You Grow Girl™

There comes a time in every seedling’s life when it must leave the safety of the nest for the cold, harsh world outside. Now, I’ve been reluctant to get to this point, having been sufficiently scarred from last year’s fiasco, where monsoon rains rolled in EVERY TIME I took a fresh batch of seedlings outdoors. I kid you not. This is why while everyone else has, for the last 2 weeks, been toting plantlings in and out because of the ridiculously cold temperatures and frost warnings at night, I’ve had no worries. It didn’t even enter my mind that I should start the hardening off process. But now….it’s time.

For those not in the know, “hardening off” is technically the process by which seedlings transition from being gorgeously green and healthy to looking like total crap, thanks to sun and windburn. And rain. Rain followed by cold and wind is, as Martha would say, not a good thing. So, before we begin this gradual descent into the gardening Heart of Darkness, I would like all those on my Seedling Recipient List to note how lovely the seedlings look right now.

See, I can indeed grow stuff! I’m sure those who got the scraggly survivors last year had their doubts.

The seedlings are clearly nervous with anticipation. Will I get a good spot? Will the other seedlings like me? Are my leaves the right color green? Will that cute potato-leafed Yellow Brandywine notice me? Stay tuned……

And while I’ve lamented (and whined and railed against fate, etc.) about last year’s crappy growing conditions, there were a few – no, make that one or two – plants that did produce nicely, troopers that they are. Aunt Ruby’s German Green in particular did well, even though the plant itself was stricken with the Plague. I still have no idea what this disease was – but starting from the bottom, the whole plant slowly went gray and crispy. But the tomatoes themselves hung in there, and the plant kept growing. It just died off a limb at a time. In any case, here’s a perfectly ripe ARGG:

If you haven’t tried some of the different-colored varieties, give them a shot. Amaze your friends and neighbors! Plus, here’s a bonus – the green-when-ripe ones are less likely to be stolen by thieving, marauding tomato-junkies, because, well, they seem unripe to the untrained eye. Very useful for community plots!

Next time - how are the seedlings faring out in their new, Schleprockian reality?