To Harden, or Not To Harden?

mattie g · Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:30 pm

This year is my first year ordering plants online, and I'm trying to figure out whether I should plan to harden them off before planting. Last year, in my first real attempt at gardening, I picked up some plants from the local nursery and just plopped them in the ground. This worked really well, but I'm wondering whether it'll be so simple this year. The company I ordered from claims that the plants will arrive about 6" tall, with stems the diameter of a pencil.

Anyone have experience with online plants and whether to harden them off or not?

applestar · Thu Mar 22, 2012 12:55 pm

Mail/on line ordered plants need to be hardened off because they were in an enclosed package for some days to as much as a week depending on where they were shipped from.

For this reason, I've learned to only order from sources only a few states away at most unless it's something very rare and I'm willing to pay for the express shipping. (Dormant bareroot plants can sometimes handle it, but they can also get dangerously dried out during shipping depending on how well they were packaged.)

For plants with any foliage, I always start them off in a completely shaded and sheltered area with no direct sun at first.

mattie g · Thu Mar 22, 2012 1:24 pm

Thanks, applestar. I feel pretty good about where these are coming from - only two states away in Delaware. I'll plan to harden them off. I have a good collection of places for hardening off in my yard - some areas with no direct sun, some with dappled sun, and yet others with partial or full sun.

My only concern now is that I've been dropped into a five-day work trip right about when they're supposed to arrive, so I'm dangerously close to leaving the fate of my plants in my wife's...let's just say..."not-so-green" thumbs!

gixxerific · Thu Mar 22, 2012 6:59 pm

I have been very hard on my hardening sometimes not at all. I try but life gets in the way sometimes and it doesn't work out so well. I have never had a plant die from not hardening off. I am a brutal gardener, with a sink or swim mentatlity most of the time.

If something doesn't do well it gets replaced with something else. But don't let me tell you what to do, that is just me.

mattie g · Fri Mar 23, 2012 1:13 pm

Gixx...I also have a lot going on around here, so I can definitely feel your pain. I didn't order any extra plants, so there's not much I can do if things die unless I start over really late and with the possibility that the plants I want are no longer available. Good lesson if I have to order again next year.

Since I have some good places for hardening off, I'll just harden them off for a week while I'm at work, give or take a few days based on the expected weather.

mattie g · Tue Apr 03, 2012 11:59 am

So...the plants shipped yesterday, and are currently in transit for delivery today. That was quick!

So now my dilemma is whether to transfer to pots and harden for a few days, then plant them before my trip on Monday...or transfer to pots, harden, and keep them in the "capable" hands of my wife until I return. If the latter, should I ask her to put them outside during the day and bring them in at night?

The weather in looking fairly seasonable for the next 7-10 days (I.e. 60s during the day, 40s at night), and we even had a little frost this morning, so I'm kind of torn. I realy want to plant, but I don't want to do it too quick. I really wish this trip hadn't been scheduled for next week...

dustyrivergardens · Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:47 pm

I harden off almost everything. It doesn't take that much extra effort. The things I don't harden off I really don't care if they live or die anyway...Of course everybody has there own way of doing things that's for sure...

mattie g · Wed Apr 04, 2012 7:22 am

Plants showed up while I was manning the grill, so I just waited until after dinner to pot everything in 14 oz. and 16 oz. cups. All the plants looked healthy, aside from some purplish tinge to a few of the plants' leaves. I'm thinking it's a phosphorus intake issue which will hopefully be remedied by putting them in good potting soil and keeping them fairly warm. Besides that, the roots were in good shape, and I was able to separate the plants from pretty much all of the peat pots they arrived in.

I put my tray of plants outside this morning to get them started on hardening. If the forecast for next week warms up at all, I'll probably plant this weekend. If it's still looking like lows possibly dipping into the 30s, I'll just ask my wife to put the plants outside during the day and bring them in at night.

applestar · Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:54 am

Purplish coloring in some tomato and pepper seedlings are normal -- depends on the variety. So don't worry.

How big are they relative to their container size? How long are you going to be away? If they are seriously root bound, I would Uppot them because it's easier to dry them out or otherwise make mistakes with stressed plants. With extra *good* soil to buffer them, they can take a little extra drying or little too much water, as well as temp fluctuations. It only takes a day or two for tomatoes to recover from transplanting.

If you are unsure of your up potting technique/skills and soil, etc. THEN it might be best to wait until you come back especially if you don't have time before leaving to make sure they came through OK.

Did you say what all you bought? Tomatoes are tough but other things may not be as forgiving.

ETA: Oops! I didn't fully take in what you posted it seems -- or at leat I was thinking of what to post here earlier but didn't get back until you'd posted this morning. LOL

mattie g · Wed Apr 04, 2012 9:54 am

No worries applestar. Thanks for replying!

I've got two of each of Brandywines, Mortgage Lifters, San Marzanos, Valencias, and Cherokee Purple (in addition to four bell peppers). I can't remember which ones had the most purple in them, but a couple were perfectly green and very healthy looking. Even the purplish ones look good, to be honest. There was one San Marzano that looked a little unhappy. The soil for that one was really wet, which may have caused a little stress.

The plants are anywhere from 4-8" tall, and they showed up in 2"-wide peat pots enclosed in plastic baggies. The soil was modestly moist and the roots were in good shape, though some had actually started growing back up the stems a bit. I just pulled some of the peat pot off, separated the roots carefully, and potted in the cups. They should have plenty of room to take hold and grow a little bit before I come back. The soil I have is quality stuff I got from the local nursery, so I'm confident that they'll have the nutrients they need to bounce back from transplanting.

mattie g · Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:21 am

Came home from my trip overnight Friday/Saturday, and I'm happy to report that my wife didn't kill my plants! By her own account, she was militant about getting them outside in the morning and back in at night, and everything looked healthy when I returned. The wilting had stopped, and there was definitely some growth (there was even a small flower on a bell pepper...which I have since plucked).

Yesterday, seven tomatoes went in the ground, and three went in 12-gallon pots, and they seem to be taking well so far. Knock on wood...but there doesn't seem to be much issue with stress from the planting!

PunkRotten · Sun Apr 15, 2012 3:19 pm

What is a good size for a tomato and pepper plant to begin hardening off?

mattie g · Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:36 pm

Mine were anywhere from 4-8", and they did just fine. Imade sure to keep them out of too much sun and wind the first few days, but they were out in some blustery conditions this past week. They're in the ground after about 10 days of hardening, and they seem to be enoying their new locations.