Happy hump day.
It took me three days to come around and publicly announce the small tragedy of my tomato seedlings. I've wrote a caption about it before, slowly titrate seedling exposure to the sun to harden them off or train them for the outdoor world. Right now, I'm facing a tiny bit of humility because over the weekend my little tomato seedlings got a sunburn.
How did this happen? Long story short - I brought them outside from their indoor cocoon and left them out there for too long. Yep, that very sunny, 15 degree Saturday spring weather.
I was multitasking out in the yard so maybe losing track of time is justified here, but every time I checked on them, they seemed to be OK. I checked frequently to give them water when they looked a little dry, and I made sure they were in partial shade to not over expose. I thought I was doing the right thing.
However, that very same night I noticed the damage - the tomato leaves particularly. Some of their lovely lush green leaves were replaced with pale and sad looking ones. I started to wonder what had happened and that's when I realized, it's a good old fashioned sunburn.
I have a fun little analogy that will hopefully help anyone avoid the mistake I made!
Plants are just like people who hibernate in winter and come out in spring. Indoor seedlings are sensitive to UV lights, like people with sensitive skin without sunscreen.
Inside the UV lights are filtered through the windows, protecting from most of the damage. Outside, even in partial shade, gives full exposure to UV rays. I should know since I burn anytime I walk outside without sunscreen, especially when the sun is nice and hot for the first time. So I put two and two together and assume it's the same concept as not wearing sunscreen. See what I mean when I say gardening can make you feel a bit dumb sometimes...this seems so obvious yet I didn't think about it.
Unfortunately for my tomatoes, there's no real way to fix this other than continue some of that TLC. Keep them inside, preferably away from direct sunlight to recoup until the next warm day comes around. Some leaves will likely die, but new ones will also grow!
Gardening has seemed so easy but I think it really comes down to practice. Don't lose any hope! There's always room to plant new seeds at the end of the day. 💚
What mistakes have you made? What questions do you have? Nothing is "too simple"! Let's share so everyone can strive for a beautiful and full first crop this year!
Happy gardening!
- Liv
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