With all of this spring sunshine warming the earth, Master Gardener Ed Buyarski says it’s time to think about starting seeds and transplanting. But before you put your seedlings in the ground, you’ll have to get them ready.
“Hardening them off is slowly getting them used to outdoor conditions,” he said.
Buyarski says it’s best to start taking your seedlings outside when it’s cloudy – or at least put them in the shade.
“And only doing this for a short time like an hour the first day and then two hours tomorrow and then three or four hours the next day,” he said. “You’re gradually getting them used to longer time periods outdoors.”
Once you’re ready to put them in the ground, Buyarski says you can use a horticultural fabric like Reemay or Agribon to help your transplants prosper.
“It provides a little bit of shade, a little bit of frost protection, and holds a few degrees of heat,” he said. “But the rainwater can still go through, the air goes through, some light goes through.”
And as far as seed potatoes go? It may not be as simple as grabbing your winter root cellar rejects, unless you grew those yourself.
“I do not recommend using regular eating potatoes from the grocery store for that purpose,” he said. “Eating potatoes do not have the same inspections for diseases and stuff.”
Buyarski said that if you don’t have your own, you should try to buy certified seed potatoes instead.
