Boot Camp for Seedlings

Wind burn

While we may have turned the corner on spring, don't be too quick to pull the trigger on transplanting some of your delicate seedlings.

Spring weather can have nasty effects on delicate seedlings that were started indoors. Dangers abound! Frost, wind, sun and rain can wreck havoc on your seedlings and can easily put you back to square one.

Prior to setting your seedlings into their beds, you'll need to adapt them (or as About.com puts it: send them to "boot camp"). This is called "hardening off". Hardening off is where you gradually expose your seedlings to the outdoors in order to acclimatize them to the outdoors.

You can see, first-hand, the damage that has been done from the strong winds we've experienced these last few days.

If you haven't hardened off your seedlings before planting, there are a few things you can do to protect them:

• Light Frost: Cover with a light cloth. The best is not to plant until after the last frost date.
• Wind & Burn: Stake your plants and set up a wind barrier. Burn occurs when the wind wicks moisture off the leaves. For those who have plots on the west side of the garden, it may be prudent to tie burlap to the fence to block the strong west wind. 
• Sun: Some plants prefer shade and do poorly if subjected to intense heat. These plants are best grown on the north side of your plot.

A little protection can go a long way.