Next destination: the garden!
You have babied your indoor seedlings for almost two months. You have watered, turned, and maybe even talked to them. They are still tiny little guys—far too small and immature to face the harsh reality of The World. Or are they? Those little guys might look feeble and fragile, but they are ready to take the next step in life: Hardening Off.
It might sound just a bit naughty, but the process of hardening off is simply gradually introducing seedlings to the outdoors. If they are thrust at once into unpredictable and varied outdoor conditions after being grown in a controlled indoor climate, young seedlings can easily go into shock and die. You’ve spent a lot of time growing your babies from seed—don’t blow it now!
Hardening off should be done over a one to two week period of time. Below is a timeline for one week—if you start the process this Saturday, you will be ready to plant next Saturday. If you have more time to harden your plants off, even better. Just adjust the timeline accordingly, letting your seedlings spend more and more time outside each day.
Day 1: Start hardening your seedlings off on a day where you will have temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees, with little or no wind. Put your seedlings in a shaded, well protected place for 4-6 hours, then bring them back in before it gets dark.
Day 2: Same as day one, but leave them out 6-8 hours, or even a little longer.
Day 3: Put them out in the shade in the morning, and bring them in when the sun goes down.
Day 4: Start in the sun (preferably in the spot where you will plant them) during the cooler part of the morning, then move them into shade during the hottest part of the day. Move them back out into the sun as it cools off in the evening.
Day 5: Start them in the sun. If the temperature gets up above 80, move them into the shade. If not, let them get sun! Bring them in when the sun goes down or if the temperature goes below 50.
Day 6: Leave them out in the sun all day, and bring them inside right before you go to bed.
Day 7: First thing in the morning, take them out to the spot where you will be planting them, and leave them for 24 hours.
Day 8: Plant!
Raising the Root 