Hey everyone, I'm still figuring out the whole gardening thing and could really use some advice. I started my zucchini, squash, cucumber, and okra indoors in red solo cups. They were looking a bit yellow, so I thought it was time to harden them off. I also added some diluted fertilizer. However, I found they were super rootbound and got a bit worried, so I transplanted them before finishing the full week of hardening off. Now it's been a week, and they're still quite yellow. Are they going to be okay? Should I just go ahead and replant them directly outdoors in case they don't make it?
4 Answers
What zone are you in? Some areas are still too chilly for most plants outside. Generally, veggies need consistent nighttime temps above 50°F to thrive.
I've had my struggles starting squash or cucumbers indoors too. They usually don’t do well after being transplanted for me. I prefer to direct sow them instead. Okra might be different, though, but I can’t speak from experience there.
Got it, I'm thinking I'll direct sow just to play it safe and see what happens!
Hardening off definitely helps, but your plants should be fine in the long run, especially the faster growers like zucchini and squash. They might look stunted for a bit, and the yellowing might not fully recover, but once new growth comes in, they should take off! I had a similar experience with my tomatoes last year—they did just fine despite a rough start. Good luck!
Thanks for the encouragement!
They should bounce back, it just takes some time. Once you see them starting to grow, give them a side dressing of a good granular fertilizer like Espoma Plant Tone or Garden Tone. And if you have extra seeds and the soil's warm enough, you might want to plant those too just in case!
What does side dressing mean?
I'm in zone 8b. It's a bit chilly tonight, but otherwise hovering around 50°F or more at night.