General Gardening Outdoor Grow Room

Hardening Off and Getting the Planters Ready

under cover

Since we had a little bit of sunshine and warmth today, I got a few chores done outside.  First of all, I took the cool season plants (broccoli, cauliflower,  brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, pac choi, and Chinese cabbage) that I started indoors in the peat pots outdoors to the garden.  I put them under one of the outdoor greenhouses which is a wooden a-frame with a plastic cover that my husband built for me.   You should do this for a few days to harden off the plants.  These young plants need to get used to the cooler temperatures.  Then they can be planted in the raised bed but still undercover.  Look how good the Chinese cabbage and the shallots are doing that I planted last August.  Once the temperatures start to rise, we will need to monitor the a-frame and tunnels that are covered in plastic because the plants will need some air so they don’t overheat.

planter

Next I repaired the planters that my son previously painted a few years ago.   With all the rain and snow, the stand took a beating and started to peel.  First I sanded the rough spots, cleaned the surface and then spray painted them with Rust-Oleum textured black spray paint.  It needed two coats.  Next step will be to plant the bulbs for some spring flowers!  Bring on the nice weather!

painted planters

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