May is Here! Time to plan the Garden!
Other than the weather warming up, my favorite thing about May is planting my garden. I have a friend who has graciously agreed to keep me updated on her gardening adventures, and when discussing her gardening strategies one day, she told me that she begins by planting her seedlings inside—to give them a head start. Once her seedlings have had time to become heartier–usually around Memorial Day weekend—she finally plants them into her well her well-fertilized garden, where they can get plenty of sunlight and will continue to flourish. As you can see from the photos, a ton of her plants are already spouting. She has tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and squash that look like they are going to be strong and healthy plants. If you did not have time to start your plants inside, don’t worry, instead, you can support your local greenhouse by purchasing your seedlings that are ready to be planted outside right away.
Here are a few tips she gave me for when I was ready to put my seedlings in the ground that may help you as well!
- Before putting your seedlings into the ground, set them outside for a few hours each day to get them acclimated to being outdoors.
- Approximately 1 week before you put your seedlings into the ground, it is suggested you withhold fertilization and water less often to help them better acclimate to being outdoors.
- Transplant your seedlings in the morning on an overcast but warm day. This will help your seedlings settle into the soil before the sun comes out in the afternoon.
For more tips on transplanting your seedling from inside to outside check out the Farmer’s Almanac at https://www.almanac.com/tips-transplanting-seedlings. I would love to hear how your seedlings are doing! Send me updates and pictures of your seedlings to use in my future blogs! Also, if you have any tips or tricks to getting your plants from seed to harvest, let me know.
Here is to a great growing season!
~Carrielyn