Hardended or not - we're 100% outside!

Home-made 'topsy-turvy' Tomato planters

Onions - and struggling remaining corn seedlings

Cucumbers

Struggling pea plants - hopefully they'll recover

Broccoli

More Brocolli

Green Beans

Lettuce

I'm not known for being particularly patient - so the whole 'hardening off' process basicly consisted of moving the plants outside 3 evenings, and bringing them back in... before I decided it was warm enough, and the wind had subsided enough to give the plants their breathing room -- which means they're totally outside plants now.

My very dear friend Julie was kind and gracious and gave me MANY planters that I could use last night, and so I spent the evening transplanting as much as I could before I ran out of dirt.... well, almost out of dirty anyway.

I've got 2 tomato plants in my home-made "topsy-turvy" containers (2 liter soda bottles), and I think they will work FABULOUSLY!

The lettuce is all transplanted, the broccoli, 3 of the green bean plants (they each need a 1 gal container) - and 2 of the poor pea plants. I think the excessively long time the peas were inside before they could be transplanted may be their undoing. If they don't show signs of a quick comeback, I may scrap them and replant directly in their final planter. Still need to plant the Ocra for Tim, and decide whether the corn is going to be worth the trouble. It needs such a large container (and a lot of dang dirt), that I'm not sure I'll go down that road this year, considering most of the seedlings have died.

The carrots don't like me (why is it that my FAVORITE vegetable didn't cooperate?)... not sure if they'll be replanted. The cucumber plants are flourishing, so I'm sure we'll have a plethora of them soon.

I also posted to Craig's list looking for free 1 to 3 gallon plastic containers, and got 4-5 great leads - I shouldn't have to buy another container ever.

Hardening Off

Ok, so it was warm enough last evening to set alllll of the seedlings (can you really call a plant that is 2 ft tall a seedling?) out on the patio to start the hardening off process. They were only out there for an hour or hour and a half before it was dark and I brought them all back in ... only to find that a bird had been snacking on the leaves of one of the cucumber plants ... sheez... now I gotta figure out a way to deter the birds.

I'll be building the rest of the planter boxes this weekend - and hopefully getting the rest of the potting mix I'll need to finish up this project. Tomato plants are just about ready to be put into the 2 liter soda bottles and head outside.

I'll post more pics after the planter boxes are built.

Where oh where is the REAL Spring?????

Ok, every time I think it might be safe to go ahead and put some of the plants outside, they forecast SNOW. S N O W --- it's a four-lettered word. These snow pics were taken around 5pm 3/28/09. These were the absolutely the LARGEST snowflakes I have ever seen in my life -- and then 24 hours later, it was all gone -- all of it ... it was amazing.

Updates: I recycled old hanging baskets and 6" flower pots into pots for the cucumbers. There are three cucumber plants in each planter, and they all seem rather happy... but ready for outside.

I was on the hunt for planters or inexpensive options last week, and ended up settling for transplant trays, as another interim, for the corn plants, green beans, and peas. They were far too large for the starter tray, and were beginning to suffer. Those that have been replanted into the larger (4") peat pots are thriving.

When Tim and I were out Saturday we purchased some onion starters (Georgia Sweet Whites) at Porter's Hardware in Kearney - we were still hunting wood pellets for our camping trip this coming weekend (none left). I also opted to purchase 2 walpaper wetting trays, and have planted the onion starters in one. The other is currently holding the lettuce and brocolli plants which were transplanted from the starter tray into 2 1/2" peat pots with Miracle Gro planting mix. They did not handle the move well, but none are showing signs of complete defeat - yet. Both of those trays are on the floor next to the sliding glass door, so they are getting as much light as possible right now.

Next order of business (although I doubt I'll get it done before we leave on Thursday) is to finish replanting the corn and green beans into the one remaining 4" peat tray I have, and possibly replant the tomatoes into 2 1/2" peat pots. I'd hate to loose ground on the seedlings I have by not being home for 4 days.

Updated photos:

Closeup of the peas - vining, with nothing to snag on to!

Brocolli and lettuce replanted into 2 1/2" peat pots - temporary housing.

Remaining plants to be transplanted or potted - some corn, green beans, all of the tomatoes, onions, and carrots.

Corn, green beans, and peas, replanted into 4" peat pot trays. Need to be outside!
Cucumbers, in their final planting - ready to be outside.