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Planting out

morenamorena Posts: 4
edited May 2021 in Problem solving
Help  I'm a rookie gardener....  and a bit worried about pur recent cold weather  I have lettuce, spinach and courgettes ready to plant out but am hesitant......what do people think?

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    You need to 'harden them off' by placing them outside during the day and bringing back inside at night, for about 10 days before you plant them.  However, depending on where you are, it's probably too cold to be thinking of planting the courgettes out yet, so probably started them too early - you'll need to wait until about June before they'll survive the nighttime temperatures.  If they are too big to keep inside for so long, you could try using cloches or similar.  Also consider starting again with the courgettes if they are too large - I'm sowing mine today, together with squashes, cucumbers and others in the same family.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • morenamorena Posts: 4
    Thank you Bob. Yes I know about hardening off. I'm in the South West but I think you're right about the courgettes. The weather is still quite cold. Thanks so much for your advice.
  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Simple answer, don't put them out.my cucumbers and pumpkins have flowers, but I always sow early.The pots I normally use for them are full of dahlias. We have 3 green houses looking to get a 4th soon, so, more pots and they will be be going in the green house next week
  • morenamorena Posts: 4
    Nice if you have a greenhouse!! 🙂
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    If you haven’t got a greenhouse you need to sow everything later. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • bertrand-mabelbertrand-mabel Posts: 2,697
    In the SW as well we can't sow or plant out many seedlings as for the month of April we had frosts every night.
    Then May came....yet another frost and another one this night.
    Just need to hang in when you can but that isn't easy for many of us.
    May 1st in 1983 for our eldest son first birthday we had a "party" in our garden and they all got very sunburnt. What did we have this year a hail storm.

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    Sunburn,tut tut, almost the same age as my youngest son. Haven't always had a green house,made do with Windowsills whatever.We inherited 2 bought a 3rd, the size we could afford at that time, I overwinter a lot of things,they cannot come out yet. Since hubby had to give up work last August,he can do more on the garden,my plan is to be self sufficient. Every window sill and the whole of the dining table are full of seeds, seedlings, floor and chairs, calamondins and a mandarin which are too tender for the cold green house
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