(My sister Sabina helping plant the garden.)
So, I went ahead and planted my garden today. The weather was lovely, so I figured why not! Sure, I’m 4 days out, but the weather looks to be remaining warm. If you are going to wait until May 18th (our frost free date here in Cleveland) then now is a good time to start taking your little seedlings out side for the hardening off process. I’ll admit I probably didn’t harden mine off as well as I should have. I’ve taken them out a few times, though not consistently. Hopefully those little guys will weather the wind and rain we’ve been getting. To harden them off basically you just take them outside for about three days (bringing them in at nights) so they can get used to the outside elements before they are transplanted.
As I mentioned previously, seeding is new to me. This is only my second year, and my first year growing such a large variety. Last year I grew Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and some zinnias. This year I’ve grown more than five times that number of plants. Some have done well, some never came up, some came up an quickly died. I’ve learned a lot through the process. First I think next year I will just seed directly into cups. My seeds in my cups far surpassed the seeds in these small seeding containers. I should have transplanted these little guys weeks ago, but things got really busy with school ending and my recital, so they remained here– a choice that severely stunted their growth I think.
Compare the above seeds, with these seeds planted only a week before. Besides the size of their containers, these later plants: dahlias, were also planted into potting soil, while the seeding tray is filled with seeding soil. The question really lies in the transplanting. If I had transplanted the seeding tray seeds would they have done just as well? Better?
When planting your seedlings there are a couple things to keep in mind.
Tomatoes root out of their main stem. So dig a deep hole and cover the plant all the way to the first set of leaves. (You can also turn the root bed to the side, so the stem is coming up perpendicular to the roots.) This will allow for a strong foundation allowing your tomatoe to grow tall and bear plentiful fruit without toppling over. It’s also smart to cage them right away, so you don’t end up puncturing roots down the line when they are larger.
Tomatoes like lots of sun. So place them, peppers, and eggplants in your sunniest location. 
Cups are also great because you can label them directly on the container.
If you planted spring crops your romaine, carrots, onions, broccoli, and peas are probably progressing nicely. I haven’t thinning my carrots yet, I figure I’ll let them get a bit bigger first. Though I’m probably going to transplant some broccoli as they are pretty close. I added some branches to support the up and coming pea plants.
I think these dogwood branches look rather artistic don’t you? 😉
Make sure and keep your strawberries fertilized. I also just read today that tomatoes like to be fertilized as soon as they are planted. (Ek! I need to do that tomorrow.) Often seeds need 1/2 strength fertilizer. I use Miracle Grow.
P.S. We finished the compost pile!
