hardening?

[Salina]

I think thats the term anyway lol.
well yesterday I put my bean, radish and courgette seedlings in bigger pots/tubs and have been leaving them outside during the day since yesterday and today and bringing them indoors at night. I'm trying to get them used to the outside so they won't die. am I doing this right?
also, what sort of pot/tub would be ideal for courgettes? at the moment they only have 2 leaves so they are in small pots.....and when the beans get bigger will they need some sort of support? like a fence, or wall or sticks or something?
Thanks!

[SarzWix]

What sort of beans are they? Runner, dwarf french, climbing french? If they are the climbing sort, or runners, they will need something to 'climb' up, like a teepee made out of canes or something similar. Sounds like you're doing the hardening off right. Courgettes should go in the bigggest pot you have - they are very thirsty crops so will dry out in a small pot.

[Stacey]

cant tell you about the pots but i do believe the beans will need support. I have canes for mine. Apparently courgettes grow well up canes too. Thats what I'll be doing once theyre big enough to go out. I think a fence or wall would work if you had trellis or netting or something like that on it. Good luck xx

[Salina]

What sort of beans are they? Runner, dwarf french, climbing french? If they are the climbing sort, or runners, they will need something to 'climb' up, like a teepee made out of canes or something similar. Sounds like you're doing the hardening off right. Courgettes should go in the bigggest pot you have - they are very thirsty crops so will dry out in a small pot.

I *think* they are dwarf french beans. but basically, I have runner and french beans. although the runner ones are only just starting to appear, the french ones I just re-planted are about 8'' tall.
Hopefully I'll find a big enough pot for the courgettes lol, I've used most of mine for the spuds

[Hazel at the Hill]

Welcome to the Vine, Salina! With regard to hardening off - I believe that you do the 'put the left pot in, the left pot out', hokey cokey thing as you have been doing for about 10 days to get the plants used to the big bad world, then you can leave them out.

However, radish are tough little chaps - you can leave them outside all the while now.

Our courgette will go in a big tub (18" to 2' across the top) and I'll only worry about them being outside now if there's a frost forecast. (not likely for us now).