Will my plants survive the great outdoors?
By liquorice
@liquorice (3887)
May 18, 2008 5:21pm CST
I put some tomato and sunflower plants out in the garden today as I started them quite early and they were huge and sprawling and taking over our house! Now that they're out there I keep checking on them every few hours as I'm worried about them; I was so used to them being in here that I feel like they're my pets or something 
I'm concerned that they'll not survive the elements; although the weather's improved lately we're still getting some windy and slightly cold weather and it's quite unpredictable. I don't think we'll have any frost or anything but you can never be sure in the UK, and with the current weird climate changes. I'm hoping they're not going to get blown away, eaten by animals/pests or catch some fungal disease as happened with a previous crop (and I've already seen signs of this with one little plant, which I've now quarentined, lol!)
Yes, I think I'm probably worrying a bit too much, what do you think?
Do you have concerns like this about your plants?
Is there anything extra I should be doing to protect them out in the great outdoors? (Besides watering them?!)
I'm concerned that they'll not survive the elements; although the weather's improved lately we're still getting some windy and slightly cold weather and it's quite unpredictable. I don't think we'll have any frost or anything but you can never be sure in the UK, and with the current weird climate changes. I'm hoping they're not going to get blown away, eaten by animals/pests or catch some fungal disease as happened with a previous crop (and I've already seen signs of this with one little plant, which I've now quarentined, lol!)
Yes, I think I'm probably worrying a bit too much, what do you think?
Do you have concerns like this about your plants?
Is there anything extra I should be doing to protect them out in the great outdoors? (Besides watering them?!)1 person likes this
4 responses
@WhatsHerName (2716)
• United States
18 May 08
Hopefully you hardened them by setting them out for a few days before planting. If not the shock may be too much for them.
If you watch the weather report and cover them if a frost is called for, they will probably be fine.
Good luck. 
2 people like this
@liquorice (3887)
•
20 May 08
Hmm, I didn't exactly set them out like you describe, and feel a little stupid now! They were previously on a window ledge and the window was open a lot, so they got a taste of what it was like to be outside.. Does that count? I suppose it's not really the same is it? Well, I shall watch them carefully and if I see bad weather I will quickly whip the pots in the house again. So far I haven't actually planted any in the ground, but might have to soon as I've run out of big pots!
1 person likes this
@alevazevedo (37)
•
18 May 08
i am sure ur plants will grow better outside, but u still need to give them as much love as when they were inside.
for urther info go on www.outdoorplants.com
2 people like this
@liquorice (3887)
•
20 May 08
Thanks for the link. I'm sure I'll be consulting that a lot! I hope that they do grow well outside. It's hard to tell as they were doing pretty well in here! I will make sure that I still give them lots of love and attention out there. Thanks for your response.
1 person likes this
@JoyfulOne (6232)
• United States
19 May 08
One thing I do when I stick plants out early is to keep an ear to the news to see if there's going to be a frost. If I hear it's going to go down really low, and possibly frost, I take an old sheet and cover them up for the night. Then in the morning I take off the sheet as soon as I get up before the sun starts getting hotter. The sheet will keep any frost off of the plants, and I've learned that with this trick they will be fine.
If you see any signs of fungal diseases, it's best to remove the infected leaves, etc, and throw them away...far away from the plants. Find some online gardening site that covers your area and climate, and that should help a lot. Also, there are good sites out there where you can identify what exactly the plant has (fungus, aphids, etc) and it will help you know exactly what should be done to keep the plants alive and get rid of the problem. Happy Gardening!!
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
•
20 May 08
Thanks for your reply. The man in the flower pot shop assured me that there would be no more frost this year, but I guess I should also watch the weather reports myself to make sure! It's a really good idea to actually cover them on cold nights, I might do that too.
Thanks for the tip on fungus, I've removed the leaves from the plant in question and it seems ok at the moment. I will look out for websites like you have mentioned, they are very wise suggestions. Thanks, happy gardening to you too!
1 person likes this
@hoopgurl333 (67)
• United States
18 May 08
I live in the US and I put my tomatoes out too early this year! There were a few beautiful days and then the temp. dropped back down. I luckily was able to save them and they are going strong now but they definitely took a turn for the worst when it got cold. If it gets cold in the UK I would suggest protecting them with as much shelter until the weather is warmer. Try not to worry, they will be fine...I understand though, I worry about my plants too!!
