But then one day you're loaded into a truck with thousands of others. You travel many miles, finally arriving at your destination, only to be carried outside and stacked onto shelves. It's cold. There's a chilly wind sucking the moisture from your body and water is sparse.
Welcome to the world of transplants. Stores are stocking up on these seedlings now. While some, like pansies, can be rescued, brought home and planted without mishap in mid-May, it would be wise to hold off on buying the heat lovers unless you plan on providing them with the same conditions they had in the greenhouse.
Basil is one that pops immediately to mind. I've unknowingly tortured many a plant by exposing it to May conditions… until they finally succumbed. Basil prefers Mediterranean-style growing conditions.
We're talking heat sinks, wall-hugging, south-side locations with the sun pounding down. Not eight degrees Celsius with 30 kilometre winds from the North.
Vine crops like tomatoes, eggplants and cucumbers are others that shouldn't be set out until the first week in June. If you plant impatiens in May, they may survive, but don't expect to see them making any great strides until the thermometer starts rising.
The pepper family is also one that prefers warm weather. Some of its members, like habanero, jalapeno and cayenne, reflect that heat in their production of capsaicin, a chemical that can produce a strong burning sensation in the mouth.
You can protect heat-loving plants with a cloche, spun-fibre row cover or hot cap by cutting the bottom of a 4-litre plastic milk jug. Hoop houses are another way of creating a micro-climate for your tenders.
Some plants, like cucumbers, absolutely refuse to germinate if the temperature is too low.
As mentioned above, violas and pansies are tough little characters that can withstand colder temperatures. Wave petunias are winners in the lower temperatures as well.Remember, although the last frost date in your region may have passed, cold winds can lower the temperature dramatically and cause damage to
