Transplants are ready to go in the garden here at Plant Exchange! It’s mid-May and the average frost date has passed, so in the next couple of weeks, the transplants here are ready for the flowerbeds, gardens, and containers.
Flowers and vegetables were started from seeds and germinated under florescent lights indoors. When the plants were about four inches tall, we transferred them to the plastic greenhouse that has more fluctuating day and night temperatures. A little external heat was necessary at night. Fans provide extra air movement.
While this overcast morning temperature is 65 degrees F in the greenhouse, it will likely climb to the low 80’s here by the afternoon. Bottom-watering the plants depends on how sunny the day is and temperature outdoors but the average is about every third day.
A challenge includes not overwatering plants. They grow better if soil is allowed to dry a bit before the next watering. Water evaporates faster on hot days. Cooler temperatures and extra water are conditions encourage fungi to grow and “damping off” that kills plants may occur. Extra fluctuations in a cool spring require attention to plant watering.
Another challenge is timing when plants are started to match when conditions are favorable to plant outdoors. A slow-warming spring means the soil warms more slowly too. So tomato transplants can become more mature than hoped for by the time the garden soil is ready. With taller tomato plants, planting them deeper makes them more stable. This works because tomato stems will also grow roots if in the soil.
We’re taking the last look in the greenhouse before we begin planting flowers and vegetables outdoors. Join us in the video below.
Thanks for joining us today. We hope to see you next week at Plant Exchange Blog.
Plant Exchange Blog 
Timing is more interesting to read about online than it was decades ago, when everyone we knew was in the same climate zone.