Hardening Seedlings for Transplanting
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| Photo Credit: ©Dolezal Publishing/Kyle Chesser |
| Prepare your little annuals for outdoor living by hardening them off before transplanting. |
Seedlings raised in a protected environment go into the world unprepared for the hardships that await them. Whether grown in a greenhouse, a garden center or inside your home, young little annuals live the good life, with perfect light, moisture and soil – no cold nights, pelting rain, burning sun or drying wind. But eventually, they’ll head on out into the “real garden.” Unless these young plants are carefully and gradually weaned from their comfortable, sheltered existence, the hard knocks of garden living can damage – or even kill – them.
“Hardening” is the process of acclimating your plants to life in the garden by gradually exposing them to the elements before you plant them in the ground. Start by bringing your seedlings outdoors during the day for a few hours at a time – leaving them in a shaded, protected place, then bringing them inside for the night. Take them out for a little longer every day, exposing them to more sunlight each time. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: ©Dolezal Publishing/Kyle Chesser | | When covering your seedlings for the night, use stakes to help keep the cover off the foliage. Condensed moisture will cause leaves to develop fungus and ultimately decay, killing your plants. |
After a week or so, your plants will be spending all day outside. At this point you can leave them out at night as well, but put them in a sheltered spot – and cover them with plastic or a garden blanket for extra protection. (Be prepared to bring them inside if the temperature drops below 50 degrees F or if torrential rains are expected.) After a few days and nights of full-time outdoor living, your newly toughened seedlings will be ready to be transplanted into the ground.
You’ve taken a lot of care to bring your little seedlings to life – preparing them for the world beyond their little containers is the next step. Once your tiny annuals have acclimated to outdoor living, you can you plant them in the garden and watch them bloom into the beautiful plants you knew they’d become – then get ready to enjoy some outdoor living of your own!
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| Warnings |
- When covering young plants with sheet plastic to protect them from frost or to preserve moisture, use stakes to keep it from touching the leaves. Moisture condensing on the plastic will rot your seedlings.
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| Tips |
- You can also harden your plants outdoors with a cold frame – a low, open-bottomed box with a translucent cover. Start by leaving the box shaded, then leave it uncovered for a little longer every day, gradually increasing the time your plants spend in the sun. Instead of bringing your seedlings in every night, just close the box. If frost threatens your area, cover the frame with blankets.
- If using a cold frame with a translucent top, attach a piece of window screen to the cover to help filter out harsh, direct sunlight.
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