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in Garden· Growing a Cut Flower Garden Series· Spring· Tips and Tutorials

How to Harden Off Your Seedlings and Plants

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You’ve sown your seeds indoors. Now what? I’ll walk you through the process of hardening off your seedlings and plants before transplanting them into the garden.

This transition period is called hardening off. This is when you gradually expose the plants to outdoor elements such as rain, sun, and wind. Seedlings and plants in greenhouse

Preparing Seedlings to be Planted Outdoors

If you’ve grown seedlings and plants indoors or in a greenhouse, they will need to acclimate to the outdoor conditions before being transplanted to the garden. This transition period is called hardening off. This is when you gradually expose the plants to outdoor elements such as rain, sun, and wind.


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I’m a self-taught hobby gardener, not a Master Gardener. Everything I share with you on my blog is my personal opinion and things that worked for me along the way.

Hardening off your sensitive seedlings will toughen them up. The process thickens the cuticle on the leaves so they lose less water when exposed to the elements.

See all the blog posts in the GROWING A CUT FLOWER GARDEN series HERE.

Hardening off your sensitive seedlings will toughen them up. The process thickens the cuticle on the leaves so they lose less water when exposed to the elements.

This process helps prevent shock to the plants when transplanting them to the garden. seedlings being hardened off outdoors

This process helps prevent shock to the plants when transplanting them to the garden.

seedlings hardening off outdoors

The length of time a seedling needs to harden off depends on the type of plant and temperatures outside. Be prepared to cover the plants or bring them back indoors if a late spring freeze or sudden snowfall is forecasted.

geraniums hardening off outdoors

Hardening Off Seedlings

Begin the hardening-off process 7-14 days before you plan to transplant the seedlings in the garden. Most seedlings are typically planted outdoors after the last frost date in spring. However, cold-hardy plants can be planted outdoors 2-4 weeks before the last frost date.

When the outdoor temperatures are above 45°F, set the seedlings in an outdoor location protected from direct sunlight and wind for one hour on day one. Make sure you have watered them thoroughly first. Move the seedlings back indoors when they’ve reached the time limit. Do not put sensitive seedlings outdoors on windy days or when temperatures are below 45°F.

geraniums hardening off outdoors

Increase the amount of outdoor exposure by one hour each day to gradually acclimate the seedlings. Remember that gradual exposure to the outdoors is what will keep your seedlings from going into shock when you finally transplant them to the garden.

After a day or two in a protected and shady location, you can place the seedlings in the morning sun. You will be able to gradually expose them to more direct sun, but be sure to take your time doing so. Exposing them too soon can scorch their leaves.

Each day, the seedlings will be able to tolerate more hours of exposure to outdoor conditions. Make sure you water the plants and keep them from drying out.

seedlings acclimating outdoors

When to Leave Outdoors Overnight

If temperatures remain at least 50°F in both the day and night, the seedlings should be able to handle increasing amounts of sunlight and can be left outdoors overnight.

After 7-14 days of acclimating your plants to the outdoors, they should be ready to transplant into the garden. Plant them on a cloudy day if possible. Water thoroughly after planting.

transplanting seedlings into the garden beds

Hopefully, this has cleared up any questions you may have had about hardening off your seedlings and plants. If not, leave me a comment.

Until next time,

Happy Gardening!

It’s always fun to see what gardeners are doing in other parts of the country. My good friend Stacy at Bricks ‘n Blooms lives in New Jersey and is also starting the process of acclimating her seedlings to the outdoors. Take a look at some tips she has for hardening off her plants.


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Filed Under: Garden, Growing a Cut Flower Garden Series, Spring, Tips and Tutorials Tagged With: acclimating seedlings to outdoors, before transplanting to the garden, preparing seedlings for the outdoors

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Comments

  1. Kim says

    04/27/2021 at 11:58 am

    I have to tell you, it’s a lot of fun going through this process with someone. Especially when you live so far away, I love seeing how different our growing times are different.

    Reply
  2. stacy says

    04/26/2021 at 7:51 am

    Your seedlings look amazing! I am ready to put my snapdragons and sweet peas in the ground this week. And then I’m starting to harden off a few others before the onslaught of seedlings makes their journey to the outdoors. So fun! Can’t wait to see your garden this year! It’s already off to a great start!

    Reply

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Hi! I'm Kim. Welcome to my home & garden blog, Shiplap and Shells. We live in a small 1920 beach cottage in the Pacific Northwest and have spent the last 10 years renovating, reinventing, and adding character to our forever home. Read More…

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