Calendar spring has come. In April, the real one is coming.
Despite the still possible climatic "tricks", it is worth studying the weather forecast and going to the garden for important matters. There is no universal calendar-list of spring work. But the first thing you should do is hardening procedures for grown seedlings.
This allows you to gradually accustom the plants to open ground conditions and prepare them for transplanting into the ground.
But first you need to prepare a future "home" for the plants - a greenhouse.



The greenhouse and the ground should warm up as soon as possible to receive new "residents".
All plant remains, support pegs, racks, and garter material should be removed from the greenhouse. Organic matter can be put into compost, and the racks and pegs can be washed and disinfected.
It is important to assess the condition of the greenhouse as a whole - do not leave damage unsealed and hope that it will "stand" for some more time. This can harm the plants inside and the area as a whole in strong winds or a sharp drop in temperature.



The greenhouse structure itself needs to be washed and disinfected, because a lot of dirt accumulates on the walls and frame during the season.
The lining from the inside can be washed with a stream from a hose, with the addition of laundry soap; for polycarbonate - a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
The greenhouse should be dried after cleaning. And proceed to disinfection, because a large number of pathogens accumulate inside the structure. They actively reproduce and without treatment will quickly destroy all plantings.
At the disinfection stage, it is important to protect the soil from the agents used, for example, by laying polyethylene.
There are some disinfectants: slaked lime, hydrogen peroxide, Bordeaux mixture or sulfur checker can be used.



Having prepared the housing for the plants, we move on to preparing the tenants - we begin to harden the seedlings.
Hardening makes it possible to obtain strong, stress-resistant plants that can quickly take root after transplantation and will be less susceptible to diseases.



It is recommended to start hardening at least 10-15 days before planting. The outside air temperature should be at least 15 °C. And the room temperature can be gradually reduced to 17-18 °C, first during the day and then at night.
For example, it is very important to take tall tomatoes out on time - at home they quickly stretch out and outgrow.
Hardening begins with opening the doors and windows in the greenhouse. Each day, the time can be gradually increased. About a week later, it is recommended to leave the windows open at night as well.
It is important not to "overdo it" with the procedures and make sure that the seedlings do not end up on the ground - the plants can freeze.



Regular boxes, crates, pallets or special racks can be used as pedestals.
Then the plants that are more demanding of heat and light should be placed on top, and the less demanding or newly planted ones that require light shading should be placed on the bottom.
For example, cabbage needs cold: seedlings develop well at a temperature of 6-8°C at night and up to 15°C during the day.

During hardening, it is important to water the seedlings regularly. Under the influence of the sun and wind, the soil in the pots dries faster, so you should check the condition of the substrate and water the seedlings, trying not to wet the leaves. If there is a threat of frost, cover the seedlings at night.
For a good harvest, it is important that the seedlings are healthy and strong.



A safe and effective fertilizer for feeding seedlings is potassium humate "Bioresourse" Rich Harvest - carefully feeds plants, improves immunity and relieves stress due to the properties of humic acids and the nutritional properties of nitrogen, potassium and sulfur.
The fertilizer is liquid, it is easy to dose and apply when watering. 15 ml of humate, this is about one cap, dilute in 10 liters of water, which we water our plants with.