Hardening plants and fertilizing

[Tomatoes&Things]

I have a group of plants that I am currently hardening off right now. They are tall enough to put in the ground and they have been outside for a week now. Half shade and half sun. Do you think they are ready to go in the ground now? If so should I fertilize them? They are tomatoes and broccoli plants. They have not been fertilized since I started them under the lights except through the miracle grow potting mix which was suppose to be fertilizing them. I also put 5 year old manure in the garden last along with the barley I planted and spread 5-10-5 fertilizer in the the garden two weeks ago when I tilled it up. Thanks for any advice.

 

[silkiechicken]

Probably ready to go. Don' t think you'll need any more fertilizer but hard to say what your soil does and doesn't need since every location is different.

 

[patandchickens]

They sound ready to me. Give them a bit of diffuse shade from sun and wind for the first few days if you're at all unsure or if the weather is less than totally perfect (pine prunings from a couple months ago, a handfull of long grass pulled from the ditch and wadded up into sort of a tentlike crumple, whatever. some people make little doodads using old windowscreen on a stake or frame, they're very handy but can be faked using scrounged stuff).

I don't know what other people do, but I would not fertilize them for a while, unless you used a VERY dilute 'transplanter' type fertilizer to water them in to their new holes. But while I sometimes do that with woody things I can't see me doing it with vegetables. OTOH I am probably the least-serious veg gardener on this board, so you should not necessarily listen to me

Just make sure you keep an eye on their water needs for the next coupla weeks, and an eye on the weather forecast in case any *possibility* of frost is forecast. It's really annoying to lose plants you've coddled for weeks or months just because of Mother Nature

Have fun,

Pat

 

[Tomatoes&Things]

It is suppose to be in the 60's to 70's so they hopefully should be good to go. The soil was already pretty nice soil before I fertilized it so that should be good also. Thanks for the advice.