Hardening off plants in Spring
This is my first thing in the morning and last thing in the late afternoon task.
I’m hardening off my climbing beans, courgettes, cucumbers and sunflowers.
I feel like sitting all the plants in a circle and imploring them to slow down.
Stop growing so rampantly. Just go a bit slower as it’s still cold out there.
But the climbing beans (borlotto) are taking absolutely no heed and are twining themselves around everything they meet.
If I placed the plants closer to the cat they would bind her in a day.
She loves this warm sunny potting shed right now. As do I.
Except there is absolutely no place to sit and admire. It’s squeeze in around the citrus fruits, mister in hand and watering like mad.
And because it’s so warm and lush in there I am giving the big plants days out in the windy sunshine in front of the potting shed to toughen up.
I have in mind a date around the 1st of May to do the big plant out. It feels auspicious. Labour Day.
But until then, the plants are getting daily blasts of the real world and comfy nights inside.
And I labour on.
Alice Henderson
25th April 2023 @ 3:33 pm
I’m in love with the lovely lines of shelves with pots, on the front wall of the shed. And actually laughed out loud when I read ‘If I placed the plants closer to the cat they would bind her in a day.’
May 1 seems a bit early, right? Don’t the French says something about frosts being a risk right up to the ‘Saints de Glace’?
In any case, I savour your postings; Keep ’em comin’!
Lindy
26th April 2023 @ 7:24 am
Hilarious. More proof than ever that I am a trainee peasant. I didn’t know about the ice saints. Can I hold off until the 11th to the 13th May? I suspect the plants will be climbing out of their pots by then.
Maybe in homage to my favourite London train station I should hold off until the 12th May. All hail St Pancras!