Veggie Days!

Summer is looming and, in most areas, it is time to work in the vegetable garden. The last clean up of last year’s plants has been complete, the soil dug and loosened, each worm praised and carefully replaced in the dirt. Cool weather crops like asparagus, peas and Spring lettuce are already producing happily.

About now, it is time to start seeding the other cool weather crops such as the root vegetables: carrots, turnips, radishes, beets and onions, and also cabbage, shard, and lettuce. Vegetables that you started in seed trays indoors should only be placed in the garden after hardening off.

Hardening off is simply the process of getting those baby seedlings ready for the outside world. The seedlings have been spoiled rotten! They have gotten a steady supply of water and light, warm conditions and your close attention. You can’t just throw them out into the garden! It just seems mean… but more than that, indoor raised seedlings have a thinner cuticle than outdoor plants. The cuticle is a waxy covering that prevents the plant from drying out and gives it strength. Also, the actual plant cells grow longer and less sturdy because of the ideal conditions. Plants grown outside develop shorter, tougher cells that can withstand wind and rain.

In order to harden your seedlings so that they survive outside, all you have to do is reduce watering and start introducing them to the great outdoors. Start with only a few hours in a sheltered spot without direct morning sun. Slowly increase their time outdoors and move them closer to full sun. This should be spread out over one or two weeks.

Starting them young with a process called thigmomorphogenesis can even further help seedlings. That big word just means ‘changing the form through touch.’ If you simulate breezes through use of a gentle fan or waving a piece of cardboard at them a couple of times a day, your plants cells will develop shorter and stronger. When the plants get bigger, you can very gently brush them with a feather duster to stimulate even further thickening of the cell walls. Strong healthy seedlings are necessary for a prolific vegetable garden. Get those cool-weather crops out there and try to be patient when you wait for the day to plant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and all those warmer weather crops.