After a long winter of growing inside under grow lights and in windows it is a great time of year
Hardening off plants is the method in which you slowly get your plants used to the sun. Even the best growing lights are nothing in comparison to the most overcast day around! It will help to get them ready to live outside.
I use my garage to start with because by the time I need the space inside the night time temperatures are still too low. Once the plants are all acclimated you can leave them outside over night. When your plants are outside keep an eye on watering. Your plants inside use a fraction of the water they will need when they go outside. make sure to water regularly!
What I do is use the structures in my yard to shade the plants. The North side of a house works well or South side if you are in the southern hemisphere. Unfortunately I don’t have an North Side 😉
Once out in the garden planting is fun. I use the Square Foot Gardening spacing to plant in square feet. This helps me maximize the growth of my garden and keep things kind of in order!
When the plants are above ground I typically mulch with dried grass or leafs and used coffee grounds.
Keep your seedlings happy and watered while they get acclimated to the new surroundings!
