Moving Seedlings Outdoors to Harden Off

With warm weather on the way, I decided it was time to bring out my seedlings that have been growing under lights in our garage and introduce them to some real light. No sense in throwing them into the ground without proper conditioning, right?

I usually start with taking the trays outside for a couple of hours when it is either slightly overcast or earlier/later in the day when the sun's rays are not as strong. This gives the plants just a taste of that stronger sun.



The next day I might do so again but during a period of time when the sunlight is more intense. I always make sure that the soil is plenty moist during this transition period. They would dry to a crisp without adequate water.

By about the third day, they're ready to be outside all day as long as it's not an unusually warm day. I bring them in for the night if needed as our temperatures can still drop down into the 40s and it can be quite a shock for them.



Day four has them outside all day and into the cool of the evening. Depending on the temperatures, they may stay outside all night. They're are going to have to get accustomed to it sooner or later.

After having a couple of complete days and nights outside, my little seedlings are ready to start their life in the garden. By helping them adjust to temperature fluctuations and more intense sunlight, they shouldn't suffer any setbacks once they're in the ground.

Now the countdown can begin to the first ripe tomato.