Hardening off in Spring is easy here: cloudy, cool, and not very windy.
Frequent light rain, if it were just more reliable, it would be almost like a misting system!
The challenge is the slugs. They can completely mow a tray of small seedlings overnight. But I've learned to surround the trays with beer saucers and iron phosphate bait.
I also find it hard to put seedlings outside as soon as I should. Separation anxiety? I would rather each cell were a little root-bound before I pot them up or set them out. It's nice to be able to pop out the root ball like a solid ice cube and plant it without any damage.
I hate to break up the root ball, which often happens if the cell or pot only has a few strands of root and isn't almost root-bound.
It took years to sink in, but now I think the rule should be:
- EITHER let the roots reach the edges of the cell or pot and maybe circle slightly,
- OR -
prick them out and pot them up while the root is still just one small strand and doesn't break if all the soil falls right off it. THEN leave it in that pot until the root system is robust enough to pop out without falling apart.
