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sue_ct

Hardening off

sue_ct
10 years ago

How do I harden off my plants when its forecast to be cloudy with chance of showers all week? I need to get them in the ground! If it is mostly cloudy do you leave them out a little longer? Can I do 3 days and then put them in ground if the following 3 or 4 days are all supposed to be cloudy with possible showers each day?

Comments (18)

  • edweather USDA 9a, HZ 9, Sunset 28
    10 years ago

    IMO cloudy and showers is pretty good for hardening off plants. There will probably be some sunshine mixed in there too. You could leave them out a little longer. 3 days might be pushing it, but this week should be a good one to accomplish getting them in the ground.

  • sue_ct
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thanks, Ed.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Hi Sue, I'm in the same boat. I had my plants out in AM sun 3 days the end of last week (and outside the entire day but in the shadow of the house). Ones in bigger pots stayed out in the garage overnight the past 2 nights, 4" pots came back in the house and under lights each evening.

    I'm putting them all back out this morning about 8am, will take them back into garage at least if/when it starts to get really windy and raining since they're a little leggy and I don't want to break stems (they're forecasting T-storms with 14mpg winds Thurs & Fri).

    Will just keep doing the "tomato shuffle" in and out all week depending on weather. Maybe not tonight (since they haven't been out in cooler temps yet) but soon I'll start leaving all of them out in garage overnight. Might take the smaller ones back in Friday night if it gets really cool again but maybe not. I don't know if I'll start planting this weekend with lows forecast in the 40's, might wait until beginning of next week. That would also give a little time to put in full sun this weekend when we finally see the sun again, and make sure they're not getting burnt.

    Don't know if holding off planting is an option for you? But I figure getting them used to cooler temps at night, hotter during the day (my house is constant 67) and wind is at least doing something to thicken the cuticles and strengthen stems, and when we get the sun again I can take a couple of days to see how they respond to that.

  • sue_ct
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I took this week off from work, and my "plan" was to be home to slowly harden them off most of the week and then plant them out towards the end of the week, but I couldn't start until today. I am working Sunday and Monday, so it would be mid week next week if I don't get them out by Saturday and I won't be home to shuffle them in and out. It could be delayed even longer if we get sudden high by temps or cold. I might just decide out they go by Friday or Saturday and keep an eye on them as best I can.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    I don't know about your town but it never rained here so my plants were out til dinner time (just AM sun again) and then put in garage so DH didn't step on them on way to grill. Going to be hot the next 2 days, will need some shade don't know when we're going to have cloudy day to set them in filtered sun. Temps going down this weekend so hard to harden them off when temps swing 20 deg from day to day. I think it will be another week before I plant. Then again you might be getting lows in the 40s this weekend like I am.

    Just try to harden them off by Sat and keep them in garage over weekend if it does get cold or do you have something you an cover with if you plant this week?

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    partly cloudy day, with a tStorm or two..., filtered sun location, partial sun location... are ideal for hardening off.

    I would only worry about too much direct sun during the day and too cold temps at night( under 45F). Tomatoes are pretty tough and tolerant. in the sun , make sure they are well watered. Even if they will a bit, they will come bach.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    No partly cloudy here - bright sun, hot and humid. Rain expected tonight and again Thurs. peppers' first day out they wilted pretty quickly though I had watered thoroughly lat night. Some of the tomato leaves are looking a little bleached so I had to move them into the shade though I want to leave all outdoors today and in garage at night. More sun tomorrow - we'll see how much more they can take but 83 might be too hot their 5th day out.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Sue - if you have a place you could leave them out while you're at work it looks like it will be mid to high 60s during day and partly cloudy Sunday and Monday as long as you can get them inside at night when it's 40s? Mid week looks perfect for planting.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago

    Almost every house has a place with a few hours of direct sun . Like I said , if your plants are well watered, some extra sunshine might make them look like wilting but soon they will perk up in the shade. After all, that is the purpose of hardening off, making them to get used to it, toughen up.
    same goes for cooler temps( +/- 45F early on).
    Contrary to popular opinions, tomatoes are tough and tolerant.

  • sue_ct
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I worry more about sunburn than wilting. I am home usually by 4:30 pm and can water. They come back quickly from a little wilting but I think sunburn does permanent damage to the leaves. Although they will recover from that, I think it takes longer.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Yeah, direct sun isn't good at first. Brandy wines that were out last week and weekend have some dots, and just a few hours today after being out yesterday was too much for some of my RL plants, they got bleached ESP. A couple of older leaves on cherry tomatoes. It was supposed to be 80 today bt it's 84 right now. All inside -thunder rumbling and wind picking up. I'm on border of Litchfield and Hartford counties, Litchfield is under severe T storm watch right now.

    At least if only a few lower older leaves are burnt you can pick them off when you plant. Just watch the growing tips.

    A lot of times we can't help having them out on 45 degree nights - otherwise it would be mid June when we plant! But I think it works out fine since you're working this weekend to just plant out midweek when lows are supposed to be closer to 50 (at least here -maybe you're not going to drop into 40s like we are).

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Let's see if I can get pix directly off iPad to GW...

  • sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
    10 years ago

    Ideal for me is a few overcast, calm, and stormy days. I plant DEEP, and mulch heavily with light fluffy straw so a fast moving occasional windy storm is ok. I'm in the Catskill mountains at altitude. I plant second week in june, sometimes the first weekend depending. They always catch up and do better in and out than in the ground too early.
    This holiday weekend i'll just spent the time making the beds nice and ready. Years past i was too anxious, but now, with experience, I have settled in to a more patient zen approach.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Well Sue I don't know about your location, we got a storm 4AM (no hail thank goodness) looks like the next 3 days so I'm putting plants out to harden off in Partly Cloudy (finally!) again today and prepared to run out to get them into garage if it starts blowing hard or hailing but tomorrow looks windier and Friday looks rainier (and cooler but not too bad). Lows this weekend could go under 40 so I am definitely planning on keeping them inside at night and planting out mid week.

    Glad to see we're getting rain but still not enough to meet average, much less make up for April drought.

  • missrumphius
    10 years ago

    I'm glad I am not the only one doing the hardening off - and in - and off - and.......... dance. I was able to leave the tomato and basil babies out since yesterday morning and was hoping to plant on Thursday. But now I hear high winds (and where I live wind is constant so a high wind warning is taken seriously), thunderstorms and possible hail tonight and tomorrow, I keep trying to believe they will eventually make it into the ground.....

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Finally can log in again! With parade and cookout yesterday (and high winds in the afternoon) I didn't take the plants out, but put them out this afternoon when it was overcast. 1 Brandywine in a 1 gal pot wilted pretty quickly but recovered just as quickly when I put it in the garage, all the others look OK. Supposed to be scattered T storms tomorrow so another good day to harden off, I will have to go slow this week since it will be sunny and hot (near 90) at the end of the week and these hadnt' been out a full day in bright sun before all the rainy weather hit, but maybe I can start getting them in the ground this weekend - more than a week late.

    Peppers are going to start going out now too - maybe get those planted the following weekend. In the meantime, I got my cukes in today (and more lettuce and beets), squash and maybe beans tomorrow. I'm way behind!

  • sue_ct
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Well after temps down into the mid 30s Memorial Day weekend, then rain for a week followed by a heat wave in the 90s for 3 days, I finally got them in. on May 28th. It feels like I am way behind this year. Last year I planted out May 20, but with larger plants that were started earlier and I had a really good year and canned quite a bit. The year before I didn't plant until June 3 and had crummy weather I think, and poor year for yields, and I didn't can any. But we will see what happens. When I look at previous planting dates, I am actually not all that late, but I think I had larger plants to start with because I started them earlier. I keep a very sparse journal and try to remember to at least record seed starting, transplanting and planting out dates as well as first harvest dates for tomatoes. I have the last 3 years and in a few more SHOULD be able to draw some conclusions about what works best.

    I will probably decide the weather has more effect on the outcome than anything I do. But it sure does make it hard to get them hardened off properly.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago

    Don't feel bad. I've only got 30 in the ground so far - another 85 or so to go (I only put 20 determinates near the house instead of 24 b/c I ran out of room - spacing got a little off b/c of rocks). But most of yesterday was spent watering the pots, picking up T posts, putting up a CRW "trellis" in the interior row of my main tomato area (1000 ft from the house). Got 5 SuperSweet 100 and 5 Rose de Berne in that area before I had to quit, clean up, and take DD to Girl Scouts.

    Today I'll see how many I can get in before riding lesson. Supposed to rain the next 2 days. At least my beans (planted 5/30) are germinating without me having had to water them!

    The tomatoes and peppers are the only things left to go in - peppers are hardening off now (here we go again!).

    BTW, I think the past years were unusual knock in wood) - 2011 was so wet, and 2012 so hot and dry. Off to a little bit of a late start this year, but hopefully it will be more "normal" (temperate). would be nice to have warm weather into Sept/Oct so we have time for late season tomatoes and of course the peppers.

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