Hardening off transplants before planting into your garden is often overlooked and undervalued. It’s a critical step in ensuring your well-cared seedlings get off to a marvelous, seamless start in their new home – your garden.
Hardening off is gradually introducing your seedlings to the elements that they will encounter in the garden. Wind, rain, temperature fluctuations, and variable moisture and fertilization levels will shock the seedlings and set your plants back at least 2 weeks if not more. To avoid this, gardeners should slowly introduce their seedlings to what they will experience before transplanting and give the small plants a chance to “toughen up”.
To do this, start taking your plants outside each day about a week before planting out. Start slowly with short durations initially, gradually increasing the time they are outside. Perhaps start at an hour outside and increase that by an hour each day. Avoid extremes – sunlight, temperature fluctuations, rain, and wind. You want gradual, controlled exposure.
Throughout this process, it can be easy to forget about the seedlings since your normal rhythm will be broken. Be sure and keep your seedlings well watered throughout the hardening off process and avoid letting them dry out.
