Question
QUESTION: I have a four shelf little greenhouse inside that is covered with plastic.  I have grow lights on each shelf.  

I purchased a bunch of vegetable seeds about a month ago and planted them in my greenhouse that抯 inside.  I also bought a bunch of perennials such as Foxglove, Johnny Jump Ups, Cone Flowers, Lupine, Red Hot Pokers, Larkspurs, and Hollyhock.  The vegetables that I bought were Cabbage, Tomatoes, Lima Beans, Snap Beans, Cantaloupe, Watermelon, Honey Dews, Squash, and Cucumber.

Once these plants have been in my inside greenhouse for about a month or so, I plan to put them all outside.  I had a friend of mine say that most of the vegetables that I put outside will probably die because they have not been acclimated to the outside colder temperatures.  My wife has Lupus.  As a consequence, we have it pretty cold inside our house.  Would it be a smart thing to put my plants on our window seals so they can get acclimated to the cold or maybe putting them outside for a day or so, or just at night?

I really appreciate your help and advise.

Frank

ANSWER: Hi Frank,
Thanx for your question.  Cabbage can tolerate a lot of cold.  Once the cabbage seedlings have germinated, let the seedlings get to a manageable size and then plant them in separate cells.  They can go outdoors, in the shade for about 10 days as long as temps don't fall below 28癋 for extended periods.  Some people will tell you colder but I wouldn't take any chances on the youngest seedlings.  After 10 days, the seedlings can grow in full sun and right now Zone 5a southward, go ahead and plant in the soil.  Remember that honey dew, watermelon, cantelope, squash and cucumber do not transplant well.  I plant my seeds one each in separate cells that way there is minimal root disturbance and I don't lose plants.  These guys cannot go outdoors until night temperatures stay consistently above 55癋 and day temps are warm and sunny.  When you first take them outdoors, they too, need to go in the shade for 10 days to acclimate.  Tomatoes and beans do not like cold temps either.  Don't put them outdoors until the night temps are abot 50癋 and day temps are warm and sunny.  The flower seedlings can all go outdoors once temps do not fall below freezing at night.  All seedlings grown indoors under lights need 10 days in the shade when transfering outdoors.  The cool indoor temps will not hurt the plants and it will just slow them down so they dont' grow as fast as they would were it warmer.  I would keep the plants under lights until you're ready to put them outdoors.  Actually, by the end of April, if you are in Zone 5a southward, your plants should be pretty safe outdoors.  Watch the weather reports for late cold spells for Zone 5 a.  You may have to bring some of your plants in if there is a late frost anticipated.  I hopet his helps.
Tom

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QUESTION: Mr. Alonzo, I really appreciate your taking the time to answer my questions.  I have a few follow-up questions if you don抰 mind.  You said to put my vegetables and perennials in the shade for about 10 days.  Should that be morning shade or afternoon shade?  When they are out in the shade, I keep them their, I don抰 bring them inside correct?

As it relates to honeydew melons, watermelons, beans, and cantaloupe, what would be your advice to plant them from seen in late April to early May?  Would you suggest that they What should I do with the honeydew melons, watermelons, beans and cantaloupe that are growing very well in my greenhouse that I have inside?  When should I transplant them outside?  

What is your opinion of greenhouses?  I am thinking of building a 10x10x6 greenhouse outside.  I thought I would staple clear plastic to 8-foot landscape timbers.  If I build this greenhouse, what would you do to ensure that all my plants grow?  Should I put a heater in the greenhouse?  Should I put a fan in it?  What do you think the radiant temperature should be?

Again, thanks for your advice.

Frank

ANSWER: Hi Frank,
Thanx for the additional question.  When putting your plants in the shade, they will need to be in complete shade (e.g. under a tree) for 10 days.  Otherwise, the sun will be too strong for them and burn them.  Plants grown in an outdoor greenhouse get some sun, so they don't have the exact same requirement.  Once the danger of frost has passed, keep the plants out doors and don't bring them in unless an unusual cold spell is approaching.  Cole crops such as cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli, etc. can tolerate some frost once they are large enough to handl.  Same thing with most lettuces.  Below 28癋 and you start running into problems.  Regarding your melons, if you have a long enough season, you can plant seeds directly in the soil in late April or early May provided you soil is not frozen and not too cold.  Cold, damp soils will rot the seeds.  If necessary, start warming the soil now by covering it with black plastic.  You can later cut slits in the plastic and plant seeds or transplants.  Remember that melon plants will not tolerate frost and will not perform if temperatures are consistently below 55癋.  The are many melons that will have ripe fruit in 80-90 days.  So planting on May 1 would probably give you ripe fruit by mid-August.  Beans can be started indoors and outdoors and I have started them indoors with good results.  The reason I did this is because I am also a market farmer and I wanted to get a start on the season.  I do this with sweet corn too.  I plant a 128-cell flat with single seeds.  We did okra this way too.  Started it indoors way before the frost had subsided and had nice plants to go out in late April.  Our soil warms up fast here in Eastern Kansas.  If you cool down the greenhouse once the warm weather plants have germinated say to like 60-65癋, this will slow down the seedlings growth without harming them.  They should be fine for another month. Once the soil is warm and the outside temperatures are consistently above 50?at night, the plants will be fine.  Also, don't forget you can use the black plastic to warm up the earth.  Lots of gardeners in the north do that.

Frank, I'm not an expert on greenhouses.  I rent greenhouse space every year to start my tomatoes, chiles, sweet peppers, eggplants, even melons.  The thing about a greenhouse is that it will heat up during the day, even in the winter.  Once it gets in the 40s, it can get HOT inside a greenhouse so you need to be able to regulate that heat either by sides that will lift up or with fans that will either suck out or blow out the excess heat.  Additionally, you want to be able to seal up the greenhouse so a lot of heat doesn't escape.  The structure you are proposing to build will have some protective elements.  Be sure to go to a greenhouse supplier to get greenhouse grade plastic.  They can tell you how many mills thick to get for the type of temperature conservation you're looking for.  The structure you are proposing could lose a lot of energy if not sealed properly.  Go on line and do a Google search for building your own greenhouse.  There are lots of free plans out there and it can help you build something a lot cheaper than what you can buy plus ensure that it is energy efficient.  If you live in a climate that has a cold winter, you'll definitely need a heater and you can buy greenhouse heaters just about anywhere.  What your main concern is going to be the cost of running the heater during the cold winter.  We keep a thermometer in the greenhouse and when the temps get above 80癋, the baffles go up to allow cooler air to circulate.  We have three large fans, two are exhaust fans pulling hot air out from the top of the structure and one fan in the middle between the two exhaust fans and this fan circulates air within the structure.  Of course this green house is huge.  You can build a small one that only needs one small fan.  I hope this helps.
Tom

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I asked you a question a while back.  You were a lot of help.  I have an entire new question.  I've been planting plants in a little five shelf green house that I have inside my house.  I propagate via stem cuttings and I also plant from seed.  My problem is that every plant that I try to transplant either outside or in another bigger pot messes up real bad.  Instead of the plant and the soil coming out together, the I pull the plant out without the soil.  The soil stays behind so all I have is a plant with a little bit of roots.  Am I transplanting them too early?  Should I wait and allow the roots surround the soil so the soil comes along with the plant when I transplant them?  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Frank

Answer
Hi Frank,
Thanx for your question.  Usually, after a seedling or cutting has a second set of leaves, it has an extensive enough of a root system to be transplanted.  Allow the soil to dry out a little as this will help keep the soil from coming apart too.  If it's too moist or soggy, the roots will lose grip on the slick soil and the plant will come out leaving behind all the soil.  If you allow the soil to dry up a bit, the roots will be able to cling better and the whole thing should come out together.  I do that with my tomatoe and pepper seedlings all the time.  I let the seed flats dry out a little and the seedlings pop out in a nice block of soil.  I hope this helps.
Tom