the no harden off method

[jal_ut]

JAL_ut- do you mean just keep them outside after I put them behind my garage in the shade or at night time move them?? Or did I misunderstand you, and put them in the sun??

Yes, I meant just leave them there on the West side for several days. I would not move them in unless there was impending frost. Yes, they would get afternoon sun on the West side of a building, but not all day sun. +/- trees. If you move them out in the afternoon when you get home, they will have a few hours of sun the first day.

I guess you could move them out at sundown and put them on the East side, then they would get morning sun instead of afternoon sun. I was just thinking that since you were not able to move them at certain times, you could limit their sun exposure time by placing them on either the West or East side of a building.

[jal_ut]

How about my pumpkins what types of temps can they tolerate? I'm assuming if its warm enough for my tomatoes my pumpkins and peppers will be fine?

32° F will damage any of the warm weather plants. My experience tells me to not worry unless it is threatening frost. They survive, even with cool nights. Yes, even if it gets down to the upper 30s, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, squash etc. do fine. If that were not the case, I would have a hard time growing anything here. Just watch the forecast and lookout it the prediction is for anything in the 30s. If its going to be above 40, smooth sailing.

[valley]

I agree, but I did bring in the peppers when I saw the snow. The temp in the greenhouse was 32,

[rainbowgardener]

How about my pumpkins what types of temps can they tolerate? I'm assuming if its warm enough for my tomatoes my pumpkins and peppers will be fine?

32° F will damage any of the warm weather plants. My experience tells me to not worry unless it is threatening frost. They survive, even with cool nights. Yes, even if it gets down to the upper 30s, peppers, tomatoes, cukes, squash etc. do fine. If that were not the case, I would have a hard time growing anything here. Just watch the forecast and lookout it the prediction is for anything in the 30s. If its going to be above 40, smooth sailing.

Well... I would qualify that a little. IF THEY ARE WELL HARDENED OFF and are still in pots, tomatoes and peppers can handle temperatures down in to the upper 30's. If you are just bringing them out from inside, they are very tender and temperatures that low are likely to blitz them. I would not bring tender plants out in to temperatures that low and if I were just starting to harden plants off and bringing them out for sun in the daytime, I would still bring them back in for the night at those temperatures. If they have been out and hardened off for awhile and are pretty sturdy, THEN if you get a cold snap and it goes back down to those temperatures, they will be ok.

For plants that are to be transplanted in to the ground, the most important temperature is the soil temperature. The squash and cukes especially are very vulnerable to cold soil and will be very set back.

For things that are direct seeded in the ground, the situation is very different. If the seeds sprout at all, the plants are automatically hardened and much less sensitive.

[joed2323]

ok guys, thanks for them help, my plants have been inside my portable greenhouse since 200pm with the windows and door open, it was way to windy outside for me to just stick them outside, so that why I put them in the greenhouse so it wouldnt have been like a tornado to the small plants...

they seem like they are loving the fresh air outside,look like they are enjoying the late afternoon/evening sun I'm thinking of leaving them out in the greenhouse overnight to see what happens...

I feel like I'm leaving my kids on the side of the road and driving off... Or like its the first day of school and I'm worried about them
Worse comes the worse I will come home from work tommorow and my plants will be dead

Its going to get down to 38 degrees tonight after being 80 degrees today... I sure hope the weather is off:eek: they are in my non heated greenhouse

This weather is just so brutal this year.. Global warming, yeah right more like global cooling

[jal_ut]

The squash and cukes especially are very vulnerable to cold soil and will be very set back.

I find the roots of squash and cukes to be very sensitive to root damage. Perhaps it is this more so than the cool? I think it is best to plant those things (pumpkins and squash) where they will grow. No transplanting. Sure makes it easier on the gardener too.

Right now is the time to plant pumpkins and squash. (seed directly in the garden)Wait another two weeks for cucumbers and melons.