Hardening Off

This afternoon I moved four trays of tomato babies outside to the wilds of my front bed. It was time. They need to “harden off” and prepare to be planted later this week. I’m so proud of my effort this Spring. There will be enough tomatoes for the community garden and for my own small patch, along with others to share.

The varieties this year are Sun Gold, Beefsteak, Early Girl and Celebrity (all hybrids) plus Brandywine Pinks (heirloom). Last year’s sun golds were prolific oval drops of sunshine, just sweet enough, plucked from the vine and popped into the mouths of hungry Garden Club members every Friday afternoon. Even so we bagged them by the dozens for our AFAC harvests. My Beefsteaks here at home filled platter after platter of Caprese salad from July to September. 

Now that the tomato babies have vacated the porch, my niece’s succulents and our micro-green mini farm will get first dibs on the window sills, and my husband will get his bike commuter staging surface back again. It’s been very crowded out there this month. But life moves on, and soon we will all be moving on, too. I wonder if we’ll need to “harden off” before we return to the big wide world?