Happy long week-end! Planting days have finally arrived. The seeds you started indoors have turned into beautiful little seedlings and you’re ready to garden. But wait! You can’t just take the plants you started indoors and plunk them outside. The poor things have begun their life in a sheltered environment and will be shocked if set out into the elements without warning. Which means it’s time for….
Hardening off. Hardening off is the process in which you take your tender indoor plants (pampered with a consistent temperature and light) and slowly acclimatize them to an outdoor environment (where the may be battered by wind, rain and strong sun.) It takes about a week to ten days and is pretty easy to do (so long as you don’t forget ab0ut them….not that I would ever do something like that…) 🙂
For the first few days you are going to set out your plants for only an hour or two at a time. Find a sheltered place where they will be protected from wind and sun (under the deck is our choice spot) and let them be. Each day leave them out for a little longer. It’s ok if you skip a day here or there, especially if the weather isn’t cooperating.
As you work up to longer and longer outdoor exposure, you are also going to want to expose your plants to more and more sunlight. After the first few days of shade exposure, you can do this at the beginning or end of the day when the sun isn’t so strong. Some experts also suggest that you water them less during this time as well (but still don’t let them dry out.)
After a week or two of this process your plants should have worked up to spending the whole day outside and can be safely planted in your garden!
I go through this same process with the potted herbs that I overwinter indoors. After tripping over herb pots all winter long last year, I only kept a select few this winter. They are starved for light and I can’t wait to get them outside so they can flourish again. I’ve been setting them out on the deck for a few hours at a time on cloudy days and will work them up to sun exposure (should the sun ever decide to shine.)
Are you planting this week-end? Due to another wet week we are still behind schedule, but tomorrow is supposed to be sunny so I hope to get the dirt worked in and our early seeds planted.
Do you have any tips for hardening off plants? Please share them in the comments! Then drop by the Facebook page to share your photos and gardening journey!
Leave a comment