you can remove their cover . South- or even westfacing windows work best . Make sure you turn the plants daily to keep them from leaning toward the light .
Now that the plants are uncovered , you will need to check the soil carefully for moisture . It should never be allowed to dry out and yet should never be sopping wet either . Once the plants have a second set of leaves , it is time to transplant them into individual containers . You can buy ten-centimetre plastic pots if you like , but what I use are paper milk containers that I cut down to a height of fifteen centimetres . I poke two or three holes in the bottom of the container for drainage and transplant the seedlings . I use the same type of potting mix as I used to start the seeds . Be gentle when transplanting the seedlings as they are very delicate . Loosen the soil around the seedling before grabbing it . Also , make a hole for the transplants in the new container ’ s potting mix with a pencil . Insert the seedling and gently firm up the potting mix around it . Once transplanted , keep the soil moist and give the plants lots of light .
Once all danger of frost has passed , you can begin hardening off the plants by exposing them to the sun outdoors for a few hours a day . On the first few days , put the plants in shade and bring them indoors at night . Gradually expose them to more and more sun and eventually leave them outdoors at night as well .
A member of the Garden Writers Association of America , Gerald Filipski is in his fifth year of writing for us , but he ’ s been a gardening columnist for the Edmonton Journal for over thirty . One of Jerry ’ s favourite quotes — and so appropriate in these times — came from Audrey Hepburn : “ To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow .”
Last frost dates according to The Old Farmer ’ s Almanac calculated using 1981 – 2010 Climate Normals .
Calgary May 29 Edmonton May 15 Grande Prairie May 22 Medicine Hat May 18 Red Deer May 24 Fort McMurray June 15
news & views SPRING 2021 | 17