Toughen Up Little Ones!

As someone who's naturally impatient, my love affair with gardening seems baffling. After all, waiting for plants to grow is the ultimate test of patience! Reflecting on this, I've concluded that there must be a streak of masochism within me. It's as if I secretly revel in the agony of waiting.

Now that we are mostly in the clear here in Zone 5 and 4 of frost free nights, we're busy shuttling seedling trays in and out of the house doing our best to be patient when hardening them off for the barage of weather that a midwest summer can throw at them. In past seasons, my limited patience and a working girl's schedule means I give them 3 - 5 days of inconsistent experiences of sun, sprinkling rain, and spring winds before reluctantly consigning them to their fate. The amazing thing is, plants even as babies are already pretty dang tough! While I might have lost a few each year, most managed to soldier on.

This year, I am working to be more intentional. I am following a regimen and maximizing my more flexible schedule to pamper by green babies. All was going great until the dog stepped one tray, ate part of another, and a neighborhood toddler dropped a toy on my purple tomatillo. Yet, all I can do is shrug and mutter, "Oh well!" Thankfully, I've always been one to plant far more than I need.

So upon reflection, maybe I don't always have the patience to give the plants the time they need to be top performers at least in my own garden, but I do actually possess an abundance of patience when things inevitably veer off course. This acceptance makes it easier to coexist with both myself and Mother Nature in the long run and is probably what allows me to love gardening the way I do.

So if you are getting ready to put your only seedlings in the ground, don't forget to do your best to give them a little time to toughen up first, and be patient with yourself if the best you have to offer is a few erratic trips to the patio. It will still make a difference! For those of you that are a little more patient or like things a little more structured, here's my guide on the best way to toughen up your little ones for their outdoor home.