03/24/2023
'Hardening-off' is the process of gradually introducing seedlings that were started indoors to outdoor conditions. Key word being 'gradually.'
Some sources say it takes one week; others say two. You start the process by moving trays outside to a protected area for an hour or two the first few days, then a few more hours the next couple days, and so on...
Try as I might to be careful, I'm no stranger to forgetting trays outside overnight on day two of the transition... sometimes in freezing temperatures 🤦♀️
And while my neglected trays have generally survived their premature push out of the nest, I have less anxiety when I know I'm doing things righter than wrong.
Here's a brief guide to hardening off seedlings:
- Start the trays in a protected area out of the sun (exposing the seedlings to the sun too soon can cause sun scald).
- Leave them outside for an hour or two for the first few days, then begin increasing time outside as the week goes on (still in a protected area, not overnight).
- Introduce them to early morning or evening sun by end of the first week.
- Second week, move them out of the protected area during the day (I typically take them into the garden space to where they will be planted).
- Begin leaving them outside overnight in a protected area or under a row cover.
