This weekend was a great time to plant the spring garden. Next week there will be some warmer weather that will allow the crucifers and sugar peas to germinate. Most of the crucifers will not germinate if the soil is too warm; so they should be gotten into the ground now; so that when the optimum temperature is reached they will grow.
The little plants like broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts and bok choy need to be “hardened off” before they are planted in the ground. They have been living in a nice cozy greenhouse somewhere and they need to get used to the cold, cruel world. They can be set outside in the morning and exposed to the sun and the wind and then brought inside in the evening for about 3 days. Then they can be transplanted. If extremely cold nights are predicted they can be covered with a milk jug with the bottom cut out overnight.
The milk jug or whatever is used should be removed in the daytime. If rodents are a problem, these tender plants provide a rare treat this time of year. Make a little chicken wire cage for them. The cage could be covered with a plastic bag at night instead of using milk jugs.
David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://www.segrestrealty.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/
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