them out

I am a diligent plant dad and have learned that I take a good deal more time hardening things off than most gardeners. Partly, hardening off is just an excuse to get things the heck outta the way in the greenhouse! Partly, I have a really good Sweet Spot in the backyard.

As David said, "...out of the wind, where they'll get partial sun." You are not just toughening them up to the outdoor temperatures. I don't leave anything out overnight until I'm just a few days from setting them out in the garden. Often shelter is just moving them up on a deck under its roof for the night. In the early hardening off, they go right back into the greenhouse at night.

My plants are experiencing some trials right now. I didn't pay close enough attention to the Weather Service. A day or 2 ago, they were just noting the temperature and at 50°f, it would have been very near the warmest morning of 2015! Instead, it's 46°. That's okay ... but the 20mph wind on my cabbage and snapdragons is not!! Even the the wind across the deck and over my asters ain't nice! Hope they don't chap ... sorry. I really should have moved everything because wind like this is new to 'em ...

Lettuce is one of the most tolerant to low temperatures. Still, all of my plants go through about a week plus of hardening. Life can be tough in the open garden in the springtime.

Steve

Steve do you do all that hardening off even for plants coming from your unheated greenhouse?

I'm rushing my planting out without hardening this year on some hardier seedlings thinking it's been cold in the gh overnight, the plants get direct sun on the bench and wind from the greenhouse fan. Maybe though this is a mistake. I'll know soon enough.

Paige your peas and columbine look robust. I direct sowed peas on March 10 this year and they're not nearly as big as what you started yet.

Lettuce can go out ASAP

Your green onions could already be out there. They can take a good deal of cold -- altho' I've seen Dixondale Farms excuse that their onions bolted to seed because they were set out before it was warm enough. My experience suggests that it's a valid excuse. The entire idea that what doesn't kill them, makes them stronger just brings tear to my eyes ... (I think there's something wrong with me, today [this year, life?]

Those cucumbers and peppers better wait for your nicest weather, Paige. I'd just have them out for a few hours at a time.

No, it's mostly the warm-season plants that I take the most time/care with, Golden D'. However, the shed-attached hoop house had heat for the first time last night. I thought it would be a good trial run. After this wind dies tonight, I bet it freezes. Since I'm not quite sure what was going on in there because of all the wind, I'd better be paying attention in the early hours tomorrow. The older tomato plants are enjoying more elbow room overnight without being pushed back in the greenhouse with the furnace. However, I don't want them shivering themselves to pieces by tomorrow morning.

Steve

We will be looking forward to your questions and your ideas for ours, Paige.

The hoop house had a little, passive electric heater with a fan behind it. The greenhouse has a gas furnace but I only run it for a couple months each year.

Steve

enjoying the very first bok choy of spring for lunch ッ.

I am 800 miles away, Paige!

And, I cannot ever remember transplanting peas. I'm curious if there will be any Cascade Giant pole beans for me to move around in the garden. I'd never seen a bean volunteer until I grew those things. The tractor guy leaves them scattered.

I'm having trouble with weather (wind) and too many onions to plant. Maybe I get to more peas now. A little bed of snap peas are up in the little veggie garden but where's my shell peas and the ones that should have gone in several weeks ago - the snow peas? It's good that the tractor guy & nearly all the onions are outta the way in one part of the big veggie garden. Maybe I can get some more pea seed in the ground.

Anyway, good that your vines are growing, Paige. Now, get an answer on a planting date from someone just over your fence!

ッ Steve

I have a very ...unorthodox... hardening off process, heck, even I can't figure it out! IME, however, the longer something has been inside, the longer the hardening off process. Bell peppers we're always real pill for me, which I start at the end of FEBRUARY and don't get them planted until the end of MAY! But, for some reason, any pepper that rates anywhere on the scoville scale gives me no issues at all. One of several reasons I have dropped bell bell peppers from the garden line up for good.

Be wary of the Mothers Day rule, it's great for people who live in "stable environments," but not at 5000 ft or more in elevation when winter doesn't officially end...ever (ask Skybird about her June snow adventure). Not to mention it hasn't even been a year yet since we we shoveling our driveways on the very day everyone else in America was planting their gardens, May 11, MOTHERS DAY!!

I shoot for May 20-June 1 for any of the frost tender stuff like tomatoes and peppers. Whatever "gain" you think you're getting by putting them outside early will quickly be made up by plants set out later. I have put things out much to early before, thinking "wow this is great!" but, they just, and sit, and sit, and sit, and don't grow so much as an inch until they darn well feel like it!

You're going to hate me, and someone will probably come in with a better idea, but, if you have cucumbers growing inside, I wouldn't even bother with them. Just plant the seed directly in the garden in late May or early June. They are so quick to grow and produce I even know people in Leadville who can grow them!

Right now, our night time temps are around 32-35ºF, and my kale, snap dragons, and onion starts are all spending the night outside. I planted out a whole bunch of shallots in the garden last week, and want to get the onions in ASAP. I also need to get my peas and favas planted - I'm way late on that.

Hi Paige,

Where are you located in the Metro area? I’m in Thornton and they’re showing 70%
chance of rain on Sunday—and I’m just hoping I get enough that it
“counts!” (As a matter of fact I just
turned the sprinkler on in the front yard!)
I haven’t heard that they’re predicting heavy rain in the Metro area—aside from the fact that if we get
right under a thunderstorm we can always get some heavy rain—but that’s true
all summer long.

Unless you have some good reason to think you’re gonna get “flooding”
rains, I’d get your peas out in the ground as soon as you can. I’ve never started them in pots, and I’m
betting that if you really like fresh
peas, by next year you’re gonna be planting them directly in the ground too, so
you can have a LOT more! If they’ve been
out “in the sun” for a few days, they can go out now. If they haven’t been out in the sun, the
biggest problem you’re gonna have is sunburn on the leaves, and if it’s bad
enough that could set them back a
little bit. If they’re acclimated to the
sun, plant them, get them started up something, and let them go. Up here in Thornton we’re supposed to be well
above freezing for the next week, but even if it got down to freezing, peas
should be fine—they thrive on cold. Any
other “cold crops,” lettuce, onions, spinach, should be out in the ground. (And the lettuce & spinach can also be
easily sown directly in the ground.)

Here’s a really good site that shows at what temps what
veggies germinate. Don’t take it
literally! (Ms. New Gardener!) Just use it to get a basic Idea of which
things can be planted directly outside when it’s still “cold” out, and which seeds
are just gonna sit in the soil and rot if they go out too soon.

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

With the cukes, I way second what Zach just said! I’m not sure it’s worth trying to keep yours
inside until they can go in the ground.
Seeding some directly in the ground when the soil starts to warm up
should get you all the cukes you can eat in 5-6 weeks, depending on
weather. Late May, early June, like Zach
said.

And when it comes to tomatoes/eggplant, I’m even more
“unorthodox” than Zach! Last year I
didn’t get mine in the ground until June
23! And in 2-3 weeks they looked just
the same as they would have if they had been put out the middle of May and I
had “babied” them the whole time. The
warmer the soil is when you plant them, the faster they’re gonna grow. I was swearing for a while that if I sat out
there and watched them I would have been able to actually SEE them
growing! From day to day was just
astounding. So my recommendation for
tomatoes & eggplant is the end of May or beginning to middle of June! I know not many others do it as late as I do! The only pepper I grow is a “jalapeño-looking” paprika pepper, so I’m not much good for advice on them, but the one
I do grow gets planted out the same time as the tomatoes!

Next year it’ll seem much easier,

Skybird

P.S. If you harden it
off, your columbine can/should be out now too.
They like cold temps too, but the foliage CAN freeze if it gets “real”
cold, but if that happens they just “start over” again!

P.P.S. If you ask me
any direct questions, I may not get back to answer them! Am desperately trying to get ready for a
spring trip.

Real quick! If you have forget-me-nots this year, let them go to seed and next year you'll have LOTS of them--all over! They're WONDERFUL!

Definitely a Fun Trip! I go to Four Corners every year and do a tour at the Ute Mountain Tribal Park, a/k/a "The Other Mesa Verde!" It's an amazing place! Then, this year, I'm going to Ignacio for several days--will be seeing the Southern Ute Cultural Center for the first time, and driving back down to Chaco Canyon for the fourth time for another day of hiking down there. In case you didn't notice (duh!), I'm very into Anasazi places, and also very interested in American Indian Peoples. Can't wait to leave--but not sure how I'm gonna get everything ready in time!

Try to relax and enjoy your "new" garden! Gardening should "relieve stress," not "cause it!" If something goes wrong this year--there's always next year! Some years there'll be catastrophes, but, overall, it'll just keep getting better and better!

Skybird

Unless they're the tiny little "baby" watermelons, they probably won't have time to ripen for you--the "baby" ones MIGHT.

Forget-me-nots! LOVE 'em!

https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tjEkeIsfSSsL5LJ2beDy8DluDqFsYa8lXiqgQsjeDBg?feat=directlink

Don't let them get root bound in the pots! Pot them up to bigger pots if necessary. If they get too root bound it could "slow them down" when you plant them in the ground.

I'm outta here!

Skybird

Looks Good! I hope Sky has fun and also takes pictures she can share later. I was thinking this week how my "raised beds" in my too exposed big veggie garden have taken on more of the look of Zuni gardens.

If David is behind on peas and favas (i am trying them again), at 5°F colder than here, I'm way behind. Putting the tomatoes in the hoop house overnight with its inadequate heating system must have just spooked me this week, regarding frost. But, I blame most of the delay on the tractor guy.

I may never have had the experience of transplanting peas but I do transplant cukes in recent years - also, squash& melons. I try for not over 4 weeks before they go out and think that I gain about 2 weeks, maybe less. It does, however, figure in with my maximum use of the greenhouse and instant garden notion.

Steve

Hey Skybird, aint you supposed to be trip prepping, not putzing around on the internet? lol, I've been holding of on replying to the "wildflowers" thread so you can can get ready haha! Oh, and today after work I'm going to send you an email with some contacts info to your email that you and I usually connect through. I'm guessing you'll want the Montezuma County info?

You got that right, Zach! Yesterday I had a few people I had to email with stuff related to my trip (and the swap!), and I sent one person a bunch of the links I posted above, so they were "handy." Since I was here at the computer I kept checking RMG--and then we get back into the 12-step discussion!

Skybird

P.S. I haven't checked the email linked to RMG but will try to remember to do it before I go to bed tonite!

Welcome Paige, and Hi everyone =)

Where in Southeast Aurora do you live Paige? I'm in South East Aurora also, over at Tower and Hampden.My family and I are waiting for my son to graduate next year then we'll be buying land for our own little "farmsted". Good luck with your garden, If you haven't already, sign up for the Spring Plant Swap on here...its a LOT of fun, hope to see you there!! A real quick Hijack (even though Skybird already stole it for her trip ;) haha) I knocked over some of my tomatoes & Bell Peppers is it to late to start them indoors if I use grow lights?? Please tell me it isn't....PLEASE ;)

I think others might disagree with this, but I don't think you're too late for the tomatoes! I seeded mine on April 10, and the first ones were coming up 5 days later. They have their first set of true leaves now, so they're still very small, but they're doing great and I'm hoping to get them potted up a size before I leave. Mine have been going outside any day it's warm enough from as soon as the seed leaves were "full size," and I'd recommend that over keeping them in with lites. Mine will go in the ground around the middle of June, and, from past experience, even if they're still small when I plant them out, they REALLY take off when they get in the warm soil. Go for it! You have nothing but a few seeds to lose! And I'm sure you'll be able to pick up a few at the swap too!

Don't really grow peppers, so can't help much there! But I do believe they're considerably slower than tomatoes. Check out the "what are you bringing" swap thread! Maybe you can get dibs on a few over there!

Gotta go,

Skybird

P.S. You might want to start a new thread where more people will see it so you'll probably get more advice. Folks might not see your question at the bottom of this thread.

Tomatoes you may be alright, like Skybird said. They are wicked fast growers and will be putting out fruit before you know it, as long as you don't want some of those 90-100 DTM heirlooms, but any early-mid season ones (55-70 DTM) ought to be okay (in truth, those are the only ones I try to grow here anyways, Colorado isn't exactly a tomato growers paradise to begin with). Course, that's just a guess, I've never started them this late, and I start and plant out a little earlier then Skybird does, so, she'd be the one to ask, and since she already answered well there you go! lol!

The peppers, well, that a little different. Bell peppers are about the fastest growing pepper there is, but, they don't much care to put out peppers any earlier. That would be my main concern with them, unless you just want little baby bells (not to be confused with the cheese).

I would recommend against bell peppers all around though, given the choice. They are very poor producers. IME the homegrown ones don't have anything that a store bought one doesn't (except maybe price, until you start to calculate the cost of labor, water, fertilizer etc. for the MAYBE 5-6 peppers you got off a plant that are only 1/2 the size) and from what I hear, there are much better sweet peppers out there, though, I don't grow sweet peppers anymore, so, I haven't tried any of them.

Thank you both for the response Im going to give the maters' a try I have nothing really to lose bell peppers I've actually changed my mind on them so maybe it was a blessing to drop them LOL your right about them not being much better or great at producing

Thanks again =)

oh and BTW your prob right about starting a new thread for answers & Ill prob do that....well maybe not since you two answered my question =)