Starting seeds in your greenhouse is a treat that gardeners enjoy greatly. The plants that are started in a greenhouse are more susceptible to problems with the outside weather than any other element in the environment because you have been keeping the temperature just right, and watering as needed. The ‘art’ of taking your planting outdoors and getting them ready for out planting is also known as out planting.
Once it is at least sixty degrees outside, all day long, with the temperatures not going below fifty degrees, it will be prime time for you to plant your seedlings out door. When you find that the temperatures are reaching those higher marks, you can start putting your seedlings out doors a few hours a day to get them used to the winds, the high heat of the sun and then towards the end of the seven days, start leaving the plants out all night long as well. If you have a deep cold frame, this is a great place to put many of your plants when you want to harden them off, but don’t have the time to plant them out doors.
When planting outdoors there are a few things that you should remember about the most popular garden plants:
Egglplants - like to be planted about 20” apart, between other eggplants, and you should also keep about 2’ between the rows.
Peppers are a popular plant – like to be planted about 16” apart between pepper plants, and about 20” to 30” between rows for easy weeding and to let the plant grow fully.
Tomatoes – the most popular plant, even in smaller gardens, like to be planted at least 20” apart up to 30” and depending on the variety that you have chosen, plant these rows about 3’ to 5’ apart so the plants do not become tangled with other plants.
Cabbage is another popular plant in many gardens, which like to be planted about twelve to fifteen inches apart for even growth, and in rows that are at least 2’ apart.
Be sure to till your soil when working in the garden before planting your seedlings. Seedlings will fare much better with a loose soil that allows the air to the roots and for good drainage during those rainy seasons as well. No matter how long you have been gardening, it is important to fertilizer your garden with a basic 5, 10, 10 mixture every few weeks so you get the fullest benefits from your plants. Be sure not to put the fertilizer directly on the plants, but in the soil around the plants.